Zee Grill Seafood Restaurant & Oyster Bar

Had a TERRIBLE experience at this restaurant last night. The owner was sitting at the bar next to us, enjoying (one too many) cocktails and proceeded to get into a verbal argument with us. After a few insults were hurled our way, we were kicked out (conveniently we had already paid the bill). Very unfortunate as this is one of our regular neighbourhood go to’s, the food is good and we quite like the bartender. To top it off, it was our anniversary and this crazy lady ruined it for us. I would advise avoiding this place — lots of good restaurants to choose form in Toronto to risk being treated like this.

Actually, if I was able I would give this 3 ½ stars. This is a quirky and peculiar but good fish restaurant. Its interior looks more like a pub, with lots of dark or black wood. The tables are well spaced. The service is intermittent but at the same time respectful. The oysters are very recommendable, as was the fish frites and the seabass. You can bring your own wine. Total food without wine or service somewhat over $ 100 for two.

I recently came for an anniversary dinner and was not disappointed. I always thought that I hated oysters but apparently I had been trying them at all the wrong places because they were delicious! The main course was also very tasty.
The atmosphere was great, the server was knowledgeable and very helpful when I asked him about my dietary restrictions.
My recommendation would be to try the crab cakes they were out of this world.

Really happy with this place. Great food, good atmosphere, decent price. What more can you ask for?
The atmosphere is dim and cozy — the only thing that bothered me was the Adele on repeat.
We ordered oysters to start and they were delicious. I then had the surf and turf and my friend had the mussels. Everything was really well prepared.
We had coffee to finish and it was also very yummy.
Overall, we were very pleased with the food. Would recommend this place to friends.

Our party of four came for a birthday dinner celebration. Our reservation was for 7:30 PM and we ordered oysters and mains at 8 PM. Our oysters ending up arriving at the table shortly after 9 PM and our mains came right at 9:30 PM, our waiter came by to check on us but the wait was unacceptably long. The food was good (Moules-​Fries & Ahi Tuna were exceptional) but it was disappointing to wait so long; service could have been better (the restaurant was by no means crowded and we were only offered a small bit of bread for the table while we waited). We also pre-​order a birthday cake to have after our main dinner, (requested it online and called the morning of our meal to confirm it would come out) but it never arrived. Our waiter brought dessert menus but the cake did not come and we didn’t want to mention it out-​loud because it was meant to be a surprise.
We read great reviews and the birthday guest is a BIG seafood lover, so it was a disappointing experience based on the service. If the service was better I would certainly give a higher rating, but waiting 1.5 hours certainly brought down the groups enthusiasm for delicious seafood.

This is my new favorite seafood restaurant!
The service is invariably excellent; the food outstanding (both the jambalaya and duck are winners), the portions are as expected, even the ambience is first rate.
On one visit, I noted the absence of an old standby on the menue and I made mention of it to the server who advised me to request it when I made my next reservations.
I did! And they did!
Accessibilty is difficult; and, the washrooms are at the bottom of the stairs.
All I can say is ‘reserve & enjoy‘! I did!

Everything from the ambiance to the food is incredible in this wonderful restaurant. The owners are passionate about what they do and the staff are incredibly knowledgeable and always extremely happy to answer all questions related to the menu. Food is always fresh, and the Oysters — AMAZING! Looking forward to my next visit very, very soon!

We went here for the oyster bar and I’d go back! Sitting at the bar you see them shuck and check each oyster which I’ve never gotten to watch before. The two sauces that came with the oysters were very good, although I prefer having them served with one simpler option (I don’t know why I love less choice, but I sometimes do).
Like others have said, service here might be a little hit or miss. We found everyone friendly and accommodating, but it seemed like they simply didn’t have enough staff on when we were there.

I took my parents here and they used to have fresh oysters, but these ones were fishy. You may ask which ones, but we tried all of them and maybe 1 or 2 varieties were not fishy.
Service: so-​so. I had said we were in a hurry, and they did nothing to address that. They were nice, but not attentive, which was frustrating in those circumstances.
Food was ok, nothing fantastic. It’s a shame b/​c I used to like it here. Likely won’t be going back.

My boyfriend and I always come here when we want to have a last minute date night.
I’d say it’s a classy and still very cozy restaurant. Don’t go looking like you haven’t showered ’cause you won’t find hipster beards is what I’m saying! This place is too nice for that shit!
I knocked off a star because service from the wait staff is a hit or miss. For instance, sometimes they’ll be on top of everything and other times its like they’re completely oblivious that you’re trying to get their attention.
I must apologize in advance though, I can’t say very much about the actual food because I’m always busy eating oysters! Oh and their pâté. Oysters and pâté is all I eat there and I can never get enough. Sometimes I go in thinking, this time I’ll have oysters as my appetizer, order a main and maybe even have some dessert… then I order pâté and enough oysters to fill my belly. My bf has tried a bunch of other dishes, I’ve never heard him complain (and he complains like he menstruates, believe me!) so everything else should be pretty good here.
Having said all this, I CAN say their pâté is a favourite of mine. They’re served in these cute little mason jars with caramelized onions on the side and mini pieces of baguette. For a while they served chicken pâté which was my favourite and melts in your mouth like butter I was really sad when I didn’t see it on the menu the last time I went, like seriously sad, I almost didn’t know what to do lol (I thought to myself: I’m just gonna eat oysters this time? It’s not right without the pâté though). They’ve replaced it with trout pâté. I’m not a fan of fish – at all – but I still tried it and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Another thing I can say is the oysters are a-​m-​a-​z-​i-​n-​g. They’ve got French Kisses pretty sure from PEI just like raspberry points and they taste similar too, super smooth and very yummy. Raspberry points are at every other oyster bar though and none have french kisses… WHY??? D: D: D:
Doesn’t matter ’cause that’s where Zee stands out for ME.

I want to give this a better review. Our server was friendly and informative, the atmosphere was cozy, The seafood was fresh and mostly quite tasty.
We started with the taco sampler and the poke salad. The Poke salad was fabulous. However, the hard corn tortilla interfered with the flavour of the tacos.
My friend had the Chilean seabass which was good, but bit salty.
I had the Ahi tuna. I asked for it very rare, and they delivered. However, the seasoning on it was all wrong. It actually tasted like some sort of pre packaged meat rub. Perhaps the dish is usually cooked more and it ends up tasting better, but to me it was counterintuitive of the chef to have seasoned it that way.
The desert was chocolate cake with mousse and ice cream and was excellent.
I’d love to give this 4 stars, but I get the feeling that this is an assembly line kitchen, not a skilled seafood chef who understands how to balance flavour. I don’t know if I would return.

Just came back for a Tuesday night dinner for my father’s birthday (just he and I, the mother being away on business). He’s a fishy guy and wanted a fishy place. Like a lot of seafood places, the menu had a strong shellfish bias but we liked their fish of the day so we gave it a try.
Food: First the bivalves: as a starter, we split some moules-​frites (from the entrée section). The moules sat in a very rich, creamy broth with red onions, peppers and spiked with chilli flakes which we agreed worked very well. The mussels were very large, which we were thankful for with all that tasty broth to soak up. The frites were frozen and forgettable but I would still strongly recommend this dish. We also shared a trio of mini tacos with Tuna tartare, shredded crab («hunk crab») and salmon tartare. The tuna was easily the best of the three, also had a bit of small kick of heat and definitely worth trying. For mains my father got the sablefish (or black cod, whatever) which was pulled off the heat at the right time as the fish was still moist and crumbled at the shear suggestion of a fork. I ordered the ahi-​tuna, another fish of the day. So, unbeknownst to me, this dish was the kitchen’s best effort at preparing what the Japanese call tataki – fish or beef seared on the outside but still very much raw on the inside and cut into bite-​size peaces. It even came with bok choy, pickled radishes, seaweed salad and some kind of thick vinaigrette with wasabi in it. It was NOT what I was expecting at all… but still very satisfying. On par at least with Guu.
Atmosphere: dim and very quiet but I think it was suitable for the occasion. I believe my dad sat comfortably below the average age in the place as well, which should have made him feel slightly better about himself. Top marks for dinner atmosphere!
Service: this actually touched both ends of the spectrum. Our server seemed completely unexcited to be there and was monotone the whole evening. However, she did follow all of our instructions perfectly the first time: brought our muscles first, got us extra cutlery immediately without us even asking her, wiped up after our savoury muscle mess, made sure we were finished and cleared our plates before bringing on the second course (though there was a bit of a delay) etc. She didn’t mention the Japanese thing with ahi-​tuna though! TOTALLY CAUGHT ME BY SURPRISE! I was trying to curb the Japanese-​ness of my diet…
Summary: a good upscale seafood joint. Very quiet and fit for a date or a business meeting (both of which were going on in the background). Our one appetizer ($ 15), 2 fish of the day ($ 27 each), moules-​frites entre-​tizer ($ 18) came to a total of $ 167 with tax and tip. Pretty steep for two folks, considering we didn’t have wine but we definitely though it worth it. And most importantly, my dad was satisfied. And he’s actually very hard to please.
P. S. The bread is fresh and crusty and does a MMMMEEANN job of soaking up all the tasty broth the mussels come in!

The best place on Earth where to eat oysters! And a whole lot of the other good things! A delicious cooking, an impeccable service, in an atmosphere original and welcoming. An exceptional place to be absolutely tried!

The oyster bar was terrific. Freshly shucked to order and served with a housemade hot sauce that nicely flavoured the seafood.
The food was satisfactory to enjoyable. The ingredients were fresh and the menu was inventive however the execution was not quite right (crabcakes fell apart too easily, pickerel was slightly overcooked), but if I were rating the restaurant on the food alone, it would receive a recommendable 4-​stars.
The service and timing is where things went awry. Waited a very long time and was rudely passed aside by our server. I spoke to the manager about the incident and there response was the only saving grace. Would be willing to try it again in a few months when hopefully things are shaken up a bit.

Sorry, this place did not wow me the way it seems to wow so many other reviewers. Things were plated better than they were prepared. Mains were okay, but salads and soups were not great. Bread was served with oil that tasted rancid. Hostess was about as welcoming as a city hall clerk. Place is old, dark and tired looking.

This is a cozy restaurant furnished with a homely wood interior. It has just the right lighting for an intimate ambiance. Staff is friendly and attentive, except for the bus boys who seem to be very young and still in training. An excellent place for a romantic dinner or a small get together with friends.
The food was delicious and fresh. We had the Plateau Royale, which included a generous sampling of every seafood they serve on a giant two level platter of ice. The oysters were extremely fresh and tasty and the selection of sauces added an element of fun and experimentation. The plateau comes with a side of frites which were crisp and light. The plateau also comes with a decent amount of tuna and salmon tartare, but this lacked flavour and may have been frozen fish. The platter came with 6 shrimp which were huge and juicy.
We ordered a lobster to share which was steamed to perfection. The melted butter, kept warm on a small burner added exquisite flavour.
The crabcake was excellent, albeit small. But with the amount of quality crab filling mouth with every bite it was well worth the $ 13 price.
Despite what it’s location would suggest, the portions were decent and although not cheap by any means it is also not overly expensive for the excellent seafood served. The plateau was an expensive option at $ 89 but with the set up and selection of seafood it is more of an event than just a dish. Lobster was $ 26/​lb which is reasonable for any seafood restaurant.
All in all we had a wonderful evening of great food, great atmosphere and attentive service. Will be coming here again to satisfy our seafood cravings.

We were celebrating a birthday dinner and were in the mood for some seafood, unfortunately as it turns out, there aren’t that many seafood places in and around the GTA and we were struggling to find any seafood restaurant that sounded half decent. Well, I’m happy to say that we found a great one, tucked away in the quaint area of Mt. Pleasant and Eglinton.
The restaurant itself isn’t really big, its nice and cozy, a little too dimly lit, but the atmosphere is nice and wait staff is friendly, in some instances overly friendly.
But the point here, is that the food was excellent. We had the crab cake appetizer, which when I first saw the portion (1pc) was a little disappointed, but it tasted great, you can tell that it was stuffed with tons of fresh crab and it just paired up perfectly with the accompanying homemade aoli sauce. Next we had a steamed 1.5 lbs lobster picked straight from the tank and it was good, sweet tasting, although it may have been a tad overcooked, but all in all very good overall.
The final dish we had was the Plateau Royale or seafood platter for 2 and this was excellent, I recommend this for anyone who comes to Zee Grill to order this dish. The two tiered platter was filled with huge fresh shrimp, clams, two types of rock oysters, mussels, seaweed salad, calamari salad, tuna tartar, basically it was packed with tons of fresh seafood. Oh and it also came with some hand cute fries.
If you’re looking for a great seafood restaurant, Zee Grill is a great place to check out. Highly recommend.

We were in the mood for fresh lobster after watching The Bachelor on TV recently. Brad had went with one of his wenches to visit her hometown, and the family had welcomed him with a big honking 3 pound+ lobster on his plate. Instead of being put off, we were quite impressed and couldn’t get the idea of lobster with butter out of our heads for a couple of days.
So we did our research and chose Zee Grill at 641 Mount Pleasant Rd. as our candidate for a crustacean meal.
Now we have had lobster in the Caribbean, United States, and Canada, cooked up a multitude of ways, and in varying sizes. My expectation is for nothing less than a non-​chewy, sweet tasting meat with a nice whitish-​opaque color. Zee Grill (Dutch for «sea grill») delivers that and more.
Entering the restaurant you are happily greeted by the kitchen staff and by the Chef-​Owner Jac Eckhardt. I love to pass by a clean and aromatic kitchen on my way to be seated! The lighting, décor, and feel of Zee Grill is one of a cozy modern loft. A great place for a romantic date, birthday party, or just to hang with friends. No pressure to be formally dressed, or to put on airs.
Our server’s name was Larry, and he made sure we had options. When we couldn’t decide what to drink he got us Kir Royal’s which hit the spot nicely. Then we had the delectable PEI Malpeque oysters with the usual fresh accompaniments.
Our much dreamed about Nova Scotia half-​pound lobsters were tender and absolutely delicious. The three pounders are available as well, but then you may not have room for Zee Grill’s to die for house-​made ice cream and desserts.

We were visiting from California and actually got this referal from Zagat. What a great surprise! Great atmosphere. Seafood and Steak are good. Expensive, but the service is up to par.