La Parrilla — Restaurant in Toronto

La Parrilla is a small takeout restaurant that's big on flavours! The food is meticulously prepared to order fresh from the grill. What is the meaning of 'parrilla' you might ask? It's a traditional form of Argentinian barbecue on the open fire. I've tried Brazilian rodizio and Venezuelan arepas but that was near the extent of my Latin American foray so it was exciting to taste the cuisine at this hidden gem.

The must-get menu item is their charcoal grilled chicken. It's sort of akin to Portuguese chicken but in comparison the meat here is more juicy and better seasoned. The half chicken is fall-off-the-bone tender with slightly smoky flavours, then even tossed in chimichurri sauce. Perhaps greasy yet each meaty bite is satisfying! Honourable mention also goes to their empanadas. A pretty sight: golden baked crust folds over the fresh beef filling, that might be even better by the dozen. And at their price point, I can see why guests generally agree La Parrilla is a 5-star visit.

I ordered ahead and the food was ready for pickup upon arrival to avoid any wait. Owner Serge was friendly about offering an extra sauce on the side along with chimichurri tossed on the chicken. Definitely get that sauce, as it adds dimensions to the asado / grilled meat. It's not easy for family businesses to operate these days, so I applaud that La Parrilla charcoal churrasqueria continues to offer top notch food from this...

Fall into your La P!

I've often driven by this spot either to get gas or to make my way through the intersection but never went inside. I know previously it was a BBQ joint but I never bothered to go in. After months of observation I finally decided to look into the place and see what it had to offer as I had been growing tired of the Caribbean, shawarma, and Tim Hortons options which flood the neighborhood of Emery. I went online to see what my options would be- I often like to be prepared and not overwhelmed into making a hasty decision. After mentally preparing myself for what I wanted I drove (shamelessly as it was less than 1 km away from my workplace) and entered. I was met by a young man who seemed real nice and the corner of eye soon caught a wonderful promo. I then asked him more about it and he began to open different hot trays of deliciousness. I then tossed out my premeditated order and sought to try an option. I opted to dine in so I could relax and I paid give or take less that 14 for a wonderful plate of rice and different meats that were stewed. I enjoyed every bite of this and enjoyed the pre-lunch traffic (I had this at 11:08 and yes I know it is early but packed places make me full). I will definitely be coming back and brining along others to experience the Argentine cuisine with me. I am so glad that a place like this just fell...

First of all, note this review has nothing to do with their food. Given the exceptionally high reviews I’m sure they’re excellent, unfortunately I did not get to experience for the following reason. I stumbled across this place since I was in the neighbourhood and called for take out. When I called at 6pm, the person on the phone told me it would be an hour wait, I thought ok and it only added to my anticipation given how “busy” they were. When I arrived at the restaurant one hour later, there were 2 people in front of me. Somehow it took him 20 mins to serve just the first customer while chatting with the customer the whole time. At no point during the process was I told how long the wait was going to be, and not an acknowledgement at all about the delay. I had to walk out given that it was probably gonna take another 20mins to serve the next customer before me. Very disappointing as I would’ve loved to...