Smith

I would have given a higher rating if it weren’t for the poor service (the food was very good). I had a reservation for two and arrived on time. My friend had not yet arrived and they would’t seat me until he did; my table sat empty while I was made to stand in the cramped hallway. I don’t understand why they wouldn’t seat me and let me order a beverage while I waited. It left a bad taste in my mouth, not a good first impression.

Great breakfast and brunch place! We were very satisfied with food and service! The brisket hash and egg Benedict were delicious! Also the portions were big! Recommended!

I keep thinking about the brisket hash. So much meat, savoury and a with a side of spicy sauce… this is gotta be my ideal breakfast food. Add in the crispy home fries and you have a real winner. There’s attention to detail here in the food and presentation.
This place was crowded, and they lost our reservation, but it was the only time I’ve gone so I’ll give them a pass for this for now. On my list of places to go back to. Definitely reserve ahead of time.

The staff member lost our reservation we made 1 week prior. While we were waiting, the servers were rude (as if it was our fault our reservation was lost). Our party understood that they were busy with the brunch crowd, however the service’s attitude was poor. We waited probably an extra 30 – 45 mins for our table.
The food was good. However, the experience was not.

Excellent service and brunch food. The pistachio crêpe was out of this world. Very sweet so only for those with a sweet tooth. Delicious huevos rancheros as well. Outdoor patio is very cute.

First visit was good, back in patio season.
Most recent visit lowlights were glacial service. And a ‘glacial’ white wine. Old booze trick folks: when something isn’t good make it extra cold.
I have a particular dislike for ordering wine by the glass, and having a server come back with a glass of supposedly said wine. Or worse, a little carafe. Great, let’s make an extra dish dirty while you obscure what I’m drinking. Brilliant, really brilliant.
Clue: bring the bottle, and do the pour in front of me. Show a little class, let me see the label. I’m even okay with a discrete hashmark on the glass to keep the control fanatics and bean counters happy.
This glass and carafe charade is sterile and off putting.
I’ll go again, but during patio season.

The attention the food can only be matched by the attention paid to the décor. The only drawback is singles sometimes get forgotten by staff.
I recommend sitting in The Loft if your knees can handle the stairs.

Went here last night for the first time and it was delicious!
A sense of pride and creativity come through in the cocktails and the food. Staff was friendly and attentive. The bartender makes a great Moscow Mule, and the fries are to die for. Had lamb and mussels — both done perfectly.
Make a reservation as it is always full for dinner.

Came here late on a Sunday for breakfast/​brunch and it was great that they were serving breakfast till 4.
My girlfriend and I ordered the Brisket Hash and the Huevos Rancheros.
The Brisket Hash was poached eggs atop beef brisket atop home fries. The Heuvos Rancheros was poached eggs on a tortilla covered with sour cream, beans and guacamole with a side of home fries and two slices of watermelon.
The food was great, the servings were plentiful, the atmosphere was lovely and the service was quick as well (we went at a time when there were only two other tables occupied). It’s also located in a very nice area in the Church-​Wellesley village, which is a plus.

Was looking for a brunch place nearby and as the place we had in mind was closed, we decided to pop into this place instead.
So happy that we did. I got the Huevos Rancheros while my partner grabbed the Smith Breakfast. We were both pretty pleased with our meals. The service was pretty good. Our server told us that new menus were being determined and was friendly and attentive.
We dined on the balcony. It was a little scary… what if birds came by? But they didn’t. And we enjoyed a lovely brunch in a secluded spot.

Food: ⁸⁄₁₀
Atmosphere: ⁹⁄₁₀
Service: ⁸⁄₁₀
Overall experience: 8.5÷10
I’ve been to Wish (the sister restaurant to Smith) a few times before and quite like it, so was excited to try Smith. After my Sunday brunch, I think Smith will become my go-​to!
The staff are very friendly, and attentive. They do the little things that tend to get forgotten during the craziness of the brunch rush (i.e. refilling water, coffee, etc).
You will definitely have to wait for your food, that’s not their strong suit. No points taken away for this though. To me, it’s just what you sign up for when you decide to pursue brunch in the city.
We got the doughnuts, eggs benedict and frittata. The doughnuts are a nice little sweet snack — the brown sugar/​cinnamon combo is the perfect coating, though the dough is admittedly a little lackluster. The benny is great — the home fries that come with it crispy and delicious.
The décor is quite lovely and rounds out the experience. Considering we only waited 10 – 15 minutes, as compared to the hour/​hour and a half wait at other popular joints, I’d say go for it!
THE BOTTOM LINE: long wait time for food made up for by great service, lovely décor and good brunch food.

Honestly the food here was ok, service is a bit on the slower side because of this place is so popular but the atmosphere here is so nice I would recommend this place for a summer engagement or birthday party sort of event. Their backyard light-​bulb lit area is super romantic!
Atmosphere: ⁵⁄₅
Price: ³⁄₅
Presentation: ³⁄₅
Taste: ³⁄₅
Portion: ³⁄₅
Service: ³⁄₅
Atmosphere: This seems to be a very brunch place. Really nice décor all around. There are many floors to this place and our table of 20 got seated in a very cozy backyard-​feel type industrial, bricks with warm blankets! Love love love the stairs that lead up to the bathroom here as well. Would definately plan a cozy intimate gathering here with my close friends when the weather gets warmer! Can also see this seating area being ideal for dinner setting with the dim lit lights.
Price: This place is priced on the higher side for the type of food you are getting.
Presentation: All of their brunch dishes are served in iron-​cast pans so nothing really different here in terms of presentation.
Taste: Taste was about average.
Portion: Portions are on the smaller side. Their brunch plates could use more sides.
Service: The wait for a table here on a Sunday afternoon was not as long as you would anticipate for a group of 20. The staff here are extremely friendly and very willing to be of service! Thanks for all the group photos!

This is a cute find on Church, with an outdoor patio which is kind of in a laneway and a funky refinished retro 30s interior (or 20s? it’s not black and white you know!).
Staff was very very friendly and welcoming in a hipster east way — not saying hipster west is bad, just difference. More indifferent out there I find to east enders.
We did a benedict, regular breakfast + scones. All good. Scones were cranberry chocolate and very tasty. A bit small we could have eaten 30 of them!
Pricing was typical nice brunch spot. No complaints. Decent coffee. Safe bet for friends, mates, partners, girls and/​or boys.
Cheers!

The restaurant looks really nice and the service is great as well. I had the Huevos Rancheros which was really tasty. Portions are big though. In general, great place for brunch.

Been meaning to try this place for a while and just finally got around to it today for brunch.
Walking in we were surprised at how cozy and rustic the atmosphere is. The place seemed quite small but very unique with some pretty cool décor. The bar looks like a crowded cottage kitchen and there is a lot of minor details that add a lot of character such as antique silverware and plates, as well as random birds nests and bee hives around the walls.
We were seated immediately and ordered 2 regular caesars. We asked about the other 2 varieties of caesars on the menu to which the waitress did not seem to have a very good knowledge of, so we went with the classic. They came and were delicious, darker than any I’ve had with a fairly unique flavour profile and a good amount of spice, so far so good.
For food we ordered the house doughnuts to start, which we were informed they were out of, so alternatively we went for the coffee cake and scones with strawberry compote and lemon curd, all of which were amazing.
For our mains I ordered the brisket hash and my partner had the Huevos Rancheros. Portions were quite large. Food was hot, seasoned well, fresh and expertly put together. We both absolutely loved our dishes.
Will be returning here for sure as we were both thoroughly impressed with the entire experience and fantastic food.

This was such a cute brunch place! Loved the kooky, mismatched décor. The staff seemed to be pretty cool.
I ordered the Smith crêpe and although it was a bit too sweet for my liking, I’ll still probably return to try some of their other brunch offerings.

I have now been to Smith twice, both times for brunch. I must say the staff is very helpful and friendly (and good looking!)
First time I had the banana bread (I wasn’t feeling particularly hungry) which was very bland. I blamed myself for getting something so boring. The last time I was there I had waffles which were delicious. I only finished half. I ordered a side of fruit which was a big mistake as the waffles have a whole field of berries on them.
The Good:
1. Staff. Friendly and accommodating. One of my favorite things about a resto.
2. Atmosphere. Good ambiance and people here. Mix of old and young, gay and straight. Everyone seems to love this place.
The Bad:
1. Cost. A lot of the items are a bit expensive (example: a mimosa is $ 9.)
2. Selection. The selection here is not great. The menu is quite small.
Recommendation: try this place out for brunch if you are nearby. I can’t speak on dinner.

3.5 stars!
Came here for a birthday party on a cold Saturday night. The atmosphere was very unique and rustic. We were seated upstairs where there was our party of 10 or so and another table of two. We sat near the fireplace, which warmed up the whole place, almost too warm, some of us thought. It had a dim and romantic atmosphere with a candelabra in the centre of the table.
The service was very good — friendly and attentive staff. The food was very good as well. Many people in the party ordered the fried cornish hen, which tasted so moist. I ordered the arctic char, which had a crispy skin and fatty meat. I was told that the gnocchi was also very good, pan-​fried and large pieces. The portions were decent. You definitely would have to order a side or appetizer to feel more full. The bread they serve is warm and fresh. The appetizers were also tasty, including the bone marrow and octopus salad.
If I am ever in the area again, I’d probably come back here. I’ve heard that their brunch is pretty good, so maybe I’d try that next time!

I’m on the fence about this place and I will certainly give it another try for 2 reasons: 1. it is such a intimate setting 2. reviews are raving about brunch.
On a Friday night, we made our way to this church street spot. I was running late, so I called at last minute to push my reservation back. The man on the phone was understanding and had no problem. When we got there we were seated in 5 mins. It gave me a chance to peak at the first floor. I loved the the décor and the fire place. E were on the third floor and again the seating was beautiful. I wish we had a bigger party so we could get awindow seat but we got a take by the bar but it was away from everyone else. If you are a party of 5 or more, ask for a table by the windows or there is a private room on the third floor when you go up the stairs, it has a white table and chairs, away from the other patrons.
Or waiter was really friendly. Suggested two drinks which I can’t remember the name but they were good.
We order e from the winterlicious menu $ 25. I got the tomato based soup and Dave got the gumbo. They were both okay, nothing crazy good. For mains I got the article char which was delicious, the skin was super crispy and the fish itself was most and tastey. It came with vegetables like roasted beets pumpkin and fennel along with sliced oranges and toasted nuts. It was good but the fish was better. Dave got the Cornish hen. It was also delicious. The skin was crispy, the inside moist. He said he enjoyed it. It came with a buttermilk bisque. When he bit into it his face changed, he was in biscuit heaven, who knew! I only had one but so I can’t really explain it but it was that Good.
For dessert we had the ginger crème and the snow bar. Dave never had smores before, and my attempt at home to enlighten him has majorally failed. He really enjoyed it. It wasn’t too much of anything. The right amount of gram the right amount of chocolate ganache and the right about of roasted marshmallow. It was delicious, I took two buttress instead of one. I had the ginger crème. It was good, light and not too sweet; after such a heavy meal, it was perfect. It was presented with oranges and slivered ginger on top.
Bill for two winterlicious $ 25 menu, plus two drinks (average about $ 15 each), our bill was $ 94 (tax and 15% tip included).
Even though the restaurant was busy we were rushed to leave, the wait staff didn’t try to wrap us wrap by constantly coming over. They were attentive but not to the point what you’re not sure if they are tree trying to get you or of there.
The food was good but not amazing. The staff was great. The décor was just what I wanted for a Friday night date night.
I will go back to try their brunch and the make an informed decision!

Smith has a really good vibe and certainly has their own unique style. From the décor to newspaper menu and even the cutlery, you can tell that the owner has put in effort and care during the design process.
I admit I’m not much of a drinker but their wine list looks extensive and there are specialty cocktails with unique names. I’m guessing most just come here for drinks because the food items were low on variety.
Portion sizes were on the small side considering the prices and nothing really stood out.
Service was slow but our server was a sweetheart and waiting the whole second floor on his own.
I would come back with friends who can properly enjoy their drinks menu — no portico problems there!