Central Restaurants - Toronto Ossington — Restaurant in Toronto

Unfortunatly this one did not live up to its expectations. I had heard of this place on a gluten-free IG blog, and was excited to find a new cute spot on the Ossington strip that had gluten free options. That is where the excitement ends. Once myself and my friend were seated, we still weren't acknowledged or provided water after 10-15 minutes, so I had to flag down a waitress to ask if we in fact had a server. After a while they figured out who our server was and brought us our alcoholic beverages. As a former waitress at various establishments, especially in a heat wave, I can't stress enough the importance of providing patrons water initially. It fills in the gaps between other drinks, and at the very least acknowledges their existence upon arrival. I asked for water multiple times, but it didn't seem to be in the cards. The next feat was asking for gluten free options. There was 1.....1 appetizer that was gluten free. They had nachos and dips, but apparently because they made their own tortilla chips, they couldn't even make those gluten free. Hot tip - tortilla chips are generally gluten -free naturally, this is an easy win for restaurants. Do better. Even most of the salads weren't gluten free due to some type of complication. The waitress went back and forth numerous times to confirm with the kitchen, I ahve to say, it really ruined the experience for me. I especially dislike when asked what I want and they can see if it can be made gluten free. I'm not going to go item by item through the menu, please have a set of updated options. I also noticed on their website there was a gluten-free beer, I was excited about that. But when we got there, that was not available. At any rate, since there seemed to be issues with most of the mains including the salad, I went with a gluten free pizza since I was assured this was made in a separate pan. The taste was "alright", I enjoyed the bbq sauce, although it tasted store bought, however it was essentially a flatbread. When I saw a pizza with a non-gluten crust come out it looked like a deliciously risen pizza, it was quite dissapointing. Not only that, but I had stomach pain the next day indicating there was in fact gluten. Now something else that really bothered me, is that since I wasn't able to get gluten free beer, I got wine. And my wine was served in a water glass. Cute idea, in theory, however, I kept reaching for water and taking a large swig of wine by accident. Le sigh, there's a reason water glasses aren't used for wine. At one point I just got up and got myself some water from a pitcher nearby. And of course after that, the automatic tip options still start at 18%. This was the final piece of the puzzle. Cute spot, but I will not...

I don't normally write google reviews but the experience I had at Central on Ossignton was one of the worst experiences I have had at a restaurant in Toronto. I have wanted to try Central since it opened so my partner made a reservation for us. We went on Saturday evening (forgetting it was Ossfest) and were told that we could only stay for an hour and a half, which ok sure thats fine if you're only letting tables stay for a specific amount of time to get more customer flow through. We ordered drinks and appetizers (drinks were really good, apps were ok) but by the time we were ready to order more food, we tried ordering some sushi but were only told at that moment that they were out if what we wanted. we weren't ready with an alternative and the server told us to get something else (since we weren't ready we said sure and it was terrible). After getting our food we also ordered more drinks were told again that we only had 30 minutes left (feeling super rushed) but were told "you can still get two more drinks in before you leave" which again I didn't like being rushed out but encouraged to buy more drinks. The server asked us "are you ok, can I get you another drink" every 5 minutes while my partner and I were trying to have a conversation, again feeling rushed to get out. We finally had enough and asked for the bill (which was around $150) but noticed as we were leaving that every single table which was there before we even sat down were still there and not leaving anytime soon? I have never ever been treated this way before at a restaurant and been rushed out the door while I am sitting there and spending money, where we would have stayed and order more drinks if they weren't insisting on getting us out. This was truly upsetting especially at a place that has been on the top of my list to go to.

NOTE: we made the reservation 2 weeks ago and no where were we told that there was a limited time until...

Central, a new spot on Ossington hailing from the west coast, is a welcome addition to the neighborhood's casual dining scene. My recent visit, a quick pre-party stop, left me with a largely positive impression and high hopes for its future. The restaurant boasts a wide selection of cocktails and drinks, perfect for unwinding or fueling up before a night out. We opted to focus on the food, and our server, Bianca, was incredibly helpful and efficient in guiding us through the menu and taking our order. Her friendly service definitely enhanced our experience. For our appetizers, we chose the pierogies and the Aburi sushi. The pierogies were a definite highlight – perfectly cooked and packed with flavour. They were a comforting and delicious start to our meal. The Aburi sushi, while tasting very good, did need some refinement in its presentation; it fell apart a bit too easily. However, the quality of the ingredients and the overall flavour still shone through. Overall, Central offers a great casual dining experience with a promising menu. With a little fine-tuning, especially with dishes like the Aburi sushi, this spot has the potential to become a true gem on Ossington. I'd definitely recommend checking it out for a laid-back meal and a good drink selection.

Update

I recently revisited Central for brunch. The service was a little slow at first; I was seated and wasn't attended to for the first 10 minutes. However, when Karima arrived, she was very helpful and took my order promptly. I ordered the Frosty Spiced Horchata, which was well-balanced and pleasant. I also had the sourdough French toast. It was a generous portion, but it was tasty and fluffy. I would have liked slightly more strawberries. I'd...