George

Great experience. Ordered 3 courses a la carte and it was still too much, so I don’t know if I could do a full tasting.
I wouldn’t call it avant-​garde, but definitely creative, interesting, and flavorful.

My boyfriend surprised me by bringing me here for my birthday dinner. This restaurant has always been on my to-​eat list and its one of the well known tasting-​menu restaurants in the six.
For tasting menu they offers the option for 5÷7÷10 courses and if you’re not a fan of chef blind tasting they do also have a la carte menu.
We settled for the 10 courses and they warned my bf this would be a 3 – 4 hrs dinner and no kidding it did took that long. Our dinner reservation were at 630 and we got out the restaurant briefly after 1030.
Ambiance — The restaurant itself feels very welcoming and we got seated in the comfy booth at the back of the restaurant (good job to the bf for special requesting it).
Food — most memorable dishes are: tuna wrapped in potato (it was delicious and cooked to perfection, crispy on the outside and soft in the inside. We were told this was a dish the chef won an award for it last year); poached lobster (the flavour was well-​balanced while you can still taste the tenderness and freshness in the meat). oh and of course the earl grey crème brûlée, its probably one of the best crème brûlée i ever had !!
Service — ¹⁰⁄₁₀. Every dish was well described to us. wine and water were filled frequently. the servers were all really friendly!
A side note: I had read couple other reviews saying there was a lack of hot food served. But this was not the case for us that night. We had several hot plates served.

I had heard a lot about George prior to going mostly that it was great but a bit stodgy… which could not be further from the truth. This place is spectacular!
From the time you arrive they are amazingly accommodating. We enjoyed a pre-​dinner cocktail on the stunning patio. We where then seated at a table near the front well away from the other customers. They seem to position people to give enough space to enjoy your food in a fairly intimate surrounding.
We chose the seven course tasting menu with full wine pairing. Here is a note… to our surprise the tastings are individual so my wife got a completely different serving of say foie gras course than I did… So by that rational you will have fourteen different tastes (presuming that you are sharing which is the best way to go) it also means fourteen different wine tastings…
To isolate one dish in particular would be too much for my lowly palette. The varieties of sensations (both with your eyes and nose as well) was overwhelming.
Don’t be fooled this is not for the faint of heart, cost-​wise but for a special occasion, such as my wife’s birthday it could not have been a better choice.
Thanks to Paul and all the staff for such an enjoyable evening… now all I have to do is save up and perhaps someday be able to go again

I was here NYE and definitely will say they couldn’t handle the amount of people coming in… Luckily we came early or I’d be sour as sh*t waiting 20 – 30 mins pass your reservation. I did see the manager offer those waiting a glass of champagne *thumbs up*. Next year limit the amount of reso, don’t be greedy.
Anyhoo I probably won’t come back cause the food and service was just OK.

One Of the best meals I have ever had. We got the 5 course tasting menu. It was ‘double sided’ which meant my wife and I got different items. They were also very accommodating to dietary restrictions. The ribeye I got was cooked and seasoned perfectly. The short rib with foie gras on top was great, albeit a bit undersalted. I also had a beet and tuna with avocado salad which was awesome. Service was top notch. What really was amazing was that each course was heavy on protein — yet I didn’t feel overly full like I would on that much meat in the us. Perhaps the cuts were better or the sauces were leaner. Either way it was awesome. Fancy but not pretentious.

First time with my hubby trying this highly acclaimed restaurant. We went for the 7 course tasting menu. If you are a big eater it might not be enough food, portion wise. But we were stuffed. Overall, we really enjoyed each dish. Between the 2 of us, we had 16 different dishes, dessert was served on 1 plate but have 4 variety. On the food, I was impressed and would definitely recommend this place. Ambience is quite nice but not outstanding. Service was not impressive. Our server came off quite aloof. Didn’t provide any info unless asked and even then, short answers. No one ever asked us if everything is ok. For a restaurant at this scale, I did not expect to experience service at this level.

I once again my boss taking a group of us to George. Some of the group didn’t experience the magic last year so he decided to repeat again as it received high praises last year. The challenge for this year was to enjoy a 10 course meal possibly with wine tasting.
When we arrived, they checked our coats in and swiftly showed us to our table. Like last year, our group was given the section under the gazebo. On the website, I wasn’t sure whether they offered wine pairing for a 10 course but now I know they do.
My colleague and I had been talking about them offering wine pairing for some of the courses. However, it took us a while to decide whether to accept the challenge of 10 pairings and that convinced others to join the journey.
The meal had around 3 seafood dishes, 4 meat dishes, a cheese dish and rounded out with 2 dessert plates. The dinner started at 630 pm and I didn’t get home until past midnight. The memorable dishes were the poached lobster, rabbit and earl grey crème brule. The braised pork was not the best out of all the dishes.
Definitely, the food is amazing and the experience is out of this world. The somelier was great explaining the wines and the reasons for the pairing. For the group, it seemed like they served two options unlike last year when they served 3 different meals.

Visited George recently for a cousin’s milestone birthday celebration. We all had the 7 course tasting menu with a few of us opting for the vegetarian option. Another of the attendees summed it up perfectly when comparing it to living through an episode of ‘top chef’. Where you could actually taste a variety of flavours never knowing what to expect.
The atmosphere is very upper class and would be ideal as a place to celebrate a special occasion. The interior décor is beautiful!
Prior to bringing out the first dish they make a point of checking for allergies and would ensure all dishes did not include those foods. However, for those with anaphylactic allergies, it’s only your plate they accommodate so your neighbours may very well have that item.
The food itself was delicious, the chefs work hard to find unusual combinations that complement one another and everything is made on site. A few items like their pumpkin cracker (?) or chocolate straw is delicious and has you craving more.
Tasting 1 – 4 leave you wanting more but after the main taste (5) we were starting to get full. Taste 6 and 7 are lighter, the cheese taste and dessert but still delicious. Servers/​chefs are fantastic about explaining every tasting plate and will answer questions indicating their knowledge of the dishes. When asked how certain allergies had been accommodated, they were able to tell us if an item had been left out or substituted.
Our only criticism was that there was a long wait between courses 1−2−3−4−5, leaving you in anticipation but also hungry. This is not the place to come if you are in a rush (which we weren’t).
This place is an experience and we all had a great time. Highly recommended!

This restaurant is a reminder that food can be emotional, even therapeutic. Going to George is like taking your pallet to a spa. It’s pricy but unforgettable.
First things first. There is an a la carte menu but that’s not why you go to George. You go for the chef tasting menu. We did 7 courses and added the wine pairing — our waiter was also a sommelier so that made things better.
Each course is a tapas sized plate, and not everyone at the table has the same course. There were three of us and each had a different item than the other at every single course.
I cannot repeat to you every dish but I can tell you that they included meats, seafood, vegetables, sauces, spices, cheeses, all flavoured that danced on my tongue. And the wines selected were outstanding.
Another small but crucial item is that the bartender knows what he is doing with cocktails. I recommend the Hendricks hurricane.
I could not recommend this restaurant any more. It is clear why this is considered to be one of the best, and possibly the best, restaurant in Toronto. It is expensive but worth it. What an experience.

Great food.
Beautiful back patio.
Timeless atmosphere and well decorated.
Very knowledgeable staff in regards to the menu and their wine list.
The price is justified.

We went to George for a birthday celebration. We opted for the 7-​course tasting menu. The food was quite good. The ingredients were top notched and fresh. There was a good variety of flavours and ingredients over the 7 courses. The food had great contrast of texture. The plating was beautiful. The compilation of some dishes was so complex that I had a hard time splitting a half out to share with my dining partner. The only pet peeve I had was that there were unreasonably long breaks between the second, the third, and the fourth courses. In all, I recommend the tasting menu if this is your first time at George, or the only time should you are visiting Toronto. I personally would opt for the regular menu on my next visit. This is because the tasting menu is quite expensive when compared to the regular menu. Further, 7 courses are too much food for me. The 5-​course tasting menu would have been sufficient.
Note for diners who are interested in the tasting menu: 7-​course tasting menu takes approximately 3 hours to finish. I was told the 10-​course one would take 4 hours. If you are interested in the bigger tasting menu, kindly allocate sufficient time when you make the reservation.

This place is great for accommodating all dietary restrictions and allergies. I tried the 5 course tasting menu and the server asked us upfront if we had any dietary restrictions and allergies, and managed to accommodate all of us.
The tasting menu comes with 5 surprise dishes, and everyone at the table receives a different dish. The chef manages to keep the surprises coming! We were impressed by every dish, and if you’d like, the variety in dishes also made it good for sharing.

Tried the 10 course tasting menu with the wine pairing. It was amazing. Too much food for a petite girl but the service and beyond what I expected. The staff were accomadationg and attentive.
For what we paid ($ 600 with tip) for 2 it was well worth it.

Elite level service, but that was expected. Had the 7 course and split the wine pairing. As the other reviewers mentioned the courses were different for the two of us, so we got to try 14 different courses. Many unique flavours, some fragrant flavours as well. They use alot of high end ingredients like foie gras. Overall we had a great experience here and it’s definitely worth it to at least once.

Food is beautiful and absolutely delicious. My husband and I had the 5 course tasting menu. The service was excellent and our server was so kind about my food allergies.
The food was delicious and most dishes were very intricate with some new flavour combinations, and some dishes with classic flavours. Overall food for this price was ⁴⁄₅ but based on the overall dining experience (how the timed our food, service, etc) and ambiance, I think it’s 4.5÷5.
Definitely a great place for a special occasion.

(10 course tasting menu) Food: 3.5 stars, Ambiance: 5 stars, Service: 5 stars.
I had mixed feelings about how to rate George because I so desperately wanted to love this place after seeing such raving reviews and from previous positive tasting menu experiences from other restaurants. I was expecting a terrific dinner experience which was exactly how it started off to be.
I came here for an anniversary dinner and I’d have to say the restaurant is absolutely gorgeous and has such a chic romantic aura. They were extremely accommodating when I had to change the reservation time and change the seating from patio to inside the restaurant. We got seated in a lovely booth at the back of the restaurant which was so cosy.
Food: You have the choice of trying the tasting menus (5, 7, 10 courses) or a la cart. But of course you have to go for the tasting so we opted for the full 10 course ($ 150pp). We were warned that it would take approximately 4 hours but we weren’t deterred because we wanted the full fledged experience and it actually only turned out to be around 3 hours in total (bonus!). Each course between the 2 of us was different so we basically got to try 20 different dishes which sounded pretty awesome right?
The problem and why 3.5 stars for food? Two reasons:
1) I did not feel the ‘omg this is SO FREAKEN GOOD’ exclamation mark that I expect to feel for a tasting menu at this price point. I’d have to say that each dish was so intricately prepared and beautifully presented but to talk purely on taste it lack a certain ‘wow’ factor. Don’t get me wrong — there were certainly dishes that we loved and thoroughly enjoyed (such as the foie gras, crab cake, and lamb) but that brings me to my second point.
2) I felt like they could incorporate more hot food in their courses and a larger portion for their main course. Very few courses had the steamy, just off the stove heat to it and of the few, they were somewhat lukewarm. Not a single soup or pasta or risotto (only asking for a small portion of hearty carbs here) in 20 different varieties? A bit surprised. I think they can definitely think about improving on increasing variety on the menu rather than just a variation of vegetables and meats for all the courses. Also, they had a really tasty main course of lamb and steak but they can increase the portions a bit. I would not consider myself as someone that could eat a lot but I was not completely full until after dessert and I expect to get the satisfied and full feeling BEFORE we get to dessert.
All in all, still 4 stars for George because they really had impeccable service and a gorgeous restaurant. I would recommend this place for special occasions as it was a really pleasurable experience but from the food perspective, I personally found some areas for improvement.

This is an amazing place for a romantic dinner. It’s quite pricey, but the service and the quality of the ingredients and creativity of the chef is really worth it.
I had the vegan discovery menu and was really blown away.
The wine and Champagne were very good.

My boyfriend took me to George for our anniversary dinner and it was an amazing experience. They had fancy décor and the service was excellent. We ordered the 7 course tasting menu. For every one of the 7 dishes, different waiters brought the food out for us and all of them were very courteous.
Our main waiter was also very attentive.
What I loved about the food was that each item placed on the plate had a different flavour to it — even the garnish (down to a tiny block of carrot!). Each item had a different taste and the plating was also very pretty. Very impressed! :)
DRINKS:
Champagne Taittinger
Dishes that stood out for me (all ⁵⁄₅ stars) were:
AMUSE-​BOUCHES
Eggplants with lentils and crispy duck skin
Bruschetta — Salmon & Asparagus
SEABASS with PISTACHIO & PEAS
The seabass was served as sashimi — delicious: D
STUFF TUNA TATAKI with ORGANIC VEGGIES
We had a hard time deciding whether the seabass or the tuna carpaccio was better. Couldn’t decide because both were amazing.
MARINATED OCTOPUS with VEGGIES
We were comparing this dish to the Spanish tapas bars we went to in Toronto, George beats them by far! :D
POTATO WRAPPED TUNA
The potato tasted like meat!
RABBIT MEAT with QUAIL EGG & FOIE GRAS
Very cute display — put together like a mini slider. I LOVED the foie gras :)
The chef gave us an extra foie gras as a special treat! (Thank you: D!)
RIB EYE with COUSCOUS
The meat was so tender — marinated very well!
CARAMEL CUSTARD with BANANA TEMPURA
The banana tempura was SO DELICIOUS! Wish they added more of this.
«Happy Anniversary» was written on both our dessert plates — a cute touch!

Had the 7 course tasting menu (anniversary dinner). First tasting menu I’ve had in Toronto. Food was great. The plating was pretty cool as well. And the portions were actually bigger than what I expected (especially for the main course). Service was good too.
The best thing about this place is that we got different plates, even though we each got the 7 course menu. So we got to try 14 dishes total (between 2 people).
2 complaints:
–We were there for 3hrs. There is a loooong break between most of the courses. Much too long. During the first 40min, I ended up eating a lot of bread between courses because I was getting hungry (and I rarely eat bread). I wish they could speed things up a little.
–One of the courses was a cheese course. Basically a slab of cheese, with some sauces. Wasn’t impressed with that at all. I mean I could recreate this dish at home. I’m coming here for something a little more creative.
But apart from the cheese dish, I really enjoyed the meal, and will definitely return.

On George’s website, they state:
«…the Chef does not use trans– fats, partially hydrogenated oils or butter sauces. Also very little cream with no cream reductions. Our plates consist of moderate amounts of protein with an emphasis on wild fish and meat from wherever possible, free grazing animals. Seasonal vegetables and fruits are selected… The kitchen makes everything from scratch including all breads and pastries. …»
That being said, my experience at George was a tad underwhelming. Here’s my experience with their 7 course tasting menu: ($ 130 per person)
What I loved:
1. The starter bread was delicious — we shamelessly finished off two baskets. The wait time in between dishes may have encouraged us to stuff our faces with carbs.
2. The dishes were intricately plated and every ingredient was fresh and complemented each other. My favourite was probably the beef cheeks and steelhead trout with roasted parsnip and pomegranate salad.
3. Our server was a sweetheart. He was knowledgeable about every item on the menu and made great suggestions on the cocktails based on the fact I liked fruity and tart drinks. He consistently came back to light our candle because for some reason it kept blowing out. He also has ninja skills when we went to the restrooms, he would rush over to fold our napkins.
4. Although we both ordered the 7-​course tasting menu, none of our dishes were the same. We had the opportunity to try out each other’s dishes, which was fantastic.
What needs improvement:
1. The meal took around four hours to complete. I felt that the breaks in between each dish was dragged out for too long. It shouldn’t take that long to prepare the food when everyone else who ordered the tasting menu had the same things serves to them. (ie. the table next to us)
2. Cramped seating — we were cramped up against a wall and the table next to us was so close I had to be wary not to knock things over on their table when I took washroom breaks. The whole time we had to listen to a conversation of new couple who MMM’d and gasped at every dish. I would prefer the private table next to the entrance next time.
3. Our server was taking care of too many tables to be attentive to everyone. My water glass was empty most of the time, and it was difficult to flag him down to get refilled.
4. The décor was very random, as the table next to us was complaining about. The chandeliers didn’t match the drapes and the wall décor felt oddly out of place. It was like they threw together random items from Kensington market and attempted a hipster look.
I’ve tried numerous tasting menus in Toronto, and I didn’t feel like this was a 5-​star experience. The food was good and the plating was gorgeous, but they need to work on the timing of each dish and the attentiveness to each table. Also, if you aren’t a fan of small portions, George isn’t the place for you if you’re looking to leave with a full belly.