Vertical Restaurant & Bar

Excellent place for a business lunch. Been here three times now and the service, ambience and food make it a top spot to bring a client or partner. Menu is fresh, and varied just enough and portions are manageable over lunch. Most importantly… IT’S NOT TOO LOUD IN THERE!
Charc board made for a great appetizer. Will be back.

A great business lunch classic resto. Sizes are the right size to actually have a business meeting /​discussion. So in other words, get an appetizer if you are hungry hungry. Service is impeccable and they go out of their way to provide a personal experience. Debated giving 5 stars but on a couple of occasions they have been back logged in the kitchen.

Popped in Thursday after work. Because of the weather the patio was packed. Were were fortunate enough to grab a small table. Apps had been ordered before I arrived so I’m not entirely sure what everything was however I found the chick pea fries lacking flavor — even with the «spicy» (not spicy at all) ketchup. I also had this bruschetta-​like app with pesto, cheese and tomatoes that wasn’t great either. However, my friends had the duck fries and chicken wings (?) that they enjoyed.
I thought the service was great despite her being swamped by tables and people and the wine was tasty and poured very generously.

The patio here is beautiful and the overall atmosphere, the restaurant is huge, the crowd is mostly young professionals, as it is located amidst the financial district, I attended a wedding here which was absolutely beautiful. The food on a regular day is quite good as well. A variety of high quality food, I’d recommend going for appetizers and drinks. After 5pm the restaurant becomes crazy crowded though!

We were at Vertical with 5 co workers. Our check was $ 110 for drinks. We tipped her $ 20. The waitress came running behind us asking for more tips. She insulted one of my co workers by saying he tipped too less and said he did on purpose!!!
We will never go there again as her attitude is never accepted
The manager and owner has to talk to her and explain that we never talk to a guest ever!!!

I went to Vertical for a mid-​week networking happy hour. When I arrived, the hostess pointed me in the right direction, but didn’t offer to walk me over there — not the best service for such a swanky place, especially with so many other alternatives in the area. The drinks and appys were on the event, so no complaints there.
My biggest gripe has to be the noise level. We were about 20 – 25 people in a decent size room. There was adequate room to mingle, but I could hardly hear the person speaking right next to me, which is less than ideal at an event hosted to meet new people. Food for thought if you are headed here for a similar event.

This is a common place for me take clients during the summer months. It has one of the best patios in the financial core. One level off the ground floor, next to an outdoor fountain and framed by some of the biggest towers in the financial core. You certainly get a unique sensation siting out there. The food is great.

My mom and I came here for our Christmas dinner — it was one of the only places downtown that had space available. Actually, it was really quiet in the restaurant, which kind of surprised me.
Anyways, I heard the scallops were good, so we got a order of that and the kitchen was kind enough to split it beforehand. They were quite nicely cooked and the presentation was on point. A little salty but the broth evened it out. Speaking of which, the broth was absolutely delicious. My only quip would be that it was hard to eat all the elements of the dish together.
We also got the ravioli with black truffle. The noodles themselves were slightly on the chewy side, but the filling was delicious and the dish was pretty great (albeit a little too rich).
The Arctic Char had a delightfully crispy skin and was flavourful. The broccoli, chanterelles, and roasted garlic were great accompaniments. I found the plate too oily though.
Neither of us eat much, so for dessert I got biscotti (made in-​house) which went nicely with the vanilla gelato. The gelato by itself was nothing special though.
We were also given complimentary focaccia upon request, which wasn’t memorable.
This was a nice experience and the service was great. But the food just wasn’t on par with some of what I’ve had (for the price) and I don’t think I’ll be coming back.

Duck breast was flavorful and we paired it with a nice full bodied Cabernet so the two complimented each other. For dessert I had the lemon and blueberry jar — very nice finish to a pleasant evening!

I was little skeptical about this place because I didn’t hear really good things or bad things… so I wasn’t sure.
But it was so good! their seafood menu is truly tasty and I felt great after eating! It’s so hard to find a restaurant that I thought «flavourful»

We were there as we had bought a wine paired tasting menu at a charity auction. We had been there before so we knew the restaurant already.
Most of our meal was not from the normal menu, but it was all very good.
cocktails
oyster & roasted tomato gazpacho
scallops (menu)
swordfish carpaccio
spagghetto (menu) but with black truffles
bison
artisanal cheese tray
warm doughnuts (menu) Yum!
scotch & port & coffee
Their wine selection and knowledge of good Ontario wine is really nice to see in high end restaurants. We also had wine from Italy and California.

Came here on Friday for lunch, and it had a lovely time.
We started with cocktails that were delicious and strong (my favorite was the French Twenty-​Nine).
For appetizers, we ordered Scallops, Beets, Caprese Bruschettone, and the Buffalo Mozzarella to start. My favorite was definitely the scallops. It only gives you 2 per order, so make sure you order enough for the table!
As for the mains, I ordered the Parppadelle pasta and enjoyed every little bit of it! For dessert, I ordered the blackberry sorbet but it was quite flavourless so I wouldn’t suggest ordering it.
Overall, I had a great dining experience here and can’t wait to go back!

I’ve had two dinners at Vertical: one was a 5*, the other a 3*. The first one may not be representative since it was a dinner for food bloggers: it was served as a multi-​course chef’s menu, and each course was spectacular. At the second one, the food was still very good, but I had reserved for the dining room (with business guests) and they switched us to the lounge at the last minute since they claim that the entire restaurant had been reserved for a private party — surely something that they knew several days in advance. This made for a less comfortable and professional dinner environment, although the menu is the same. I had a fish dish, which was well prepared, and a dessert that was good but not memorable, since I can’t even remember what is was a week later.
The terrace is lovely, but you might want to skip the after-​work crowd unless you like suits and smokers.

Sparkling or still water — still
Rosehill unoaked chardonnay
Focaccia (complimentary — upon request)
Gnocchi
Extremely small portions for the price. I mean, it tastes good, but I may need a Whopper for dessert.

Great food with a fresh small selection of seafood, nice and knowledgeable staff,

Portion size was comical. I paid $ 21 for four pieces of ravioli. Strange.
The atmosphere was nice. My boy had the meatball entrée and was satisfied.

This is one of the 2 best Italians in Toronto (See my reviews for the other one). I sat at the bar as I was alone and I have to say, the experience was fantastic. I even ended the night when the place was closed, having some extra espressos with the personnel and playing music out of my own iPod. Order anything in the menu. It is well cooked Italian way (not undercooked as I see someone reviewing around there… is called AL DENTE). I recommend the Gnocchi. As I mentioned, if you happen to be in Toronto, come down to this place, it will not disappoint you.

Our clients specifically requested that we hold our corporate lunch at Vertical, which was one of their favorite restaurants near their offices. I was surprised to discover that this hip and stylish restaurant was actually located just off of a large food quart within a building composed of shops and offices. In a mall-​like facility such as this, I would have expected to find more chain restaurants, like say a T.G.I. Friday’s than a place this elegant. We walked through the elaborate entrance, past the bar, and our onto the sprawling outdoor patio. We were escorted to our party’s table and relaxed ourselves into the comfortably cushioned chairs.
I started my lunch experience with a smile on my face due to the beautiful dining environment and slices of fabulous whole wheat olive bread. Sadly, this sentiment did not last very long though. My Scallop starter contained a measly 2 pieces, both of which were very chewy. They were served over a salad of sliced brussels sprouts, cranberries, and pistachios, and then finished in a lemon and garlic brown butter. The slaw of accouterments was decent, but could not make up for the rubbery scallops.
After such a lousy seafood appetizer, one would hope that I would have learned my lesson, but I proceeded with the Rainbow Trout entrée. The fish was not particularly fresh, nor did it have much of a flavor. It was served with an earthy blend of dandelion, cauliflower purée, Jerusalem artichokes, olive tapenade, and sprouts. The healthy blend was an improvement on the rest of the meal, but still left me unsatisfied.
Though my clients and co-​workers apparently enjoyed their meals at Vertical, I unfortunately had to disagree. The décor might have been high-​end, but the cuisine was more indicative of the mall atmosphere that surrounded it.

I was shocked to see that Vertical was getting such positive reviews. I have been there twice for a meal and a number of additional times for drinks.
Both times I ate there I was totally unimpressed and that’s using a pretty low standard given that I wasn’t paying either time. I found the food to be average and the service to be the same, while the prices are anything but average (even by Bay Street standards). I suppose the ambiance is pretty nice, but it’s really nothing to write home about.
They do have a good patio for drinks in the summer, but be prepared to pay at least $ 7 for a pint. A friend ordered a glass of their house white on the patio one night and it was something like $ 14.

This restaurant could be one possible reason why the upscale restaurants in Toronto are actually a lot better than the upscale restaurants in Boston. I came here for an evening dinner for my cousin’s wedding party and I thought the dinner was excellently tasty. Although we had a fixed menu, the dishes are definitely on the regular menu. Here is what the people on my table and I got:
Appetizers:
Seared East Coast Scallops — The dish had two pieces. $ 16 CAD (I ordered this dish).
Tagliatelle — A pasta that consists of lobster, scallop, grape tomato, basil, olive oil & garlic. On the regular dinner menu on the «Pasta» section. — $ 26 CAD on the Dinner Menu.
Main Dish:
Kerr Farms Ontario Ribeye Steak — This version came with Cipollini onions, fingerlings, sautéed greens, and Sicilian olive oil. Also known as just the «Ribeye» on the regular menu. Everyone on my table got this, knowing that this was probably going to be the most expensive dish. The Dinner Menu said «PA» for price. I ordered it medium rare.
Desserts:
Mille Foglie — Consists of stracchino & mascarpone cream, Saskatoon berry & apple. $ 9 CAD on the Dessert Menu. (I ordered this dish)
Milk Chocolate Mousse — Contains House made strawberry preserve, caramelized pears and rosemary. $ 9 CAD.
Lemon and Almond Tart — Contains Sweetened Ricotta, Candied Lemon zest. $ 9 CAD.
Bread was decent and fresh, nothing much to write about, but a good start to the meal.
I started to eat the scallops. They were freshly cooked, excellently tasty and flavourful. I thought they put the right amount of seasoning and oil, making it one of the tastiest scallops I have ever eaten. I had a piece of the Tagliatelle pasta and I thought it was tasty as well. A lot of tasty Tagliatelle pasta can make an amazing meal.
Next, was the Ribeye steak, cooked medium rare. I cut a piece, placed the piece in my mouth, closed my eyes and slowly began to chew. My taste buds and palate began to communicate with me…
«MMMMMM… this is so good… incredible juiciness and tenderness… whoa… so tasty… so meaty… so chewy… must… need… more…»
Yeah, my taste buds and palate experienced an incredible and pleasurable feeling of bliss and exhilaration after eating that steak. I have not eaten steak this good since having an awesomely tasty Ribeye steak back in the Boston area. The Ribeye steak was probably the best thing out of this restaurant so far. All of the cooked vegetables I had mentioned on the dishes I ordered were really delicious. They were almost perfectly cooked with the right amount of oil and seasoning, that made them excellently tasty.
As for the desserts, I liked the presentation. Although all of them were tasty, I thought they were the only flaw in this restaurant. The Mille Foglie was probably the tiniest dessert I have ever eaten, but the berries inside were sweet, juicy, and tasty as the cream provided an excellent flavour to the tiny cracker shaped pastries. I had a bite of the Milk Chocolate Mousse, and I thought it was incredibly rich and creamy with a good amount of fruity sweetness. I regretted not ordering that. I had a piece of the Lemon and Almond tart, and it was just okay. The tastiness and sweetness almost tasted like something you could possibly get from an inexpensive pastry shop. The desserts are not high on my recommendations, but I think the only thing worth getting is the Milk Chocolate Mousse.
As for the environment of this restaurant, the patio is nice, the sofas are comfortable, and it can definitely be used as a great venue for an amazing outdoor night party, when the weather is a 20 degrees Celsius minimum. The washrooms are ridiculously spacious and clean for a restaurant washroom.
Although the food in this place is really pricey on the regular menu, this could be an excellent and comfortable place to splurge on a really tasty dinner once in a while. And it is not a bad choice for an entertainment consulting group to use as a venue for fun nightlife in the city. Overall, I thought I had the best scallops and ribeye steak in Toronto so far.