Carmen

Gorgeous room, Nice vibes
food was kind of tasty but all kind of deep fried-​maybe our hostess should have sugggested we vary it up a bit… anyway Im dying to find a decent tapas place in Toronto.-like a real legit place-​this aint it but its not bad.

Expensive but a good experiance.
We came at 530pm on a sunday and was the first one there as it had just opened.
We ordered the Carmen paella right away as it takes 45min to make. It wasnt as good as I expect it to be for 50 $ a pop. It was bland for me and wasnt exciting. I could have made it at home tbh…
We tried both of the fish ceviche for 20 $
— it was good, very zesty. The flavours were very unique. loved the different kind of chips provided.
Kale salad
— it is exactly what it sounds like. Kale salad with pine nuts and ricotta. Nothing special or different but good nonetheless.
Breaded green tomatoes
— fav dish of the nighy, love the crispiness and the texture of it all.
pork tenderloin
— dont get! it was just a thick cut of dried pork. no flavour, did not enjoy at all.
squid with chorizo
— came out in a skewer, the best paet of it was the chorizo. the squid fell flat of expectation.
Churros for dessert
— wasnt as crispy as it should be, soggy and doughy.
All in all, would i return? no. Simply because it’s out of my budget and for the price, I expected the food to be awesome. Service was great, ambience nice. it cost 4 of us 330 $ after tax and 15% tip with a $ 65 bottle of wine and 3 cocktails.

Amazing food, incredible service! I would definitely go back.
The food was quite nice and unique. The service was exceptional. We tried couple of tapas and one paella. The server communicated really well at the beginning that paella takes longer to be ready so he asked us to order it first.
We had their cheesecake and chocolate tart for dessert. It was the best cheese cake I ever had.
Highly recommend it!

Wow! What a wonderful and delicious experience we just had at Carmen. Everyone was very nice but Diane was our server and she was very attentive and informative. We ordered 5 tapas for the 4 of us and each one was really delicious. I loved the croquettes, they were better than ones we had in Spain a year and a half ago. And the artichoke tapas were also wonderful. We had paella also and it was delicious. The flan for dessert was the best I’ve ever eaten. We had met Chef Luis earlier that day in their newly opened café next door to Carmen (really good sandwiches). He was so friendly that we decided to eat at the restaurant that night. A great decision. We are from California but we hope to be back again soon.

Feeling in the Christmas mood to catch up on my Unilocal reviews.. so why not start off with my most recent visit to carmen!
I’ve been wanting to come to this restaurant for while but unless you’re coming with a larger group, it’s hard to order their paella.
Nonetheless, reservations were made for 2 on Christmas eve eve… and I was still excited.
The interior is cozy and spacious. not what I expected looking from the outside or having been in other queen west restaurants. It definitely had a comforting Spanish feel. The tables ranged in sizes. some similar to longer communal tables for larger groups.
Knowing we were not going to get the paella tonight… we looked thru the tapas menu and started w. the ceviche and mussels. the ceviche came quick and accompanied by taro root and sweet potato chips. there was a bit of heat and a good amount of white fish with each bite. it was a promising start.
we waited a long time and still no mussels. I was hoping to let our server know but no one ever came to see how we were doing. by the time we got someone’s attention, we were pretty hungry only to find out that the mussels were out.
booo.
we ordered the shishito peppers and grilled shrimp… both which I thought were okay… but once again. the service had pretty much disappeared unless we waved down someone.
we decided to get the dulce de Leche cake w carmelized bananas on top. it was really tasty but I thought a little steep for $ 10 a slice.
With 2 a cocktail each, the bill came to $ 90. Based on the portion sizes, I felt that the meal was overpriced. I was disappointed by the service. and although the server was super nice, he lacked service and attentiveness.
I will come back. but for a larger gathering. hope for a better 2^nd experience.

Overall, my experience was alright. It was really crowded for dinner time and the servers rarely came to our table to check up on us and see if we needed anything. Our table had 9 people and it was hard to hear my friend, who was sitting across from me, even when he was raising his voice.
The food took about 45 minutes to come out. It was flavourful but not really worth the wait or money. We got two different paella where a quater of the rice were stuck on the bottom and on the sides. I also got the green tomato dish which was good but not great and also the salmon dish (I forget the name) which was much better and flavourful.
Overall experience was okay but I don’t think I’ll return.

So far the best Spanish food I’ve had in Toronto yet. We (2 girls) ordered the octopus skewers, patata bravas, quails, kale salad and also the Carmen paella. The amount of food is perfect for two people and the taste of all 5 dishes are all tasty! Very different flavours yet all very delicious. I would recommend all 5 dishes we ordered. Service very good but the waiting time is long when it’s not so busy in there. Liked it and will definitely come back.

Amazing food, great service and atmosphere. Went with a big group and every single one of us loved it. The farro paella was exceptional, ditto for the fried green tomatoes. Also tried the «Matador» and «Gypsy Manhattan» cocktails– both were delicious.

you have to check this out. the service is amazing and the food!!! make sure to order the
food right away!

Really great food. We went for dinner on a Sunday night at around 5:30 pm and it was surprisingly empty. We really enjoyed that.
The food was really great. The only problem I had with it was some of the items were really salty, the artichokes tasted amazing a first but the saltiness and the line flavour was too much for us to finish it
Overall our favourites were the Ceviche de pescado blanco, the Pintxo de pulpo, and the tomato verde Frito

Fantastic!!! Excellent service, delicious food and great atmosphere. I’m sad they don’t offer individual paellas but everything else is great.

Great food, good service and reasonably priced. Loved the ambiance and will be back.
Their Ceviche is amazing.

Pros:
+ Really tasty and quality food
+ very nice atmosphere
Cons:
— pricy, but worth the experience.
Ambiance (⁴⁄₅ stars):
Spacious but romantic ambiance. They dimmed the lights party way through the night.
Food (⁵⁄₅ stars):
5 of us had 7 starters (a few were recommended by the waiter, the rest were chosen by ours). They were all amazing. The shrimp was the most outstanding.
We also ordered 2 paellas, Carmen and Mediterranean. Both were outstanding.
We were completely full and satisfied by the end of the meal.
Service (⁵⁄₅ stars):
The waiter (who was spanish) suggested a few wines and the real Spanish food. He came over to ensure everything was good was not interrupting our conversation.
At the end he gave us sherry as desert on the house.
They do take reservations, paid parking on the street

We chose this place for my wife’s 33^rd bday. We were looking at many other places in town but decided on Carmen because we felt tapas was the most date compatible way to have dinner and enjoy each other’s company, especially since we had our little daughter, date nights have been on a slight hiatus as of late.
We reserved in advance (as I would recommend you do) and were initially seated at a table inside between two others which we weren’t terrible pleased with but were quickly moved to one in the little garden out back… Much better.
The food was a mix of classic Spanish tapas as well as the kitchens own twist on things.
The drink menu is interesting albeit a little pricey, but hey!
The food is well prepared, fresh and rife with flavour. Graze your way through the menu and most of all don’t be in a rush and do it with someone you like :)
It took us back to our vacation in Spain and made for a memorable night.

First time coming here for my friend’s bday dinner!!! service & food were certainly living up to standards & beyond!!!
It’s such an exceptional staff & chef!!!
You are all awesome !!! We will def come back !! Thank You

Came here with a large group of people (20+ people). The person who organized this dinner is good friends with the staff (including the chef), so we were treated really nicely. Appearance wise, the restaurant has a nice rustic feel to it and the patio out in the back is really relaxing. When it starts to get dark outside, the staff light up the tables with little mason jar candles and turn on hanging lights above.
For appetizers there were an assortment of olives, peppers, squidink bread, prosciutto, shrimp (which was delicious), potatoes, fried artichoke, white fish tacos (wrapped in a lettuce wrap — which was also delicious), friend green tomatoes, croqueta, tomato salad (amazingggg!), flying fish, and a potato-​cheese-​sausage concoction
For dinner we had the paella negra (which is black ink paella with grilled octopus — to die for!), paella del Carmen (which is shrimp, clams, mussels, scallops, chorizo, chicken and saffron paella — also delicious)
To drink I had the white sangria which was really good.
To sum up, I really enjoyed everything I tried and felt that all the dishes really complimented each other. The service we received was unbelievable and the chef’s personal attentiveness made the experience all that much better. I’d come here again!

Nice quaint place for Spanish tapas by Ossington and Queen. We came here for a date night and the ambiance was great for that. Now that I think about it, looking around the restaurant I saw lots of couples here as well so this can be recommended as a great restaurant for date nights!
The décor reminded me of places around Spain (trip I did a few years ago) and the menu had a wide variety of items to choose from. We ordered three tapas and a paella to share, and the portions were just right to hit the spot. My favourite cocktail is full moon, and the one here was spot on. I would come here even just for the drinks!

The best vegie paella that ever eat before! Green Paella with Brie Cheese spinach and broccoli.
The services is very friendly!!! And good looking guys in the bar and the service!
All the tapas that We try was amazing #pulpo #patatas bravas #tomatesverdes #ceviche #palomitas #croquetas #tartar #pezvolador was absolutely amazing and the desserts #rice pudding and #cremacatalana of #chocolate is the perfect combination for finish a excellent dinner!
The bar has a special charming from spain and a huge variety of wine!
The price is just for the food!
If you have a special condition or allergies they prepare the food gluten free, vegetarian or without nuts!
Carmen has all rhat you need to eat and share a perfect time in family with friend or a date!

Absolutely loved this place!
The food was so amazing! One of the best tapas places I have been to and i have been to a lot! Totally took me back to my vacation in Spain.
We were a group of six and all of us enjoyed the food. We had;
Patatas Bravas (superb), Pulpo a la Vinagreta (the best octopus ever!), Flying fish (so good… but so little!) and a Pork dish, the name of which I can not find.
We also ordered the Paella which takes ⁴⁵⁄₅₀ minutes to cook so they ask you to order in the beginning itself. We had the Paella del Carmen and it was superb, for the 6 of us I felt it was not enough but its the perfect quantity for 4 (with tapas).
The drinks however were not the best. The 6 of us each had different drinks and the best was a cocktail called Full Moon, the rest were average.
Will definitely go back for the food!

For those who never knew, Carmen is the same owner of Toritos tapas bar in Kensington, hence it is no surprise the quality of food plays a melody on your taste palate. A popular choice in the Trinity Bellwood area of TO, CARMEN serves out your traditional Spanish dishes ranging from various tapas to your choice of paellas!
First impression was the cute bar décor right by the entrance and its chic new age contemporary design from the portraits, boutique chandelier of bottles, to the huge mural on the wall. The service was excellent, and it was a nice surprise to see Carmen bringing the ‘Paella de Carmen’ to our table. :) lol
Paella de Carmen; mussels, clams, shrimps, scallops, chorizo, chicken and safron ⁵⁄₅!!! Segovia Restaurant, seems like you have competition in the city… this dish was a delight to my taste buds! Aromatic, robust and versatility of flavors left my foody partner and I speechless… lol. Plus to top it off the presentation was top notch!
In addition we both ordered the Primicia joven tempranillo to compliment the meal.
Dessert cookies with dulce de leche! Que rico! Wish they sold these babies in boxes to buy and take home :(3bite cookies with Dulce de leche filling. pure bliss! Like I just died and went to IBIZA!!!
I’ll be back pronto

I’m gonna give this place 3 stars so that it averages with my previous review. We are still at 3.5 stars.
I was really looking forward to trying the paella with rabbit and snails, a combination not commonly seen on menus. Is that probably why it was taken off? Not too popular I presume? A little too exotic? Ah well. The chef came to offer a variation with rabbit and also highly recommended the duck confit with dates option. We were sold on the duck.
I haven’t had paella in a long time. I remember there being a lot more rice and a lot less ingredients. It’s the opposite here. There wasn’t much rice, but there were plenty of beans, dates, various greens, and a large duck leg which we pulled apart and mixed into the rice. Boy, was that ever tasty. Flavours were so rich and hearty. I felt it was a tad on the greasy side but hey, extra goodness doesn’t hurt! The portion size was probably just right for two people.
I almost forgot the tapas appetizers. The stacked fried green tomatoes were my favourite. The fried artichokes were a bit sour to me but I enjoyed the combination of flavours. The grilled chillies with the tomato sauce weren’t bad, I just wish there were more for $ 10.
The service was reasonable. Water was regularly topped up. We were asked if everything was alright, if my DC wanted more wine, etc… Not overly enthusiastic service, but still okay.
There’s one thing I don’t understand. Why are the tables so small when you’re serving tapas? People who order several dishes can’t possibly fit them all on the tiny surface area, especially on the two person tables.
Again, I’ve had another lovely dinner outing with good food and great company. It was a 3 hour dinner date! Maybe we might even go on a second! :)