PREQUEL & CO. APOTHECARY — Restaurant in Toronto

The staff and interior are the best part of this spot; food & cocktails read compelling but deliver little substance - definitely nothing special.

Tried two signature cocktails - they were fine but I can think of 3 establishments in walking distance that craft a finer final product. I asked for a spicy margarita (my fav) and was told theirs “is excellent”. It was not. My friend asked for a mocktail, and what came out (they don’t have a mocktail menu & patrons are at the mercy of the bartender working) was an uninspired version of an aperol cocktail.

Loved the idea of trying a caviar spoon as the price and portion were far more modest than full service. Spoons arrived & we got an exceptional education & big lead up… only to be let down by the overwhelming punch of chive/onion. It tasted like a schmear for a bagel at a casual brunch and totally assaulted our mouths altering the cocktail experience.

Cheese pastry balls were fried, warm & rich, but the portion felt too big though for 2 (for a ‘small plate’ there were at least 8 balls when one person probably only wants one or two). No complaints about the fried chicken; it was fine (but forgettable). We were most excited for the lobster roll but it was underwhelming - the meat wasn’t sweet & succulent and profile of the roll was too acidic and not enough richness. The beef tartare was the most well-composed dish of the evening, presented beautifully on two narrow toast ‘fingers’, with an exceptionally well-balanced mix of acidic, creamy, rich, smooth and briny bites. If you’re looking for something a bit different and slightly performative - the prohibition aspect is cute (but doesn’t save it from the overhyped and underwhelming food & drink) - this might be worth popping in for one drink and a small snack. Though any feelings of FOMO would be misplaced on this joint.

The crowed is a bit of a mixed bag; it seems like an ideal establishment to bring someone you don’t want your husband or wife to know you’re out with.

Several tables around us, including us, were told to wrap it up because new reservations are coming in. I can appreciate various seatings, though this felt like maybe the resto needs to reevaluate the timing they’re using as a benchmark, or do a better job setting expectations with patrons at the onset of their visit.

A minor detail; our server brought us the wrong bill. When the payment machine had a price nearly double, and that was the ACTUAL price of our bill, it really drove home that this spot ain’t it. If I’m not getting value, then I want something else in exchange - the most exquisitely crafted cocktail, or the most delicious selection of snacks with premium ingredients… or something. Prequel is just creative storytelling - over promising and...

I don’t usually write reviews but I believe things like this can help improve experiences overall. I am a big fan of Barchef so I’ve been looking forward to come to this new bar from the same management. Went here on a Thursday night and we were lucky to be seated without reservation. The entrance was very impressive, the inside was okay - the music can be better. It was rather busy for a Thursday night. I was excited to see Vieux Carrè on the menu so I ordered that, my friend ordered Lavender & Lemon.. drinks came after 10 minutes - the Vieux Carrè is a 10/10, perfectly balanced, even better than the many I had in New Orleans. The Lavender & Lemon was pretty and easy to drink. We then ordered a Crème brûlée which came after 10 minutes too, again 10/10. We were ready for the second round of drinks, so we ordered The Notes of Alchemist for me - it seemed playful and interesting and my friend ordered Apothecary 1036 as she wanted something smokey (we were told it will be on the smokey side). After what seemed like forever.. probably 30 min has passed and our drink still didn’t come and we couldn’t find our server, so we approached the first staff we saw (the manager?) and he helped us check on it. He later explained that the bar tab paper wasn’t there, somehow lost, and he apologised. He came back to us after 2 min and had our drinks, it seemed they really tried their best to make it quick. Unfortunately the last two drinks were disappointing. The Notes of the Alchemist smells really good, but the taste was surprisingly just too bitter and strong - it was very one sided, I expected some of layers of taste profile because the aroma was like that - needless to say, for the first time in my life I couldn’t finish a cocktail haha. The Apothecary 1036 on the other hand is just disappointing, the one we got wasn’t smokey and felt like champagne with a dash of lemon.. I hope it wasn’t because they rushed to make both drinks.

While I was finally having the first sips of my second drink that took forever, we were approached by another staff to say he will take our table in 30 min. It would’ve been nice if he was informed about the little mishap on our order. Needless to say, we were ready to leave at this stage. We do understand that this bar is new and still working on improving. I’m giving it a 3.5/5 and I’m looking forward to coming back in the next few months to see how the experience can improve.

If you do go, I believe you won’t ever go wrong with their...

Upon entering, you are greeted by their elegantly decorated apothecary themed lobby area. However, the "apothecary" experience ends there. As soon as you enter through the secret gate, you will be transferred to a very regular looking bar which is very dark and loud. I expected more sensory experience including scents, visuals and even music. The concept was great but it all ends as soon as you leave the lobby area. Music and decor were all so unfitting and it is unfortunate that they failed to deliver what they advertised this establishment as.

The manager couldn't get us a table although they had many empty tables. He directed us to a high table with no chairs claiming they have reservations coming. Which is totally understandable. While we were standing at a high table, more tables emptied and no new guests showed up. And finally another table left and he only then directed us to that exact table while the other tables stayed empty. We also called half an hour before our arrival to make sure they could accommodate us preferably at a table which the host seemed to be able to.

Also the entire time I was there, I had to yell at my friends because it was so loud. And to make things worse, they were playing gangster rap. I have nothing against that genre of music but it seemed so unfitting for a bar themed after apothecary.

The drinks were nothing spectacular, I would not bother coming back for them. They were absolutely below my expectations. Their food however, were incredible. A bit on the steep pricing side but definitely worth every bite. This was their only redeeming quality.

When we ordered food, our server just came by and dumped utensils by one side of the table in a manner that was very dismissive. Also she took our unfinished bottle of still water without even asking. She had also been very slow all night despite not having that many tables besides us.

To make things worse, their washrooms were absolutely disastrous.

After you are finished, you are supposed leave through the back exit which just looks like a normal emergency exit that transports you into a dirty back lot of a building. I really do not understand the point behind ending the experience in such an anti climatic way.

After having a such disappointing experience, it is safe to say I...