The Common Stove — Restaurant in Ontario

Randomly chose to eat here while driving through Orillia with my wife. The aroma of this place when you enter is amazing, food cooked over wood coals evokes a primal sense of comfort. Not too smokey, they have good fans above the grill, just enough to instantly excite the senses and appetite. No reservation so we were sat at the "kitchen bar" which is a front row seat to the wood burning grill

Super cozy upscale dining space, not too loud. We ordered oysters, grilled scallops and bok choy ceasar to start then a filet steak with roasted carrots and house chop potatoes (like mille-feuille and/or fondant potatoes)

Was super fun to watch the kitchen work. Very calm and concise, sending out dish after dish, they knew exactly what they were doing. No yelling or banging around

Oysters were stellar I forget the variety. Scallops were incredible super fresh and succulent, cooked perfectly. Server suggested house made bread to sop up the sauce in the scallop dish.. 10/10! Unreal

Bok choy caesar was awesome, they grill everything here I guess (I'm not complaining!) The bok choy had a nice little char on it, comes with whole white anchovies on it. If you don't think you like anchovies I'm sorry you're just wrong and this dish is a perfect jump off point on your anchovie journey. They are mild, a little sweet and less salty and fishy than their darker counterparts. A perfect pairing with the slightly bitter and vegetal charred bok choy and the richness of the dressing and Parmesan 10/10

2nd round of drinks, clear, reset and 2nd course came promptly. Steak was cooked very nicely, seasoned perfectly, bernaise sauce, carrots with chimmirchurri, almonds and dates and the crispiest, most caramelized soft fluffy on the inside potatoes you've ever had were the perfect accompaniments

Was chatting with the chef briefly and mentioned we were there as a pregame to our anniversary the next day in passing and they sent a big sparkler with our sticky toffee pudding which I thought was a nice touch. Sticky toffee pudding is no joke. I try it everywhere that has one and this was one of my favs of all time. Massive portion, swimming in caramel sauce and a nice scoop of mascarpone cheese on top 10/10

Service was warm and friendly but also professional and discreet. My only criticism is that they should have a couple big tannic italian reds by the glass Sangiovese/Chianti and/or Nebbiolo but I'm sure list rotates. (The wines were still really good)

Not cheap but not expensive for what you're getting. Really, really good value. Best dining experience we've had in quite some time and we go out all the...

I finally made my way to Orillia to try the Common Stove. Before I get into it, I’m just going to say it’s the best restaurant food I’ve eaten in Ontario. It was so good that I returned the next day to have brunch.

When you arrive, you can see the attention to detail and the vibe of the restaurant is pretty good, but I do find the chairs uncomfortable and the lighting too bright for evening dining.

We ordered a bunch of dishes which included the fillet, heirloom carrots, fire-roasted beets, lamb neck pappardelle and the sticky toffee pudding. Everything was cooked perfectly and the flavours/textures were well thought out. I’m still thinking about the carrot dish to this day and it says something when you can make carrots that good. The lamb pasta dish was divine and the bite of the pasta was the best I’ve had in years. We ordered the sticky toffee pudding and artisanal chocolates for dessert and the sucre à la crème type sauce with the pudding was outstanding. The cocktails and wine list are also good.

I found the service was just ok and our server had a bit of an attitude but she warmed up eventually.

Brunch included the english breakfast, the combo benny and the banana pain perdu which was sitting in that same to-die-for sauce from the sticky toffee pudding. Everything was once again well thought out and the house made bacon and the duck pâté sausage patty was a refreshing take on what you usually get for brunch at most places. The food is exceptional at the Common Stove.

Some might find this establishment to be on the pricier side but I found that you got what you paid for.

After brunch, we wandered to their other eatery, Picnic. This spot was a bit of a miss for me but I really don’t like drinking wine in something other than a wine glass. I get what they are trying to be, but it’s just not for me. It was nice to get fresh oysters in the area though. If you’re a wine drinker, steer clear of the Picnic red and 20,000 Leguas orange wine. The orange wine fell remarkably flat.

Overall, I was blown away and I’m looking forward to eating many more meals here in the future.

The Common Stove - 4/5

Food - 5/5 Vibe -...

A truly unique find! Dined there with my wife and daughter and all of us were very impressed. We started with cold appetizers; oysters on the half shell that came beautifully shucked and presented with a delicious mignonette, and the steak tartare. Delicious!

We transitioned to warm appetizers; grilled oysters, bone marrow and beef bread. The grilled oysters were buttery, garlicky with hint of citrus and deliciously warm with the faint aroma of the wood smoke from the grill. The bone marrow was wonderfully presented with toasted bread that was the perfect canvas to put it on...with pickled shallots and briny capers to cut the richness of the marrow. Don't get me started on the beef bread! Beef bread? This bit of wizardry from the mind of their head chef/owners is a heady throw back to something from the court of medieval royalty. Brioche dough baked around a swirl of beef (braised short rib and chuck) with blue cheese and herbs (I detected a savoury and eartly mix of tarragon, thyme and parsley) and drizzled with a jus of veal demi-glace! It was warm and divine. We shared it with a decadent red wine and it gave me goose bumps up both arms. Without a doubt, one of the most unique and enjoyable taste experiences that I have had the pleasure of. I would drive from Windsor to Orillia just to have that dish again.

We capped our meal off with an entree (shared 3 ways due to the volume of food already ordered) of rib-eye steak, cooked to a perfect medium rare, with Yukon Gold french fries made even better with a garlic aioli and a side of roasted brussels sprouts with soy & fish sauce, peanuts and togarashi that was a plate full of umami. Not your average Steak Frites!

Our only disappointment was that we had not saved any room for dessert.

5 well deserved and well earned stars! I can't recommend this restaurant highly enough. This was a first time there and will NOT be our last even though we live 5 hours away. I only hope that they do not cut back on the quality of service, decor, food, and ambiance in any way. This...