South of Temperance

Great patio, good service– a watering hole for finance guys and gold diggers — but worth going to if you want a nice dinner or night of drinks. For a guilt free, delicious meal go with the apple cheddar salad with grilled salmon– you won’t regret it!

…and I thought I was well dressed. Looked like Harry Rosen store exploded here.
Good for MBA/​Business school students to observe natural environment behaviors.
Apparently we’re the only ones that didn’t bump into Associates coming out of work.
Date: Thursday August 9, 2012. Yes. It was a weekday workday suitday, suit up.
Otherwise, reminds me of a Moxie’s. Chicken Wings ($ 13) Manhattan ($ 8+) 2.5’d

I like this place for a few reasons.
One, their patio is big.
Two, there’s a lot to look at — if you like mingling this is the place to be.
Three, I live around the corner.
The service is decent and I’ve tried a few of their menu items. The steak is great, a possible ⁷⁄₁₀. Fish tacos and seviche are fresh. All yummy.
Prices are a tad more than normal, but fair.
This place is only good for the after-​work crowd.
Overall 4 stars.

Nice Patio!
Cocktails (Manhattan/​Apricot Sour) are $ 8+ and only 1.5 oz small and weak
Awesome Patio!
Chicken Wings ($ 13) is expensive and hot sauce is meh
Huge Patio!
Services is slow and our drinks took forever to arrive, my friend almost fell asleep waiting for that
South of Temperance is only really worth 2 star but that patio worth that extra 1 star. If you into waitress in tight black mini skirt or suits and smoking cigars on patio is your thing, maybe this is a place for you! I have no interest in all the above!

I’ve always assumed that South of Temperance, being a Suits bar, would be pretty snobby. but I am 100% wrong. The service and friendliness is ubelieveable. As soon as I stepped through the patio door, the manager shook my hand to welcome me and paid me a compliment on my dress. The server we had was funny, smart, and extremely helpful.
The food didn’t wow me, but it was pretty good. The best thing about this place though, is their patio. Having a drink here after work with good friends on a summer day and friendly service is why this place is extremely popular.

Well the atmosphere is always great. they have one of the largest patios in Toronto. On a hot humid day like today you can enjoy it or still sit inside with AC.
Drinks selection is great with a full bar. and the food is quite good!
Enjoy.

I think I’m the only one in the group who despises this place. I feel it’s lame. The only good thing about it is the patio and the central location. The salads are bland and watery, the fish tacos are OK.
I usually end up here about once a week just because it’s literally right across the street from where I work. Other than that it’s not great. My preference would be the Duke on Wellington’s patio but it’s a little further down the street.

I had lunch there with a friend yesterday.
It was packed … good thing we’d made a reservation.
This time I ordered a classic burger and fries … the burger was good.
This place definitely caters to the suits crowd, especially men. All the servers are in black … the female ones are in tight tank tops showing lots of cleavage and short short skirts. Our server was very attentive and he came over a couple times to make sure we were doing okay. The manager also stopped by to make sure that everything was okay.

Went to South of Temperance for some after work drinks that turned into staying for dinner. SoT has a bit of that sleazy banker/​lawyer/​general suit wearing vibe, but it is in the middle of the financial district, so it’s excusable, and not the worst I’ve seen. At least it’s friendly sleaze. =) It’s also good for drinks because they manage to pack a lot of people into the place, so you can always get in, but that also means it can get pretty uncomfortable with everyone standing shoulder-​to-​shoulder around the bar area. At the risk of sounding old, it was also incredibly loud inside, with the music cranked to a level where everyone had to yell to be heard. And as the night went on and people left, they just turned up the music even louder. I swear I’ve been to quieter clubs.
The drinks were on par or even maybe even a tiny bit more expensive than other places in the area, at $ 7.50 a pint. But the food was decent with okay prices, especially compared to drink prices. I had a Temperance Burger for about $ 15 (2 drinks = 1 burger!) and I enjoyed it.

Couple suits eating lunch
Smoking cigars on the patio is delicious
The waitresses are always beautiful
Watch for crowds between 12 to 1

I think I can keep this short because I reflect the sentiments of most of the reviews here. Charlotte W. gives the perfect details to Laily S.‘s summary of this place:
«I don’t come here for food/​service. Just drinks and a nice patio in the summer.»
I would just amend the service part, as the server I had was actually great but just was challenged to cover the tables. She had tables assigned to her across the entire restaurant so she had to run around the restaurant instead of working on an area (we had 8, another table had 20, etc… great for tips I’m sure but you really have to work for those especially if you are crossing the restaurant to attend your clients).
Layout was brutal, though I realize that this place is known mainly for the patio… which happened to be closed. I guess in Canada you really want your best feature to be your outdoor patio where you of course have the ability to keep it open for 8 months of the ye… wait a minute, this is canada, its backwards here…
So hopefully the higher prices helps this place make enough money during our limited patio season to hire someone to rearrange the interior.
I don’t want to end off with people feeling that I was overly harsh on this place because really my critique has been on management (i, e, focus on a patio appeal as their main attribute, layout of the interior, etc).
The poutine I tried was greeeaaat! I never thought to mix ribs with poutine but now I can’t think of how I ate it any other way.
The serving staff was good.
South of Temperance is a cool and mysterious name.
(FYI — the only Temperance I could find is 50 miles south of detroit so really South of Temperance is just the USA (which is their cuisine… mystery solved I think…)

I think there should be two types of reviews for South of Temperance — one if you have had a chance to sit out on the patio, and one where you sit indoors. From reading previous reviews, it seems that mediocre food, horrible service and average everything else can be forgiven so long as you were in the patio area. However, with Fall fast approaching (if not here already), a group of friends that my boyfriend and I were meeting chose to sit indoors. And thus, the review of a pretty average, over-​hyped restaurant begins.
Intro. Friday nights in any financial district restaurant would be busy, and South of Temperance is no exception. You basically walk into a LARGE, square room with akwardly placed tables all around and a bar area in the middle. Loud. Noisy. Bland. We inadvertenly walked in the entrance by the patio and was immediately told something to the effect of that way. We really couldn’t hear so we walked in the direction of the lady’s long finger and we found our friends. Amazing! She looked at us and knew who our friends were? Space was extremelyyyy tight — to give you a picture, my friend could not even pull out his chair to sit as the man from the other table basically occupied that space. Unfortunately, he was scum and would not move (and later on in the night, our server told us that he was a regular and was the type of guy who would place his order, than immediately after, follow her to the kitchen and ask if his drink was ready… barf bag please)
Food. The menu items are nothing outstanding — you can get burgers, pasta, french fries, salad etc… Bascially, dishes that you can have anywhere else. And then of course there are the drinks, which this restaurant has an extensive menu for: red and white wine varieties along with beers and hard liqour. I had a 9oz Cab Sauv for 10 bucks along with a cheesy and actually delicious poutine dish that I shared with my boyfriend.
Service was very slow, but I am not going to hold it against our server. It was basically her and another girl serving 50 people on our side of the restaurant. But, our server was still all smiles despite having to run around like mad. Management should have known that Friday nights would be busy so FYI — if you don’t mind having no service for long periods of time, then this restaurant is for you. I would suggest you to order all your dishes and drinks at once when your server comes, because after that, you are pretty much on your own.
South of Temperance has attempted to surround itself in a rich veneer, but at the heart of it, this place is really nothing special. It basically is a dressed up watering hole for the men and women in suits of downtown’s fianance and miscellaenous crew. But, that’s what they like and I get it… sometimes you want to go somewhere that’s not a pub. Sometimes, you just want to flaunt your wealth or the appearance of wealth and this place allows you to do that.
In my opinion, I would not come out of my way to eat here or even have drinks. But then again, I didn’t get a chance to try the patio and perhaps if I had met my friends in the summer, my review would be much different. We were a group of 8, but I paid for 3 of my friends so I will leave it to you to judge the dollar value, but 1 red wine, 1 poutine, and 4 Scotch came out to $ 70 excluding tips.

Can’t speak for the food, as I was just there last night for drinks with a bunch of girlfriends from work. As others have mentioned, lots of suits which means I can’t actually speak to the price of the drinks — that was nice. Howeverr… WHO DOESN’T HAVE SODA. A very friendly suit offered to buy me a drink and I requested a vodka-​soda. What I got was a vodka-​water. I asked him, and he told me the outdoor bar was out of soda. OUT OF SODA. I don’t get this.
Otherwise, a solid patio and a crowd that is to be expected in the financial district. Food does look interesting, maybe I’ll try brunch sometime.
Bouncers/​door staff very friendly, no line at around 10:45pm and we weren’t especially dressed up (I was in nice jeans, a nice top and flat boots) and we had no issues.

The patio is nice enough, set between the towering buildings of the financial district. The service was decent.
We came on a Saturday evening, not the wildly popular Wed-​Friday evenings that are full suits and dress code. This was obvious as everyone in attendance was basically in flip flops.
Sat night drink specials included a Caesar, lemonade, sangria all for $ 5 with 17% autograt (read the fine print). After having a lemonade myself and tasting some friends cocktails, I am not convinced there was much booze in them. I switched to wine which cost $ 17 for a 9oz glass (what is WITH Toronto lately) so I was in for $ 50 on booze alone after our night out.
The food was ok. Nothing spectacular. Not sure at all why everyone raves about these fish tacos. They are fine, sure, but not at all rave-​worthy.
No stockbrokers here, all early twenty-​something girls clogging the Washrooms in clumps, teetering on cheap heels and milling about. When the dj broke out the dubstep mix, I knew it was time to go.
It was ok. Will not be rushing back to visit by any means. The highlight of the evening were the cupcakes that I brought in from Bobette & Belle. Delicious.

2−½ stars
I have been here a few times on very different occasions with mixed reviews.
Located in the heart of the financial district the place is like an urban oasis. It’s the only stand-​alone restaurant in the area with a great expansive patio. South of Temperance scored a long term lease so there’s no need to worry that it will be torn down for a condo or office building anytime soon.
The upscale Hooters comments here on Unilocal is a good analogy, which is not a bad thing.
WEDDING:
I helped a friend with his wedding reception which was held here, and it proved to be a great venue, especially on a weekend where the area is more relaxed and is very quiet from the work crowd. Tom, which I think is the manager of the restaurant was very nice and accomodating in helping with the reception — a pleasure to work with. The restaurant handled the food for the wedding flawlessly and the dinner was well prepared and tasted good — I typically find wedding food to be rather mediocre, but not here. The little desserts that they offered was rather lack luster and seemed to be either from frozen or made off-​site, no biggie as the star should be the wedding cake.
The wait staff, looking hot as always, were attentive, friendly and upbeat. They made sure that water and wine were often replenished.
LUNCH:
Forgo the patio on a windy day. With nearby construction, the downtown wind tunnel effect made for an unpleasant meal outside as dust, dirt and debris is thrown in all directions and the furniture gets a little dirty.
Food was good. The fish tacos are great and I really like the cobb sandwich — hard boiled egg inside a grilled panini is a tasty combination.
Service was a tad slow with the hoardes of Bay Street lunch crowd — best to go for an early or late lunch.
AFTER WORK:
My last visit was less than stellar. The doorman at the entrance of the patio almost refused to let me in because of their dress code. I was dressed very sharp in all black (not out of place with the other people there), but the doorman noticed my shoes. I wore a pair of custom designed black and red leather Jack Percells, which didn’t look too casual or like running shoes and I always get compliments everywhere I go. Unfortunately the doorman didn’t appreciate my progressive style eventhough I arrived with a group of friends who knew this doorman. He let me in with a warning.
Inside the restaurant and patio I did noticed a few people wearing canvas Chuck Taylors and one wearing flip flops amongst the sharp-​, tired– and pretensious-​looking suit crowd, so the dress code seems rather loose here. Ironically one of the waitresses complimented me on my shoes.
The place gets really busy after work and you could imagine the bar being packed with thirsty after work patrons. There is a bit of a wait at the bar, but the wait staff are trying their best to keep up with the crowd and applaud them for keeping a good attitude and being appreciative.
On the way out the doorman told me to wear better shoes next time. I didn’t know if the doorman was playing with me or was being a pompous dick, but either way that kind of attitude is not acceptable to any of their customers. I knock off a star because of the ignorant doorman.
West end hipsters be warned: best to enter through the main entrance rather than the patio entrance to avoid the doorman nonsense.

A simple analogy to sum up my review:
Banana Republic is to Old Navy as South Of Temperance is to Hooters.
Yes I said it, this place is like a classy hooters with better food. The wait staff and bar staff (except for one dude) were all gorgeous women in black mini dresses.
Huge bar in the middle of the restaurant, surrounded by chairs, that incidently look like cheap plastic ballot boxes. There is also a patio that gets busy in the summer.
Now onto the food. You have to trust a girl when she says «go for the fish taco, its kind of our specialty».
Fish tacos: $ 12 for 3 tacos. Three fairly big tacos with crispy fish, onions, jicama, a mild avocado sauce, and a touch of coriander, all with a side of spicy chipotle sauce. This is the only place I’ve been to that serves jicama, and it was my first time eating it. Fish tacos were great, fresh, tasty, and a bit of spice if you want it. Filling enough for a small meal.
Classic burger: $ 12 with side of fries. Thick burger, fresh bun, mixed greens, tomato, grilled onions, and a horseradish alioli. I didn’t care for the horseradish alioli too much. I would have preferred ketchup and mayo. Either way still a decent burger. Friend enjoyed the Temperance burger ($ 14) as well.
Short Rib Poutine: $ 10 or $ 7 upgrade from a combo. A poutine like none other I have ever tasted. Sweet potato fries, pulled beef short rib, curds and au jus. It’s almost like a dry beef and potato stew. The beef was tender, a bit light on the cheese, and tad too much salt for me. A nice different poutine.
Other: Soda — 2.95. I hate when a place changes 3 bucks for a soda and doesn’t give you free refills. This is not that kind of place. I got two refills, as I arrived super thirsty — i wondered through the entire dinner if I had drunk $ 12 work of pop … luckily I didn’t.
Closing thought: A little expensive if you take it out of context. If you look at the whole picture it’s not a bad value. For a restaurant located downtown, in the middle of the banking district this place has decent prices, decent portions, and tasty food. 3.5 rounded up to 4.

The suits have left the Keg and have migrated South… of Temperance!
If you are into the Bay Street crowd, then this is the place for you!
It’s PACKED.
There’s always a lineup.
If you’re lucky, you can stand by the bar. You can reserve a table though, just call ahead.
I didn’t eat here, but the food looked alright, wings and calamari was popular for those standing at the bar.
After a bottle of wine and a few beers, this place is a really fun time!
I liked the:
* Patio (it’s winter now, but I can’t wait for patio season)
* Coat hooks under the bar
* Bouncers were friendly-​enough and there are heat lamps outside
* Older work crowd, acceptable level of douchebagness
Douchebag Meter: [||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
Perfect for after work drinks and the venue is stumbling distance from Smokes, Burrito Boys, and Yuzu on Adelaide.

I think the reason for this place was to attract the Bay St. crowd who want to a) make use of the giant patio in the summer and b) ogle the waitresses. This, and because of the location at Bay and Adelaide.
Staff are friendly here but food is merely average. I ordered the fish tacos, and I liked the jicama slaw but the fish was soggy and so were the wrappers. Disappointing!
The restaurant also has a distinctly chain feel to it.
In the winter time it’s nice coming here with all the big windows and it is surprisingly not drafty despite it being all windows. I will only come back for summer patio drinks, but beyond that not too exciting.

At first when h friends wanted to go to this restaurant I was skeptical. judging by the name is seemed like another over hyped, over priced, new yuppy hang out in downtown Toronto. However, after much insistence I went to the restaurant and have to say that I was pleasantly surprised.
This eating establishment is located in Toronto, surprisingly enough just South of a street named named Temperance. Which, I have to admit, is clever.
The service was very good. The servers were polite, helpful and good. They had a good list of mixed drinks. My only thing to pick on here is the fact that their beer list sucks. I mean if you want to be a serious establishment and have a bunch of beers on tap, why would you just have mass marketed beers. Is it really that hard to have some local beers? Maybe a Mill Street, or a Duggans?
The main reason why I give the restaurant a high rating is the food. They had CEVICHE!!! I was totally excited when I saw this! Ceviche is a dish made from fresh raw fish marinated in citrus juices such as lemon or lime and spiced with chilli peppers. The citrus denatures the fish so it practically tastes cooked if done correctly. Here they served it with mangos, and it was done superbly. I really like it. They also had fish tacos, which beyond sounding like a metaphor were done really well. The tacos were BIG, and they were filled nicely, and plated well. Just by the plating of the food here, you can tell they really put some love into the food that they serve. This is a trait which definitely brings me back to restaurants, and makes me like them.

Wow, cool patio! Very unique and located in an area with absolutely nothing else going on.
We went on a Friday night. Now that the weather is getting cooler, it was less packed then mentioned by other reviewers. I’m guessing it’s not such a hot spot in wintertime.
The interior is really spacious too. I didn’t see many of these beautiful people everyone is talking about! It’s definitely not a hangout for pretentious wankholes, it seemed like more of a business people/​Bay Street crowd. So don’t show up in jeans, but there is no reason to break out the glitter and stilettos either.
The prices were moderate. Wine list was pretty extensive but had a wide range of price options with bottles starting as low as $ 28.
Was a good place to start out the night and grab a drink, but didn’t have enough going on to bother sticking around the whole night.