Clockwork Champagne & Cocktails — Restaurant in Toronto

I don't know why I avoided this bar for so long. At first, I really missed the old lobby of the Royal York, my favourite hotel in Toronto, and didn't understand why it was necessary to have another bar.

Okay, I get it now.

I love the Library Bar (I loved it more before COVID when it actually was more like a library), but Clockwork definitely is a great complement to the Royal York, too. The vaulted, open space of what was once a lobby/foyer area is still a bit strange to me for a cocktail bar, but it is beautifully decorated. It's not as cozy as Library Bar, but I may actually say the cocktails are better.

The food is excellent. The drinks are excellent. Everything from the service to the cocktails to the seating is refined and classy. And what I love most about hotel bars like this is that they are far less prone to discrimination. A hotel guest who is travelling all over the city all day in the summer may not be in their best clothes, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be given the same treatment. And I have to say, I was a little nervous considering how casually I was dressed and knowing how fancy the bar is. Not a second glance, not a sneer, nothing but polite and welcoming service and the best seat in the house, imo. They don't need to put on such silly airs here. They know they do a great job.

Often Asian fushion comes off as a bit clunky and unrefined, even at the best of places. Here, however, in the instances it's employed, it's very subtle and draws lightly on the Japanese cuisine palate, rather than some pan-Asian monstrosity. The specificity works in their favour, and the lack of heavy-handedness not only reflects an understanding of balance, but also Japanese fine dining.

The Kintsugi is a good example for drinks. On paper, it's an easy sounding cocktail, but with the right balance and ingredients, even a simple drink can be a star. The drink itself is actually a fairly basic whiskey sour, with the addition of plum wine and tea. Yet, it's a perfectly made sour. And packs a deceptively big punch considering it doesn't taste strong at all. Or maybe my empty stomach made me easier than normal. The menu offerings are tight and creative. Presentation is sleek. (Although, there is one drink where they put an ice cube in a coupe, and that's just a bit iffy to me. Otherwise, it's nicely done for the vibes of the bar.)

If I had more time for lunch, I definitely would have tried a few more. The price is steep, especially for the brands they serve, but it is a top-class historic hotel and you're paying for more than just liquor.

The food was beautiful as well. Fantastic flavours and expertly seared. It's quite a seafood heavy menu, but I would guess that the drink and food menu pair very nicely. A lot of people around me were ordering steaks. If I hadn't been alone, and had an extra $500 lying around, that "Sea and be Seen" tower was calling my name.

This will definitely go on my list of...

After our concert was canceled we found ourselves in front of the Fairmount Hotel. Still an early night we decided to make the best out of it and go in for some cocktails. As soon as we walked in the host was absolutely lovely unfortunately I cannot say the same for our server.

What started off great, slowly turned into a bad experience. We sat and waited for our server to approach us with the menu; not even giving us a chance to ask her anything she told us she would be back in 5 minutes. After going through it we were overwhelmed and asked her for a recommendation and got what she recommended. We got our drinks and it was just absolutely horrible, I felt awful for wanting to send the drink back but it just was not going to stay down. We asked her if we could change our order which we did. It was soon evident she seemed very upset we weren’t fans of her recommendation and it was at that moment that her service went from bad to worse. As the night went on her service kept declining, it was now taking her 15-20 mins instead 10 to make her rounds. We had to flag other servers working that night for assistance as she seemed super friendly with everyone else especially the gentleman behind our table. Hoping we could ask for another server we were unable too and unfortunately it was already getting late so we just stuck it through in hopes of speaking to a manager and voice our experience before we left.

Once we spotted another server to direct us to the manager she explained that our experience seemed to be a trend with this particular server. The manager also said the same thing about this server as well which begs to question why she is still employed there. As someone who has worked in the same industry I know it can be difficult to deal with customers but all within reason. We weren’t difficult or loud to deserve this type of level of unprofessionalism especially over a wrong recommendation or whatever is what she felt offended over.

As a person who loves to experience different places, this was one of the places in Toronto that has great reviews and it was a shame to have had such an awful experience and not because the food wasn’t great (it was absolutely delicious) but because the most important part of these experiences which is the service.

I won’t be coming back here but hope the manager can take action in the areas he can to make improvements and ensure a better experience to...

I stopped in after a long day yesterday to grab a drink and app before catching my train. I had stayed in the hotel recently but didn't get a chance to visit Clockwork so I was really looking forward to it. When I arrived, the hostess seeing that I was alone pointed me to a bar stool at the bar. After walking all day I was hoping for a seat in the lounge area. It wasn't busy so I figured that could be accommodated. Yet, she still tried to push me going to the bar. I wasn't underdressed or anything, not that that should matter. Before I could say anything, she completely looked past/around me to an older couple who had walked up behind me to address them and ask if they had a reservation. Seeing what happened, another hostess came over to ask where I would like to be seated. Despite the initial unprofessional encounter, eventually I did get a seat at a small table in the lounge area. The ambience is great at Clockwork; the food and drinks, the opposite unfortunately. I had high hopes being the Royal York, but the drink I ordered tasted completely different from what I asked for. And the food, the salmon tartar, was sadly the worst I've ever had. It was supposed to be raw but half of it was cooked and the roe was extremely fishy. It was also served with potato chips...for $26. My bill for a drink and small app came to $62 with tax and tip. Definitely not worth it, especially given how I was received upon arrival. Is the ambience beautiful? Yes. But I wouldn't recommend visiting this place for anything other than a non-mixed,...