The Local — Restaurant in Toronto

I came here on a Wednesday night to support a local artist’s show. While the quaint size and overall decor was stimulating to me, that’s where my excitement ended at The Local.

Darren the bartender made it clear that he doesn’t want to serve black people at his bar. Being the only person of color at the establishment, I waited a lengthy time to even be greeted and when it was time for me to order he made me repeat myself and mocked that I was ordering chicken wings. I asked what red wines he had, he threw all 8 bottles of wine on the bar and said “here they are”. Shocked that I left a tip, he nodded and continued his conversations with the many guests at the bar. Why else would he single me out and speak to me in such a way? I did nothing wrong.

When people treat you badly over the color of your skin, they don’t remember that many people feel the same way they do. Instead of it being one bad racial encounter for the day, it’s 10. People love to remind you why you’re hated in the world. All because I am black and perceived in such a way by society? It’s a lot to bear and it’s so hurtful.

A gentleman next to me felt bad at my wait time and how I was being treated. He began a conversation with me to ease the tension.

Everyone at the bar was asked if they wanted refills, I was sternly avoided.

I left the United States to avoid racism, and The Local was a rude awakening that racism is everywhere. Alive and well. I haven’t felt so bad at a Canadian establishment in my life. While it was a great show, i will never be back at The Local again and if you’re compassionate and care about where your dollar goes, you would skip this racist...

Came to the Local Pub to see a friend of mine perform a set. His performance was fantastic, and I did love the ambience of the place, but the food and customer service were terrible! I ordered a very simple dish, steamed edamame (Japanese-style soy beans, served salted). All you do is stick some frozen edamame in the microwave, not difficult - so why did it take ages and ages to be made? Meanwhile, other customers were getting their fancy dinners served before my order. And when my edamame finally did arrive, half the beans were still semi-frozen! Unbelievable. I brought this to the attention of the staff. Weirdly, they acted like I was the one who was somehow being annoying and unreasonable. No explanations, no apologies - they accepted it back emotionlessly, and asked what I wanted them to do with it (??). I thought for sure the chef at least would be quite shocked and apologetic about their mistake, maybe steam me up a brand new batch for me, maybe add in a little extra something to make up for it... But no - the server just brought me back the remaining beans, re-microwaved, and not only that, it took them ages (again!) to bring me back the re-heated beans. No apologies either, of course. Needless to say, I will be warning everyone I know to stay away from this place, and will never be returning - even if my friend performs there again in...

This was our 3rd or 4th choice based on how busy the surrounding restaurants were. The restaurant was very busy and had bluegrass playing. It was nice, but somewhat loud, considering the time of day. I am not deducting rating points for this. What was ok was everything else. Server wasnt seen for portions of our meal. The menu is small and has incorrect pricing. It is higher than posted (not much, but enough). Considering the size of the menu, you would think substitutions were possible. There were no substitutions allowed on any meals. Again, not deducting a ton of points for this, but I fail to see the difficulty in charging me more for a plate of sweet potato fries vs. regular fries. Food was bland. Hummus platter is not worth the price. Burger was ok, but was a little overcooked. Fries were good and beer tasted fresh. Overall, there are tons of places in the surrounding area to check out. I'd check those out before...