Against the Grain Urban Tavern

2^nd time here, and this time, it’s for Winterlicious Lunch!
So this review is strictly about the Winterlicious Menu…
Came here today at 11:45AM, just in time before busy lunch hours. Place is spacious, clean, and nice as always.
For $ 18, here’s what I picked from the Winterlicious menu:
Appetizer: Tequila & Roasted Chicken Soup — was disappointed at the lack of chicken in the soup. Too salty for my taste. Wasn’t so good. Tip: Don’t get this. Get the tater tots or chicken tacos instead.
Main course: Cast-​Iron Meatballs — this one’s a good choice, as I find the meatballs are big and very tasty. Quite filling. But it felt like I am missing some pasta or something. I guess I’m not used to just eating meatballs only. Could’ve been nice if it came with something else.
Dessert: Angel Food Cake — funny how it might be the best choice I’ve made in the menu, which is messed up, as it is the dessert, but I love the Angel Food Cake, it’s rich, and fresh. Just perfect!

Had the spaghetti carbonara today. Flavour was good, very nice dish, but portion was a bit small for dinner. Would have been nice if it came with some bread. People at my table who ordered fish tacos were impressed by them.
Food came out a bit slow, but worth the wait.

Have you ever been to the bar before? A place where there’s tv’s, a bar, good food, some seats, some benches, and if you’re lucky a good vibe? Well, that’s not this place. This place is better, and a Tavern! A restaurant with spirits, beer, wine, great food, good staff and a very nice comfortable vibe. Unfortunately the two times I’ve dined here with my wife have been in the colder months of the year (Feb and Oct 2015). It appears they have a great outdoor patio, I’m thinking I’ll come in the Spring and have a nice party sized party on what I like to call the party patio! This place seems ideal for a double date, a family outing whether it’s with little ones or not, or a fun Friday or Saturday night out. You’d think this place was part of a chain. Maybe it should be. Between the décor, the food, the beer and the atmosphere this place is spot on. My only only small wee little complaint, was that my wife and I both felt our turkey and veggie burgers (respectively) were a bit dry. Otherwise, the food is friggin the cats bomb!

Came here for lunch the other day with some friends and we were all very happy.
Although it is a little bit on the expensive side, I thought everything was great. I had a pork rind caesar to drink. Our table shared the nachos with chicken and they were really good. My main was the ATG burger which was juicy and delicious.
I will definitely be back.

Love the food but not the service. Their flatbreads are awesome! It’s close to my work place so that’s a plus.
Only thing is that the waiter keep mixing up our orders and some people are not getting what they ordered. Food is great though!

It’s a little disappointibg with a name like ‘against the grain’ food’s not that great! We had over priced Fish n Chips which was not impressive nor tasty. Good they do serve some local beer. Service was friendly. But it needs more love on food and re-​adjust price. There are other places around the same area with much better deals with yummy food.

It was ok, but really not blown away by service/​restaurant experience. I would give 2 stars, but I do think the food was prepared well and presented beautifully so I’ll give an extra star for the food alone.
As a restaurant chain focused on guest service (nowadays, who isn’t?) I expected a lot more from ATG Leaside — I’ve been once before and service and atmosphere was fantastic, but this time I was underwhelmed.
Our server seemed to just be there to «do his job» and follow very basic training — as in being there to greet us within the first couple minutes of arrival, getting us to try a sample first before committing to a beer, but then showed no attention to when our guests showed up 5 minutes later — did not come over to greet them, or even to take our actual drink order, for 10 minutes. I had to flag him down — I just wanted to have a beer! I also had to flag him down again to get a food order in because we were starving. We did come in around 8pm, so I understand that it’s not typically «dinner» time, but if he got to know us and ask us questions about why we were there (as a good server should do) he would have known we were there for dinner, actually to celebrate my birthday, which I would expect such a customer-​driven environment to be attentive and aware about.
In terms of the restaurant itself, I think the beer list was poorly displayed on the ground floor at least (which is where we were) unless I missed a chalkboard, but it seemed there were only 2 chalkboards to the right of the bar that had the draught list — sitting on the other side, you had to get up to see what was on tap — I could only see one chalkboard of the two. I understand the rotating taps change too often to put in a menu every time, but some more signage (or again, a more attentive server) would solve this issue.
Honestly, in an industry that is so cut throat to attract and maintain a customer base, I am disappointed with what ATG brought to the plate. There are so, so many restaurants in Toronto — with all the competition, I’d think ATG would be on top of their game with fantastic service, restaurant atmosphere, and comparable prices. Although the food was good, it was a little on the pricey side of the spectrum. I don’t think that we would go here again, especially over Local up the street which has the same vibe but a much better atmosphere and service level.

Disappointing food and service. Server disappeared after ordering food. I ate half my meal with no water and no beer. I had to go to the bar and grabbed my own decanter refill of water.
Food was very substandard. Burger dry and overlooked. Fish and chips clearly fried in old oil. Oysters were not fresh.
Place was not busy. Thankfully another server had to step in and save what was left of this miserable experience.

Against the Grain Urban Tavern at Leaside offers a great dining environment. I was here with a couple of friends and we love the modern/​rustic décor and the friendly atmosphere. The service was excellent and our wait staff was very attentive.
Food:
The beer and wine selections are great. Wines on tap or $ 5 per pint of beer all day? That’s a deal. But the food was only so-​so. I ordered a Turkey Burger with bacon jam, arugula, brie, crispy onions with fries on the side. The burger itself was very very bland. There wasn’t enough jam and brie to spread over the small patty to bring out the sweet flavour. The fries were also quite soggy.
We brought cupckaes to celebrate a friend’s birthday and no extra charge for the outside food.
I think I’ll head over for brunch sometimes and enjoy a nice beer in the patio. It certainly has potential if the quality of the food was better.

Server Jacqueline was awesome! 5 stars for her! My Tavern Burger was okay… 3 stars — was a little dry, flavour was mediocre, side of fries 3.5 stars — a tad on the overcooked and mushy side… Atmosphere 4 stars, price 3.5 stars… Will come back to give this place another try in a couple weeks, but undecided on whether it will be a regular restaurant of mine…

Good food, good service – we were in for brunch and our meals came promptly and our waitress was attentive without being overwhelming. The food was good but not amazing, and the portions were large enough that I actually packed up some of my brunch to eat later. If you’re in the area, it’s a safe place for a good meal.

Great patio! Good service too. Came here with a big group and everything went smoothly.
I ordered the veggie burger with half salad half fries as the side. Veggie burger wasn’t good at all — there was too much bun and it was a bit dry, and the veggie patty itself was kind of bland. I ended up removing the top bun part and cutting up the pickle to eat on top of the half-​burger. That gave it a bit more flavour.
However, the sides are a totally different story. The caesar salad was amazing. Fresh, with parmesan shavings and pork bits. Fries were really tasty too.

Excellent beer and just ok food. I would happily go back because I love a good beer list, but I am not terribly enthusiastic about the food.
I thought the service was fine. I think the outfits they make the girls wear are kind of ridiculous. I am happy enough with anyone who brings me a beer, I don’t need them to do it in a miniskirt.

I am surprised I haven’t written a review for this restaurant yet as I have dined here numerous times.
Firstly, I really like the beer flights option you can choose 6oz or 9oz I believe. Correct me if I’m wrong but it’s a nice change to have a taste of a couple of beers. My favorite is the Leffe Blonde and they change up the beers every so often.
My food favorites are the flatbreads! Delicious and a good portion for sharing as well! The best flatbread is the mushroom one! Or maybe I especially love mushrooms! I have tried their poutine as well however it is not rave worthy. But they have a good variety and vegetarian options as well. Their menu is well rounded and they have a kids menu too so it is pretty accommodating.
The service is also very friendly and they will accommodate you as best as they can. I do recommend making reservations on weekends as they seem pretty busy.
I enjoy coming to this place for its good atmosphere and friendly people. Of course, a good beer selection and food is a definite plus! I will be back!

Very very average. Great décor, nice patio but the food sucks.
Got the fish tacos and they were awful. Especially for $ 5 a pop. Service was lacklustre and I definitely won’t return.
Great patio for the summer but seriously, if the food sucks, why would you come?

Had hesitation to come to this place with a group due to mixed reviews here and the fear from some of our party that this was a trying to be trendy place that is really going to be a flash in the pan. Was pleasantly surprised as expectations were greatly exceeded. Our food was delicious (we had the 3 little pigs flatbread and the lemon sea salt wings), and the service was excellent. Also found the décor and environment wonderfully modern and attractive (but you can certainly wear casual clothes here). Parking is easy because it is in a mixed commercial shopping plaza/​center.

A party of 5 descended upon the restaurant one breezy, very cool summer evening.
My first impression, great heated patio on the lower floor as well as on the second floor. Instead of the usual heat shades they utilized open concept gas fireplaces. The interiors utilized a lot of wood in the décor, giving it a very cottage tavern feeling. It reminded me of a more brighter Joeys/​Moxies/​Milestones without the lounge atmosphere that most are accustomed to.
We had the rack of ribs, a chicken caesar salad, steaks one striploin and one filet mignon, and a «chop and pop» salad.
Food surprisingly took awhile to arrive, despite the restaurant not being overly busy for a Friday evening. We had to remind our server past the 30 minutes mark since placing our order that we had not received anything yet. He apologized for the delay and as well as the manager came along and passed us his sympathies. He indicated it would be exactly one minute from now that we would receive our food. That minute however, became another 5 minutes. A total of 35 minutes from placing our order the food being served…
Ribs were very saucy with plenty of BBQ sauce on top, but flavorful and smoky. Just the way I like it. The beans came with a bit of pull pork, very delicious. Where it fails is the sad attempt at coleslaw. It was very bland and not memorable, it was hardly pickled and it consisted of what I think was salad dressing over diced carrot strips?
As for the steaks, the striploin came medium well when it was asked for medium rare. We had to send it back. It would be another 10 minutes before we received a properly cooked striploin. My friend was a bit upset as he was very hungry, and he had to wait even longer now for his food.
The filet mignon however was cooked perfectly rare as it was asked. The chicken in the Caesar salad was dry and disappointing. For the $ 5 extra we expected better. The salad by itself was great though, but it would be very hard to screw up a Caesar. Lastly, the «pop and chop» salad while interesting on paper, was stale in its ingredients. Particularly the popcorn that was used as well as the smoked salmon. My friend who ordered it was not impressed.
On a personal side, their scotch whisky selection was pretty good, and surprised me. They had a chance to impress me when I wanted to order a dram of The Highlander 12 year, had it still been in stock. Disappointed, I fell back to my usual Glenfiddich and picked out the 18 year instead.
Overall, a mix of positives and negatives prevents me from giving this place more than a satisfactory review. It would have been nice to receive a little bit more compensation in the form of a complimentary dessert or a 10% off for the long time it took for our food to arrive, and the improperly cooked steak. Things that mind you, we had brought to the restaurant’s attention.
I wouldn’t go out of my way to come back to this particular location, but I hear that they have another location down on Corus Quay with a fantastic patio that faces the lake. I may give Against The Grain another try if its convenient.

I came here on a weekday evening, expecting a nice meal but was pleasantly surprised by the range on the menu and the atmosphere.
They had a special summer menu, and we ordered the peach soup off of that. The peach soup was a bit too sweet for my liking as it was an appetizer though it was very unique. It was topped with some roasted peaches which was novel. We also ordered the fish tacos as an appetizer, and they were flavorful, with a mix of fruity — from mango and pineapple — and savoury and spicy.
For mains, we ordered the tagliatelle and the Nicoise salad. The salad was presented very delicately, with a range of ingredients. I particularly enjoyed the beets, which had been pickled with some sort of vinegar base. The boiled egg was a bit hard for my liking. The tagliatelle was served with pancetta, cheese, tomatoes, asparagus, and a poached egg. The serving looked quite large at first but once I started eating, I realized that it was quite generous. I got
some of it to go. I thought the tagliatelle was seasoned delicately and not too salty, though it was a little bit on the oily side.
We ended off the meal with the raspberry bread pudding, which was delicious. It was bathed in caramel sauce and topped with vanilla ice cream. It was crisp and buttery around the edges and soft on the inside, and warm throughout.
The restaurant wasn’t too loud, and the atmosphere was relaxing. The staff were very helpful, friendly and courteous, and the manager checked in with us during the meal. Although this meal errs on the expensive, it was definitely worth the food and the experience. I look forward to returning to try out some of the other items on their menu.

Very different menu offerings.
I passed this place on a sunny Thursday afternoon and based on the ambiance of the patio alone, I thought «I have to try this place out!». Therefore, the next day a friend suggested after work drinks and I thought «woohoo! I know just the place!».
The patio lived up to its first impression. Comfortable chairs and the music at a decent volume that you can actually have a conversation. There is a bar both inside the restaurant and on the patio itself.
The menu is not your average pub fair. It offers a wide array of dishes that you wouldn’t find on other menus. Their accompanying drink menu requires its own table of contents. I ordered a ‘Tommy’s Margarita’ which they describe as a margarita that is sweetened by Agave nectar made especially for Tommy who was a diabetic. It was delicious and had just the perfect amount of sweetness.
For a food partner, I initially ordered the mushroom flatbread not quite sure what to expect (flatbread = pizza, don’t ask me why I couldn’t remember that!). The flatbread comes overflowing with toppings, it had about 5 – 6 layers of mushrooms and drizzled with a delicious balsamic vinaigrette.
Still hungry (and really, my friend didn’t get much of the flat bread), we continued our food journey by ordering their beet salad. Which comes with four chunks of two different types of beets (I particularly liked the light pink one) and four chunks of zucchini (which I wasn’t as fond of) drizzled with delicious dressings.
Price point is on the high side: approx. 14 for a drink; 16 for an app. But the atmosphere is inviting. They don’t rush you out and the portions are a fairly reasonable size. I would definitely return in the future if I’m looking for a place to relax on a patio with a drink.

Went in for lunch with no expectations, but was glad that I decided to dine here. This location is the second Against the Grain in the city in the new Leaside Village complex. The philosophy is to use local ingredients in their recipes — not a really original concept these days, but it’s still great to see restaurants supporting our community.
As mentioned by other Unilocal’ers, their patios are great when meeting up with friends during the summer months. The décor inside is really nice as well. Everything looks, well, n e w ! It’s a very casual atmosphere with what seems to be locals coming in for lunch. Pricing is a little expensive so I wouldn’t recommend coming here everyday; however, there are also daily specials, which might be friendly to the wallet.
I had the following for lunch:
— Kale and Citrus Salad + Shrimp Add-​on (very light and great for a humid day)
— Gluten Free PB Brownie Cheesecake (I have gluten tolerance, but love PB so decided to order it; I would recommend that you share it like I did as it is so H E A V Y)
The drink menu is very extensive; I was very impressed with all the beers they had on tap!
The only downside (and this could be due to the staff being new) was the service; our server was quite slow, but besides that, I’m a fan of this place.
Good for: drinks, lunch, dinner, casual dining, patio