Bar Raval — Restaurant in Toronto

There is nothing I dislike about this bar, but I just wasn't blown away. 3.5 might be more accurate.

After hearing the hype for years and years, it's always been on my list to try. This has topped many best bar lists over the years, and frankly, I'm not sure why. Maybe it used to be a lot better?

(I'm fairly disillusioned with those lists by now, considering nearly every time the bars fail to live up to expectations and I can normally name at least 5 bars doing much better.)

I remember always hearing about the interior design here. And yes, it's very lovely, but that doesn't automatically translate to good food and excellent cocktails. In fact, often, it seems the opposite.

I'm fairness, I didn't eat anything. As I spend a great deal of time in southern Europe, I had no desire to eat a bunch of extremely overpriced tapas I could get for €2 at any Spanish tapas bar there. It didn't really scream out to me. But I suppose people who don't have it so accessible may feel differently.

The bar was mostly empty in mid-afternoon. Not many seats overall, but not many patrons either so plenty of space to choose from. The lack of furniture inside during the day made it feel a bit... sparse? Generally, I find it hilarious that people complain about not having enough stools here. Clearly, these complainers have never been to a tapas bar in the evening in Spain in their lives. That's just how it is. Crammed and lots of people standing drinking and eating small bites. But in the daylight, it appears empty and sad.

No problem with staff at all. They were a little distant but friendly enough.

As for the cocktail, it wasn't bad. It was refreshing and light. But for the $20 price tag and the reputation of this bar, I expected a lot more. I thought I would be blown away, but there was zero wow factor. It was a fairly basic-tasting long drink. It just seemed like a glass of smooth limeade with a hint of tequila. No herbal notes whatsoever which seems crazy considering allegedly there is yellow chartreuse, absinthe, and sage in it. All of which can be quite remarkable and noticeable when used effectively. Sweetness was a very pleasant level. The use of vermouth instead of curaçao was smart. But anyway, there was nothing "herbacious" about it. Zero absinthe zing. (I adore absinthe, so that was a huge letdown.)

The salted grape garnish was delish. I don't think the "lacto-fermented" gimmick is at all needed. They literally just taste like regular grapes.

Originally, I was going to have two cocktails here, but after paying $19+tax+tip for that lacklustre offering, I decided not to spend any more money. If they were more reasonably priced ($13-15 range), I would have. I just couldn't risk it. Even the cheapest one is just a midrange amaro and sherry, so I definitely couldn't justify spending $16 base on that, even for a place on College St.

I was meaning to try the basque cheesecake, though, but I forgot. It looked great.

This is fairly decent cocktail bar. It just feels overpriced and overhyped. Unfortunately. I truly thought I...

We went as a party of 2 (later, we were joined by 2 others) at 7:30 on a Monday evening with a terrible thunderstorm outside. We didn't expect it to be packed, but the place was filled to the brim and we had to stand on the "patio" and wait for a "table". There really wasn't any seating besides a few places in the main dining area so we ended up standing all night long. If you can't get a barrel (table) and you're very short, you will struggle to stand and eat by the counter since it's pretty tall comparatively. The ambiance was nice, but the place was definitely too small for the number of people it was hosting and we didn't ever get to experience the cool main room because we never got a chance to move there.

As it is a tapas bar, don't expect heavy portions. I was also a bit let down by the quality of the dishes, considering the size was already small. I was probably most impressed by the seafood options (smoked mackerel specifically). Additionally, they asked us if we'd like more bread... Which we thought was complimentary, but apparently it wasn't and there was an extra charge we weren't told about on our bill. It would have been nice to have a heads up, just like how burrito places insist on letting you know that guacamole is extra. Beer selection is also pretty limited here, but the offerings they do have are pretty interesting and not your typical options.

Despite the grievances mentioned above, our server was very quick and attentive. Additionally, once the rain let up and the staff were able to pull up the large plastic drapes the temperature got much more bearable and there was a refreshing evening breeze. Although we didn't get to sit there, the bar area looked pretty cool and definitely would have been great to be at. I suggest coming early - I did not think that 7:30 on a stormy Monday evening would have the...

It's a really good spot but the service is nonexistent. Wait 25 minutes to have to flag down a waiter. Original waiter never even checked on table.

I've spent $100,000 on College Street in the past year on a handful of restaurants/bars. Usually I leave big tips because most waiters come across like they feel like doing their job. I didn't even leave a tip here.

Place didn't even seem understaffed. They were doubling up on serving tables though the whole night. Maybe they need a system to keep better track of table service?

The drinks are drinks, nothing crazy fancy, they have a worldwide selection but it is by no means a large selection. It's a good spot if you want to strike up conversations with others.

I just can't strike up a conversation if it's going to take 25 minutes to have to flag down a waiter who responds with 'I'll be there' and doesn't come back so you wait another 15 minutes to talk to another person and by then it's been 40 minutes without a drink and you've lost your interest in being there.

If the service was even decent, the atmosphere would make up for it, but the service was horrendous and it actually made me not want to tip for the first time in a long time.

Maybe if the goal for them is people leaving frequently then this model is great but what is the point of going out somewhere for 1 beer and feeling ignored for 40 minutes? Do the servers earn a high wage to entice this type of disrespectful behaviour? Can't imagine how someone knowingly acts how most of this staff does.

Such a great place but zero people skills, that's hard to do across an entire group but somehow this place...