Bar Reyna — Restaurant in Toronto

I came across Bar Reyna through blog.to and was immediately tempted to try this place out, and I'm glad I did! Firstly - the staff are amazingly friendly and very knowledgeable on the menu and providing recommendations. I had a narrowed down my order to a few dishes which I was confused on which one to order but our waitress helped to lock in the final decision and she was definitely on point! We tried the: 'Manchego & Cauliflower Croquettes' - the outside is nice and crispy to where you can hear the 'crunch' when you bite into it, but the centre just oozes with a smooth texture of Cauliflower and cheese. It's warm and welcoming like a hug. 'Lamb Baklava' - so a lot of people raved about it and I see why. The lamb is tender and the outter part is the crispy 'noodle' like baklava. The aioli on top is perfect and balances the bite 'Italian Fries' - ok so I am still thinking about these. They are skinnier than shoe string fries but the crispiness, soft centre and deliciousness are all still there in full force! The quantity is much larger than I was expecting too. I'll most likely keep popping back in for these 'Shawarma Plate's - it isn't your usual shawarma you would find in a plaza in Scarborough but it is still delicious. Since I am not huge on rice I do appreciate the cold veggie sides. The flat bread are nice and small with the perfect char on the outside

Ambiance - we dined on the heated patio which was beautifully decorated. I was a bit chilly then again I'm usually cold on the norm so if you're like me bring a shawl to drape over your shoulders (or use your coat) and problem instantly solved. I was worried the table was too tiny but the staff is great at timing the dishes to prevent overcrowding. Having a corner table, we were able to sit on the couch part with the fluffy pillows and it was a totally comfortable and enjoyable dining experience!

Overall: I loved the heated patio and menu. I appreciate being able to order some of the plates as a 'per quantity' as it allowed for multiple items to be tried without being overly filled. I will for sure be back to try other items!

*Update! We were craving the fries so we came back this evening to try the Spanish Fries - the fries here do not disappoint at all! We also tried the Lebanese Chicken Tacos - super moist-melt-in-your-mouth chicken served in a super thin grilled 'tortilla' and labneh with carmelized onion dip . I'm convinced you can't go wrong with anything on the menu. Great food and service (by Stephanie -...

Bar Reyna is a really good option if you're visiting Yorkville. The service here is really good. The staff are always super friendly and willing to answer questions you have about the menu. I believe we had Sam as a waitress and she was amazing, helped us pick out a great meal.

The food is best shared in my opinion. I was really digging the Spanish fries. They use shoestring fries and put chorizo in them with an amazing dip. The lamb baklava is really good but a little pricey for 2 bite sized pieces(don't get me wrong though, they're so tasty it's unreal). The seafood skewer with the lobster was also sooooooo good! The marinade they used soaked into the tail and unleashed some crazy combination of flavours. They octopus on the plate was great too. But, if you're not into octopus or squid I'd probably steer clear of this dish because it doesn't come with much else and once the meat from the lobster tail and claw is gone there's not much to eat. One thing I'd recommend is they bring back the lamb lollipops!!! Those were what I was most excited to go back for! Good food in general but a little pricey for what you get.

Now for the atmosphere.. wow. It brings the whole experience together. From the staff uniforms, to the candlelit vibe, to the decor, to the sharing plates this place is great for either dates or group eats. I always get sat on the patio and I have zero problem with that. In the winter they close the roof and have super efficient heaters so you don't get cold, it's great. They have jazz nights too so if you're looking to bring a date here try to come on that day(Thursday I think?). This restaurant was made with romanticism in mind for sure, there's a reason I brought my girlfriend here for our anniversary.. and our first date. Only things I would change is having bigger tables and finding a way to keep couples a little more away from the action because you can hear everything they other tables are saying since there's not much space between...

I came here with a friend for brunch and left feeling disappointed. The dining area in the back of the restaurant is really interesting, it has a lovely high ceiling with lots of plants and decorations hanging down and the ceiling can open up to bring in some natural light and the fresh air of downtown Toronto.

The server took some time attending to our table, but she was pleasant overall. I ordered the Reyna salad and the Spanish fries while my friend ordered the croque madame (both from their weekend brunch menu). We also ordered cappuccino, which was good. Everything we ordered looked great, lots of bright colours and fresh looking ingredients. Once we dug in, however, both of us felt let down. We both got the impression that the food they served us wasn't fresh, they were both lukewarm and the fries had the type of chewiness you'd expect from something deep fried that's been sitting out for a few hours. The salad was not seasoned adequately, the dressing they used was just flavorless and also tasted a bit stale. I was surprised by the complete lack of acidity in the dressing, there was just no balance and no clear flavours coming through. My friend said his croque madame was too heavy with nothing to balance it. The fries were also bland and certainly not worth the $10 they charge for it.

The restaurant and the food it serves are all very "grammable", but the quality is severely lacking here. I would not recommend this place to anyone, except if they were just stopping...