Mar'aa Yorkville — Restaurant in Toronto

At Mar’aa, the Vibe Soars — But the Food Needs a Rehearsal

There’s a certain magic when a new restaurant opens in Toronto’s glittering Yorkville district — especially one perched atop the 51st floor, boasting sweeping skyline views, slick interior design, and a soundtrack that could make your Spotify jealous.

So when I arrived at Mar’aa, I came with a healthy appetite and even healthier expectations.

Let me start with the bright spots, because yes, they existed. From the elevator host to the front-of-house team, the service was warm and seamless. Our server, Giselle, deserves a standing ovation. She was gracious, professional, and genuinely attentive — a highlight in a performance where the lead actor (the food) never quite remembered its lines.

The Meal: A Scene-by-Scene Breakdown

Short Rib + Roasted Red Peppers – 1.5/5 A salty surprise. The roasted red pepper promised in the script never showed up. We were left staring at the plate, waiting for the flavor to arrive. Spoiler: it didn’t.

Smoked Olives – 3.5/5 Surprisingly delightful. Smoky, briny, and bold. A small supporting role that outshined several leads.

Grilled Cabbage Salad – 2/5 If the yogurt dressing is the co-star, someone forgot to mic it up. The whole dish felt like a dress rehearsal that never made opening night.

Shrimp Dumplings – 3/5 Wrapped in shareya noodles — a clever touch — these dumplings were satisfying, though not scene-stealers.

Lamb Manti Dumplings – 1/5 Dry. Overcooked. Underwhelming. The yogurt sauce was missing in action. A dish that read beautifully on the menu but flubbed its on-stage delivery.

Baked scallops- 1.5/5 still wondering how this made its way on the starting script

Chicken Kebab – 0/5 Hard pass. Over-seasoned to the point of inedibility with a waxy exterior. Zero juiciness. Zero Mediterranean flair. Sent back and not missed.

Charcoal Grilled Prime Striploin – 2.5/5 We expected a lead role. Instead, the striploin made a brief cameo, lacking both boldness and balance. Not the main event we hoped for.

Spiced Fries – 3.5/5 Ironically the best dish of the night — and they were fries. A solid side, but when your fries outshine your proteins, you’ve got a plot problem.

Saffron rice - 2/5 nothing exciting here and won’t be missed if not casted

Lemon Sumac Chicken (replacement dish) – 2/5 A flavor overload. Over-seasoned again, and out of step with the clean, herb-forward identity of Mediterranean cuisine. Complex but not compelling.

Dessert (Birthday Surprise!) – 4/5 A sweet ending to a rocky journey. Complimentary, thoughtful, and much-needed to reset the palate.

Final Thoughts: Vibe Value Mar’aa Yorkville is undeniably stylish. It’s the kind of place you visit for a sunset cocktail, a slightly overpriced $120 shisha, and a panoramic view of Toronto that’s hard to beat. The music hits, the vibe is strong, and the patio is perfection.

But if you’re a food lover — or worse, a food critic — expecting the cuisine to match the altitude, be warned: the food isn’t the star of the show here. It’s more like a confused understudy trying to memorize a script it hasn’t rehearsed.

For now, go for the view, stay for the vibe, but eat elsewhere if you’re after a culinary performance worth a...

Maraa Yorkville Restaurant fine dinning I call it 👍🏾👍🏾 My wife and I,kids and grandkids and son in law had an amazing food experience at Maraa Yorkville Restaurant.. As you come in from the ground floor you are meet with hospitality and a refreshing cucumber tasty beverage alcohol or non-alcohol it tasted amazing. We got up on the 51st floor yes 51st floor the restaurant in the sky 😳 the elevator doors opened and it was hospitality from beginning to end service was a 11 out of 10 that’s how GREAT it was. Every dish we ordered was amazing the Grandkids Love the food also at Maraa Yorkville Restaurant and you know kids when come to fine dining can be picky but they ate everything and wanted more. As for the adults we give the entire experience 5 stars all the way. As we all know the food tastes even better when the staff at a restaurant is friendly courteous professional and most of all funny kind and genuinely shows the compassion for the food Industry. I want to thank Chris the Manager for checking in on us making sure we were all ok especially our grandkids you went above and beyond with our experience at Maraa Yorkville Restaurant 👍🏾👍🏾 Also want to thank Vignesh Bar manager for amazing drink options As we entered the room from the elevator Schondell greeted us with her smile that lit up the room. Placing us to our seats making sure the grandkids were seated properly thank you for treating the family amazing 👍🏾 👍🏾 Our servers Sheena and West and 3 other servers that I never had the TIME to grab their names because the food had me 🤓 the knowledge of the food in a restaurant is very important knowing what the food tastes like and our servers they had all the answers and more covered thank you for that 👍🏾👍🏾 Sorry for this long review but I had to explain in my own words because my wife and I have been all over the world to different restaurants and never got this extra special treatment even when anyone got up to go to the washroom when they came back the dinner cloth napkin was refolded 👍🏾👍🏾

Mo Brown Thanks again Maraa Yorkville...

Although I’ve experienced every version of this space on the 51st floor over the years, this is definitely my favourite incarnation.

My wife and I were greeted downstairs with a welcome drink and smiles. The elevator was nice sexy with dim lighting and scent diffusers. The music and the ride up definitely preps you mentally and emotionally for the restaurant.

Once we go in the staff were quick to greet us and help us to our tables. We came just right after golden hour and it was honestly a beautiful sight to be that high and seeing the city at that time. Sometimes you forget how beautiful Toronto is.

Our server was great but Shawn, the restaurant host or personality, he was fantastic. Great energy and just very kind and hospitable. He definitely made a huge difference in our experience.

We had the crudo, wagyu tartar and the duck confit/ hummus to start and they were great. For mains we the short rib with the crispy rice and spinach. I don’t know what I was expecting with that crispy rice but that was amazing. Everything was amazing.

It was a belated bday dinner with my wife and they were really slick with the bday candles and dessert. She was so thrown off but she loved it.

The music, decor and vibe really makes it feel like you’re far away and out of the city, even though the skyline is right there.

Like I said, I’ve been here before when this place was something else but it felt very magical this time.

Special thank you to all the staff that spoke to us and looked after us. The food and drinks were amazing but it’s always the staff that makes things memorable.

I can’t wait to take my...