Evviva Breakfast and Lunch — Restaurant in Toronto

We visited this café this weekend and, unfortunately, had a disappointing experience. Although the space is beautiful and the previous visits were fine, this time both the service and food fell short.

I initially ordered a salad with balsamic dressing and three scrambled eggs, while my husband chose the chicken with quinoa and salad. After placing our order, I had a few questions and ended up changing my meal. From the start, the server appeared impatient, responding with subtle sarcasm and little courtesy. At one point, he even touched his face and gave a sarcastic smile in response to a simple question, which felt disrespectful, especially since we were being very polite with him.

Our food arrived after a while, but without cutlery, so we had to request it.

The salad was fresh, but the dressing wasn’t balsamic at all, it tasted more like a sweet vinaigrette. The scrambled eggs were overcooked, dry, and had that unpleasant “old egg” taste. My husband found the quinoa bland and the chicken so heavily seasoned it became overwhelming and left him feeling unwell.

The server briefly asked if everything was okay, then disappeared for the rest of our meal. We eventually had to get up to ask for the bill. We didn’t understand why, as the café wasn’t busy and it was relatively empty given its size. When my husband mentioned the food quality and I noted the poor eggs, the server defensively insisted that scrambled eggs are “supposed to be like that,” which is simply not true. I’ve eaten scrambled eggs at countless places and never been served anything so dry and overdone.

The only bright spot was the manager, Nataliya, who was polite and professional. She listened to our feedback and kindly offered a discount, which we appreciated.

While we’ve had better service there in the past with other staff, this café continues to feel overpriced for the inconsistent quality. Even the coffee, which we skipped this time, was horrible on previous visits. I believe they use low-quality coffee beans. Sadly, a beautiful setting just isn’t enough to make up for poor food, sarcastic service, and a lack of...

A Stellar Dining Experience for a Large Team Lunch

I recently had the pleasure of organizing a team lunch for a group of 30-plus people at Evviva at the Wellesley location. From the delectable food to the impeccable service and inviting ambiance, our experience was memorable.

Upon entering the restaurant, we were greeted by a warm and welcoming staff who efficiently accommodated our large group. The seating arrangement was thoughtfully arranged, allowing us to comfortably converse and interact with ease. The spacious layout provided ample room for everyone, ensuring a relaxed and enjoyable dining experience.

The menu offered a wide variety of options to suit all tastes and dietary preferences. The portion sizes were generous, satisfying even the heartiest appetites among us. It was evident that the kitchen staff took pride in their creations, and our team couldn't stop talking about the delicious food.

The service deserves special commendation. The staff members were attentive, accommodating, and friendly throughout our visit. They effortlessly managed the needs of our large group, ensuring that everyone was well taken care of. They provided prompt service without making us feel rushed, allowing us to enjoy each course at a comfortable pace. Our servers were knowledgeable about the menu and readily provided recommendations, enhancing our dining experience even further.

The ambiance of the restaurant was awesome. The lighting was perfectly balanced, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere that encouraged conversation without the need to raise our voices. The tasteful decor and well-appointed furnishings added to the overall charm of the space. The music level was carefully controlled, allowing for an enjoyable background melody that enhanced the dining experience without overpowering our conversations. A special thanks to...

I’m typically pretty easy on brunch places and understand that a lot of the time, you’ll pay more for the ambience/experience as opposed to good food. Having said that, Evviva definitely takes advantage of that customer leniency way too much.

This is one of those brunch places that grossly overcharge you, but don’t put in any effort to make the food even remotely good or even care to make it fresh. The salad that came with our meal was made of limp salad mix, shredded carrots, under-ripe diced tomatoes and over-ripe diced cucumber. There were definitely more than a few soggy, over-ripe pieces of spinach in that salad.

They do not offer any kind of option to have a side of fruit, which I thought was very strange for a brunch place. The orange juice was $8, which I think could have been understandable if the portion was decent, but it was quite small. The coffee (regular, brewed coffee - not even an espresso based drink) was $5, which I thought was pretty steep considering a lot of the cafes nearby are offering better coffee at around $3-4.

I ordered the chicken sausage, and it was incredibly dry - almost inedibly so. I asked for medium poached eggs, and they definitely came hard-poached. All of these complaints in isolation would not have warranted such a bad review (no place is perfect), but there was such little regard for the food quality in every dish we tried that charging $22-25 for them is just unforgivable.

The good thing about Evviva is the service was great and the environment was pleasant (definitely a lot more families though, so not a good place for a girls brunch out). They also offer cholula hot sauce which I’m a fan of.

Despite that, I would not recommend you come here - it’s definitely a rip-off and you’re better off going to literally any other establishment...