BarChef

Name: BarChef
Telephone: +1 416-868-4800
Price range: $$$$
Rating: 4.6

Canada Ontario TorontoBarChef

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Really beautiful drinks experience. Will absolutely be back here with friends and family again. Beautiful place for a special date or celebration. Worth the price. Cindy was our lovely server, and we were helped by a few others but I didn’t get their names. The service is great. Cindy was so chic and fun and super attentive. The drinks were great. My favourite was the most simple one I had, surprisingly.. haha. The Coa. I didn’t get a photo of that one but if you like tequila and woodsy flavours then I highly recommend the Coa. Our other favourite was another one I didn’t take a photo of, haha… the Absinthe Sour. I had 4 drinks and didn’t leave feeling overly intoxicated or uncomfortable as I sometimes do when I have 3-4 drinks elsewhere. I think that speaks to their high quality ingredients. We were a party of 3, & we spent roughly $150 each. This included 3-4 drinks each, and 1 appetizer each. My only qualm was: I arrived just a few minutes after my friends.. and as I arrived they were being served a complimentary grapefruit essence palate cleanser…. They had not consumed it yet.. but I was not offered one. — And as a paying guest that was a part of the party, I felt it was a bit strange to not have been offered this as well… leaving me to just ask my friends how it tasted and feeling a bit left out. Otherwise, I forgot about that quickly and did have a wonderful time… just felt it should be mentioned.

Lolly LuckLolly Luck

BarChef is honestly such a vibe! This intimate cocktail bar serve drinks you've never seen before! Some may argue their cocktails are gimmicky but I absolutely love the creativity and complexity they have to offer!⁣ ⁣---⁣⁣ 💨𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐥𝐞 $𝟑𝟎 (𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘵, 𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘢𝘮, 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘻𝘦𝘴𝘵, 𝘨𝘪𝘯, 𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘶𝘳, 𝘥𝘪𝘭𝘭, 𝘦𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘶𝘳)⁣ An elegant drink with sophisticated flavours. This cocktail is both sweet and savoury. The actual alcohol was a bit out of my palate (too bitter) but I found the black truffle snow to be very intriguing and tasty. ⁣ 🍋𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐫’𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐣𝐢𝐭𝐨 $𝟑𝟎 (𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘶𝘮, 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘮𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘵, 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘢𝘪𝘳, 𝘤𝘳𝘺𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘫𝘪𝘵𝘰⁣ 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘶𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘭, 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦)⁣ Honestly can't go wrong with a mojito. The mojito pearls were both refreshing and addicting. I didn't expect the rum to be as strong as it was, but the acidity of the limes and the rounded sweetness of the vanilla really tied it all together.⁣ ⁣ 🍍𝐏𝐢ñ𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐚 $𝟑𝟔 (𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘗𝘪ñ𝘢 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘢, 𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘬, 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘦𝘥𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘣𝘦𝘵, 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳, 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘭 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘴, 𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘳𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘦, 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘻𝘦𝘴𝘵)⁣ ⁣This was the most beautifully unique cocktail/sherbert I've ever had! I hate the taste of coconut but BarChef really surprised me with this cocktail. You get bits of heat, sour, sweet and bitter-- honestly a refreshing treat with an array of textures. ⁣

andrea charmaineandrea charmaine

Barchef! Speaking as a person who is passionate about cooking and mixology - this was a very disappointing experience for such a high end place. I’ll explain why. First of, when we made our reservation we mentioned that the reason for our visit was a birthday - and it wasn’t acknowledged neither by the hostess, nor by the waitress. A simple “happy birthday!” would do :) We started the evening with a charcuterie board which was $39 and didn’t have much to it. Two small slices of beetroot, some soft cheese and blue cheese, 1 (one) piece of prosciutto, and half a sausage cut in half. It came with about 5-6 small pieces of toasted baguette, and the server mentioned to let them know if we need more. I said that we definitely need more right away, since it was a really small amount. Then she brought more bread only for us to later see a $1 charge for it. How more cheap could you possibly get? Now my favorite part. The modernist series cocktails, which were called experiences for idk what reason. The girl who brings out food and drinks has a very thick accent and it was extremely difficult to understand what she was telling us about the cocktails, since it was also noisy, and she wouldn’t speak clearly. But the “experience” itself is a cocktail put in a setup, with some edible elements. Speaking of elderflower one, the class was 1/4 full, so again we’re talking portions. And the taste was good, but it wasn’t worth the price. As to the margarita, it was pretty basic, with a gelatin edible element which tasted like nothing unfortunately. I think we were definitely expecting more, and some things that can be improved are: Hospitality: Please make sure your hosts see the reason for a reservation. Make sure the waiters are friendly, accommodating, and knowledgeable. Communication: I would really love to know what that girl had to say about the cocktails during the presentation. I couldn’t because of the accent. Portions/pricing: I understand you are a high end spot and I don’t mind it unless you deliver a spectacular experience. But it wasn’t it. You would exceed expectations for customers to come back. I would highlight the atmosphere, it was perfect for a date, the design of the place, and the selection of alcohol is impressive too. If you’re looking for a good cocktail experience (which is a real experience, not just a set up), please take a look at my profile, one of the recent reviews. Thank you for hosting us, I hope you can improve over time ☺️

Alisa PopovaAlisa Popova

Honestly, not impressed. I think it was a 2 part reason, but first let me start with the pros. The ambiance was nice, they clearly put a lot of thought into the décor, the hostess were great. The parts of this experience that I found were not so great. First of all, for such a high-end spot I think the bartenders were not really that helpful in explaining flavor profiles or suggesting drinks based on what I told them were my taste preferences. I tried one of the modernist drinks the Black truffle - great presentation but just meh on the flavors. I mean to be honest, all the flavor came from the food item and not from the drink also the coconut flavor was either the subtlest flavor of all time - or what is really more likely non existent. I also tried the sesame samurai - again, the flavors left me wanting more. I love cocktails, I don't mind spending on drinks if the product is worth it. I really don't think this place should be asking for upwards of 20 CAD for basic drinks and 30+ for their modernist drinks - especially when the people working behind the bar aren't able to guide you in the right direction. I think its an alright place, I wouldn't tell people in Toronto they HAD to come here and I certainly don't believe it lives up to its price point. FYI - fries were not good.

Raj ShethRaj Sheth

There is a lot of hype surrounding this place and I get it - it’s a unique bar experience that is like no other in the city, but they could be doing a lot more. The decor is okay. The bar area is lovely, the couches a bit too loungy. The bar is very dark, which is surprising given the opulence that goes into their modernist drinks. We had to get our phone lights out to see what was going on. The Music was loud 90s hip hop and definitely did not fit the vibe. Our throats were sore from yelling over the music. The drinks are absolutely stunning and like no other, but we have had better tasting cocktails elsewhere. The Spring Thaw was something out of a fairy tale, but tasted like perfumed lotion. I didn’t finish it. The Black Truffle was subtle and really yummy. The vanilla and hickory smoked Manhattan was phenomenal! The Pina Colada was good, but too much of a project to enjoy. The Strawberry Basil was okay. Do not get the Charcuterie board. It’s meh and over-priced. The service was very slow and at one point we sat for 30 minutes without any attention or water. My expectations for a place the served $50 drinks is exceptional service. Our server was not able to answer some of my questions, which annoyed me. We stayed too long. If you go here, have 1 drink then move on.

ShannonShannon

Ever since receiving the mixology book by the restaurant a few years back I tried to come here on several different occasions but was always met with long wait times and since I was coming from out of town it was difficult to wait. Now that I moved to Toronto I tried my luck knowing I could wait longer and I was finally able to get a table after only waiting 30 minutes when we arrived at 9pm on a Saturday and it was well worth waiting. The ambiance is great for a small group or a date as it is dimly lit and intimate. The servers did a great job in helping us decide on drinks based on our preferences. We ordered the Essence of Fall and the Pina Colada and both were great from a theatrical perspective and taste. The Pina Colada had a sherbet served alongside so you are getting dessert along with a drink. We order a few more drinks as well and they were all fantastic. The price can be a little steep as it is $30-50 for the special cocktails but they are a unique experience and all the elements on the dish are real from the plants to the sand. Will definitely try to come back in the future as they rotate their menu seasonally.

Ankush VermaAnkush Verma

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Address

472 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M5V 2B2, Canada

Map

Phone

+1 416-868-4800

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Website

barchef.com

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Overview

4.6

(1.1K reviews)$$$$

Description

Dimly lit, intimate hangout offering creative cocktails, with over 5,000 housemade bitters.

Really beautiful drinks experience. Will absolutely be back here with friends and family again. Beautiful place for a special date or celebration. Worth the price. Cindy was our lovely server, and we were helped by a few others but I didn’t get their names. The service is great. Cindy was so chic and fun and super attentive. The drinks were great. My favourite was the most simple one I had, surprisingly.. haha. The Coa. I didn’t get a photo of that one but if you like tequila and woodsy flavours then I highly recommend the Coa. Our other favourite was another one I didn’t take a photo of, haha… the Absinthe Sour. I had 4 drinks and didn’t leave feeling overly intoxicated or uncomfortable as I sometimes do when I have 3-4 drinks elsewhere. I think that speaks to their high quality ingredients. We were a party of 3, & we spent roughly $150 each. This included 3-4 drinks each, and 1 appetizer each. My only qualm was: I arrived just a few minutes after my friends.. and as I arrived they were being served a complimentary grapefruit essence palate cleanser…. They had not consumed it yet.. but I was not offered one. — And as a paying guest that was a part of the party, I felt it was a bit strange to not have been offered this as well… leaving me to just ask my friends how it tasted and feeling a bit left out. Otherwise, I forgot about that quickly and did have a wonderful time… just felt it should be mentioned.

Lolly LuckLolly Luck

BarChef is honestly such a vibe! This intimate cocktail bar serve drinks you've never seen before! Some may argue their cocktails are gimmicky but I absolutely love the creativity and complexity they have to offer!⁣ ⁣---⁣⁣ 💨𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐥𝐞 $𝟑𝟎 (𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘵, 𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘢𝘮, 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘻𝘦𝘴𝘵, 𝘨𝘪𝘯, 𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘶𝘳, 𝘥𝘪𝘭𝘭, 𝘦𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘶𝘳)⁣ An elegant drink with sophisticated flavours. This cocktail is both sweet and savoury. The actual alcohol was a bit out of my palate (too bitter) but I found the black truffle snow to be very intriguing and tasty. ⁣ 🍋𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐫’𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐣𝐢𝐭𝐨 $𝟑𝟎 (𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘶𝘮, 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘮𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘵, 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘢𝘪𝘳, 𝘤𝘳𝘺𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘫𝘪𝘵𝘰⁣ 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘶𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘭, 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦)⁣ Honestly can't go wrong with a mojito. The mojito pearls were both refreshing and addicting. I didn't expect the rum to be as strong as it was, but the acidity of the limes and the rounded sweetness of the vanilla really tied it all together.⁣ ⁣ 🍍𝐏𝐢ñ𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐚 $𝟑𝟔 (𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘗𝘪ñ𝘢 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘢, 𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘬, 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘦𝘥𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘣𝘦𝘵, 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳, 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘭 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘴, 𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘳𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘦, 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘻𝘦𝘴𝘵)⁣ ⁣This was the most beautifully unique cocktail/sherbert I've ever had! I hate the taste of coconut but BarChef really surprised me with this cocktail. You get bits of heat, sour, sweet and bitter-- honestly a refreshing treat with an array of textures. ⁣

andrea charmaineandrea charmaine

Barchef! Speaking as a person who is passionate about cooking and mixology - this was a very disappointing experience for such a high end place. I’ll explain why. First of, when we made our reservation we mentioned that the reason for our visit was a birthday - and it wasn’t acknowledged neither by the hostess, nor by the waitress. A simple “happy birthday!” would do :) We started the evening with a charcuterie board which was $39 and didn’t have much to it. Two small slices of beetroot, some soft cheese and blue cheese, 1 (one) piece of prosciutto, and half a sausage cut in half. It came with about 5-6 small pieces of toasted baguette, and the server mentioned to let them know if we need more. I said that we definitely need more right away, since it was a really small amount. Then she brought more bread only for us to later see a $1 charge for it. How more cheap could you possibly get? Now my favorite part. The modernist series cocktails, which were called experiences for idk what reason. The girl who brings out food and drinks has a very thick accent and it was extremely difficult to understand what she was telling us about the cocktails, since it was also noisy, and she wouldn’t speak clearly. But the “experience” itself is a cocktail put in a setup, with some edible elements. Speaking of elderflower one, the class was 1/4 full, so again we’re talking portions. And the taste was good, but it wasn’t worth the price. As to the margarita, it was pretty basic, with a gelatin edible element which tasted like nothing unfortunately. I think we were definitely expecting more, and some things that can be improved are: Hospitality: Please make sure your hosts see the reason for a reservation. Make sure the waiters are friendly, accommodating, and knowledgeable. Communication: I would really love to know what that girl had to say about the cocktails during the presentation. I couldn’t because of the accent. Portions/pricing: I understand you are a high end spot and I don’t mind it unless you deliver a spectacular experience. But it wasn’t it. You would exceed expectations for customers to come back. I would highlight the atmosphere, it was perfect for a date, the design of the place, and the selection of alcohol is impressive too. If you’re looking for a good cocktail experience (which is a real experience, not just a set up), please take a look at my profile, one of the recent reviews. Thank you for hosting us, I hope you can improve over time ☺️

Alisa PopovaAlisa Popova

Honestly, not impressed. I think it was a 2 part reason, but first let me start with the pros. The ambiance was nice, they clearly put a lot of thought into the décor, the hostess were great. The parts of this experience that I found were not so great. First of all, for such a high-end spot I think the bartenders were not really that helpful in explaining flavor profiles or suggesting drinks based on what I told them were my taste preferences. I tried one of the modernist drinks the Black truffle - great presentation but just meh on the flavors. I mean to be honest, all the flavor came from the food item and not from the drink also the coconut flavor was either the subtlest flavor of all time - or what is really more likely non existent. I also tried the sesame samurai - again, the flavors left me wanting more. I love cocktails, I don't mind spending on drinks if the product is worth it. I really don't think this place should be asking for upwards of 20 CAD for basic drinks and 30+ for their modernist drinks - especially when the people working behind the bar aren't able to guide you in the right direction. I think its an alright place, I wouldn't tell people in Toronto they HAD to come here and I certainly don't believe it lives up to its price point. FYI - fries were not good.

Raj ShethRaj Sheth

There is a lot of hype surrounding this place and I get it - it’s a unique bar experience that is like no other in the city, but they could be doing a lot more. The decor is okay. The bar area is lovely, the couches a bit too loungy. The bar is very dark, which is surprising given the opulence that goes into their modernist drinks. We had to get our phone lights out to see what was going on. The Music was loud 90s hip hop and definitely did not fit the vibe. Our throats were sore from yelling over the music. The drinks are absolutely stunning and like no other, but we have had better tasting cocktails elsewhere. The Spring Thaw was something out of a fairy tale, but tasted like perfumed lotion. I didn’t finish it. The Black Truffle was subtle and really yummy. The vanilla and hickory smoked Manhattan was phenomenal! The Pina Colada was good, but too much of a project to enjoy. The Strawberry Basil was okay. Do not get the Charcuterie board. It’s meh and over-priced. The service was very slow and at one point we sat for 30 minutes without any attention or water. My expectations for a place the served $50 drinks is exceptional service. Our server was not able to answer some of my questions, which annoyed me. We stayed too long. If you go here, have 1 drink then move on.

ShannonShannon

Ever since receiving the mixology book by the restaurant a few years back I tried to come here on several different occasions but was always met with long wait times and since I was coming from out of town it was difficult to wait. Now that I moved to Toronto I tried my luck knowing I could wait longer and I was finally able to get a table after only waiting 30 minutes when we arrived at 9pm on a Saturday and it was well worth waiting. The ambiance is great for a small group or a date as it is dimly lit and intimate. The servers did a great job in helping us decide on drinks based on our preferences. We ordered the Essence of Fall and the Pina Colada and both were great from a theatrical perspective and taste. The Pina Colada had a sherbet served alongside so you are getting dessert along with a drink. We order a few more drinks as well and they were all fantastic. The price can be a little steep as it is $30-50 for the special cocktails but they are a unique experience and all the elements on the dish are real from the plants to the sand. Will definitely try to come back in the future as they rotate their menu seasonally.

Ankush VermaAnkush Verma

BarChef

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