FILM CAFE — Restaurant in Toronto

My friends, family and I trekked to Kensington market to visit Film Cafe, which my friend had visited a while back and enjoyed.

There’s an inconsistently applied time limit in this establishment and I can only guess how they decide who to boot (👧🏾).

We were excited to watch the band that were setting up to play for a show we had come to see. We came in at around the same time as other patrons in our section and later than others in our section (this becomes relevant in a second).

About 45 minutes into our visit, the server asked if we’re going to order anything else - we thanked her, said no, and said that we were going to hang out for a few minutes and catch the beginning of the show before heading out. She let us know that unless we were ordering anything else, we couldn’t stay once we’d finished our drinks and food.

We thought the whole interaction was a bit strange, so friend decided to order another dessert because we wanted to hang out for 15-20 minutes longer before needing to head out. We asked the server to remind us which desserts were available, she listed them, and my friend settled on one. The server then said she’d have to check with the manager because there was a time limit and we’d exceeded it, so we would have to leave (a time limit she hadn’t mentioned, nor did she point out the sign I’ve attached here until we later noticed it ourselves) and then came back and told us that we would have to leave once we were done eating, “if that’s okay”. I said if we were being kicked out under the pretence of shifting goalposts then what was I supposed to say? I thanked her for her service and asked her to tell the manager that we found it strange that the patrons around us had been around for longer, hadn’t ordered more food or drinks, and weren’t asked to leave.

We hung out for a few more minutes waiting for my friend’s phone to get from 23-25% to make it to our next destination with service, and another woman came over and said we would have to leave then because there was another group waiting to be seated at our table. To reiterate, we were sitting with three or four other groups who weren’t ordering any more than we had and who weren’t being asked to leave.

Before leaving, we noticed a sign that stated there was a one hour limit. We found it suspect that this was inconsistently applied and that the waitress’s story shifted when we asked to order something else to be “allowed” to stay.

We won’t be going back and regret visiting. For the first time in many years, I did not tip the server who decided that we were the ones...

Was super excited to visit this cafe while exploring Toronto solo. Much to my disappointment, I received some of the most abysmal service I’ve ever gotten in my life. I seldom leave reviews, but this experience stands out as one of my worst.

After ordering, I waited over 45 minutes for a single non-alcoholic drink and was ignored by the staff while waiting, even after reminding them of my order. When I finally received my drink, they had mixed up the flavour and gave me a different flavour than I’d ordered (the drink they gave me was cheaper than the one I ordered!). I’m not super confrontational, so I drank it and left feeling annoyed by the overall experience. 45 minutes for an incorrect drink that didn’t even taste good! I don’t usually go to these sorts of places alone, and doing so was a big step out of my comfort zone. Unfortunately, I was made to feel completely neglected and unwelcome.

To make matters worse, I realized on my way home that I had left something behind at the cafe. I go back to the cafe to pick it up, only for a staff member to demand I pay for my drink because I apparently ‘skipped the bill.’ She confronted me while I was in front of other patrons; I felt so deeply humiliated in that moment. I was luckily able to access my credit card history and show her my transaction record (showing that I paid for a more expensive drink than the one I ultimately received) on that day to clear the issue. I even told them to check the cameras to verify my innocence! Nonetheless, if there was any question as to whether or not I paid for my drink, there’s ways to approach the situation that don’t involve making me out to be a thief in front of others.

Overall, I felt disrespected at the cafe. So disappointing, because it seems like a nice...

I'll just start by saying, I absolutely loved the food, and it completely nails traditional Japanese cuisine.

I had ordered the Japanese Katsu curry, and the Kyoto breakfast, which both came with a miso soup.

The Katsu was crisp and flavorful, the curry was creamy, with the light taste that is characteristic of Japanese curry, and a fluffy egg.

The Kyoto breakfast was perfect. It comes with tamago (Japanese rolled omelette) edemame ( Japanese beans) shrimp tempura, and rice balls. The theme of this meal is light and savory. The tamago has a firmness on the outside, but when you bite into it, it's fluffy and soft, and amllmost melts in your mouth. The shrimp tempura was lightly battered to give a nice crunch, without giving the heavy feeling that typically accompanies fried food. The rice balls were very lightly seasoned such that it leaves a pleasant aftertaste on the tongue without overwhelming your senses on the initial taste. The edemame is pretty standard. If you're looking for a meal but aren't starving, or a meal to eat where you'll continue walking afterwards or well.... A breakfast, this is the meal to get.

Just as an aside, the restaurant itself is quirky. When you walk on you see a huge drinks menu of coffees and smoothies with smaller menus available at the counter for actual food, and when I went in there was a projector playing looney toons. With the name film cafe I came in fully expecting a regular coffee shop, and so my expectations were flipped across the board from when I saw the restaurant from the outside until I received the orders. The food is completely top notch, so it's five stars, but the aestethic and the signal given off...