Banknote Bar Corktown — Restaurant in Toronto

I’ve been coming to Bank Note Bar for the past two years because it’s right across from where I live, and honestly, I’ve never had a bad experience—until today.

From the moment we walked in, the server who greeted us had a noticeable attitude. My boyfriend and I asked for a table for two on the patio, and instead of welcoming us or even making eye contact, he just pointed toward the left side of the patio, where several tables were still dirty. We asked politely if we could sit in the cushioned lounge chairs instead, and he didn’t even respond—just looked annoyed and walked away. It made us feel super uncomfortable, so we just sat where he originally pointed.

While we were waiting, my boyfriend peeled a tangerine for me (we hadn’t even ordered yet), and when the server came back with the menus, the first thing he said was, “You can’t have outside food here, man. You know that’s just, like, so wrong.” I get it—rules are rules—but it’s a single piece of fruit on an outdoor patio. His tone felt unnecessarily rude and shaming.

What really solidified our discomfort was seeing him treat another customer almost the exact same way. A guy came in and asked to sit outside, and the same server gave him attitude and told him to just “pick a table.” When the man chose one near the door, the server came back with menus and literally slammed them down on the table before walking away in a huff. No friendly greeting, no kindness—just straight-up hostility.

Strangely enough, he seemed perfectly fine and even friendly with a few other guests, which made things feel even more off. At that point, I told my boyfriend to just go to the bar and order there because this server was honestly ruining our whole experience.

Shoutout to the bartender (wish I remembered his name!)—I see him all the time and he did his best to make the situation lighter. He acknowledged what was happening and said the server was having a rough day and that he’d talk to him, which I appreciated.

I don’t know if this server needs to take the rest of the day off or go through some retraining, but something was definitely not okay today. The energy he brought to the patio was aggressive and unwelcoming.

That said, this is still one of our favorite local spots and we’ll definitely be back—but I really hope this gets addressed. No one deserves to be treated like a nuisance for simply coming in to enjoy a...

I had an incredibly disappointing experience at Banknote Bar. I will never eat from any establishments associated to this place. The server was shockingly rude and unprofessional, openly mocking my friend and me with the manager in front of other customers. When we inquired about adjusting the bill due to poor food quality—burnt yet undercooked—they laughed loudly and confirmed their behaviour when confronted. Rubbery calamari, grease-saturated onion rings, nachos that were simultaneously burnt and raw—a culinary paradox of unappetizing proportions—with the lone bright spot being a surprisingly decent Caesar salad. The lack of professionalism from both the server and manager was appalling, making it clear they do not value paying customers. I would not recommend this establishment to anyone seeking a respectful dining experience. Aldainne, was our server. Her performance was a masterclass in unprofessionalism - transforming what should have been a dining experience into a public mockery, where her juvenile behaviour and adolescent laughter suggested she was more suited to a kids school cafeteria rather than a professional restaurant environment. Her conduct was not just disrespectful, but a stunning demonstration of customer service malpractice that would make even the most lenient hospitality manager cringe with secondhand...

I never write Google reviews but this experience was so horrible i had to. Aldainne is the rudest, most obnoxious server I’ve ever encountered. Absolutely disgusting, experience. She was incredibly rude to me and my friend, laughing and making fun of us to the bartender and other customers! I’ve never been treated like this in a restaurant, 0 stars if I could.

First off The drinks we ordered were completely wrong, so we very apologetically asked for different ones. Then the food comes out, and the nachos which were 1 out of 4 dishes we ordered, were burnt soggy and not even cooked at the same time. We again politely & apologetically asked her to take them away. She did with an eye roll. When the bill came, we once again very politely, just asked if they could do anything about the nachos we didn’t eat, She immediately got an attitude, rolling her eyes and questioning us, She walked away to talk to her manager, and we heard her across the whole bar LOUDLY laughing and making fun of us to the bartender — who she confirmed the manager! She came back over with the bill and admitted she was thought it was funny and continued to be extremely belittling and rude. The Manager just shrugged his shoulders about it on the way out. Absolute embarrassment to the...