Roses New York downtown — Restaurant in Toronto

Roses New York is a chain restaurant and lounge located in the downtown Fort York area. They operate from Wednesdays to Sundays between 9 am and 3 pm for brunch. However, based on both first-hand experience and previous reviews, it appears that you should avoid coming here for the rude service and experience.

During our visit, we had a group of six that decided to try Roses due to busy brunch places nearby around 1:15 pm. Unfortunately, the service proved to be highly unsatisfactory, and the food itself was lacklustre. We found ourselves subject to sluggish service from the kitchen and inattentive staff members who neglected to refill their water glasses or provide updates on the progress of their orders. To our dismay, midway through the wait, we were informed that groups of six or more are automatically charged an 18% gratuity but were not notified at the entrance. When we inquired about the status of their food, one staff member responded sarcastically, stating that "the food is cooking," failing to provide any genuine assistance nor offering to check up on the status. We had observed two other tables being served a total of five dishes after our order had been placed. The staff member attributed this discrepancy to one of the tables placing a to-go order but then deciding to dine in, claiming the customer was her boyfriend. Overall, we wait for over 30 minutes for our food, all while witnessing other tables receiving more attention.

Roses offered an array of brunch options ranging from classic egg breakfasts to benedicts, omelettes, pancakes, french toast, and waffles. The orders included 2 Eggs with Potatoes, Sausage and Toast, Roses Egg Plate, BLT Sandwich with an additional cost to substitute fries for salad, and a Cheeseburger with fries. The breakfast sausage had an unusual taste that deviated from the typical pork variety which our group thinks it was turkey, yet the staff failed to disclose this information. The Roses Egg Plate was brought to the table with two servings of potatoes and fries but no eggs, bacon, or sausages, which we requested for the kitchen to look into. The only aspect of their meals that was commendable was the quality of the potatoes/fries. The coffee, as noted in previous reviews, was stated to be in limited supply and was not offered with bottomless refills. The lack of attention to detail and customer service courtesy by the staff further added to the disappointing experience.

The interior of Roses New York accommodates approximately 40 to 50 seats, while the outside area can accommodate around 20 to 30 patrons. The ambiance and interior design were quite nice. It is worth mentioning that the restaurant tends to be quite busy during nighttime. However, based on the bad brunch experience described, it would be advisable to avoid visiting Roses for brunch altogether, as it was ruined by rude and inefficient service. The entire "brunch" ordeal lasted just under two hours, with the majority of the time spent waiting for food due to the slow kitchen and service.

Regarding payment, Roses New York accepts credit cards. However, during this visit, the junior staff member requested assistance from the patrons in distributing the split receipts since she was unsure which bill corresponded to each individual. If they want to fix future experiences, first start with improving staff customer service skills and turnaround time in the kitchen. Overall, we would avoid coming back to this establishment as it left us with a very...

This place is genuinely ran by very terrible people. Who have no respect For the public and their neighbours. Management and owners have been advised and told that members of their staff are partying all hours of the night blasting music at 3, 4, 5 o’clock in the morning, bartenders belligerent, passed out behind the bar. There has even been police called to this location because of violations to the AGGO by- law standards, The city of Toronto- 311 has been called to this location habitually because of infractions. Please be respectful to your neighbours and the people who live around you because, if you don’t have respect and courtesy for people in your community, I’m sure there is no respect for sanitary, dietary, and hygienic awareness. I wish I could give a zero out of five because the bar is genuinely set at zero.

Now let’s get into the food. It’s very basic and mediocre in taste. They use a certain seasoning, but they put it in like every single thing including the bread and it’s just really offputting . I’ve ordered from here a couple times before the incident described above and I feel it’s overpriced for what you get. They have some kind of promotion for breakfast, my neighbours let me know that that’s false advertising because they only charge you 699 for a coffee and piece of bread or something like that. You’ll be spending closer to 30 without tip. This place isn’t anything special- tbh I prefer a McDonald’s take out breakfast any day over this place. The pizzas mediocre, burgers again, very seasoned with some sort of spice that they use and everything that I’ve tasted thus far and it’s not a very nice taste. This establishment isn’t a place I would ever say to friends that are new in the neighbourhood to visit; especially after having to deal with the nonsense of what was described earlier for close to a year. There’s a really cool brunch place just a few steps away called “the morning after”… this place in comparison taste wise with food and presentation isn’t even in the same category. They are phenomenal there and the...

Mohammad makes Roses, Mohammad is roses. It’s rare in life to meet somebody you genuinely like, respect and would go above and beyond for within two minutes of meeting them… until you meet Mohammad. His awareness is incredible—making everyone feel at home with his kindness, his attentiveness with drinks, food, additional tables, water bowl for dogs, kind gestures, and being just lively and kind. He’s a great guy and makes Roses truly special. Roses has always done a great job with hiring efficient and lovely staff but this man deserves all the praise. In all honesty, I met him a year ago and promised him a review then… we went again tonight and I’m glad I didn’t write the review last year as he wowed us again and I can conjure up something even better. My parents owned a restaurant on Church and Front and they would have killed for someone like him… cherish this man.

Food and drinks were incredible. Mohammad made the Caesers and they were absolutely godly with hot sauce and horseradish (the most important ingredient). The pizza was out of this planet good… literally some of the best I’ve ever had. Deep dish/New York style…wow. I was here last year and it was much, much different to say the least. Kudos to the chef! It was incredible, filling, and everything was excellent value.

To the owners— the ambiance, the outside decor, and flowers are great but the outside could use a sand and a stain. Maybe consider adding speakers outside or something else to make it more inviting. We live, literally, across the street and we’ve never once had a bad time here. In my humble opinion there is still untapped potential for the outside in the summer which may lead to busier winters. You have incredible staff and delicious food, the only missing piece is the attention to th...