Jerusalem Restaurant — Restaurant in Toronto

Unfortunately, this restaurant is a victim of its own success. My family and I have enjoyed many good meals here, but in recent years the food quality has fallen off, the service has worsened, and the take-out counter has become so overcrowded that it disrupts the dining room with customers blocking waiters from serving tables, and some take-out clients literally leaning on the seatbacks of dine-in patrons or rudely pulling up a chair at the table of an unknown family and crashing their party. This has become such a consistent norm at Jerusalem that the waitstaff and management do not seem to understand that paying customers expect more from a full-service restaurant than the ambience that might be found at a McDonald's or Pizza Pizza.

I am happy to see one of our favourite restaurant's rewarded with success! But such success often requires adaptation and additional staffing to meet increased demand. In this category, Jerusalem is sadly failing. Between the take-out orders and dine-in clients, too many orders have been taken. They can't satisfy everybody, so instead, they satisfy nobody. Waitstaff dart from table to table attempting to stave off criticism by preemptively telling customers there are delays in the kitchen. "It will only be five more minutes." "Five more minutes." It's always only five minutes away. At our most recent visit, multiple take-out customers waited "five more minutes" for over an hour. When their food finally arrived, other customers actually cheered in solidarity, hoping they could be so lucky. When our food finally arrived, it was grossly undercooked and under-seasoned. The lamb was so raw, in fact, my son let out a "bleat" in order to lighten the mood of a rather disappointing meal. If only the staff could offer some sort of commiseration.

At our prior visit, after waiting a good while, and well after placing our order and starting our first course, we were told the kitchen had run out of rice for the day. Rice! We were offered french fries instead. You know, french fries, that Mideast staple, that healthy starch alternative, that signature dish that separates fast food from fine dining--french fries. When we requested that something more fitting with our meal be substituted in place of the rice, like pita bread, we were told french fries were our only option. Why? Not because they didn't have extra pita bread, but because they were afraid they'd run out. I do not know if I've ever experienced a meal where I was made to feel that my family and I would have to go without so that the restaurant would be made full. Mind you, we did not pay any less. We were not offered a glass of wine or a dessert for our trouble.

Two times now, we have been told you are going to get a lesser experience, a poorer quality meal, and that's just the way it's going to be. This news has been delivered by the manager on duty, an older blonde woman with chunky glasses and a sour disposition. She is both unsympathetic and unhelpful, someone grizzled over the years by the restaurant's increased demand and lack of support. She hates her job, and she hates her customers because they are her job. She is a terrible representative for the face of the business. Maybe she has other talents, but customer-facing is not one of them. Please hide this person, and do not let he interact with customers. She is not good at it!

It's with great disappointment that time travel is not a practical option for visiting Jerusalem. I long for the days of the old Jerusalem. I'd gladly go back for their food and service. But at present, I won't be returning. The good Jerusalem is no longer. They are a cheerless shadow of what they used to be. I will always have fond memories of the former restaurant. Thank you for that, Jerusalem! I will miss you. I can only hope you make...

Let me be clear about this. My mom and I ordered the combination for two and it was delicious. However, the waiter who served us, "Apu, was absolutely appalling. Yesterday, was April 28th. My mom and I made an effort to come to the Jerusalem Restaurant after the Blue Jays games. We waited 40 minutes to get a table. Apu never introduced himself. He just took our order. I wanted to order coffee with my meal. He disappeared. It's a small restaurant. Where did he go. I had to ask another server for a coffee and did the same thing again to get a refill. When he brought the coffee, he didn't bring any cream. I had to ask another server for cream. When our warm food came, he just plopped it on the table and never spoke to us. He made no effort to make eye contact. This is the kind of behaviour I expect when you are on the TTC subway and not at a restaurant. Okay, I get it. Toronto isn't exactly a friendly place and there are cultural differences. However you're serving people. Customers are paying your wages. Don't make your customers feel like they are bothering you. You need some social skills to perform the position of being a waiter. I'm only giving this restaurant one star and that's generous. Because of this experience, I am never...

My grandfather was a Welshman born in Haifa, Palestine. It was he who introduced our family to this restaurant. It has been a family tradition to eat here (and the Jerusalem on Leslie) for over 35 years. While the Jerusalem on Leslie has turned into a sub-par buffet, this location has remained the same. (Thank God)

The food is out of this world. You have a variety of dishes to chose from which are classics. This is a good place to have a family dinner if a guest is a vegetarian as they have stunning and exceptional choices. (I am not a vegetarian and never will be!)

The decor is quiet, quaint and reserved. Nothing flashy, no gaudy ornamentation.

The service is a little disappointing. I can forgive this because of the quality of the food and the fact that the restaurant is usually busy. However, the restaurant should look into improving the promptness and attention of the wait staff. After dinner I was served cognac in a shot glass which I found a little funny and bizarre. While they might not drink much cognac in Palestine, the servers should still know that cognac should be served in a...