Bar Isabel — Restaurant in Toronto

3.5 stars ... some good dishes but service was slipping very fast throughout the night & flavours weren't as great as other 4 star places.

Maybe I came with too high of an expectation, maybe I ordered wrong (but I would have hoped the server steered us right), or maybe it's one of their off nights. Maybe Bar Isabel isn't my place. I came here incredibly hopeful of a mind blowing meal that rivalled my Buca or Grey Gardens experience as it's rated in the top 15 in Canada 100 best restaurant. That's some serious cred right there but for the price, it was just ok for us.

They do have online reservations but this small, dimly lit, and super loud bar books up super fast.It was comfortable and tables were well spaced. Unfortunately it was so soooo loud. You cannot have a conversation even when yelling.

Service here is quite varied ... looking at other tables, there were 2 very good staff who helped craft the dinners and mentioned the specials. Ours just nodded their head and he never mentioned once the specials or what was good to order when asked. This is where I feel we probably ordered wrong.

We had the garden pickles, ensalada de la casa, scallops, bone marrow, chorizo rojo, and quarter octopus along side some ciders. We didn't order the famed Basque cake because we waited and waited for someone to come by but we were mostly left ignored for nearly 15 minutes with menus on our tables.

Garden Pickles - decent with fair variety of different vegetables but nothing unusual or special about it. Comparing to maple leaf tavern, theirs had an unique spice kick that made it pop. This was just simple. 3.5/5

Ensalada de la casa - one of the better dishes of the night. Several variety of different shaved vegetables lightly and nicely dressed. It had Sprouts, fennel, carrots, Brussels sprouts, and pomegranate. Light and refreshing. Solid choice 4/5

Bone Marrow - I've had bone marrow at a few other places and it's usually a rich wonderful bite with the accompaniments. This was mostly a miss ... this is definitely one of the smaller marrows at a higher price point. It came with 4 pieces of large toasted bread that were possibly cut too big as each bite consisted mostly of dried bread, a smear of lightly flavoured chimichurri, and a few tiny spoonful of marrow. There wasn't enough marrow to even make it to 3 pieces of bread and the chimichurri was very light in flavour compared to the Argentinian ones I've had which help make the meat pop and cut through the juicy fatty flavour. 3/5

Scallops - maybe Toronto has a hard time doing scallops. Thinly sliced scallops are lightly grilled and then placed on an asparagus and leek sauce. The scallops were cooked fairly good. The sear marks were a faded beige and because of how it was thinly sliced, once of the pieces were already crumbling before even attempting to eat it. The leek and asparagus sauce was mild and didn't really add much flavour to the already mild scallops. It reminds me of my Good Son scallops order ... I wish I got something else 3/5

Chorizo rojo - most flavourful dish of the night. Bold and smokey, this is a great chorizo. Loved the spicy heat that it brings. It is a small portion but because of the flavour, it is satisfying. If all dishes were this good, I would have left quite happy. 4/5

Grilled quarter octopus - this is supposedly be one of the best octopus in Toronto if you read Yelp reviews. A quarter octopus is a decent size to share for a smaller group or twosome. It is nicely tender with a softer chew and some good grilled edges. Cooking wise... awesome. Flavour ... it was missing compared to other places I've had. The sauce had some spice (paprika?) but it wasn't enough to give the octopus anything to be memorable. 3.5/5

I was hoping for an amazing dinner but left quite disappointed. Service ended up being forgetful and we left without dessert because it just took too long to be acknowledged. Bar isabel clearly is loved but just didn't provide the flavour or service for me...

A solid 4.5

I have been wanting to try this place for awhile, and finally came here with a friend for her (belated) birthday celebration. I called on a Monday to make a reservation for Wednesday and was surprised that the only times available for 2 people were at 6pm or 10pm! I ended up making a reservation for the bar (full menu available) for 8pm. Once I got there I wasn't surprised. The space is somewhat small, so it would fill up quickly. Sitting at the bar was perfectly fine though.

They have a coat check - which is nice in a small place, especially in the winter with all of the bulky attire. The decor was great, the ambience lively and the music, kind of old timey and fun. While it was somewhat loud due to the compact nature of the place, and the number of people it wasn't so loud that you had to scream at your dinner mate.

In terms of service, I would have to say that this is probably the best staffed restaurant I've been too. Everybody that passes by acknowledges you, says hello or goodnight, asks you if you need anything, fills up your water, brings your food or takes your plates and helps you with your check. You don't have to wait for anything (except your food, which comes out as it's made). The staff were not only friendly but incredibly knowledgeable about the food, the wine and pairings. I was thoroughly impressed.

Now the part you've all be waiting for, the food! While I was generally impressed with the food, there was a bit of room for improvement. We ordered the rib-eye which came out a little cooler than I expected and while I know rib-eyes have marbled fat, there was a massive piece of fat on one of the slices. The cheese plate was delicious (they let you pick the cheeses). The patatas were a good suggestion from our waiter to go with the steak. The sourdough bread and olive oil, simple yet delicious. And the croquettes were tasty, but a bit mushier inside than I expected. The ones I've had in Spain had more jambon chopped up inside. The dessert, I forget what it was called but it was recommended by one of the servers since it has been on the menu since day 1. It's some sort of buttery cake, almost like shortbread with warm sherry cream. It was to die for. I wish I had 10 of them. No wonder it's been on the menu for so long! The only other complaint would be that I wish there were a few more options on the menu (especially if you don't like seafood). That being said, I know it can be hard to have a humongous menu for the kitchen, so perhaps it's a tactical thing.

I would absolutely come back here again and cannot...

This is my favourite restaurant in Toronto. Almost every dish I’ve had has been outstanding and cooked nearly perfectly, I only really have good things to say about this place. It’s cozy & quaint, but really delivers in food quality.

This review covers my thoughts on my last visit here: • Pan con Tomate is a classic and fresh starter dish (note that the bread crust can be a bit on the tougher/crunchy side). • Sea Bream Ceviche is delicious (one of my fave dishes in general) and I appreciate the balance of acidity that tastes so satisfying with the raw fish. The tortilla chips have a great texture and are salted just right, pairs very nicely with the ceviche in one bite. • Bone Marrow is so fatty and I love the salt that it comes with. I’ve had this before and noticed that this time it came with some sort of green sauce which I didn’t love (overpowers the mouthwatering bone marrow flavour). • Scallops were cooked perfectly and we really liked the green sauce that accompanied. • Grilled 10oz Picanha Steak (not pictured) is delicious, cooked perfectly medium-rare and seasoned with enough salt to bring out the natural beef flavours. It also has a fatty cap that adds a lot of depth. YUM! • Basque Cheesecake. is. amazing. I don’t know what’s in there but it manages to soak up a bit of the condensed milk yet isn’t too sweet, and the texture is very dense but in a good way. I haven’t had anything like this before. It looks simple but I’m impressed every time I come back, like it’s my first time trying it again.

Side note, I’ve also had: • Grilled Octopus which I remember being tender and cooked really well. • Meat & Cheese Plate had a yummy selection • Shishito Peppers were well-salted and cooked just enough

Prices are reasonable for the quality of food you receive, and it really just depends what you order because everything adds up. Portions for some dishes might look small but if you order enough it is actually quite filling. Service is great and super helpful with the menu, but expect to pay an 18-20% auto gratuity no matter how many people you’re dining with (I was just with my boyfriend). Can’t wait to...