Island Oysters Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Toronto

It makes me really sad to write this because I love this place, we've been coming here since may 2021.. We had so many memories with these business from get togethers to birthdays.

That been said now I don't want to go there anymore because of a staff member there that actually scares me, she has given us such a horrible experience in the last 2 times, unfortunately I think this is the end of our story with island oysters😥💔

First time seeing her, my husband and I went there, she totally ignored us, and kept talking to another person, she didnt say "hi", or "one moment please", so we waited for about 10 mintues and she was so rude when she was assisting us. It just felt like she didnt wanted to help us and it felt really uncomfortable.

I miss the days when the owner was there as he was actually smiling a d welcoming customers.

Second time going there on a Saturday afternoon around 5pm we tried to call to arrange a pickup, she said she wont take our order as we need to give 30 minutes headsup.

We were saying that we are 25 mintues away, we dont mind waiting. just want to be in queue,but she said she won't take our order, didn't really wanted to provide with another alternative or didn't tell us to just come order in person, she just said " sorry, nope won't take your order, bye."

we don't live near the area and he takes us about 30-40 min to get there.

Once we got in, said hi to her as no surprise she didn't reply, no eye contact,she just keep doing her own thing.

Plus there was another couple that came in after and she ignored them too! so they left.

I asked if I can get some help.. she gave me killereyes, said yup, it was uncomforting..

5 mintues later she finally helped us.. we knew what we wanted I didnt have her shuck my oysters there, because I didn't want her to do anything to my oysters... that's how terrified I am towards her.

I told her I was on the phone call eatlier she actually started raising her voice and called us rude and asked us to leave. we were calm and trying to be polite, saying we are both business owners, and her customer services was not great, her attitude was horrible, and this could damage the reputation, and told her to be a bit more calm. especially for an order that was around $120.

I worked at alot of different places, as her being the manager, she definitely doesn't handle stress well, and cannot solve conflicts under any circumstances..

she terrifies me..

I actually wrote an email inquiry in the website after the first time seeing her because i didn't wanted to leave a review. I guess she never got the message..

I wish you...

I have always wanted to support small, local businesses. Being an oyster lover and a frequent visitor of the Bloordale neighbourhood, I was excited to visit Island Oyster's new location on Bloor Street for the first time.

When our group of four showed up and there were no available tables, we were told to "come back later". When I asked "how much later" or "if I could leave my number", Regrettably, the response we received lacked the warmth we anticipated. The staff's suggestion to "return later" left us puzzled, and our attempts to ascertain the approximate timeframe or the possibility of leaving our contact information were met with a dismissive tone, leaving us feeling rather unwelcome. After loitering around for a while, mulling over alternative dining options, a table on the patio opened up and we were seated.

We order two dozens of oysters, drinks, and a glass of water for each person. Strangely we were only brought 3 glasses for water, until one of us went inside to ask for another one. The oysters arrived. They were delicious. However, there were only 3 lemon wedges for the 4 of us, which we had to awkwardly share. At that point I joked that one of us must be invisible. The serving staff seemed too busy to check on us and ask how we were doing, so we never bothered to ask for another lemon wedge.

We ordered some main dishes. My friend's dish arrived first, which was a scallop/mushroom dish in a broth. However, it came with no cutlery. A proactive trip indoors was necessitated to secure the required cutlery, though, once again, only three sets were dispatched to our table, confirming my suspicion that one of us was indeed invisible. At that point our water bottle was empty and I placed it on the edge of our table, but the serving staff did not notice it at all.

When the mains were almost done, we decided to order another 2 dozens of oysters of a different varietal. Regrettably, the waitstaff delivered a dissimilar type, the same as our initial order. An absence of apology or replacement was rather disheartening. Our resolve to minimize waste led us to consume the mistaken order without objection. The promised condiments for this second batch of oysters never made an appearance, leaving us to persist with the trio of lemon wedges, horseradish, and mignonette that had already endured service for a full hour.

The oysters were delicious. The food was okay. The service was disappointing -- the lack of care and attention made our dining experience subpar. Unless things change for the better, I would not visit Island Oysters again or recommend...

As someone who hasn’t had much seafood aside from shrimp now and then, I was a bit nervous to try oysters for the first time. However, after visiting Island Oysters and being served by Odin, I now look forward to eating them and trying different kinds any chance I get. Odin described the differences between east and west coast and recommended some solid pairings. Something he said was, “An oyster is one of those foods that tastes like a place.” And that really stuck with me, especially after trying a few different types.

I recently visited for their Thursday Malpeque deal and enjoyed it greatly! They offer lemon, Tabasco, mignonette, horseradish, and habanero to apply and also offer an extensive drink menu for potential pairings. Liam and Joash were shucking away in front of me and did an amazing job. Quick, clean, delicious.

The prawn roll deserves its own mention, the anchovy brioche bun combined with the freshness of the chives was insane. I could’ve honestly had 10 of these on the spot. After the malpeques and prawn roll, we enjoyed some Sunseeker, Chebooktook, and Island Emerald oysters.

Overall, Island Oysters is a banger and if you find yourself on Bloor Street, do yourself a favour and visit this amazing establishment. Amazing service, amazing food, and amazing times await....