North Restaurant — Restaurant in Vaughan

• Update Review * (As of August 22, 2024)

Food: 1 Stars Service: 1 Stars Ambience: 1 Stars Value: 1 Stars Overall: 1 Stars

My recent visit to North Restaurant was deeply disappointing, leaving me unsure if I’ll return. As a long-time customer, I've noticed a significant decline in service and quality.

Upon arrival, the lack of enthusiasm from the staff was evident. Despite the restaurant not being busy, it took an unusually long time for our server to greet us, making us feel like an inconvenience.

One of the most frustrating aspects of our experience was the issue with our food order. I ordered Vaziri with no rice sub caesar salad but was charged the full price for the salad which usually never happens. To add to this, I ordered tahdig, a dish that traditionally comes with a stew. Instead, I was charged separately for a Gormeh Sabzi stew. This level of attention to detail is simply unacceptable. On top of that we ordered borani and it came out same time as our mains although it's an appetizer dish. The lamb shank was also overly salted and tough.

Communication issues further worsened our experience. The server’s limited understanding of English led to multiple misunderstandings and errors. In a service industry, clear communication is essential, and this was lacking.

The decline in service quality at North Restaurant is particularly disappointing because this used to be a place we looked forward to visiting. However, it’s clear that standards have slipped. The chicken kebab, which has always been a reliable choice, arrived undercooked. This was the final straw in what had already been a subpar dining experience.

I’m genuinely saddened by the decline of North Restaurant, as it once held a special place in my list of go-to spots. However, after this experience, I can't see myself returning any time soon. The slow and poor service, combined with the miscommunication and errors in our order, made for a deeply disappointing evening. I hope the management takes this feedback seriously, as the restaurant has the potential to be much better than what we experienced. Until there are noticeable improvements, I cannot recommend this place to others.

• Review * (As of July 9, 2023)

Food: 5 Stars Service: 4 Stars Ambience: 3 Stars Value: 4 Stars Overall: 4 Stars

Nestled in the vibrant heart of Toronto, North Restaurant stands out as a gem for anyone seeking a true taste of Iranian cuisine. This delightful establishment effortlessly marries traditional flavours with a contemporary twist, ensuring a dining experience that's both fresh and authentic.

One dish that never fails to impress me is the barley soup, Ash-e-jow. It’s so delightful that I’ve actually taken the time to learn how to make it at home! The kebabs here are consistently excellent, grilled to perfection every time. The Caesar salad is another highlight, always crisp and fresh. I must also mention the Borani Spinach with flatbread – it's wonderfully seasoned and utterly delicious

As a lover of Persian food, I’ve visited North Restaurant over a dozen times, and each visit has been a joy. Definitely one of my go-to orders is the Vaziri Kebab with Chicken leg skewer and the Koobideh skewer. Both usually very juicy and delicious.

I've also noticed, over the years, a marked improvement in the dining service. The newer staff members are more attentive, speak better English, and have a friendly, welcoming demeanour. This change, which might be due to a shift in ownership, has certainly enhanced the overall dining experience.

Whether you’re there for a special occasion or just to satisfy a craving for Iranian cuisine, North Restaurant is an excellent choice. The combination of superb food and improved service makes every visit memorable. I highly recommend North Restaurant for anyone looking to enjoy authentic Persian dishes in Toronto. Keep up the fantastic work, North!

xx...

THIS IS WORTH THE READ TRUST ME IF YOU CARE ABOUT WHERE YOUR MONEY GOES

I usually am a very generous person and have never left a negative review simply because I don’t have the time or energy to. However as an Irani and having this place be a regular location for my family over the years it’s absolutely abysmal how much of a decline North restaurant has taken.

I no longer live in Toronto so when I go back to visit my family this is where we go as it’s reminiscent. However last weekend when I went home to visit them we were met with distraught, disgust, and our pockets absolutely rinsed for what we received.

The atmosphere I will say is still very nice, nothing compares to how nice the building itself is. We were met with minimal service and one of our orders was forgotten, which is okay, I know mistakes happen as someone who’s worked in the food service industry but I also know how customers should be addressed when mistakes happen in the food industry. Instead of an apology and a simple “we will have one out immediately” we were told that they never received such an order leaving a little kid upset and hungry waiting for a plate of his own. However no one was particularly rude so the service gets 2 stars for showing our table, taking our orders and giving us our cheques.

Now onto the food. As an Irani who’s grown up on food close to one’s culture, I’ve always had a love for the food and have been very lenient with restaurants as long as the flavours are there! However, the chicken kebab that all iranis know is meant to be marinated in a mix of spices with saffron, was simply seasoned with salt, pepper, and turmeric so it looked like saffron. That may not be the full list of their seasonings however thats exactly how the chicken tasted, dry and like pepper. Now onto the koobideh, an absolute Persian classic, close to flavourless, quite beefy, lacking proper seasoning, same with the barg kebab, tough, unseasoned and extremely disappointing. If I wanted tough meat with salt and pepper I would’ve bought an instant meal from the dollar store.

Now rice! How the wonderful ways that us Persians make basmati rice, buttery with a nice topping of saffron. The rice was nothing special, clearly not fresh, the tadic was very hard to bite through almost plasticy and the “saffron” topping was clearly just turmeric, no smell or taste of saffron, disappointing really.

They’ve also drastically dropped their portions as it used to be about a quarter of the plate of rice, has now been depleted to about a quarter of what it was before.

Not to mention the INSANE price hike, for what it is, being regular food as it’s anything but Iranian food, it’s simply not worth 30-40$ a plate.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND DARBAND RESTAURANT INSTEAD!!! For the price you pay you’ll get a welcoming, authentic, and...

We chose to celebrate a milestone anniversary at this restaurant. IT WAS AN ABSOLUTE FAIL!!!!

Had to wait a few minutes before a greater appeared to seat us. I actually questioned myself as to what was happening because there were only 9 other people in the establishment.

Waitress/greeter came out from the back and just stared at us….I had to ask to be seated. Again I was wondering what was going on?!?

She gestured for us to take a seat “over there or over there” We had two choices, a table for 12 or a table for 4. We chose the table for 4. We had to walk ourselves over to the table and I questioned myself once again because she wasn’t clear. She just kinda pointed over… and to top it off the table was clearly not cleaned prior to us sitting — rice pieces and oily smears were present. Oh my!

We asked for 2 glasses of water to start which we never received. We asked several times for these glasses of water.

Our orders finally came, They had my partner’s order completely wrong after all the waiting. 😂 The waitress argued with my partner and then realized that an error had actually been made. She indeed apologized and told us to make it up she “will give us a tea at the end” on the house (what a joke) but we would still have to wait another 15 minutes to prepare the correct dish. What??????…..

…..So was she expecting one person to start and finish their meal while the other person watched until their dinner arrived???? Oh my! No satisfactory solution to turn the situation into a pleasant one.

This waitress had no idea how things work. She was very aloof; was more concerned about changing the music Table was dirty, meal was incorrect and we never did get those waters (in case you were wondering) . NO UNDERSTANDING OF CUSTOMER SERVICE. NO COMMON SENSE!

Won’t be back. Was a luxury restaurant at some point; I have actually visited in the past; now, the QUALITY AND SERVICE is more like a fast food joint. Very disappointed. This place lost its class.👎

Not upscale, but decor is still very nice! That was the only nice thing about this place.

You have been cautioned ⚠️ . I NO LONGER RECOMMEND! So sorry for the...