Maven Toronto — Restaurant in Toronto

I grew up with Jewish food and was really looking forward to trying this new restaurant with elevated versions of nostalgic dishes. Went this evening with my father and grandmother and all three of us loved it. The vibe was warm, down to earth and comfortable, yet elegant at the same time. The servers were all extremely friendly and knew the menu really well. A few of them were clearly very new and learning the flow but I think that's to be expected in the early days of a new restaurant. For how new Maven is, I was really impressed by how efficient the service was and how filled the place was at 7pm on a Wednesday night. Foodwise we shared half the menu - favourites were the short ribs, sticky carrots, and toffee pudding. The short ribs were unbelievably delicious with a glorious balance of sweet from the maple syrup and peppery from the pastrami seasoning. They were melt in your mouth soft. Portion is good for two people (which they tell you). The carrots were divine with the charred bits all mixed into the labneh with bits of hazelnuts and an addictive peppercorn glaze. And the toffee pudding... is naturally gluten free!!! It's made with tapioca flour and another gluten free grain I can't recall. I have celiac disease and the servers were incredibly knowledgeable about how to navigate the menu. I didn't feel like I was annoying them at all which is not always the case. And they even announced that each dish was or was not celiac-safe when it arrived at the table. Overall a fabulous experience and we will definitely be back!

Editing to add - I can't believe I forgot to mention the unlimited coleslaw in a cute little bowl that they keep refilling for the table! And it is the best coleslaw I've ever had at a restaurant. Vinegary and sweet....

Maven serves elevated Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine inspired by the cooking of the owner's grandmother (ie Bubbe). I discovered this restaurant a few weeks ago when I was searching for an elevated version of cholent, the traditional Shabbat stew. Their version, which is served with duck, has a really pleasing creamy texture from the schmaltz.

In addition to the cholent, we had the challah with chicken liver mousse, bbq salami, sticky charred carrots, crispy potato, schnitzel, beets, potato salad, spaetzle, and cheesecake for dessert. The photos capture some of it, but to be honest I was enjoying myself so much I forgot to take photos of everything 😅

The cholent was my personal highlight (again, it's why I wanted to visit this restaurant in the first place), but everything was excellent across the board. The chicken liver mousse and the fermented plum sauce on the schnitzel figure prominently in my memory.

I also have nothing but praise for the staff, who were pleasant and attentive throughout our meal.

Lastly, I want to express my appreciation to the owner, Shauna Godfrey, for choosing to open such an unapologetically Ashkenazi restaurant. In Toronto, your options for Jewish restaurants are generally limited to the old institutions/delis or more modern Israeli-style places. Otherwise, restaurants that are "Jewish inspired" often only have a handful of pertinent items on the menu. For Maven to have an entire menu that reflects Ashkenazi culture, and moreover includes elevated versions of classic dishes, makes the restaurant something special...

Came here to celebrate my friend's birthday, unfortunately we were disappointed. We both got pickletinis after an uninspiring explanation of the rest of the drink menu. It was savoury and delicious. We had the challah buns with chicken liver mousse and hamachi crudo to start. The mousse was great but the bun tasted store bought. We end up waiting an entire hour until shishito peppers and duck confit came out. I can understand if it was a busy time but this was 9:45pm and we were one of the last tables left. Our waiter didn't come to check on us so I had to follow up on when our dishes would be arriving. I will say that the duck was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside and the flavours were well balanced. Lastly we had the peach trifle, described as "almond olive oil cake, peach, creme fraiche, poppyseed". The whole dish just tasted like lemons and cream, it was really sour. When I kindly told the waiter when she asked how the dish was. She responded with "I'll make note of that". My friend also mentioned that she couldn't taste the almond olive oil in the cake she replied with "Well, that's just what the cake is made of. Not what it tastes like". Is the menu not describing flavour profiles? Otherwise you might as well put sugar and eggs in the...