Universal Grill

The food was good, but the servers were rude.

Love the ambiance and interior of this restaurant. The place is very quaint and romantic. The food is very good value and very tasty.

Food here is always pretty good. To ensure getting our group of 6 seated, we arrived 20 minutes early and stood in the cold and rain. Got seated first, but waited for coffee. Then 6 other tables had their orders taken before us. Still sitting here 59 minutes after being seated and no sign of food. Other tables are paying and leaving. Very very disorganized and frustrating.

Just had a fantastic brunch at Universal Grill.
Ordered the steak and eggs, latke and a buttermilk pancake on the side. We ordered the eggs over easy and they were cooked flawlessly. The steak came a perfect medium rare and the latke was fabulous. It came with a crispy outside, soft and flavourful inside, and a healthy dose of sour cream on the side. The salmon was great. The pancake was really thick (not what I was expecting) but so yummy. The raspberry could combined with the maple syrup and fruit with whipped cream provided a delicious sweetness to our meal.
Staff was attentive (always refilling our coffee) and the atmosphere was cozy for the drizzly day outside. Everything was a great, we will definitely be returning!

Since eaten brunch here twice. I used to think the huevos rancheros they used to sell at Grapefruit Moon was great, but this is on a whole other level (and how it’s supposed to be made as far as I can tell online). Chipotle seasoning might not be for everyone, but I’m into it, even though the bean content is pretty high. Next visit I had a brunch special, salmon gravlax on an egg bun with eggs and potatoes on the side. Overall, I’m just happy this place doesn’t serve eggs benedict, a.k.a. where brunch goes to die from boredom.

If you’re patient enough to wait for a table, this place is well worth the wait for brunch. The interior may not be aesthetically pleasing but the food is scrumptious. I stick with the pancakes or the huevos rancheros and they’re so incredibly satisfying that I haven’t tried anything else.
Try it. You’ll looovvvee.

Great food and cozy eclectic space. We’ve gone several times for brunch and gotten take out for dinner. One of our regular go — to.

I came here once for brunch with my aunt and uncle on a Saturday morning. I’m a late on this review, when I went there it was still warm out and we sat outside which was really nice. I had the eggs benedict with salmon and it was phenomenal. We also all shared the potato latke and it wasn’t bad. The coffee was good but nothing spectacular. I enjoyed my experience there and would probably return, maybe try their dinner.

One if my favourite places to eat. On par with The Drake, they take their time to cook the food properly and when the dishes arrive I’m never disappointed. I’ve had pretty much everything they serve except for seafood; I am allergic to shellfish.
I like the spicy hummus they serve at the beginning of the meal.
Universal is the best place to visit if you’re a fan of roasted chicken. The skin is seared to perfection and topped with a tasty duxelle of mushrooms and onions in red wine and served with scalloped potatoes and green veggies, usually rapini.
I always order a side of home-​made onion rings with my food; it’s a delightfully crispy dish I enjoy sharing with a dinner companion.
Universal Grill is good at bringing in seasonal foods too and keeping the frequent attendees informed of specials by email. Hint: get on their email list. A friend ordered a side of fried fiddleheads and they were sublime.
I’ve enjoyed nearly every dessert they make (not all at once). They’re not store bought nor brought in from a franchise bakery (Dufflet Pastries). Everything is made on premises.
The staff act like they care for their patrons. Universal Grill has a decent selection of wine on hand and the servers are good at pairing them with the food the kitchen sends out.
One of my top ten restaurants in the city. It’s not my neighbourhood so I drive to it, but parking is easy to find.

Honestly, I was really underwhelmed.
I met up with some friends for brunch and we were looking for a patio and some brunch.
I ordered an omelette, a friend of mine had the grilled cheese and another friend of mine had the huevos rancheros.
To say I was underwhelmed would be an understatement. I was once told by a chef that you should gauge a kitchen by how well they make an omelette. Well this place did not do great. It was dry, bland and just really unsatisfying.
I believe my friends enjoyed their food, it wasn’t the focus of our conversation, but neither of them complained openly about it.
The service was really slow. Slow enough that we really noticed how slow it was. The patio was busy, but the whole place was and it wasn’t that we were being ignored because we were on the patio, the place was just slow.
The worst part was my caesar. I was CRAVING a breakfast caesar, you know a little pick me up on a lazy Saturday. Well this just was the worst. It was watery and underwhelming.
One of my friends had a mimosa and said it stunk too.
Given all those issues with the drinks and food, it seemed really over priced.
Anyway, I don’t know I’d go back. I’d really have to be convinced.

I was excited about this place when I moved in down the street. Now I know.
AMAZING!
The patio was decadent on a nice summer night. The flower boxes were pretty, and the seating layout gave an intimate ambiance not often found in the Toronto patios I usually haunt.
I had the pasta special — linguine with a nice light wine sauce, basil, roasted red peppers, mushrooms, leeks and goat cheese. It’s a dish I was a little scared to order (it can go very wrong) and it was absolutely delicious. The prices are what you would expect for the quality you get — less than $ 20 for most entrees (steak costs more, surprise!) and appetizers were about $ 10 each. Noteworthy: the martini menu looked great. Next time!
I will definitely return for more patio awesomeness soon, and see what else is cookin’ at the Universal Grill. Yum!

I came to Universal Grill for brunch about a year back– it tasted great, was crowded and bustling, and we were in and out fairly quickly. An OK experience but nothing that made me want to crawl back for dinner. Too bad that I’ve wasted so many months thinking about where to eat next when what I was really looking for… was staring me right in the face the whole time (sort of like Fox and Scully).
Came for a dinner in what I’d describe as an «upscale-​diner» environment. The menu had a comfort-​food vibe, but designed by someone who’s adept at preparing more classically higher-​tier fare. Does that make sense? I hope so.
The ambience was great, the servers were kind and beautiful, and my main dish of cornmeal crusted cod was perfect. Very much in the face of my «there’s no good seafood in Toronto» attitude.
I went with Evelyn W, so It was actually a 4-​star experience… but I won’t take that away from them. Great meal, great friends, see you tonight.

Universal Grill, you deserve a full on update. You’re still a five star dame, and you need some extra love. Here’s why:
Nightly specials have never failed me. Locally sourced and spectacular soups, fish and veg specials.
Their rigatoni on the fall menu is the best pasta dish I’ve had in eons, plump with cheese and eggplant. The new fall cocktail list is something to croon about. Lavendar mojito? Yes please.
PEPPER POINTS OUT: This is a pricy place for dinner. Best saved for a special evening with someone you love, or at least someone who is buying.

Good breakfast, nice atmosphere, friendly staff. All around solid brunch spot. Pancakes are my girlfriend’s favourite.

Went here for brunch and the food was ok. I got the Huevos rancheros and the eggs were overcooked but all in all it was pretttyy ok. The flour tortilla + vegetarian chilli + sour cream and guac were all great. The only thing was that it was so spicy and I only had a small glass of water. I repeatedly had to ask for it to be refilled and sadly it never was.
Our service was awful, ok they were nice but so slow, we had to repeatedly ask for refills of water and coffee (water never came, coffee came one, no hot water refill on tea) and we also asked for hot sauce which came soooo slowly. Having to wait to eat your food is really annoying! Oh ya and when our server gave us our food we still had to wait for cutlery. bah.

Came here for Sunday brunch and lo-​behold, there was a line up. This place is relatively small and seems to be popular. We waited about 20 minutes for a table which was ok. But we did also wait another 20 minutes for our food to arrive after we ordered. I did notice however that another table got their food before us and we had ordered the same things. So that was a bit annoying.
Now on to the food. My huevos rancheros was a generous portion and it was very good. The eggs were fried just right. For someone who doesn’t like beans, this dish actually surprised me. I would go back just for this dish alone. My sister’s buttermilk pancakes were very soft and thick. The syrup was good and not too sweet. The raspberry compote was like icing on cake.
We also ordered juices and their juices seemed to be freshly squeezed. Overall, food was good and definitely worth it as their portions are very generous.

Came for Sunday brunch right at peak time (11am), so there was a bit of a wait, but it wasn’t bad at all (10 min maybe?).
Chocolate chip pankoekken (baked pancakes, puffy) were delicious, service was nice and attentive, booths were big, they had high chairs and there were other kids there. No kids’ menu though. My brother got the BLT and it was MASSIVE with an egg on it, bring a bib.
Meals were about $ 15-​$ 20/​head all in. Drip coffee/​tea was on the menu for $ 2.95 though, which seems a little steep to me, but it didn’t show on our bills so maybe it’s included with your meal?

I live in the neighbourhood and have walked or driven past this place probably a million times. Does not look from the outside like anything inviting but it is worth a trek. We went for Sunday breakfast/​brunch around 11 and put our names on the list since they don’t take reservations. They told us it would be about a 45 minute wait so we went to do some grocery shopping at Sobeys which is right across the street. Once we got seated at the counter, we enjoy the delicious mimosas. The only thing I would complain about is the speed of the service. It should not take long to prepare a breakfast meat. It was delicious but slow coming out.
I definitely would recommend checking out this hang out but like someone else mentioned, definitely no kids, there just isn’t enough space for the strollers.

Took myself on a date here last night. It was epic.
I had:
2008 Malbec from Argentina $ 11
French bread with chipotle hummus (complimentary)
Portobello mushroom salad $ 9
Slow braised veal ossobuco with garlic rapini, butternut squash polenta, and pinenut horseradish gremolata $ 26
White and dark Belgian chocolate flourless cake with raspberry whipped cream
The portobello salad was perfect. The mushrooms were cooked in a delicious balsamic which cut nicely with the fresh slices of parmigiana. The two items were on a bed of spinach which had a light drizzle of olive oil.
The main was a healthy portion size. I was a little hesitant to order the dish because of the horseradish part of the gremolata but it was really well done. The pinenuts came through with the flavour and the horseradish backed it up. The polenta came as a cake on the side. I would have preferred the ossobuco to be on top of the polenta but it was still delicious.
The flourless cake was great also. If you’re a chocolate lover then this is the dessert for you. It wasn’t really my cup of tea, but I have no complaints.
Overall I like this place. It has an old diner charm but romantic ambiance. This changes for weekend brunch, but as far as dinner goes it can be an intimate occasion should you choose. The restaurant only sits about 30 people which adds to the intimacy.
When I arrived at 6:15 there was one couple and one guy at the bar. I was banking on it being slow considering it was two days after Valentine’s Day. The waitress said that it usually gets busy later, which I noticed as the 7:30 reservations started showing up as I was close to leaving.

This place basically has a lock on the area… There are no other decent restaurants along this section of Dupont and you would have to be a fool to pass up their patio in the summertime.
The food is incredible. I have ate pretty much everything on the menu more than once. Top choices are the Rosemary Roast Chicken (the scalloped potatoes are off the hook) and the Black Angus Sirloin. They are apparently most famous for their ribs, though I am not a fan of ribs in general this place converted me. I have had the dry ribs numerous times and they are incredible.
The staff are incredibly nice. The place isn’t very big so it might be hard to get a table (especially during brunch hours) but if you do then it’s a nice cozy atmosphere. Prices can be a little high, but well worth it given the quality of the food. They have daily specials including Linguini, Salmon and an incredible Lamb Burger!