Parlor Foods & Co

Got the fries, oysters, calamari, street meat and beet salad to share. Beet salad was good but calamari and street meat kind sucks. The meat was really dry.

Great food, great service. The flat iron steak was divine, and the smoked butternut squash is a must!

Wandering around on King St W one day me and a fellow Unilocaler wanted to find a place where we could find a bite to eat before the game (Blue Jays game). We came across this place — neither of us had been here before and it didn’t look too busy so we decided to try it out. I’m glad we took the chance b/​c I was pleasantly surprised.
It has the rustic at home, kinda a local bar with hints of a trendy restaurant vibe. We ordered the calamari, the bone marrow and horse tartare with garlic chips and the oysters (it was ½ price that day for oysters).
The calamari was breaded and in whole pieces — not pre-​cut up like some restaurants do. It was slightly soggy but I think b/​c it was sitting in the plate with the sauce on it. But it had a nice bit to it — not too chewy and not too heavily breaded.
Now, the main star — the marrow and horse tartare — oh my — this is a dish of pure deliciousness. The chips are used to scoop up the tartare and marrow and just provides a lovely and fresh morsel. We literally wanted to scoop out every last piece. I’d definitely order this again.
The oysters were nice — not the supreme freshest tasting but I didn’t think they would be. For about $ 1.50 an oyster I am not going to complain.
Service was on point from when we entered to throughout the entire meal — pleasant, checking in on us and providing the bill in a timely manner.
I’m curious to try some other items on their menu as it seems to be more unique than the typical downtown fare. A little pricey but fits right in with the King W crowd.

Came in for a coffee to wait for a show to start. Environment is certainly very nice, wood themed and smells like wood smoke. We ordered a «selection of Canadian cheeses» which is meant to come with a «smoked maple syrup» and bannock. Sounds good right? Unfortunately, the cheeses were not Canadian. First one described was a «Danish blue». These were a selection alright — of run of the mill grocery store brand cheeses with grocery store «bannock“and the tiniest drip of what I presume was smoked maple syrup but there wasn’t enough to really get a taste. Coffee was bad. Didn’t eat a main so I can’t comment but if it’s anything like their cheese plate I’m sure you’ve seen it all already in aisle 3, for a lot less $.

This is a 5 star worthy establishment. So it’s nothing short of astonishing that they employ the worst server on the planet. I’m still slightly befuddled by this fact and am having difficulty coming to terms with it.
Ambiance and décor are ¹⁰⁄₁₀. From the second you step into the sauna like foyer, the vibe is quality. LOVE the woodsy exposed log.
Food is consistently above average. The calamari, shishito poppers and flat iron steak should be ordered.
The beer battered chicken and burger could can use a little upgrading but are nonetheless appetizing.
On my first visit we had a delightful, pleasant and knowledgeable waitress who represented Parlor beautifully. She was one of the reasons I was eager to return and she spoke so highly of other items on the menu.
The second time around, we encountered a waitress who is a complete liability to the restaurant. This woman is capable of sabotaging the entire operation. She deserves Olympic gold in subpar customer service. You say thank you, she glares, you order something, she glares, you would hope that at least the glares would be consistent, but no, she then drops the hammer and never returns to your table again. NEVER AGAIN. Straight up disappears into the ether. You’re forced to believe that such a disappearance is a blessing but the fact of the matter is-​your curious about dessert and ultimately require the bill. No one to be found. ³⁄₅ stars due to this outrageously unfortunate service.

Good location and friendly staff. The oysters are really simple and delicious. The Hot and Honey Turkey Wings were meaty and flavorful!

This place rules! Went with a big party of 7 and everything was perfect! Our waitress killed it, the cocktails are superb, the food delicious… all fresh and made in-​house, not canned/​frozen! Jason and Mari the owners were super great hosts and welcomed us warmly. We had a lot of food and it was ALL good with no exceptions: sweatbreads, horse tartare, house made panzerotti, market fish, charcuterie board, street meat, flank steak, beef short rib Etc! The Canadiana décor is worth the look alone. Great bar area and overall a much nicer spot than most of the rest on restaurant row… feels more like Ossington than King west. Highly recommended and we will be back for sure!

Another Restaurant Row dud. Kind of like having «insert fast food chain here» and it reminds you why you don’t eat at said fast food chain, this reminded us of why we don’t go to Restaurant Row.
Everything was ok, but frankly nothing to write home about.
I had a caesar, it was flat and unimaginative compared to the description. «Big wings» were meh. Flat iron steak was ok, but you’d have a better steak for the money at the Keg. My wife had the vegetable and bean ragout, fine, nothing to return over. Just bland and uncoordinated flavours.
Service was good and attentive on the plus side.
This place occupies the space that Paese used to, which has since moved, and Parlor doesn’t match the food they put out. In our minds Paese was the one saving grace on Restaurant Row.
As a bar to grab a pint I’m sure it’s fine. We just won’t consider heading here for dinner in the future. There are plenty of places to go for a better meal in the city.

On 2016-​01-​08, my wife and I went to this restaurant for dinner (it was our first time at this restaurant). We chose it because we thought that the menu was unique and reasonably priced for sharing dishes. It was advertised as «great local Canadian food». We were not disappointed and surprised on a few points.
The décor was wood-​themed, using wood for tables and wood logs for the walls. They also use a wood burning stove. They are trying to use the Canadian theme of log cabins.
The service was amazing. We had a male server. We thought the dishes would be small but when we ordered 5 dishes, our server suggested that it was a lot of food so we cut it back to 4. He asked if we would like the dishes brought out one at a time and we agreed. Wow! The dishes are large (extremely good value for the price!). Then we noticed the two men in the table beside us only order 2 dishes and a small dessert. We were definitely overstuffed with 4 dishes for the two of us!
We ordered the following:
(1) Calamari. $ 15.
Fried calamari, sweet & spicy red pepper sauce, crispy capers, cherry tomatoes, olive oil & chervil.
(2) Po-​Boy. $ 17.
Fried Daily Catch (today is Oyster). Garnished with an Apple & Caramelized onion relish, carrot & caraway purée, Crispy Leeks strings, in-​house buttermilk buns.
(3) Street Meat. $ 18.
Savoury summer sausages (with foie gras) on buttermilk buns, fresh slaw, pickles, pickled jalapeño, ball park mustard.
(4) Flat Iron Steak. $ 29.
Marinated & seared flat iron steak (cooked medium), candy striped beets, wilted baby spinach, potato croquette, finished with a savoury red wine veal jus.
All dishes tasted great!
The customer service was amazing. Our server kept filling our water glasses and changed our plates and cutlery after each dish. One time I dropped my napkin from my lap, leaned down to pick it up and a lady server picked it up for me! When we were eating the «Street Meat» with our hands (can get messy), a lady server brought extra napkins for us just in case! The servers really paid attention and attended to us before we even thought of it. I also liked that it wasn’t just our own server who helped us — I hope they share their tips.
Additional info:
(1) They have free WiFi.
(2) It wasn’t noisy.
(3) Look at the photos I posted with this review.
(4) It may be a little dark to read the menu,. Luckily most (not all) menu items are also listed on several blackboards which were lit up with a lamp.
(5) Remember the dishes are large. Even though they are sharing plates, it is best to order 1 dish per person in your party.

Made a last minute reservation for dinner on a Saturday night after watching a movie nearby.
Environment of the restaurant was warm and inviting, when you first walk in, you notice a musky, wood burning smell.
I ordered the Burger with frites, cooked medium well. The burger was average but the parlor sauce that the fries came with was unique.
My friend ordered Horses & Bones and we all agreed that the potato crisps that came with the marrow was too oily and salty, which took away from the bone marrow itself.
My other friend wanted a poutine but didn’t see it on the menu, after asking the server, we were able to get the poutine. The server explained that poutine is on their late night menu and as long as the kitchen had the ingredients to make it, we would still be able to order it. The poutine however was a bit too salty for our liking.
Overall, I would recommend this place to those who want to try something new and adventurous. The menu has several items that are made for sharing so this may be a good place to try with a small group.

Love trying new restaurants that feature seasonal ingredients and local favourites so this seemed like a good choice for a casual Friday evening.
A relatively new addition to the king west restaurant scene, I was able to book a same day reservation which could be hard to come by in the downtown core these days.
— Big wings ($ 16): and they mean BIG. These are giant turkey wings and you will get 2 with your order. We got the maple rye and mustard sauce which was quite tasty and I enjoyed. But something a bit off to me to eat wings the size of your face. Definitely something different though.
— Charcuterie ($ 19): their in house cured meats. The prosciutto was really delicious — Perfect saltiness and fatty layer that melts in your mouth. The crunchy toasted warm bread and the homemade mustard was a winning combo.
— White bean & root vegetable ragout ($ 19): perhaps my least favourite of the night. Sounded very hearty and appealing but the white beans weren’t cooked well enough so they were quite hard and the tomato and onion ragout was a bit too sweet.
— Braised short ribs ($ 26): Just okay. The ribs were tender but not the melt in your mouth and it lacked memorable flavours.
Overall the staff was really welcoming and attentive throughout our meal and was really helpful with the menu. Maybe we just didn’t order the best items on the menu but I left feeling like my palate could be more inspired.

Amazing service! Our server, Emma, was the best! She took time to explain the menu and made great recommendations for us. The cocktails are great here, and food did not fall short of expectations. The charcuterie plate was delicious, as were the fries& special dipping sauce! There was a very large group right behind our table, so a little loud that particular day, but I was told that it wasn’t normally THAT loud. Regardless, friends and I had an amazing time with Emma constantly checking up on us. Thanks!

I’ve been here 3 times in the last month :)
Looking through my bookmarks on Unilocal for a place to take my best friend’s parents for a nice dinner I picked Parlor Foods because I wanted to try the horse and bones. My dining guests love food as much as I do so I really wanted to pick something special for them.
I made reservations, although it wasn’t necessary for 8pm on a Friday night for 4 of us. Upon arriving first among my party, the hostess asked to take my jacket which was nice. The menu is on paper tied with a piece of yarn and also written in chalk on the walls. I loved the long communal table in the middle of the back room with more bar seating in the front. The wood/​log theme through out the restaurant created a nice atmosphere. They had a charging station ^_​^
The service was great, they went through the menu with us and we ordered different menu items through out the 3 hour meal and the servers were great with that.
We tried the shishito poppers, they weren’t spicy for me but the flavors of sweet and cheesy worked well. The charcuterie board was so delicious, the meats were all prepared in house and our server explained each one to us. Hands down the duck proscuitto wins… we would have all fought over the last piece if I didn’t take one for the team and picked it up :)
The oysters were fresh, but they only had one variety. The cheeseboard was pretty okay but the meat board definitely takes the cake on this one. The bread was basic, I probably wouldn’t get it again. The salad was a great size and lots of different elements to it that worked well.
NOW to the real story!!!
Horse and Bones (Horse tartare and Bone Marrow) We were all apprehensive about trying it, but being the standout item on the menu we decided to jump in. It was delicious, I’m personally a marrow lover and it really hit the spot. Everyone else was also surprised by the taste and within 5 minutes those crispy potato chips were dips and devoured.
Their ice cream cookie sandwich hit the spot nicely for a sweet finish.
On another visit for my best friend’s Bachlorette, Jason called me ahead of time to confirm and after finding out it was a Bachlorette mentioned they always do something special for the bride to be. True to their word at the end of our amazing meal a large delicious dessert was brought out with Congratulations in beautiful chocolate writing :)
Tried the beer can chicken this time and it was delicious! Moist and the flavor packed a punch!
Saved the best for last… their maple smoked manhattan!!! The glass is still warm when i pick it up for my first sip. The smokey flavor stays on the tip of my tongue for seconds after! I love watching them smoke it behind the bar.
Overall I’d come back (and I have several times) and wouldn’t think twice of holding a special event here! Parking is a little bit difficult as is all of downtown, just go west of Spadina and then walk backwards!

I’m trying not to hand out 5’s too freely lately, but the excellent customer service really pushed it over the top.
My wife and I had less than a half hour to eat before catching a show, and we asked if it was possible. Our host showed us which items should come out quickly, and rather than making empty promises — our server and then the kitchen ensured we ordered and had our food in less than 15 minutes.
We were thinking appies anyway. The poppers were a unique take with a tempura batter, but it really worked. The cumin/​curry dip may not have been my first choice however. The turkey wings with a mustard/​maple sauce were delicious. In case it isn’t obvious, turkey wings are massive as an FYI. The blue cheese dip they came with was INCREDIBLE. Genuine blue cheese base and the only mistake was not asking for more of it. We also had the frites which were pretty good and a massive portion.
A pretty limited taste of the menu so far, but as it stands: the food is somewhere between a 4 – 5 and our service was an easy 5. Will be back.

Awesome restaurant on a strip of so-​so restaurants. had the Shishto Poppers to start — Jalepeno poppers for adults, damn good, with a bit of an Indian infused kick. followed this by the Po-​Boy — Catch of the day (Seabream) with house salsa, spiced avocado aioli, crispy herbs, pickled onions, all between two in-​house buttermilk buns everything was very good and very unique!
A++++

Came here on a Saturday night. Initially we only wanted a light dinner but got enticed to do the Summerlicious dinner menu. The waitress explained that the restaurant serves Canadian inspired dishes, where most of the menu is made in-​house (the meats are cured in the restaurant and the ice cream is also made by the chef).
Appetizer — We both went for the Charcuterie board (couldn’t resist after she explained the meats are cured in-​house!) The board had a nice Canadian touch, with drops of maple syrup on the side of the board. All the cured meats were great, although the bread as slightly hard.
Entrée — I got the Market Fresh Fish entrée, which was served with fried crab cakes and calamari. I was not a big fan of the crab cakes and calamari, I felt that the heavy fried sides took away from the fresh fish flavours. Overall the presentation of the entrée was beautiful.
Dessert — After boasting that the ice cream was made in-​house, we had to try it. I got the Whiskey flavoured ice cream, which had such a strong whiskey flavour that I felt like I was drinking whiskey with milk! The ice cream even had an after taste of whiskey. My friend ordered the Toasted Marshmellow ice cream, which seemed to taste like chocolate. Overall, I enjoyed the fact that the ice cream was prepared in house.
For a weekend night, I was also surprised that the restaurant was relatively empty. As a tip, the patio is very small and tightly packed, so if you prefer more space I would recommend inside seating. I would definitely try Parlor again for their local flavours!

Had the summerlicious lunch menu here (and shared halvsies with a friend, so got to try two of each course!)
This is what we tried:
Appetizer
— Salad: Had a really nice dressing, and the cherry tomatoes were super tasty
— Plowmen’s Platter: four slices of salami, pickled veggies, tapenade, and three slices of toast. Everything was really good, especially the tapenade (it wasn’t too salty — yay!)
Main
Fish and chips: delightful. The fish was done just right, and the fries were yummy (skinny fries!). Highlight was the orange coloured dip. Tartar sauce was ok.
Smoked chicken sandwich: i was expecting a sandwich-​looking dish based on the name. But it looks more like a burger. This was SO GOOD. It really hit the spot. Bread wasn’t too bready or dense. Smoked chicken and peameal bacon were so tender. Everything came together really well in this sandwich.
Dessert
Cookies: the choc chip one was good, the other one had too many choc chips
Strawberry sorbet: was pretty meh
Some friends ordered dif ice cream flavours. Whiskey one was strong (could def taste the whiskey in there). Toasted marshmallow was good but didn’t really taste like toasted marshallow to me.
All in all, great atmosphere and great food. Summerlicious was also a great deal ($ 23 for three courses)

Holy samolians. Stop reading this and just go to Parlor now.
We wandered in off the street because they had a charcuterie board and that’s what we were craving. According to our (very knowledgeable, helpful and attentive) waitress, the meats on the board were made in house! This place focuses on local, house-​made food, which is something I can definitely get behind.
We ordered the Garden Fresh Salad, the Charcuterie Board, bread and tapenade and the Street Meat.
The salad was fresh and delicious, with a yummy spicy mayo and lime and cider vinaigrette. It was the perfect start to our meal.
Next came the Charcuterie. This is where things got really interesting. The bread is baked in-​house (the baker also makes the desserts and ice cream). It was potato focaccia, and toasted to perfection. Every piece of cured meat on the board was delectable, but the duck stood out to me the most. Honey and spicy mustard complimented the meats.
The tapenade… okay I don’t even like tapenade but when we ran out of bread I ended up eating this off of my fork. It’s garlicy and olivey and creamy and extraordinary.
The only thing I was wary about was the street meat. It sounded amazing, the buns being made in house, as well as the sausage. But $ 18 for 2 sausages? Yeah. ¹⁰⁄₁₀ would pay for again. The spring slaw, pickles and jalapeño perfectly complimented the richness of the sausage and the buttermilk bun totally held up. Yum!
We also ordered a cask beer, and any bar/​resto that has cask beer is a winner in my eyes.
I can’t wait to try the rest of the menu!

April 2015. After a film at the Hotdocs, we wanted to have a nice casual dinner. We found Parlor Foods on our mobile app. Nice overall, would love to come back to spend more time with drinks and more food.
Venue: Very interesting entrance. Interior nice and comfortable with some interesting pieces of furniture. ⁸⁄₁₀
Food: Frites and Sauce — portion was generous. The homemade sauce was good. To me, it’s like mayo and mustard together but I really don’t know what exactly the sauce was made of. Regardless, it was good. For mains, I had the Seafood Linguini. Presentation was very nice. Taste was light. The seafood (fried oyster, fried smelts, octopus) gave good flavours. Portion was suitable (not too small but not big). I tried a bit of my partner’s pork. I loved it as I found the meat was cooked perfectly and the sauce was not strong. It worked very well for me. My partner found it bland. Different taste preference? ⁸⁄₁₀
Service: Very friendly staff especially the gentleman who greeted us and brought us to the table. It’s wonderful to feel welcome when you step into a restaurant. Our server was also very nice. She took time to answer our questions (e.g. the name and concept of the restaurant) and told us the special of the evening. ⁹⁄₁₀
Overall: I would love to go back and try more dishes. After reading others’ reviews, I want to try the Charcuterie board and some fancy cocktails.

We had supper this evening at Parlor Foods. They have been open for about ten weeks.
I ordered the Burger (without cheese or lettuce). It was a good burger as were the fries. I’d get it again.
Gord ordered Street Meat (without the jalapeño). He said there were very good but needed a side dish (fries, salad, etc.). I shared my fries with him.
Our server was Emma. She was friendly and enthusiastic and took good care of us.