Abbot Pub — Restaurant in Toronto

Went to Abbot Pub last night to celebrate my friend's 41st birthday (Party Theme: "Thank God 40 is Over"). My friend said he wasn't sure where else 15 people could be accommodated on a single table and as a person who has been a server for several years I know myself that this can be a tall order.

We pulled all the nasty tricks on these guys, first hogging seats and then reducing out party size at 7 pm, one hour after the reservation began, we were still waiting for final members of the group to arrive, we changed seats and we (maybe) consumed slightly too much alcohol. We split bills and asked allergy questions.

So allow me to say that although we were undoubtedly a nightmare party, the entire front of house team took time away from their other tables to cater to us, even the servers who were not directly involved in our service. Literally the entire staff was waiting on us; hand and foot. But aside from catering to our every demand, they were FRIENDLY while they attended to us. And this part REALLY stood out.

In the wake of Covid, and having since retired from my 7 year mid life crisis career as Canmore's Worst Bar Tender, I have often noticed while dining out that most server's these days are horrible at their jobs. At Abbot Pub on the other hand, the service was FAST, EFFICIENT AND FRIENDLY. It was PERSONAL. The entire group felt welcome, and the staff once again took time to GATHER to sing Sean "Happy Birthday". Everything stopped as they attended to his needs. For this alone, I am grateful to the team at Abbot.

But let me go on. The other thing I have noticed since Covid is that most restaurants these days are serving boring, terrible food. Not so at Abbot, where the food was FRESH, HOT, SMELLING DELICIOUS, PLATED WITH CARE ('think Elevated Bistro', as opposed to cookie cutter British pub) and most importantly. It was DECLICIOUS. In spite of our giant party size, the food was all delivered and set in front of the correct guests within 2 minutes of the first plate arriving at the table and let me assure you, in a crowded pub on a saturday night with a small kitchen, even just getting this technical detail right indicates what I have been suggesting all along; that this team has their DUCKS IN A ROW. They are not just good servers and cooks. They are GREAT servers and cooks. Like, without exaggeration, probably one of the greatest teams I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, and I've met a few.

I won't name drop individual servers, bar tenders, or management. As I said before, every staff member on duty touched our table at some point during the service. So instead I will simply say: Thank you Abbot Pub.

Something else I rarely say about a restaurant these days: I will definitely be back....

My husband and I usually lunch in this area once every couple of weeks, but had never tried The Abbot before - what a mistake! We both thought this was one of the best lunches we have had in years in the GTA - bar none. We couldn't fault the food, atmosphere, service or price! My husband ordered a Ploughman's Lunch, which was brought on a wooden platter and included cheese, pickled onions, tomatoes, salad, hard-boiled egg, olives and a most delicious pate, which is homemade. I had some of that too and it was clearly made by a chef with British roots, who makes it like parfait rather than the 'meatloaf' version found at many restaurants here. There was Butter Chicken on the menu, but, being the mildest curry around, I asked whether the Chef could make it spicy and, oh boy, did he take that job seriously!! It was heavenly! Now, looking at the plate when it first arrived, I thought that it looked like a small portion (6 pieces of chicken and a small amount of rice). BUT it was served in a bowl and there was more chicken and rice than you can see in the picture. The rice was fluffy and tasty and the raita was spot on. Seriously, this chef can really cook and obviously has a GREAT palate! Although the portion sizes were perfect, we loved the food so much that we decided to stay for dessert, something we almost never do at lunch. I had the chocolate mousse and my husband the sticky toffee pudding. They did not disappoint either, the mousse being light and fluffy, but substantial in flavour, not too sweet, not too bitter. The sticky toffee pudding was the perfect portion and exactly to the taste of my husband, who does have quite a sweet tooth. To drink we just had a beer and a ginger ale which were nice and not over-priced. The service was excellent, athough I think there was a change of shift half way through our meal and the last lady who served us did not want to smile or engage with us at all. The atmosphere is nice too, dark, cool but not cold and plenty of cosy, private booths if you want them. It cost us just over $60, which, for a sit down two course meal is not bad at all - and when you factor in the quality of food that you are getting, it starts to appear like a bit of a bargain! Overall, highly recommended, we couldn't fault it so we have to give it 5*. Thank you The Abbot, we...

The Abbot on Yonge and Lawrence has a fantastic atmosphere. Terry is the best barman/waiter I've ever had. I look forward to coming to the Abbot to have a wonderful time along with a delicious meal. When I go to the Abbot, the first thing I do is look at the day's specials. While the Abbotts regular menu is very tasty, Abbot's specials are not something to pass on. Last night, I had the swordfish special.

If you are looking for a night out with a place with a great atmosphere plus delicious food and amazing sticky toffee, you should come and discover the Abbot.

Cheers!

Update Oct 27 2023: Nothing has changed. The Abbot on Yonge and Lawrence is an awesome happy place go visit any time of the week (except for Mondays cause everyone needs time off) I wanted to highlight once again, that the Specials are amazing!. The whole menu is tasty but the specials are super delicious.

The crew is super warm, happy, and great...I am not exaggerating... I am a foody guy.. I am also about having a great time in a familiar place.

Update, August 30th, 2024

The Abbott on Yonge St. is simply the best pub in Lawrence Park. My husband, I I think of the Abbot as home. When we come back from out of town, we first stop at the Abbot for a drink, an awesome meal (Chicken Pot pie is my current obssesion) Terri, Nancy, Adam (I think or else I just gave him.a new name) are great people to come home to. The newer crew are fantastic. My husband and I brought my father in law in, and he could not have enough of the food and the great banter with our friendly waitress.

Simply the best in...