Bar Mordecai — Restaurant in Toronto

UPDATED REVIEW DEC. 17

After hearing from Christina, one of the co-owners, I appreciate the steps Bar Mordecai is taking to address the issues I encountered, especially with the security team. It’s clear they care about improving the guest experience, and I respect their efforts. While my visit was disappointing, I’m hopeful that these changes will make a positive difference. I’m open to returning in the future and look forward to seeing how the atmosphere evolves.

ORIGINAL REVIEW FROM DEC. 14

I had high hopes for Bar Mordecai, especially when we were first greeted by the friendly host and seated comfortably. Unfortunately, our experience quickly soured due to the unnecessary and uncomfortable interactions with the security staff.

The issues began when my friend was seated on a part of the bench that the security guard insisted was "broken." This forced her to squeeze next to me, which made the rest of our time at the table very cramped. If the seat was truly broken, I’m not sure why we weren’t offered a new table, but instead, we had to deal with being constantly monitored by security. Even the slightest movement seemed to trigger their attention, which felt invasive and unnecessary.

The situation got worse when we went outside for a smoke and were stopped by the bouncer upon trying to re-enter. We explained we had a table, but the guard insisted we get back in line, which we did. When I tried to go back inside, I tripped on the steps and was immediately singled out by the same security guard who had been hovering around our table. He told me I couldn’t go back in unless I drank a glass of water, even though I was perfectly coherent—perhaps a little tipsy, but certainly not impaired. It felt like I was being treated differently, and when my friends (who were white) noticed the situation, the guard suddenly softened. The manager apologized for the situation, but the security guard didn't seem to think he had done anything wrong.

To make matters worse, we were charged for an order of bravas we didn’t even place. If we hadn’t felt so accosted by the security staff, we might have noticed this discrepancy sooner. Instead, we decided to leave immediately. Why stay at a place where you feel policed for every action? It’s a real shame, because we could have had a great night—there was a fun group of men sitting next to us, and we might have hit it off. But the constant presence of overzealous security really killed the vibe.

I also want to note that our server and the host were both lovely, but it's clear that an establishment like this works as a team, and the behavior of the security staff overshadowed any positive experience. It's disappointing when a place with so much potential is marred by a staff that seems to have a power trip. The constant hovering of the same security guard, even in the basement near the karaoke rooms, made us feel uncomfortable. It’s as if they were more focused on policing patrons than actually providing a welcoming atmosphere for people to enjoy food and drinks.

I’m all for ensuring safety, but this felt more like unnecessary surveillance. Overall, it was a disappointing experience, and I won’t...

My girlfriends and I went here last night (Saturday) for a much needed Girls Night for some bites and cocktails. The night started out fine, with good food and drinks. But here are a couple of things that I didn't really appreciate: it was way too dark. I couldn't even take pictures of our food or drinks for this review. It was that dark. Also, when we started the evening, around 8:30pm, the music was at a level where I didn't have to holler to be heard by my friends. However, that changed drastically by 10pm or so, and when I inquired from our server, he said the bar is "actually a club". Oh. Okay then. Anywhoo, this brings me to the biggest issue of the night: our server. The guy who didn't let us know when we first sat down that we only had the table for 2 hours. Did he forget? Maybe it's not the bar's policy to let their patrons know when they're seated that they will be "flipping the table" after 2 hours? Well, it should be. Just basic courtesy. So our server comes to us just 15 minutes before he has to "flip the table" and lets us know. Bearing in mind that we had just ordered more drinks and would need more than 15 minutes to finish them. We reluctantly agreed and were quite disappointed that we had to cut our evening short. Now, this is the cherry on top: while we were settling our bills, I asked our server for some more water. He refused and kept saying that he needs to clear the table as we were "already 8 minutes over the time". My jaw dropped. Was this guy denying me water? I asked again "I'm asking for some more water please" and again he refused and referred me to the bar. This server was denying me water. It would've literally taken him 1 minute. Totally shocked at being denied water, I went and stood at the bar, watching him scramble to clean the table for the next party. I thought they were already there, waiting to be seated. But nope, I stood there for nearly 5 minutes trying to get a glass of water and no other party was seated at our table. Our server was too busy to give me a glass of water. I had to ask a different server. By this time I was livid. I asked our server his name because I knew I was going to be writing this review. He said his name was "Tom" and immediately I got a feeling that he was being untrue. So, on my way out, I asked the lovely hostess at the front and she told me the server who was helping my party was "Gillian". He lied to my face. So Tom/Gillian, whatever your name is, thanks for not serving your patron water and earning your...

There's something off about the service here.

I was initially excited when I walked into Bar Mordecai; there was something distinctly queer about it. The red lighting cast a pink hue on the velvet couches and tropical palm trees. It felt like stepping up from Dundas West and into a Palm Springs hotel. It felt like my drinks were going to be accompanied by camp.

That whimsy ended the moment we were checked in by the maitre d. They reminded us sternly that we had the table for two hours and no more. We were the first guests they had and the restaurant was empty. They were preparing for a rush we would not see.

The waitress told us the menu was new and that the kitchen was excited for it so we ordered three small dishes and a handful of drinks. We had only intended to drink. The chopped salad was fine. The cucumbers were that pleasant, just crunchy, texture and it was well seasoned with a fine balance of acidity. The little puffed rice was a nice addition of texture. The hummus and croquettes were under seasoned. My friend asked for salt while I averted our waitress's gaze.

We had heard good things about the drinks and true enough our drinks were great. I won't forget the Besos Por Los Dos. If you come here, you should get it.

When my friend asked for a drink recommendation, the waitress told her that she would likely not like the spirit forward ones. The waitress had not asked her what kinds of drinks she liked. I asked my friend after the waitress had left if that exchange felt weird and she looked at me, shrugged, and said it felt gendered. "It happens", my friend said.

When we were finished eating, our waitress came by to tell us we had 40 minutes left at the table. We kept chatting and then our waitress came by to remind us we had 30 minutes left. I'm sure she would have come by to tell us we had 20, then 10. I looked around and saw that the restaurant was still mostly dead. We asked for our bills and left.

Afterwards, my friend joked we had paid for a microaggression and rudeness.

At least we got...