The Carbon Bar

Great selection of bar snacks. We loved the KFC, (korean fried cauliflower), and yam fries. Split between the three of us… Looking for a warm snack but not a meal. House red was $ 8 but not so special, but cheap enough so not complaining.
Interesting staff set-​up… Seems like they have a ton of coverage, staff everywhere, but not readily available either. (4 behind the bar but only one who’s really tending to everyone). But we were in no hurry. Just seems highly inefficient.
Good spot to meet up for a drink on the quiet side of town.

Came here tonight with a friend and it was great. Very cool atmosphere and the food and service were also excellent. We opted for the pit master platter and each item was just as good as the next. Brisket, ribs and fried chicken. Washed down with a beer from their very decent selection.
The server deserves a special mention as she was excellent.
Will definitely be back.

This was my first time having food at the carbon bar, as my last visit was just quick drinks at the bar. The bartender makes the best manhattans btw.
I really wanted to have a nice dinner there for my birthday, so we made an easy reservation for 4.
We started off with the Korean fried cauliflower and it was totally amazing! Then we ordered the pit master platter and a few sides to go with it! My favourite was the tender smoked brisket and the ribs. The side of Mac and cheese was creamy and delicious also.
The service was also excellent!
Thank you for making my birthday dinner delicious and special, I will be back soon!

I came here on a Monday close to 7pm with no problem on getting seating for a table of 2. The server was very helpful and recommended the items from the woodfire pit — Ribs and Brisket which were a big hit. I didn’t know until later but if you check in and order a drink you also get a free snack.
Brisket — The star of the show. Perfectly juicy with just the right amount of fat and came with a unique bbq sauce and mayo that tasted like there was ginger in it.
Ribs — Were are also great. I appreciate it wasn’t overly saucey and the meat just fell off the bone so eating it wasn’t a messy ordeal at all.
The sides we ordered were cornbread and mac and cheese which was all good but maybe a little too heavy with all the meats we ordered already. At the end, I’m bloated and even until the next day. But it was an enjoyable experience overall. The restaurant was also trendy and I have the compliment the washroom, it had this spotted pebbled floor which was really nice and unique.

Honestly going to say that although we only had a few appetizers and a sample platter the food was outstanding, freshly prepared with great ingredients
The ribs were tasty juicy tender, the fried chicken was cooked to perfection… The brisket was melt in your mouth and the french fries seasoned to perfection
My experience there was fabulous and I plan on going back and eating more than just the sample platter
Try this place out, you will not be disappointed
Oh yeah, and the décor is very hip
Nothing bad to say about the place

The drinks are the highlight of this place but the Texas style BBQ is really good as well. Trendy place, busy, and you probably need to reserve before but I liked and I am certainly coming back

Decided to visit for date night based on other Unilocal reviews and glad we did! Place was bustling for a Thursday night. We didn’t have a reservation but they managed to seat us after a 20 minute wait during prime dinner time. They text you when your table is ready so you’re free to go explore other nearby shops. I love places that do that!
Ordered K.F.C. (FYI If it’s your first check in you can redeem a free bar snack with purchase of drink) and Hamachi Ceviche to start. KFC definitely lives up to the hype on Unilocal!Crispy and packed full of that sweet/​Sour korean sauce flavor. My boyfriend dislikes cauliflower but he had no issues munching on it.
The Hamachi Ceviche was beautifully presented. The tastes of lime, avocado, and oil all worked really well and fish tasted fresh.
We ordered the Pit Master platter to share for 2 and it was so much meat! Standouts were the buttermilk fried chicken and the brisket. Neither of us were huge fans of the ribs. They weren’t terrible but didn’t shine like the rest. I found the meat to be on the saltier side.
Too full for dessert but the menu options looked quite tempting. Perhaps on a future visit I’ll save room so I can try the dessert
Service was exceptional. Changed our plates and utensils after appetizers and wiped the table. Came by regularly to refill water.

I’ve been here once before and I was so happy that I brought my parents in from Newmarket to try the food. After talking about it for days I called in to make a reservation. The lady I spoke to said that they were full but it was very likely we would get a spot when we walked in. I asked are you sure because I live pretty far from Toronto she said no problem as the time we were coming in at, it would be open.
I come in and ask for a table for 5, they tell me they are completely full and I would be put on a lengthy wait list but once they’re ready they’d come get us. I said how long it would be where the hostess responded more than an hour as we were waiting for someone to cancel…
I’m sorry you’re fully booked with no tables available for walk in but you told me to walk in as it’d be likely is get a table because things change all the time but when I come it’s over an hour because I’m waiting for people to cancel?!!
Why not be honest up front and tell me look we’d be waiting for cancellations it’s possible people might but we never know, rather than telling me hey ya come on down we’ll be free.
I hate poor service more than poor food. I always say you should be honest with your customers and I felt severely lied to by the hostess, and sorry if there was a wait list why wouldn’t you put me on it when I called in the first place!!!
What a waste of my time and gas.

I’ve been meaning try this restaurant for the longest time and glad we finally did. We were throwing a friend a surprise party and the staff were very cooperative and accommodating to us. The waitress Ashley was very helpful to use the entire night from start to finish. We ordered the «KFC» which is Korean Fried Cauliflower, a common staple here. It was quite good and I loved the batter used to make it this way. The entire table ordered their signature dish which was the Meat Platter filled with Beef Brisket, Ribs and Fried Chicken. It was so good and really love the juicy parts of the brisket. It came out to $ 30/​person but well worth the price to try their awesome meat. Our waitress Ashley was super nice and friendly as our host for that night. Great ambience and dining experience. Highly recommend it to others and meat lovers alike.

Omg soooo good! Their menu isn’t huge but we tried many items and were delish.
I’m vegetarian so I really enjoyed the kfc (Korean fried cauliflower)
The Korean chilies
Kale salad
And I know we ate more things but I can’t remember. Everything was delightful as well as the service and the drinks, they have a $ 10 tobacco infused Manhattan which was really good.
We are coming back for sure!

Nice place on Queen street to grab a few drinks with friends in the evening (or day if needed)
Food: They had these really good beach angle oysters (Diana’s Seafood doesn’t carry them) and we had their hamachi poke (meh), KFC — Korean Fried Cauliflower (deep fried cauliflower with korean sauce — meh), burnt ends were good BUT their ribs were amazing. Fall off the bone soft, tender perfectly seasoned ribs.
Drink: They serve two types of old fashioned — the regular one and the smoked one. I tried both but prefer the regular one (smoked one is really smoky if that makes sense)
Atmosphere: Lovely place to hang out, comfortable seats, not too noisy so you can still hear your friends.
Service: Really friendly bunch of people and helpful when deciding on food/​drinks
Would come back for more ribs!

I’ve been to Austin Texas for BBQ brisket and it was delicious! But the brisket at Carbon bar is even better than the stuff from down south.
As you walk in you are greeted by hostesses. As you step into the bar and resto area, you can help being mesmerized by the high ceilings, exposed brick and original zig zagging light fixtures with a large round base at the end.
To say this place is hip, cool, and happening would be an understatement. It’s the current «it» place.
Not only was it a great trendy, hip, cool ambiance, the menu made me salivate. The had this master platter to share for two which comprised of fried chicken and brisket with fries to share for two for $ 60. Or you could order the brisket on its own for $ 23. I opted for the $ 23 option.
They also have a burger with fries for $ 21 which they allowed my friend to substitute with a piece of southern fried chicken.
The service was impeccable. Water and drink refills all evening long. We had a few drinks each, the total damage on the bill was $ 67 per person.
I totally recommend this place. I have yet to try the other items on the menu — beef tartar, oysters, etc but definitely try the beef brisket if you are a meat lover. It melts in your mouth — tender, all the right spices, succulent, the right amount of fat, to die for.

Came here for winterlicious. I recommend getting the hamachi poke appetizer, it was an unexpected dish with pear and hamachi but very delicious. The bao was very mediocre compared to other places. I enjoyed their fried chicken the most on the menu, extremely tender! The carrot cake for dessert was a bit dry. Overall, I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the place, the service, and the presentation of the food.

I’ve been wanting to try this restaurant for a long time, since my friends have all said it was a good restaurant. We came here last night for Winterlicious. We were seated right away in a nice spot. A server came by to pour two of our waters and left. She didn’t come back until our third guest arrived. After he had his water poured, we didn’t see the server come to our table for about 15 minutes. It was fine — we were all in deep conversation but just a little surprised that you wouldn’t follow up for that long. I would at least check in to see if the table was ready etc. Didn’t get that.
When she came back we asked her what she recommended for the appetizer. She seemed kind of confused and asked us what we wanted to know. Thought that was funny, we obviously want her recommendation on what’s good. Anyways she said she liked the hamachi poke or the pork bao. Our group ordered both. Friend had the bao — pork was a little dry but the flavour was there. The hamachi poke — had a lot of sesame oil. It was good but the tuna just wasn’t there for me. Not overly impressed.
Our main dish, friend ordered the snapper — he said was it was good. My other friend and I ordered the fried chicken and ribs. I thought this dish was nice looking and very full. The fries and chipotle mayo were delicious but I wasn’t overly impressed with the ribs and fried chicken itself. I thought the fried chicken lacked flavour surprisingly hence why I gave this restaurant ³⁄₅.
The desserts were great. We each tried the carrot cake, dulce de leche ice cream with caramel corn and apple crisp. The apple crisp was our favourite. It was nice and crisp and the vanilla ice cream paired well with it. Can’t go wrong with vanilla ice cream and apple pie :)
I’d like to give this restaurant another try since it seems like the average rating is pretty good but I’m not sure I will based on this experience. The ambiance is really nice which wants to pull me back. Maybe it was a one off because of Winterlicious, but I expected more.

Food-​wise deserves a 4, but service deserves a 0. So, they get a two.
We came here for a birthday and had reserved a table of 14 for 830pm. Policy says 1) dont be late!, 2) need to put down $ 250 deposit to reserve the table, 3) Must order the family style sharing menu if we are sitting at the chef’s table
We followed all the rules, and even arrived 15 minutes early. And then, were not seated until 9:15… 45 minutes after our reservation time –_​_​_​_​–
According to the hostess, there was a table of two who had eaten and paid, but were simply not leaving. So instead of the restaurant giving them a time they needed to leave by (as alllll restaurants do when they have a later seating — especially for 14 people!) or relocating them to another table, they made our table of 14 wait for 45+ minutes in their lobby. Ridiculous.
Our server joked «hahah sorry for that longgggg wait» and with no other apologies or compensation from the restaurant (c’mon, a cheap free app or smth would have redeemed them…), we irritably sat down (not at the chef’s table though! another mixup!) and began the family sharing meal or aka «the carbon bar experience».
Pretty good food, but not much of an «experience». Courses took forever to come out, and 2 hours later, by the time the star of the night emerged — the Carbon Bar’s infamous meat platter — everyone was stuffed. We were constantly waiting for the next course, waiting for service, waiting for water… wait wait wait
Finally after it all ended, and our server had left for the night, a new lady was clearing our table. Since old server said we would get a new server we assumed it was her. Asking «can you get us the cheque please?» she VERY RUDELY replied «I am NOT your server».
But that’s not the best part. Since courses took forever to come out, and since there were so many leftovers due to excessive-​waiting-​induced-​fullness, we took home a ton of food (packed in the kitchen, by the server). But guess what?! When the bags were opened the next day at home, more than half the leftovers were not there! Icing on the cake!
The service and attitude at this place is definitely the WORST I have ever received in a Toronto restaurant. With the abundance of competition our there, there should be pretty embarrassed as they don’t only fall short, but they have fallen allll the way to the bottom.

Some friends and I came here last night for Winterlicious and although the food was mostly good, the overall experience left me feeling a little bit disappointed. Partly because it took quite a long time to both order and receive food.
Appetizer:
The main source of my disappointment was the hamachi poke; the fish did not taste fresh, the seasoning was bland and too heavy on the sesame, and I found the flavour pairing of the fish with the pear more jarring than complementary. Since it was this specific dish on the menu that drew me to this restaurant, I was more than a little underwhelmed. However, I did hear my friends say good things about the pork bao (namely that it was much larger than Momofuku’s), so all is not lost!
Main course:
I enjoyed the South Atlantic snapper much more (maybe more so after the disappointing appetizer) but I found myself liking the pieces of eggplant in the curry more than the actual fish — to be fair, the curry was very good. The other main course that was ordered was the fried chicken & ribs, and that seemed to be a hit — large portions and great sauce pairings.
Dessert:
I ordered the apple & cranberry crisp (my favourite part of the meal) and my friends got the carrot cake. Both were very yummy — not much else to be said.
Overall, the latter half of the meal did a decent job of making up for a rocky start, but because I had such high expectations going in (and perhaps ordered the wrong dishes), I can’t justifiably rate my experience above a ³⁄₅.

Having wanted to check this place out for ages my friends and I finally had a chance a few days ago. If you go here with the expectation that it’s not cheap and portions are a bit small then you will be fine, and it’s the reason I am giving it 4 Stars because I knew this going in and was ok with it.
First up — for the portion sizes the food is pricey. My friend had the scallops with lentils. It was good but you got 3 scallops in a bowl of lentils. Now I’m a small person and can’t eat a lot at one sitting… but even that was small for me. I believe it was $ 28.
I had the burnt end beef brisket with lettuce wrap. I found the meat to be way too salty for my liking — and I like salt! My other friend had the steak with polenta I believe and the steak was done well. I had a nibble of hers and enjoyed it. If you check in on Unilocal you get a free bar snack and our server recommended the deep friend cauliflower in korean bbq sauce. Ummmm… hello heaven… these bite size morsels of goodness were the highlight of the evening. I could have eaten a whole bowl of them myself. Smothered in sauce but with a crispness outside and the softness of the cauliflower inside, these are a big hit.
Their cocktail drink selection is minimal but really interesting — I had the Louisville to Lisbon and it was delicious. With hints of lime and a kick of cayenne it was a great juxtaposition of flavours. It’s $ 14 and while pricey I enjoyed it.
Their beer menu and wine menu is more extensive and they have a lot of beers I had not heard of (not too unusual as I’m not into beer) but the list seemed interesting.
This place is deceptively small looking from the outside — it can hold a big group and would be great for private events as the space it really well laid out. It looks like it could turn into a club after hours. The service is really amazing — starting from the hostess who takes your coat to all the servers who kept checking in on us and recommended dishes when we weren’t sure. This is more of a lively and fun atmosphere so if you want a quiet place to talk or an intimate first date restaurant I would avoid this place until at least your 3^rd date. Super high ceilings with dark wood and exposed brick and beautiful lighting gives this places an upscale 50s Mad Men’s kinda vibe.
Located conveniently on Queen St E this place will definitely be a staple in the area — it’s cool and fun and just a great place to catch up with friends.

I came here with some girl friends for dinner last night.
I love the high ceilings and the décor, including the original Electric Circus sign. We were here on a Wednesday night, so I was quite pleased that the music was at a reasonable volume so that you could actually have a conversation!
The staff was overly friendly. From the hostess, to the server, to the bus boy.
Now to the best part, the food! We ordered a the pit master platter for 2 which came with 2 big chicken breasts, 6 ribs, 3 pickle slices, 3 big pieces of brisket and a cup of fries + 3 sauces. We also ordered some coleslaw and cornbread to cut the grease and also the mac and cheese. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about any of the food. It filled us up and there was some to take home. The meats were so juicy and full of flavour; I didn’t even use the sauces. The mac and cheese was delicious and cheesy, with big chunks of ribs.
The prices were very reasonable for the amount of food you get.
I’d love to come back here on the weekend. I heard it gets more loungey.

This review of The Carbon Bar is based on my «Happy» Hour experience when beers and bar snacks were all going for $ 5. So is this review bias? I guess kind of…
BBQ Dusted Crackling ($ 5) with Sweet chili vinegar
K.F.C. ($ 5) Korean fried cauliflower
Goose Island IPA ($ 5)
and Complimentary Snack
Only offers at the bar area and Served Thursday through Saturday (11pm — 2am)
I love the bar area as it feels spacious and if you don’t want to sit on a bar stools, there are small table for ²⁄₄ on the side. Service was fast and efficient.
I haven’t try any BBQ items on the menu which the restaurant is famous for. I guess there will be a next time…

I had an amazing experience here this past weekend. I was here with my BFF for my birthday dinner, I’ve never been here before so it was my first time and I knew that The Carbon Bar specializes in bbq food.
We first started off with the seafood platter $ 59 (sorry, I don’t remember what the actually name was called) but it came with a few clams, mussels, oysters, smoked salmon, shrimp and some type of fish. The seafood platter was delicious, so I’d recommend that. Our main was the Pit Master Platter $ 30 each person (it is priced per person), and it came with beef brisket, fried chicken and ribs. IMO, I think this was the star of our dinner lol. The meat on the ribs were cooked perfectly that it just slid of the bone. Everything on that platter was absolutely delicious.
Aside from that, we had an fantastic server! Her name was Leah, she was our server and our bartender. My bff ordered a drink and turned out she didn’t quite like it and Leah was more than happy to make her another drink. Also, at the end of our meal, Leah gave us free shots after hearing that it was my birthday! Super sweet of her and she even drew little balloons on my takeout bag! She also mentioned it was her birthday next week too, so if you’re reading this Leah. thank you soo much and I hope you have a wonderful birthday!
Overall, great service and great food. the reason why I’m not giving it 5 stars is because it is overpriced. But this would be a great place to come to for a special occasion!