Bar Toto — Restaurant in New York

We have frequented Toto on and off for about 5 years - and really love the place.

The food, whilst being nothing ground breaking, tends to be solid and the drinks are … well, drinks.

However, it was all about the atmosphere. That said I have now been 3 times in the past 9 months and every time my server has been beyond disappointing (always the same person during the day). I know we are in a pandemic, but compare it to the outpouring of love at places like Pasta Louise and you can see that Toto is getting left behind in the service stakes. They are understaffed- like many, but it’s so bad we won’t return during the day. The wait for a drink is long and I felt like I was putting them out just for asking for a beer.

Also, whilst we are on the subject of the pandemic. We watched the server ask a table of ladies to shut the window of their ‘outside’ space as they had the heaters on in there. We (as I’m sure had they) had deliberately chosen that location so we could have some ventilation- otherwise I would have just sat inside. Really quite odd.

A big shame, but for now, I wouldn’t recommend it and will...

We have been here about ten times this past year and never once has service been fast like many other places nearby that serve similar food. Today we had the worst experience of all. We came in (me, 8 mo pregnant, husband, toddler) and around 1pm And the place was busy, but only had one server for the entire restaurant and bar. The server was kind but overwhelmed. Every table who came in after us got their food before us. Server did not have the bandwidth to even look at us once and check on our food until about an hour in. It took a total of 1 hour and 10 min to get our food, at which time we had already gotten up to leave and requested the food to go instead. It was just so awful too sitting right next to the entrance- even with the velvet curtains it was just cold as heck. We all had our winter coats on the entire time. We will not be coming back. With all that park slope has to offer we really cannot imagine dealing with this kind of experience again. It’s a pity because we do enjoy the food here. But the wait each time and the under staffing are both just so...

We were looking for a place to eat for my sister's birthday, so I suggested Bar Toto having seen their Instagram. I'm always reluctant to suggest a place, especially one I hadn't been to, because so much of the evening's enjoyment hinges on it. Well, it turned out to be an excellent choice! My entire family loved each of the dishes ordered. It's probably the first in a long time that we've gone out to eat where each and every one of us was happy with the food.

Bar Toto has a very pleasant welcoming vibe, and walking into the restaurant, the smell of the food was heavenly. The dining area was comfortable where you didn't feel like you're sitting atop each other, and we didn't feel rushed, so we were able to really enjoy our food. The desserts and coffee selections were yummy. The service was excellent, having achieved exactly the perfect balance between being friendly and attentive without being intrusive. We will definitely go...