Elias Restaurant & Tavern — Restaurant in Toronto

ELIAS RESTAURANT BAR AND GRILL WAS THE WAS THE WORST EXPERIENCE I HAVE HAD IM MY WHOLE ENTIRE LIFE . I LOVE FOOD FROM DIFFRENT NATIONS ESPECIALLY JAMAICAN BECAUSE OF MY HUSBAND . I DESIDED TO GIVE THIS ONE A CHANCE. THE PICTURES OF THE DISHES WERE GLUED TO THE OUTSIDE WINDOW I SHOULD HAVE WALKED BY AND KEPT WALKING!!! I WENT IN IT WAS DARK AND VERY UNINVITING, IT LOOKED LIKE HOLE IN A DIVE!!! SOMETHING TOLD ME " DONT DO IT , LEAVE " I SHOULD HAVE GONE WITH MY GUT INSTINCT BUT I DIDNT. I ORDERED TAKE OUT ANYWAY. I GOT 2 CHICKEN ROTIS AND LARGE OXTAIL. THE YOUNG SOUTH AMERICAN GIRL THAT TOOK MY ORDER SAID THEY ARE ONLY TAKING CASH. SHE SAID 50$ NO RECEIPT WAS PROVIDED! IM GUESSING THEY ARE RUNNING SOME SORT OF SCAM WHEN THE OWNERS ARE NOT THERE. IT WAS JUST HER AND THE "CHEFF" WHO PROBABLY DOENT EVEN KNOW HOW TO COOK , SHOULDNT EVEN BE CALKED COOK !!! HE IS YOUNG , VERY DARK SKINNED WITH SHORT DREADS AND VERY SKINNY !!! I GOT HOME I WAS VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE CHICKEN ROTI I HAVE NOT HAD IT IN A WHILE. I STARTED EATING AND ALL I GOT WAS BONES A FEW POTATOES AND A LOT MORE BONES!!! ABSOLUTELY NO CHICKEN MEAT !!! THE BONES HAD NO MEAT ATTACHED TO THE BONES ALMOST AS IF THE COOK SUCKED OFF AND ATE THE MEAT AROUND THE BONES AND THREW IN THE BONES IN THE ROTI !!! I HAD ALMOST HALF OF IT , IVSTARTED THINKING " WHY " I WAS DISCUSTED AND HORIFFIED !!!! I RAN TO THE WASHROOM AND MADE MYSELF THROW UP. I THREW OUT THE REST. THE OXTAIL WAS FOR MY HUSBAND HE SAID IT WAS THE WORST OXTAIL HE EVER HAD, AND HE HAD A LOT BELIEVE ME HE ALWAYS SENDS ME TO GET HIM OXTAIL, I HAVE BEEN TO SO MANY PLACES THAT SOME KNOW MY ORDER WHEN I CALL AND KNOW US BY NAME !!!! HE HAD A FEW PIECES AND SAID I DONT WANT THIS GARBAGE !!! 50$ WASTED !!!! FOR 2 ROTIS AND A LARGE OXTAIL ????? ON THE PUCTURE IT HAD A LOT OF OXTAIL , TOMATOES , CUCUMBERS AND IT HAD A CHOICE OF A SALAD OR CABBAGE AND CARROT MIX , I ASKED FOR SALAD. WHAT I RECEIVED WAS JUST A FEW PIECES OF OXTAIL , NOT A SALAD IT WAS A FEW WILTED RAW GREENS MAYBE 2 TEASPOONS ON THE RIGHT END OF THE CONTAINER ON THE SIDE , NO TOMATOES OR CUCUMBERS EITHER !!!! IT WAS THE WORST FOOD EXPERIENCE EVER!!! USUALLY MOM AND POP STORES TRY HARDER TO PLEASE THEIR GUESTS TO GET THEM TO RETURN AGAIN AND AGAIN , OBVIOUSLY NOT THIS PLACE !!!! I WAS HORRIBLE !!! NEVER EVER GO TO THIS PLACE !!! THANK GOD WE DID NOT GET FOOD POISONING !!!! I WANTED TO CALL AND COMPLAIN !!! BUT THE COOK SEEMED LIKE HE WOULD SPIT IN YOUR FOOD IF YOU CALLED TO COMPLAIN AND GET NEW DISHES !!! SO I DID NOT EVEN BOTHER !!!! I AM SO PISSED OFF !!! WE ARE FURIOUS!!!!! I AM SO DISCUSTED AND HORRIFIED!!!!!! JUST A FEW DOORS DOWN THERE IS A PLACE CALLED SMOKIN ROTI THAT PLACE IS UNBELIEVABLE, AMAZING , INCREDIBLE, BUT SADLY THEY WERE CLOSED THAT DAY , THIS IS THE REASON I ENDED UP AT THIS GOD FORSAKEN PLACE !!!! I WILL NEVER GO THERE AGAIN !!!!! AND TELL ANYONE I KNOW TO AVOID THAT PLACE LIKE THE PLAGUE !!!!! WORST FOOD EVER !!!! WORST SERVISE EVER !!! 50$ CASH FOR WHAT , IN WHOSE POCKET ???!!! WITH NO RECEIPT SHOULD HAVE BEEN MY SECOND INTUITION TO TURN AROUND AND LEAVE.!!!! BELIEVE ME I WILL BE CALLING THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO HAVE THEM MAKE AN UNANNOUNCED VISIT TO THIS ESTABLISHMENT AND I SAY THAT LOOSELY AND LOOK INTO TO THE CHICKEN BONES THAT HAD ABSOLUTELY NO MEAT AT ALL ATTACHED TO THE BONES !!!!! WRITING THIS REVIEW MY STOMACH IS TURNING , I FEEL LIKE THROWING UP JUST THINKING ABOUT THAT THE COOK MIGHT HAVE WAS SUCKING OFF THE MEAT OFF OF THE BONES CAUSE HE WAS HUNGRY BUT CANT AFFORD TO BUY FOOD !!!!!! I WORK IN THE INDUSTRY I KNOW CHEFS TASTE THE FOOD BUT THIS WAS SOMETHING ELSE!!!! DO NOT GO TO THIS PLACE !!!! IT IS...

Edit #2 - I decided to go back Oct 14 to see if anything had changed. I arrived around 9:30 and found that the bartender that was supposed to have been there the prior, was there - she was warm and friendly. I ordered drinks and went to sit with my friend. Within a few moments - the owner came to talk to us - the whole conversation was her talking to my male friend, making excuses for her lack of wanting to cover her bar the previous week. She blamed her husband and the person that was supposed to clean her kitchen. She complained that she was tired because she was working from 6am. I told her I understand long hours as my employer works 80hrs/week in her restaurant. From her response to this comment, it appears that Leslie only works Saturdays at the restaurant. Even after being asked to talk to me and not my friend (a black male), she still continued to ignore me and talk to him - which I found both sexist and racist. The experience I wrote about was mine - not his. He was tired of her complaining and we got up and left. Her ONLY acceptable converations with me that night should have been, 'I hope you have a better experience tonight' - not sitting and complaining about how tired she is working in her restaurant.

EDIT to respond to owner: If you have a staff member that is late, it is your responsibility to have it covered, not leave your bar unattended. Also - Hannah DID have a beer - it was a Guinness, bought for her by a customer. She sat beside that customer to start drinking it - and HE is the one that told her she didn't get us the drinks that SHE asked us if we wanted. It's pretty sad that you have to blame a customer for your lack of service. I was patient and kind while I was there - I wasn't rude to you or your staff - and everything that I wrote about what happened that night was 100% accurate. The owners should be embarrassed by how poor the service is. The woman who was behind the bar was grumpy and mouthy and couldn't remember what drinks we ordered, Eventually, she asked us if we want another drink, we said yes.....she proceeded to get herself a beer and sit down with a regular. We were two of five people there. The owner sat at her staff table with her back to the door and bar, ignoring everything, including the person that went to the bar to get another drink (the other lady went to the kitchen to work).

Aside from the poor service, it appeared they used their hands to take ice from the ice bucket to put in drinks, my friends drink was made with less than 1oz of alcohol (I watched the pour), one woman there complained about the worker messing up all the time, including how she once (previous week) ordered her regular drink and was given a beer.

I get that most of their regular patrons may not care about good service, but this level....embarrassingly bad. I work in the industry, and this wasn't even bare minimum service.

Side notes: the atmosphere was cold and unwelcoming and unfriendly, no music was playing, the customers had control of...

I didn’t want to do it but I had to, because I’m still trying to figure out what irritated me the most. First and last time I’ll be visiting, but here is my experience. I waited for 30 mins for 2 roti’s to be prepared, one chicken, one goat, ended up being late for work. A majority of the time I waited, it was other orders were being prepared, even the lady that took my order made a comment saying, “I know you want to scream right now but it’s coming”, I did want to, but I was really trying to be polity patient. By the time my order started being prepared, which took about 5-10mins, I just noticed I was hearing the microwave being opened and closed multiple times, and I honestly believe every single part of my meal was just reheated food (in the microwave), rather than freshly made that morning and waiting in a hot pot. As I waited from beginning to end, the overwhelming smell of alcohol and cigarettes on customers, that seem to be regulars, was just getting to me. I’m not against what people do on their free time, but to have those heavy drinkers and smokers right by the front entrance, in and out like it was there hang out spot, and smelling that strong, was a lot for me, at least give them a designated area to hang out away from the front entrance. To clarify, I saw no one smoking inside, but they definitely went out to do it various times and came back in with a heavy stench to sit and drink some more (right at the front where orders are being taken). Lastly, what brought me to the decision to write this review was my roti. I ended up eating the chicken roti, which wasn’t bad in flavour, but it wasn’t that good either. What was frustrating is it seems I was given pure leg and thigh in it, because not one single scoop was boneless. It was so difficult to eat, so difficult to enjoy because of that. I’m not even sure what the goat roti was like, because I ended up giving it away. I did visit because the reviews seemed pretty good, but it seems this place is...