Little Sister Indonesian Food Bar — Restaurant in Toronto

Yikes. What a truly upsetting and disappointing experience. I will never be back.

A good friend of mine stopped by two weeks ago and have been raving about XXX and the bartender Stevie's expertise, so for my boyfriend's 30th birthday and with two friends in tow who were visiting Toronto for the first time, we decided to make it a point to stop by after dinner at Gusto across the street on a Wednesday night. The night ended with me extremely embarrassed for recommending that we go to Little Sister and I found myself apologizing profusely for taking my friends to such a subpar spot that clearly has no respect for their customers. I felt like by picking Little Sister, I ruined not only my bf's 30th but our good friends' first night in the city. Especially given the extensive number of reviews on the inauthenticity of the food, paired with the awful customer service and endless great options in the vicinity, I would not recommend coming here.

We arrived at 8:50pm and was told the wait would be 45 minutes to an hour. That's fine, worth it. We chose to sit at the bar, order some drinks first and wait. Drinks at Little Sister was nothing special w/ typical King West prices. During the hour that we were waiting, nobody proactively checked in on us or updated us on the wait time during this entire time, even though there were many empty tables. I flagged down a waiter and asked for a follow up on the wait time exactly an hour later, and they said someone dining in the restaurant decided they wanted to go for a drink, so that table of 4 is now ahead of us as well in addition to our wait. They just checked with the bartender (for the first time since we arrived) and she said that the wait will be at least another hour. If we had known that the wait was going to be 2+ hours, we would not have waited at all. This is either poor management or it was a blatant bait and switch for us to spend money here despite knowing that we were never going to get a table at XXX.

The worst part of this experience is that after 1.5 hours of waiting, as we made plans to leave, this waiter comes up to us and says, "You guys are really hell-bent on going downstairs, aren't you?" Excuse me????????? To add insult to injury, he then offers, "If you really want to go downstairs, but we'd have to split you up, it'd be a really cold standing-only table directly under the AC." Ummmmm. No thank you. How insulting.

During this entire 1.5 hour fiasco, there were multiple opportunities to turn the experience around for us and show that despite the poor management, they value their customers that are so determined to experience their offerings. However, not once did anyone proactively update us on wait times, apologize or show any attempt to make us feel like anything more than a nuisance. Again, there are a multitude of fantastic options within a 5 minute walk vicinity of Little Sister - Don't come here and pay to feel like a second-class citizen and definitely don't come here if you're looking to celebrate a special occasion, impress friends visiting the city or simply not...

Perhaps it's because I've matured, maybe it's the years of refining my palate, could be that I've further opened my adventurous side over the past 5 years... NAH... No way it could be that! I'm the same guy but times have changed and the company I keep has as well.

Over the past little while, I've been going to quite a bit of new places (hundreds of them) and did nothing to return to places that I've tried in the past. It's been 5 years since I've been to Little Sister and in that time, they've plodded along and even opened up another spot. A little sister to Little Sister... so to speak! :D

My how things change over the years. Expectations and hype no longer lingers as I approach all experiences with an open mind. My prejudices and down right stubbornness on food and tastes have been tempered with understanding what the Chef is trying to convey with each of their dish.

I've come back to Little Sister to try them once again. For the most part, the menu items I've ordered were very much the same as before. Unlike before, either I've really changed or they've really improved. I'm going with the former - LOL!

Their tacos, lettuce wrap, braised beef, skewers, croquettes, water melon salad, and cabbage dishes were recommended and we said - Bring it!

OK... I have to say, I really enjoyed the food this time - much more than years ago. Maybe it was the company I was with, another foodie that knows her stuff, and the conversation about each dish and the components made things just better. Meh - who knows.

The surprise of the night was the Grilled White Cabbage - Don't ask... just order it! And you have to try the Croquettes. The beef dishes had repetitive seasoning or taste to it and the skewer dip seems to be the same as well. The taco was messy... but with many messy dishes, it was enjoyable. Their much talked about Semur Java - Javanese braised beef short rib, was not my fav but eaten with the Nasi Goreng, it was pretty decent.

Overall, it was great to try a past experience to see how far things have come along. As time passes, things do change... and I for one am happy to change my mind on this spot!

4.5'ish stars!!!...

This small restaurant has a nice vibe, especially inside, with a few patio tables for outdoor seating. The menu is simple, divided into food and drinks. The staff was friendly and attentive, readily answering all our questions.

We sampled a variety of dishes during our visit. This is what we ordered for 3 people to share. -Beef Rendang Taco (4/5) - 1 taco/ order. The meat was tasty and balanced ratio of protein to condiments. Ayam Goreng (2.5/5) - the chicken is just dusted in a dredge and deep fried. It was disappoint because the chicken was slightly salty and dry. The dipping sauce is just sambal + mayo. Satay Udang (3/5) - 2pcs/order. The shrimp had a sweetness with a little kick, nothing of it stood out. But was let down by 1 pc being very undercooked. Satay Lilet (4/5) - 3pcs/order. The meat had excellent flavor, but the small portion size left us wanting more, I finished 1 skewer in 2 tiny bites. Nasi Goreng (2.5/5) - It was served in a small bowl, appearing more like a personal serving rather than a sharing portion. We each had 2 spoonfuls. It was quite bland and boring, it lacked any standout elements Babi Kecap (3/5) - small portion for the price. It had 6 pcs of 1" cut pork belly and equals amounts of same size pineapple chunks. The pork belly was dry and overly salty. Semur Java (4/5) - The size was good for sharing. The dish was tender braised meat with a flavorful sauce. Unfortunately, it was on the salty side.

Our overall dining experience was a mixed bag. While the atmosphere and service were delightful, the food quality and portion sizes left us feeling that the prices leaned towards the higher side. Even ordering for three small eaters, we found it challenging to feel...