Fare Bistro

I have been twice and the food is excellent. For a place with good ambience and service (polite and non-​intrusive), the prices are fine. Very nice for a date night and clean. Try the duck!

Steak frites are great, as is the wine. The service was a bit slow for a less than busy Saturday night but altogether an enjoyable experience.

Enjoyed the duck confit poutine and chicken entrée. The food quality, taste, and portion met my expectations for a 3 $ restaurant.
Though it leans on the more heavily seasoned side.
For this quality of meal, I expected better service. Our water glasses were consistently left empty. Once, okay, but all throughout the meal?
I would try this place once and go back depending on your personal experience.
Mine was not worth repeating.

Dinner with four of us on a Saturday evening (6PM) was simply amazing and this is a highly recommended spot that we’ll all be returning to.
We brought our own bottle of red ($ 20 uncorking fee) and started with foie gros, salads, and an onion soup to die for. I’m not a foie gros fan but this was amazing. Great warm crusty bread with a very nice rustic flavour. Everything good so far. The entrees are small in number (I think seven on the menu that night?) but a great variety and I’d have wanted to try every one. Our party had the lamb shank, pork risotto, steak frites and the chicken, every one of which we agreed was simply amazing.
The lamb shank meat simply fell of the bone with a fork into a fantastic jus, and the pork and squash risotto was perfectly cooked and tasted out of this world good. The steak was perfectly done (medium) in a fantastic jus although the frites were just a touch on the salty side (if I ordered again I’d sub vegetables and the mashed potatoes). Finally, the chicken was the best I’ve ever tasted. Crispy skin, moist and bursting with flavour, with fantastic mashed potatoes and asparagus. I’ve had Jamie Kennedy’s chicken 18 – 19 years ago at his Palmerston restaurant that until Saturday hadn’t been surpassed for flavour until Saturday … this one did. Superb.
½ litre of a 2010 Syrah as well, the wine menu is small and quite nice (if a bit pricey). If you have a favourite bottle or two, bring them.
Oh, desserts! Two chocolate terrine and two lemon tarts. Amazing. Finished with teas and coffees.
Service was fantastic (Beata and the rest, p. s. The Magic Pony was the store I mentioned to the one staff), we were there three hours and the place only got to 2/​3rds full (I have no idea why!) although everyone was having an amazing time. Friendly, inviting décor with slightly dim lighting. Really good selection of eclectic but quiet music in background.
Highly recommended, I’m definitely going back next time in Toronto. 5 star good. Enjoy.

The first impression of Fare Bistro right when I walked in: darkness…
I guess it is good if you want to come here for a date? A romantic date with a candlelight that made you looks good, or can they even see you?
And for me that is not on a date… I can barely see my food as they just all looked brownish? greyish?
Fare Bistro is a French Bistro in Leslieville. Definitely recommend coming here for their Prix Fixe Menu for $ 32 Tue/​Wed/​Thu. Unfortunately, we were here on Saturday and we ended up sharing an appetizer and a dessert. The menu though really simple and short so making decision had been easy.
House Pâté ($ 8) — smooth and peppery, spread like peanut butter
Duck Confit ($ 26) — tender and juicy, with the nice crispy skin
Blackberry Gâteau ($ 8) — made in house, light and refreshing good
I would definitely be back to Fare Bistro especially for their Prix Fixe.
Service can be slow at times, but if you going on a date, don’t you wish the night will last forever?!

Okay so this was, after all, a HUGE misunderstanding. I am glad to say that this was NOT Fare Bistro’s fault at all. The concierge from my credit card company was entirely at fault. So they followed up with the restaurant on Tuesday because that’s when the message said they would be open. But then another voicemail indicated the restaurant would be closed for renovations and would not be open until today (May 26^th). The only good thing about this is that I did not have to do any calling or following-​up, my concierge had their own investigation team on my behalf.
Apparently on Friday, May 20^th, the restaurant called my concierge so that they could let me know that they would be closed etc… The restaurant did not have my number, but they had the concierge’s so to Fare Bistro’s credit, they called the 1 – 866 number and advised. But, the concierge did not call me. I felt so let down that my credit card could do this to me (and it’s one of those with the annual fee!!!) Can I Unilocal about a credit card???
All in all, I got credit towards my statements. I should have asked for more, but what could I have done? To conclude, I guess you can say that my concierge took my bf and I out to Gio Rana’s, as an apology… but still, a total let down. 3 stars for Fare Bistro for being accountable.

Food was excellent starting with the pâté and the escargot… It just made me want more and more. As an entrée had the risotto special which was executed beautifully. It is hard enough to ind a good risotto and this one was simply great. Can’t say I love the décor but the food and the wine (cannot remember the name but it was some mix with Grenache and we had to get two bottles as it was incredibly good) will definitely make me go back.

Ate here last night. Good east side spot. Awesome apps. Gourmet poutine and fois gras terrine were very good. Would have given 5 stars but the steak frites were just ok. Decent wine selection and great service & atmosphere. I would recommend it.

I don’t really do the fine dining thing. I’m not classy like that. I never really know how to act in those places, and always leave feeling ripped off, hungry and judged.
But holy shit. Fare is out of this world, intergalactically good. No judgment or pretension, just fantastic, appropriately priced, well-​prepared French food. My guy and I did the prix fixe and started with this totally stellar poutine (cured sausage, white cheddar curds, gravy, frites).
Mains were insane — I had trout with asparagus and roasted potatoes in a buttery, saucy mix. Guy had (in his own words) «heavenly roast chicken, ideal mashed potatoes, herbed jus and perfect tasting seasonal veg». Dessert was kick-​awesome — crème brûlée, chocolate terrine.
This place is highly recommended for dates, if you want to get some. And by some, I mean a really nice meal.