Byblos Downtown — Restaurant in Toronto

Restaurant Review: Byblos

My recent visit to Byblos was an experience I won’t soon forget, thanks to its outstanding ambiance, attentive service, and exceptional food. Here’s a detailed breakdown of our evening:

Ambiance & Service: The ambiance at Byblos is truly something special. From the moment you walk in, you’re greeted by a warm and inviting atmosphere that sets the stage for an unforgettable dining experience. The decor is elegant yet cozy, with soft lighting and tasteful design elements that transport you to a different place. The service was equally impressive—our server was incredibly attentive, making sure we were comfortable and well-cared for throughout the evening. They were quick to respond to our needs and went above and beyond to ensure we had a great time.

Cocktails: While the cocktails were decent, I have to admit they were a bit underwhelming for the price. At $24 each, I expected more in terms of both size and flavor. The drinks were on the smaller side, and while they were well-made, they didn’t quite justify the cost. I’d recommend opting for a glass of wine instead, which seems to offer better value for money at Byblos.

Tasting Menu: The highlight of our evening was undoubtedly the tasting menu. If you’re planning a visit to Byblos, I highly recommend going this route. The tasting menu was simply AMAZING—each dish was more delicious than the last. We were a group of seven, and there was plenty of food to go around. The tasting menu is served family-style, allowing everyone to share and enjoy the variety of flavors on offer.

That said, I would suggest informing your server if you have a big appetite, as we felt that some of the appetizers, like the beef tartare, were a bit sparse for our group size. With only two servings for seven people, we found ourselves wanting more. Fortunately, our wonderful server quickly remedied this by bringing out an additional serving, which was much appreciated.

Main Courses: The main courses were absolutely outstanding. We were served a variety of dishes, including fish, lamb pide, rice, chicken, and truffle fries, each more flavorful than the last. The quality and preparation of the food were top-notch—this was easily the best meal I’ve had in a long time. Every bite was a delight, and it’s clear that the kitchen takes great pride in their work.

Dessert: Dessert at Byblos was the perfect way to end the evening. The chocolate olive oil cake, in particular, was a revelation. Rich, moist, and decadent, it’s a dessert that every restaurant should aspire to have on their menu. It was the kind of dish that leaves a lasting impression, and we couldn’t stop raving about it.

Final Thoughts: Overall, our experience at Byblos was fantastic. The ambiance, service, and food were all top-tier, with the tasting menu standing out as a highlight of the evening. While the cocktails were a bit of a letdown, everything else more than made up for it. We’ll definitely be returning to Byblos, and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for an exceptional dining experience. Thank you for a...

Quite possibly one of the worst and disappointing dining experiences I’ve had in Toronto. We arrived at 10.59pm, came here with a reservation for my mom’s birthday which was noted. When we got to the table I emphasized it’s my mom’s birthday and we wanted to drink. The server was at first nice and she walked away right after we said we wanted to do drinks. We just thought she misheard us and went to go to her next table. We were kind of confused as we said we were ready and the restaurant was going to be doing last call soon. Anyways we watched her talking to to 2 men from the table and was chatting away. We were a bit annoyed as the restaurant was pretty much empty and she just left and didn’t come back for a while. It was at least 10 mins now (11.10) and she came to take our drinks. We ordered. Then it was 11.31 and our drinks finally came alone with our appetizer. We asked to see the manager as waiting for drinks that long was really not acceptable and she never apologized to us. We expressed our disappointment to the manager and again emphasized it was my moms birthday in which he checked to see we did wait 21 minutes for our drinks so he said he would take the drinks off of the bill. So we continued to eat and the server was so rude to us and giving US attitude after you are the one who made a mistake and are treating my mom and partner like we were just rude customers. I have worked in the serving industry and I know how important tips are. When you’re spending $200+, you’re expecting at least $40, which in our case was absolutely not happening. So she was absolutely rude and obnoxious. We just wanted to leave at this point because of how rude and uncomfortable she made us feel, like we did something wrong. At this point we were the only people in the restaurant and still she just avoided us. Funny how we asked to see the desert menu and when we got dessert and put ‘happy birthday’ on the plate and literally just slammed the plate down with a candle like it was going to make up for the absurd attitude all night. When the bill came she straight up goes ‘we took care of ALOT on the menu for you’. Do you know how insulting that is to hear as if we came here for some free food? We all looked at each the astounded by the disrespect. To be clear this was my mom and my boyfriend. My partner STILL tipped %15 which should absolutely go to the kitchen as the food was really good. I think the cherry on top is after the he paid AND TIPPED, she just walked away. No thank you. No happy birthday. No anything😂 this just shows how out of control the tipping culture has gotten in Toronto. To even get $1 after the worst dinner on my mom’s birthday and you proceed to act like this is beyond me. Very disappointing and can safely say we won’t be back. Manager did nothing but take drinks off the bill and never come back. I just hope you please give the tip to the kitchen and not ‘Leah’ who...

2.8 out of 5 / 6.8 out of 10 -

My wife and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary at the restaurant. We ordered, 2 appetizers and 2 main courses with a side and 2 drinks. Please see the receipt. I would not recommend to go if you prefer a quiet and romantic dining experience. The restaurant is more like for party and social dining experience.

Deductions due to, The reservation was not like reserved - the table was reserved online a month ago, but we were placed at a table where was in front of the entrance, and then we asked to change the table to aside that we preferred a more quiet dining area, but declined, we were eventually placed at two more tables after where was further down the main entrance. The main courses were somewhat cold - two appetizers were delicious and delivered quickly, the Red Beets (homemade yogurt) and Stake Tartare, which elevated our appetite - yummy! My wife’s drink, Cold Rose drink was quite authentic that we like its taste with some gin and vodka. In between the 30 minutes wait time for our main courses, we were served attentively by pouring water and wine attentively as if to dilute the anxiety of the wait time. Our lamb shoulder (menu says for two), ribs (beef slices) and truffle fried rice eventually came. The other twos were okay to dine in cold because they were not greasy, especially the ribs was delicious to combine with the truffle rice, however, the lamb shoulder was definitely a bomber - too cold to eat as my wife and I ate some cold appetizers and cold drinks already, we craved hot foods as we already waited more than 30 minutes in between. The dining area was busy and noisy that made our dining experience declined over time. People walked around to deliver foods, which was tolerable as the servers always wore smiles and walked lightly. However, it was our bad luck or what, a woman screamed-like laughters were right next to us constantly as if there were no one listened to what she gossiped about. The experience was badly as my wife and I preferred some romances and conversations. It would not be a good idea for people who come to dine for romance and business. Suggestions: The hostess could have triaged customers based on their kind of events in order to place a reservation smoothly and correctly, instead of asking how the dinner went carelessly after everything were ended and too tired to mention its unsatisfactions. The food, the food, the food, this is so important as it cannot be in cold for main dishes regardless of any cultural...