Patria

I’ve been wanting to come here for awhile but I really wish I hadn’t.
Both the atmosphere and food were really bad. Too crowded and I couldn’t even hear the person I was with.
The paella was AWFUL — it was burnt, had 2 shrimp in it and had the worst after taste.
The jamon was alright and the fried eggplant was good, but it’s hard to screw that up.
Definitely wouldn’t go back.

This place sucks
Last night was my third time there and another big regret. It was a bday party dinner otherwise I wouldn’t waste my time and money !!!
Food was awful again. Place was super hot to the point we couldn’t eat out dinner. Asked 4 times for a desert which we already paid and they ever bring it to us !!! How f. ed up is that
And obviously a huge none sense bill.
Such a big ripoff

Looking for a place to eat in Toronto & saw paella on their menu. OK let’s try Canadian paella!
No reservations available before 9pm so we took a chance on the first come patio seating. No problem we were seated right away @ 6:45. The space is tucked away from the street & the patio was covered & a little dark.
Ordered 4 tapas: blistered peppers, jambon on bread, fried eggplant, & dates stuffed with cheese wrapped in bacon in a sherry reduction. All were delightful but the peppers & the dates were must-​haves.
Followed with small lobster/​shrimp paella — rice peas & tons of flavor we shared for two.
Staff was great. 2 good martinis. No coffee or dessert. Went somewhere else for that. I would make a point of going back to this restaurant.

Food was quite good, but our server suggested we order all of our food in the beginning, assuring us that she would pace how it was brought to the table. It was not paced … We were totally rushed and the food runner was actually pissy with us when we didn’t adequately clear our food for the large paella plate. Some of the other food had arrived only a few minutes earlier.
Best of the night: bacon wrapped dates, Serrano ham, cauliflower, peppers, and coffee ice cream with candied olives (a sweet and savory punch of yum!). Eggplant was okay, as was lobster paella. The sourdough bread with the cheese course was very delicious.
The atmosphere is lovely and has a contemporary feel with neat light fixtures and a casual vibe. I would recommend going, but DO NOT order all your food dishes at once. Order your next plates after the first ones arrive, etc.

Amazing restaurant, the food is absolutely fantastic.
The restaurant has a great ambiance, very sophisticated n romantic. The service was truly impeccable. The staff is really friendly n helpful. It was my first time there n my server made great recommendations for food n wine.
We had the
gamba paella (it was on special) — simply wow. The rice was full of flavor, the shrimps were big n juicy. Just amazing.
charcuterie board with 4 very flavourful cured meats (the iberico chorizo was my favourite)
the octopus. Very good. When combined with the potato it had this really amazing texture.
Pinientos rellenos de buey (pepper stuffed with oxtail) — surprisingly delicious. The oxtail almost tasted like pulled pork lol. Very good
Pimientos de padron (blistered peppers + sea salt) — very cool dish. The peppers were almost crispy.
Overall it was truly an amazing dining experience.

I bookmarked this place a few months ago due to all the hype but my experience was disappointing in one word.
The place was extremely loud and our table was very small. For starter we had some heese and also flatbread. The portions were very small but taste good.
We ordered one of the famous paella as the main. It took them more than one hour to bring the food… very frustrating! I didn’t like the main food. Salty rice with some mussels and fish…
The Service was acceptable but the price is really unreasonable. 140 for two… I don’t think I will ever come back.

Very surprised with service. Right away we were sat down right next to the entrance and told all other tables were spoken for. To which I responded what was the point of me reserving a table. We were then moved to a better location. (I might add over the course of the next 2 hours we saw many spoken for tables stay empty) Our waiter seemed to know very little about the menu. We had asked for recommendations and if we would have enough food to satisfy me and my girlfriend. Not only was he unable to help us by suggesting dishes he said we would probably be hungry but was still unable to recommend anything to us… I asked if we could order more side dishes later but it didn’t matter as he then took all the menus away. The food itself seem to be on the small side, however very flavourful. We ordered the octopus special and it was amazing, we also got the paella and it was the highlight of the evening. Over all the restaurant was just ok and left us feeling like we would need to eat again (which we did).

Been dying to try this place with all the hype around it, to be frank its mostly hype, location and ambiance.
The few times I tried to just walk in they never had a table available. For a table of 2 the online reservation system only had an early seating available. But when we arrived the restaurant didn’t feel packed the whole night. The décor was very nice, dark and perfect for a romantic date. The ceilings were high and the beautiful woven wall piece.
We got the grilled octopus, it wasnt chewy but also didn’t feel very flavourful, on the bland side. The serving was also quite small 7 tiny pieces with small cut potatoes. Also tried the piquillo peppers stuffed with oxtail and manchego, the ox tail was braised and was very soft, I wish there was more cheese, but again for $ 17 there were only 2 small peppers and felt overpriced.
The paella was good, and came out nice and hot. It was filled with shrimp, mussels, calamari snap peas and clams. It was nicely seasoned, and rice was perfectly cooked. The portions are a good and large size!
For dessert we got the fried milk, the milk itself was ok deep fried gelatiny milky blocks, not the best I’ve ever had. The saffron ice cream however was delicious, and was presented beautifully with edible flowers. We left very full at the end of the night.
The service was good, my glass always had water and they were very friendly. We were never rushed, we were there for probably a little more than 2 hours. The hostesses were dressed very trendy might I add.

My boyfriend and I had a spontaneous date night at Patria because we were both craving paellas: P Patria has a romantic and dim ambiance. Service was okay.
BOMBAS CON SALSA BRAVA (³⁄₅)
(Chorizo, aioli, spicy piquillo sauce)
I think this is what we ordered, can’t really remember the name — we did not expect the dish to come out as a flatbread.
PAELLA DE BOGAVANTE (⁴⁄₅)
(Lobster, gulf shrimp, chorizo and peas)
Definitely satisfied our paella cravings with this order :)
Loved the lobster — it was in big chunks!
The portions of rice and seafood were perfect.
We would order this again. The portion size is for two people, which worked with us.

I love Tapas, so it’s hard to disappoint me. The food here is delicious. We had:
Datiles (dates wrapped in bacon)
D.O. Murcia Al Vino — Goat cheese with toast
Coca De Hongos — Mushroom flatbread
Albondingas — Waygu Meatball
Paella Patria
Patatas Bravas
The most popular were the Datiles, the Coca De Hongos, and the Paella. Our table really loved those three dishes. The cheese and bread were amazing too – the bread was warm, buttery/​salty.
The red sangria was also very good
Atmosphere was nice, it has a beautiful interior. High ceilings and really intricate décor. I’d come back on a date, with a group of friends, or for a special occasion.

So it’s about time that I wrote a review for Patria, which I bookmarked and wanted to try it for the longest times ever. yet then again… it was not really up to par… sighs…Too many people raving about the food, paella, tapas and all those… didn’t really appeal to me that much. maybe my expectations were too high? maybe I’m secretly comparing it to the ones I’ve eaten in Europe (huge mistake!)
We came here for a birthday, the ambience was loud as expected, tables were a little tight.
We ordered the paella in the beginning knowing that it would take a min of 25 – 30 mins to make… Ordered some tapas, they weren’t screaming delicious at me… they were just an A-​Ok for me personally…
As per Emily K., I have the same thoughts «Ordered a variety of plates and drinks but left feeling a bit unsatisfied»
Waited a long time for the foods, which I don’t mind if it was screaming delicious but thats not how I felt…
All in all, I doubt I will be back anytime soon.

My second dinner in toronto and we were NOT disappointed in the slightest. Our server was highly knowledgeable and so lovely. She even tried to talk us out of ordering so much for two… Very genuine and great service.
We started with the iberico ham wrapped dates. Divine. Perfect mix of salty and sweet which many of the dishes touch on. Then a butter lettuce salad course to cut the sweet and prep us for our next, more heartier courses. We followed that up with the octopus and pork tapas with an out of this world sherry jus sauce. I would have licked the plate! The octopus was not as good as the one at skin and bones but that was due to a very simple preparation. The seasoning was good but the presentation just didn’t overwhelm next to all the other to die for dishes.
We then moved to a small version of the carne paella. Unreal!!! The rice had that Asian pan like crust on it and the meat a mix of soft, luscious lamb rib, delicious in house made chorizo and iberico with asparagus and peas. So much flavor and a much sexier take on a Spanish classic.
Next up waygu meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce and Brussels sprouts with chorizo. This place is a meat lovers dream. And the tapas allow you to try everything you want which is my kind of spot!
Last was dessert: an upscale take on churros with a melt in your mouth Dulce de Leche caramel dipping sauce (you will want to lick the plate) and a not to miss chocolate pudding with sea salt and olive oil. Sounds odd but it’s EPIC. Please take a chance and try this! You won’t be disappointed by this let alone anything here. Can’t wait to eat there again. Last day tomorrow and we may grab a pre flight lunch first it was that amazing!

Came here for a work event.
Food was delicious. Cocktails and wine were great. Atmosphere was cozy and romantic.
Favourite menu items were the empanadas, fried goat cheese with honey, and bacon wrapped figs — YUM!
Would return on a date with the boo thang.

Got a chance to revisit Patria this past weekend, after not having been there since December 2014.
The food was still amazing, this time the stand-​out besides the paella was the garlic cauliflower dish. Red sangria was tasty and plentiful. Service was excellent; well timed, friendly. A little odd that I asked for the bill, and he brought the dessert menus… if someone asks for the bill, that’s the signal that they’re done, even if you want to upsell still.
Ambiance was a full room, even late on a Friday, and mostly groups of women this time around. Definitely a special place I am going to remember to visit more often!

Beautiful restaurant with great service. Overall really enjoyed the experience. Now to the food:
Foie gras bocadillos: excellent, they basically melt in your mouth. 2 per plate.
Bacon wrapped dates: so juicy and delicious. This is something I would definitely come back for.
Paella Patria: filled with loads of shrimp, scallop, and mussels. This is a meal on its own. More than a meal even. Really enjoyed the perfectly cooked rice. It was mouth watering. Would come back for this or try a diff paella next time.
Pork epenadas: these were okay. Meat was kinda hard and dry.
Red and white sangria: not the best sangria I ever had but it was good.

Oh so good. There’s something about tapas restaurants that i think could be called The Tapas Rules. As follows:
1. Every dish must taste different. Like super different.
2. But still within the basic theme. Like not Spanish and Asian and Indian. But in the theme. Stick to your color scheme.
3. Have really good waitstaff. That’s just a general rule of life.
4. Flavors need to be strong and memorable. When you’re eating the broccoli you still need to be saying that was really damn good squid 30 seconds ago. And you want to write about it later.
5. Have good drinks. That’s as much of a tapas item as anything else. Not just hydration and uninhibited good times on a kind of weird and awkward date.
Patria is like 1,2,3,4,5. There’s probably a 6 – 14 and they got that too. Wicked food. Like everything we ordered. Broccoli. Porcini mushrooms oh god yes. Octopus special. Sangria pitcher. Blistered peppers the Spanish classy version of a bag of endless Doritos. Pan con tomate and the salted olive oil. Chorizo charcuterie board so flavorful. Bombas making me want to yell «bombas!»
This review is a bit crazy but it’s because I really liked the food and don’t know how to describe it. Even the price point just feels right when you taste the food. There’s an intricacy in how it’s prepared and the flavors are so subtle, you can taste where your money is going.
Delicious. Beautiful inside. Great food. Well worth the price and any trouble you have getting a reservation.

A romantic ambiance, slightly on the louder side, and service was great. The wine was pouring all night. One very important thing to note is that the paella takes 45 mins to prepare, so be sure to order that first. Almost all of the appetizer has cheese in it, which is not very good for someone who is lactose intolerant. Overall, the food was just a-​ok, nothing special. The one thing that I thought was a treat was the bacon wrapped cheese.
For the price, I think that we could have gone to somewhere better. I just didn’t think that the the food was all that great. I have nothing particularly great to say about the paella, it was just okay. I think I’ve had better paella at street festivals.

I mentioned to a co-​worker that it’s really hard to find good paella anywhere outside of Spain, and he recommended Patria on King. The restaurant is slightly difficult to find, it’s tucked away from King and not marked, but it’s not hard to figure out that the busy restaurant down the alley with the large glass windows is probably the one you are looking for.
I walked in without a reservation and was able to sit at the bar; and, even though I was at the bar, the wait staff were incredibly nice and attentive. As mentioned above, my food experience was with the house paella (Paella Patria), which takes roughly 45-​minutes to make. When paella is done correctly, and the rice is allowed to naturally settle in a paella pan, the taste and texture are phenomenal. It’s hard to find places where the chefs are patient enough to cook paella right. In this case, it was worth the wait and the dish is big enough to feed two people.
There are a couple of minuses: the restaurant is very loud and busy… difficult for conversations. And, I almost feel petty for mentioning this but the women’s bathroom was rather unkept and a wet, papery mess.

One of my pet peeves is to pay high prices at a restaurant, and still leave hungry. It’s even more aggravating when the food is just ordinary. This was my experience at Patria.
We were told by the server we should order 3 – 4 items per person so long as it included some items from the heavier dishes. We ordered 4 items per person from across the menu, just as instructed, and there was still very little food to be had.
The choritzo ($ 7) was sliced very thinly and there was just enough to cover a small saucer. In other words, there was very little of it. The Jamon Serrano ($ 13) was just enough to cover a medium sized dish. In other words, there was very little of it too.
We ordered two types of goat cheese (Roncal and Garrotxas). They were both firm cheeses, and I must say rather underwhelming. There was a little piece of each, hardly justified for $ 9 a piece.
The «Patatas Bravas Con Huevo Frito» (Crispy Potato + Spicy Tomato + Fried Egg) was very disappointing at $ 10. It looked and tasted like home fries you might get at the Golden Griddle. We asked for it to be replaced, and got the Halibut special instead. The fish was very nicely cooked, but it was under dressed, and again a very small portion. At ($ 26) we did not get anywhere near our money’s worth.
The chick peas and spinach stew ($ 9) was tasty, but again, only a handful of chick peas and a mere sprinkle of spinach.
The «Pimientos Rellenos» (stuffed piquillo pepper) ($ 14) consisted of only two stuffed peppers. Let’s do the math. That’s $ 7 dollar for a pepper the size of a ping pong ball. I don’t know about you, but in my books, that’s a steep price. Now, even that would have been forgiven, had it been a great stuffed pepper. But instead, it was a very bad stuffed pepper. The meat was mushy and completely bland. Very unappetizing dish.
The «Bistec a la Parrilla» (Prime Beef Striploin + Padron Peppers + Crispy Potato) was quite good. The crispy potato was very nice. But again there was very very little meat. They try to make it look more plentiful by slicing it very thinly, but in my opinion, there was probable about 4oz of meat on the plate. At $ 34, again, you do not get anywhere close to your money’s worth.
The wine selection was not great, with much too heavy emphasis on expensive bottles. Opting to order by the glass, we ended up paying $ 56 for 4 glasses of wine.
At the end of the day, we paid $ 200 for a dinner for two, and left with empty stomachs.
What surprises me is that the restaurant seems to be doing quite well. It was filled to capacity on a weeknight. Maybe it’s because it’s such an attractive space. Or maybe these folks just did not read the right reviews.
Well, I hope I did some service out there to people who are still concerned about the value of their money, and don’t wish to squander it on mediocre, overly priced, very small portions of food.
P. S. The restaurant is rated at $$$, but it’s probably because it’s hard to give a price range for tapas. However, it belongs in the $$$$ category.

Once you’re actually able to find the entrance to this place (FYI it’s in a recessed alleyway), a two-​levelled interior greets you. Dim lighting shows glimpses of Spanish-​style mosaic tiles line the walls, accented by warm redwood everywhere else. The acoustics of this place reverberate like crazy, so I opted for a quieter meal on the heated and awnings-​protected patio.
Since it’s tapas-​style, my BFF and I ordered several dishes (sharing is caring):
— Datiles/​Bacon wrapped dates: A salty-​sweet combo, it was the most balanced iteration I’ve had thus far of this dish. It was neither overwhelmingly salty nor sweet; unlike places with super-​sweet Medjool dates (blech, IMHO).
— D.O. Monte Enebro with a teensy rectangle of compressed fig compote and toasted bread with Spanish olive oil: We asked for the rarest cheese on the menu and received this. It really was unique. Tastes like a mild blue, creamy, but with none of the bluish-​green mold spots you’d typically find. Covered in an ash crust, the colour was an ombré grey starting from the outside. Deliciously «ashy», if there is such a thing. The olive oil was heady and much heavier in flavour than your typical olive oil, and the bread was perfectly toasted to a satisfying texture.
— Fried pig’s ear with pickled zucchini from the daily specials: It was a little off-​putting to find some ear hairs in there, but c’est la vie. Crispy on the outside, yielding and soft on the inside. Very different from the Szechuan, Chinese, or Italian places where I’ve had it before. It would make such a perfectly salted snack, why isn’t someone making bags of these? The thinly sliced pickled zucchini provided an excellent foil to the heavy feel of fried foods.
— Foie gras bocadillo: I would describe this as a little baby burger/​slider. Way more awesome here though. The beef patty is replaced with a delectable round of foie gras that’s been prepared in the traditional «towel style» — a torchon that’s been wrapped into a cylinder and cooked to perfection in a hot water bath. Sopped up with bread as not to waste a drop; spot of fig jam in the middle. Don’t forget to swipe it in one of two balsamic vinegar and olive oil reduction dots! My favourite of the night.
— Croquetas Jamon/​Ham croquettes: The shapes reminded me of teensy hot dogs, but that’s where the similarities end. These breaded and fried cylinders contain a creamy, cheesy, bacon-​studded core (bechamel, aioli, and ham). The aioli squeezed on top only adds to the creaminess inside. While served as only 3 pieces, they’re deceivingly filling.
— Wood grilled halibut from the daily specials: The only item I kind of regret ordering. It was tasty — flakey, moist, and fork-​tender, but a little expensive considering the fish was the size of half a palm.
— Pulpo/​Grilled octopus: As soon as I spotted the sprawling octopus tentacle perched in the middle of octopus coins/​single rounds cut from individual octopus arms) like the arms of a clock, I shouted out HENTAI! (Animated octopus or tentacle porn, for the uninitiated). ‘Cause I’m mature. Obviously. Given a healthy glug of olive oil and a streak of paprika, the orange-​red spice swirls in the oil like abstract art. The octopus was a nice texture. Totally devoid of the dreaded rubbery overdone-​ness, concurrently clear of mushy underdone-​ness. Just pretend these are official words, ‘kay?
Leche frita/​fried milk: Imagine 3 small, breaded & fried blocks of creamy tofu without the tofu taste. The best part of this dish was the saffron ice cream which creates a «full, round» mouthful that’s difficult to describe. Umami, maybe?
Chocolate pudding with olive oil: An oval scoop of dark chocolate thick pudding with olive oil, a sprinkling of sea salt, and a long teardrop-​shaped olive oil candy on top. I think this was my BFF’s fave.
I thought that all in all, the dishes were well balanced, thoughtful, and over all delicious. The service was attentive and helpful with suggestions, and seemed particularly fancy as all dishes were described upon delivery and always delivered by two staff (is this a thing?). This place can get expensive as little dishes add up. A paella takes 45 minutes to prepare, so if you’ve got your heart set on trying it, you’d better order it at the beginning. Prepare to order about 5 plate per person in order to feel full.