LOCAL Public Eatery Leaside — Restaurant in Toronto

We are regular customers and just had one of the worst dining experiences ever. It didn’t start off great: our server was inattentive (patio wasn’t busy just less than 1/3 full and inside was almost empty), she didn’t know the menu (didn’t recognize the name of the cocktail - which was on the drink menu - my friend tried to order then delivered the wrong drink), and took over an hour to refill water despite being asked twice (another staff finally brought more water when I asked a 3rd time). Then our food came more than an hour later, we had to ask for cutlery, and it was completely cold. The fries were limp and room temperature at best plus the cheese on our burgers had hardened and congealed. 2/3 of us sent our food back, the other just ate it because he was so hungry. The replacement food came (fries were hot this time so I devoured them first) and here’s where it became one of the worst dining experiences: I ordered a veggie burger (which I have from here more than 20+ times in the past couple years), and they served me a BEEF burger. It was dimly lit on the patio and the burger looked a bit different than usual (toppings wise, but I blamed it on the low lighting conditions and just trusted it was made right). BIG mistake: I took a bite and was immediately hit with nasty beef grease and taste. I’ve been a vegetarian for most of my life, haven’t eaten red meat since a young kid for various reasons, and have never had this happen in any restaurant of any kind anywhere. I quickly asked my meat-eating partner to take a bite and confirm my suspicions. Confirmed. I spat it out, rushed to the bathroom where I vomited and then asked the bartender for something other than water to wash the taste and grease out of my mouth. I was extremely traumatized by this and decided it was best to have my partner speak to staff calmly about it on my behalf. He went inside to have a private conversation with them out of respect for other guests who were in earshot. It was not possible to find a proper manager or someone of authority to discuss this with and we were met with excuses over what happened. They comped our bill and offered a gift card (thanks but no chance I’ll be trusting my meals here again). The most appalling part of this is what if I had an allergy? In this case I simply ordered a veggie burger with no modifications but this shows the kitchen is incompetent, it shows the staff who bring the food don’t care about how it is presented (serving food that is clearly cooled beyond safe serving temperature), and being unaware of the menu items (name and appearance). The service alone was disappointing but the burger mixup is unforgivable. It’s sad because my partner and I have confidently recommended Local in Leaside to colleagues and friends and have had many delicious meals here over the years. Our friend was visiting from out of town and we wanted to take him here for good food and a nice evening. Instead, I left nauseous and hungry + we were all disappointed about the waste of time and bad experience. It’s always been a safe choice (for business lunches inside or patio with friends) and it’s been consistently great. If you have food allergies or strong preferences, I don’t believe this restaurant can be trusted to accommodate. It’s clearly gone downhill here at Local as these are not just multiple unforgivable mistakes, but signs of complete negligence at...

The food was good, drinks were made well and pricing is about what you can expect to pay at similar establishments, ordered cocktails because beer prices seemed a little high relative to elsewhere.

The service started off pretty good, inside was slow only 2/3 tables and we sat on the patio which was about 1/2-3/4 full. Server came over quick and took our drink order as we looked over the food menu, which we decided on a few minutes later. It took a little bit for the drinks to come out but we don’t know if that is because the server didn’t bring them or because the bartender had not made them yet, not a big deal.

After the food came out the server came to ask how it was and it seemed at that point is when the ‘service’ was over. We finished our food and our cocktails with the intention to order another round, however every time she came out or went back in she just walked by, I say that because we were seated by the door so it would have been easy to see that we were empty, this happened about 4-5 trips to other tables.

By the time she came over we decided it wasn’t worth it because we didn’t know how long the drinks would take or how long to get the bill after, it seems like she decided this as well as she already had the tablet to checkout.

We spent $100 with the tip and if they were a little more attentive, not sure but it seemed she couldn’t handle more than one thing at a time, we would have added another $40 to that bill.

One or my party having 15 years experience in the industry knows that this should have been better and could have made more money off us and for...

Very disappointed. Every year we go to this restaurant for my and my twin sister’s birthday. This year was a milestone birthday and I had relatives coming from Guelph, Ottawa, and BC. Because we were a group of 12, who rarely get together, I went in a few days before the event to ask if we could reserve a table upstairs, where it is quieter and more conducive to seating a large group. I was assured that this could be done. Even though the upstairs was not usually open at the time we would be there, I was told it would not be a problem, and we would be accommodated with full service. However, when we got to the restaurant we were told that, in spite of what had been promised, the upstairs was closed and they had instead set us up on the main floor, at one of the long tables with the high seats. The restaurant was packed and the noise level was such that conversation with anyone not sitting right beside you was impossible. I am disappointed because I was promised that accommodations could & would, be made. If we had known this was not going to be the case we would have definitely gone elsewhere. Leaside Local do better! If you promise something stick to your word and definitely don’t take the cowardly way out and make someone else deliver the message for...