Cluny Bistro & Boulangerie — Restaurant in Toronto

Cluny Bistro offers a delightful dining experience that consistently delivers on quality and service. The attentive and friendly staff create a welcoming atmosphere, even during peak hours.

The menu boasts a diverse range of French classics, each dish prepared with care and finesse. The French onion soup is a comforting delight, with the perfect balance of onion, cheese, and warmth.

The lobster bisque, while rich and flavourful, might benefit from a slightly lighter texture. The escargot, a classic French appetizer, is expertly prepared, though a bit less parsley would allow the Provençal flavours to shine through.

The beef tartare is a fresh and vibrant dish, though the anchovy flavour could be slightly more subtle. The baked brie, however, strikes a perfect balance of flavours and textures.

The steak frites is a standout, with the compound herb butter elevating the dish to new heights. While the petit poulet could benefit from a bolder flavour profile.

While the Maitake mushroom dish, unfortunately, fell short, with a lack of flavour and an overly strong vinegar taste in the chimichurri, the other dishes more than made up for it.

the corn crème brûlée is a delightful surprise, offering a unique and refreshing take on a classic dessert. The ballon D’ore, a decadent chocolate dessert, is a fitting finale to any meal, with its rich, indulgent flavours and beautiful presentation.

And let's not forget the crepes! The crepes for two are a visual and culinary delight. While the idea of placing ice cream on a hot plate might be an interesting concept, it can sometimes lead to the ice cream melting too quickly and burning, affecting its texture and flavour. Perhaps serving the ice cream separately could be a solution to maintain its ideal temperature and enhance the overall dessert experience.

Beyond the delectable food, Cluny Bistro offers impeccable service. The staff is attentive, knowledgeable, and passionate about their craft. They are always happy to recommend wine pairings or answer questions about the menu.

Whether you're celebrating a special occasion or simply seeking a memorable dining experience, Cluny Bistro is a...

TLDR: A French bistro in the Distillery District that you should pay a visit to if you're looking for food that tastes good and also service that is genuinely friendly.

-[PISTACHE À PARIS] $16 🍸 Grey goose vodka, amaro averna, kahlua, espresso, pistachio syrup, aquafaba (contains nuts and/or chickpeas) 🍸 Honestly, this was delicious and tasted like an adult version of a pistachio latte from Starbucks

-[BREAD BASKET] $8 🍞 Baguette, sourdough, rosemary & garlic focaccia, seeded sourdough, grass fed butter 🍞 I know it seems strange to pay to pay for bread when some establishments provide that for free but believe me when I say this was 100% worth it 🍞 So good on its own, dipped in french onion soup or eaten with beef tartare

-[THE CLUNY FRENCH ONION SOUP] $22 🧅 Glazed onions, rich beef broth, thyme 🧅 The broth was so deep in flavor for this soup 🤤 and the onions gave it a sweetness that made the whole thing so delicious when eaten with the melted cheese on top 🍞 Order their bread basket to soak up some soup with the bread; it is such a delicious pairing

-[TABLESIDE BEEF TARTARE] $22 🥩 Steak, shallots, pickles, capers, anchovies, egg yolk, all served with crostini 🥩 This was definitely a unique experience because you could mix it all yourself or have the server do it 🍞 Not sure if most beef tartares also have anchovies in it but you could taste the difference in quality of ingredients here compared to many other beef tartares I've had elsewhere 💅 aka get this!

📝 We experienced a slight hiccup where we ordered another dish (croque madame) but it went MIA; once our server realized this, he was deeply apologetic and even got the manager involved despite the fact that we told him we honestly would prefer it to be cancelled as we had filled up too much on bread already 🤣 📝 All to say, service exceeded our expectations entirely as our server was super knowledgeable about the dishes they offered and very friendly too 📝 This is one of few places in the distillery district that isn't just a scam in terms of price vs value so pay this restaurant a visit if you're in the area or make a day trip...

Had a dinner reservation here on a Sunday evening a few days out from Christmas. Definitely a busy time during the holidays, and a lot of people were asking to come in expecting a table without a reservation but the host mentioned that they were booked out and that it might be a 1-1.5h wait if anything.

We were able to get seated maybe ten minutes or so after our scheduled reservation time. Interestingly enough, we saw a lot of empty tables in the restaurant throughout the course of our meal.

Our server was very attentive and warm. She definitely contributed to the positive impression that we had with the restaurant.

Had the pâté and the escargot for apps. The pâté was pretty tasty - just didn’t really like the bread which I think could have been thinner and less chalky in texture. The bread kinda crumbles in your mouth in an unpleasant way and is pretty hard to bite into.

The escargot was better in my opinion to the pâté. The toast was cut into small circular bites and were toasted but also steeped in the warm garlic butter. The escargot I feel like could’ve been a bit less tough, but we’re okay.

I had the grilled monkfish, which was great. The fish was cooked well and I really liked the corn foam and corn that it came with. I think the title of the dish on the menu can give more emphasis on the corn because it really does take up more space in the dish than the fish itself. I liked the addition of the chili oil with everything.

Had the sweet corn crème brûlée for dessert and really wasn’t expecting the way that it was prepared. I was thinking this was going to be a typical baked custard in a ramekin that was flavoured with sweet corn, but was completely different. I didn’t think it really came across as a crème brûlée.

Also had the fig cocktail, which was okay. I think it was pretty straightforward and not really as good as I was expecting in terms of highlighting a fresh or flavourful fig...