Lume Kitchen and Lounge — Restaurant in Toronto

A night and day experience! This is an updated review of a 1-star review I left on June 7th, 2025 (attached in screenshots below - along with some pics of our second visit food).

After a frustrating first visit and a series of confusing follow-up emails, Lume invited us back for a complimentary meal - and this time, they nailed it.

We went much earlier this time, at 5:30 PM. The place was almost empty with only a few tables here and there. The hostess found our reservation, asked if we wanted to sit indoors or outdoors. It was hot, so we sat indoors. They sat us in a booth next to the doors to the patio and immediately provided us with menus and asked if we wanted water (Tap, Still or Sparkling). We asked for a bottle for the table, the waitress poured our glasses and then said she’ll come back with a full bottle. Great!

When she came back, we ordered drinks and apps at the same time, but hadn’t decided on our mains yet, so off she went to put those in. When she returned with the drinks, we had our mains figured out and ordered those. She took the food menus, leaving the drink menu for us. This is a great flow. This is how it’s supposed to work. This is smooth service.

Our appetizers came first, and we ordered the Meatballs and the Hummus Salad. Portions were good, the meatballs were hot, and the sauce was delicious and flavourful. The salad was also great, it was missing Hummus, but it did include roasted chickpeas so we thought perhaps it was just a play on the name hummus. Since we had ordered a main with hummus it wasn’t a big deal to us (I looked at the menu later, and it was supposed to come with hummus).

Shortly after our appetizer plates were cleared, our mains arrived. Seared Marinated Cauliflower and a 12oz Striploin. We had also ordered a side of garlic cheese bread and mushrooms. Everything was delicious.

The cauliflower steak was especially phenomenal! It was spiced extremely well, flavourful and not overpoweringly so. It was just right. I say that as someone who LOVES meat; I would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone, vegan or not.

The steak was great! Extremely tender (I like mine medium), and the fat cap was removed - thank you! - It came with mashed potatoes and broccolini. Overall, the dish was GREAT, with a few tweaks on the sides it could become PHENOMENAL. Herbs in the mashed potatoes and perhaps grilling the broccolini with salt and a sauce or marinade. The peppercorn sauce that came with the steak held no discernible flavour and was completely overpowered by the steak itself. But perhaps that was the idea. The steak itself was fantastic - clearly well-sourced meat.

The garlic bread and mushrooms were delicious as well. The mushrooms had a distinct flavour that I couldn’t place. I will have to come back to have them again and hopefully be able to identify what they reminded me of. But they were good, that’s all that matters really.

We ordered cheesecake and an affogato for dessert, both were great! Thanks Lume for inviting us back to make up for our experience. We had a...

This review is based on my experience after having visited several times. I tried lunch, brunch and dinner. The décor is nice, as many people have noted. Unfortunately, the service is not up to par, and the food is hit or miss.

Service issues are as follows: one time we walked in on a weekday for lunch and the server proceeded to walk away from us as she informed us to sit wherever we like. As my friend and I were deciding where to sit the server repeated herself, with an annoyed look on her face, as though we were bothering her or keeping her from doing whatever she was doing (basically just walking around). For the record, there were hardly any customers there. Never have I walked into a restaurant and had a hostess or server walk away from me. For about half the time she was serving us, she had the same sour look on her face. She eventually figured out how to smile (briefly), probably since it was close to the time where she had to give us the bill. The server’s name was Arezo, and interestingly I found other reviews mentioning her by name, with similar complaints about her attitude. Also, I couldn’t help but notice the music. It was electronic dance music. The average age of the handful of patrons was over 50, not likely the type of music they would have chosen. It’s like they’re trying to get a club vibe going at 1:00 in the afternoon on a weekday!

On almost every visit, we had to ask for more water. This is basic stuff. During one visit, the server did not even ask what type of water we preferred whereas during the other visits, they did ask. Other times we had to ask for salt and pepper (for our eggs), extra napkins, drinks that were never brought to our table, etc. My friend unwrapped his napkin and the cutlery was visibly dirty. On one occasion, my order did not arrive as described and I had to ask for the missing items. I didn’t really get any explanation.

I expected the place to be busy at brunch on a Saturday (around noon) but there were more staff than patrons! With the number of condos within walking distance of this place, this is surprising. A pitcher of water was left at our table (no ice, on a 30 degree day), and the server never offered to refill our glasses.

Now to the food. With the exception of one visit, the food took a long time even when it wasn’t busy. My friends and I tried several dishes and most were not remarkable. There wasn’t really anything that stood out. The French toast, although nicely presented, had a very chewy crust. The Bolognese sauce was rather bland. The lamb (according to my friend) was just ok. The Baby Gem salad was good although they took it off the menu. And my friend mentioned that the octopus was very good.

It seems that this place has a pretentious feel to it, like it’s trying to be something that it isn’t. The retention of staff must be an issue as my visits were in a time frame of about 8 months, and I don’t think I saw the same server twice.

With so many other (and better) options in the area, I honestly don’t see how this place is...

I am absolutely appalled by my experience at Lume, which completely ruined my New Year’s celebration. We paid $165 for a four-course menu, and the service was nothing short of horrendous. We waited over an hour for our first course and, when it finally arrived, we still had no cutlery. The oysters were served warm, not on ice, and were uncomfortably salty. The salad was missing tomato, and the steak I ordered medium-rare came out completely raw.

To make matters worse, after the meal, my friends and I all felt sick, and one of them even got food poisoning! This is not just disappointing—it’s a serious health risk. When I voiced my concerns to the waiter, a waitress came over and assured me that management would contact me the following day and that I would receive a refund by Thursday. It’s now today, and I have yet to hear from anyone.

The owner and management were rude and dismissive, offering no apology or meaningful solution. This level of poor service and disregard for customer health is completely unacceptable, and I would strongly advise against dining here.

EDIT: To follow up on my previous review regarding my New Year’s Eve experience at your restaurant, as I am still deeply dissatisfied with the complete lack of resolution or accountability. As I mentioned in my original complaint, I was promised a refund by your staff member, Rez, who assured me that I would be contacted and receive compensation by January 2nd. However, it is now well beyond that date, and I have yet to hear from anyone at your establishment.

The lack of follow-through on this promise is completely unprofessional and has only further compounded my frustration. To recap: my friends and I were subjected to an appalling dining experience, where we waited over an hour for our first course, were served subpar and dangerously undercooked food, and, to top it off, one of my friends ended up with food poisoning. The negligence surrounding food safety alone should be grounds for serious concern.

I am absolutely disgusted by the dismissive attitude shown by your management. Not only did I receive no apology or meaningful solution at the time, but the failure to follow up and honor your commitment for a refund demonstrates a complete disregard for customer well-being. This entire ordeal has been incredibly upsetting and has caused lasting disappointment.

As a last resort, I will be attaching photos of the unsatisfactory meal and evidence of the conditions that led to this complaint. I expect an immediate resolution and compensation for this...