Honest Weight

We love this place… it’s a bit of a trek up to the Junction from our house, but we try to make the trip for weekend lunch every couple weeks. John has the freshest seafood and obviously knows his stuff. Love the chowder, steamed mussels/​clams, cured fish when they have it. Their bread and olive oil combo is seriously addictive. Also, their small but thoughtful drink selection is perfect… wines from Norman Hardie and other good picks.

Great, energetic and attentive service. Asked for advice on oysters and got helpful straight goods about pairing PEI with BC to get a nice contrast. The BC oysters were tremendous: big, fat, meaty things that my husband compared to mushrooms, with an earthy taste and a real weight in the mouth. The PEI were light, salty-​sweet and delicate. Neither needed any condiments. Fresh-​tasting, well-​chosen, satisfying.
We went simple: my husband had the BC black cod and I had a bowl of steamed mussels. Any fish choices came served over smashed, lightly salted fingerling potatoes and perfectly-​done rapini. The cod was buttery and had amazing subtle flavour. No sauce needed: salt and butter. Done. The mussels were as fat and meaty as the BC oysters, in a light lardon-​flavoured broth. A side of Ontario-​raised shrimp done in browned butter rounded out our order, and we were pleasantly full, not stuffed.
The crisp Norm Hardie «Honest white» (a blend of his amazing Calcaire with some others) and the beer from local breweries were great complements.
Really enjoyed. And wasn’t as expensive as we anticipated! Honest, indeed — no unnecessary frills, no pretending to be something it’s not. If you like fish, give it a shot.

Another great addition to the Junction! The chowder is out of this world — creamy, yet light full of plump pieces of mussels, shrimp and clams. I could have had two bowls of the stuff. For lunch, we also ordered 2 of their classics: the fish sandwich and the okonomoyaki. I thought the the fish sandwich was fresh and good, but not memorable. The okonomoyaki on the other hand was so good. I’ve had okonomoyaki in Japan, but this one might actually surpass all of my prior okonomoyaki experiences! A must try. The restaurant itself is small, warm and cozy. We went on a chilly but sunny fall day, and it was so nice to sit by the windows with the sunlight streaming. We will be back!

Location: on a main street so parking can be tricky. The outside is neutral in colour, you may miss it if your not familiar and driving by (we did).
Atmosphere: beautifully designed! A fresh feel of the sea with very sleek and clean décor. It has a modern twist to it but does not loose it’s ability to exude expertise in there fresh seafood. Beautiful hardwood floors, the inside décor is very detailed from the menu choices, to the vintage cutlery and unique footing of the table legs. Sea shells, and conch shells placed throughout as a little added touch. The space was cozy.
Service: extremely helpful. First time here and I felt very welcomed. They walked through their menu. (you order at the counter then sit down) very detailed in their description of each plate and took the time to explain just about all the options. They all sounded succulent.
Food: my partner had the scallops and muscles. Very flavourful with the bacon. He loved it ! The bread was delicious and helped to turn down the flavour which is what I liked. My plate was a fish of the day. A fish from B.C. It was cooked nicely. The seasonal vegetables that came with it were delicious and really well cooked.
They have in house made unique soda options for $ 3.
One option for dessert, but then again your here for the seafood not dessert.
Overall I gave it a 4 because I felt that it was a bit over priced. It is definitely a nice experience and a place to take a seafood lover for a special occasion.

Food was delicious and fresh. Just wished I was more familiar with the menu to order.

We had 10 people for my wife’s surprise birthday party on Saturday, August 1^st. John and the Honest Weight team totally blew it out of the water. Atmosphere, table settings, beer options, service and every course, including oysters, clam chowder, mussels, whole Ocean trout and curry shrimp, to name some of the highlights, exceeded all expectations. My wife is a tough one to impress and she’s still raving this morning. If your want the best and freshest seafood in Toronto, run don’t walk to Honest Weight!!!

We were looking for a new spot for seafood and some of the reviews from this place created a mirage in the middle of the asfault desert.
The place smelled so much like not fresh fish, but the beautiful and smiley girl attending in the counter made us trust in the quality of the products, so we ordered a couple of oysters, the Cajun shrimps, and the steamed shellfish.
The oysters from the West Coast were kind of fishy, and they just gave one topping (garlic with vinegar). The oysters from the East Coast felted fresher and we liked them better.
The shrimps were like 4, with 4 pieces of corn, and they weren’t fresh at all. It took me minutes to peel them just to loose pieces of valuable shrimp that couldn’t get separated from the shell… Buuu…
The bread they provided was really good and was the perfect complement for the shellfish, that I would say is the perfect tapa for having a cold one in this Summer times. It had cubes of bacon and the mussels were really meaty.
Nothing special but the bread and the shellfish.
We would go back just to ask where they buy their bread… And an awesome birdy told me it’s from Forno Cultura (609 King West).

I had take out from here, it’s relevant.
I called ahead, super nice people walked me through my options, I chose the fish sandwich and a haddock plate with veg. They timed it out so it was hot and ready (held off a minute before cooking it while I raced over). It seems very nice and cozy inside, like a ship but with a sweet leather bench.
They don’t do fish and chips, it struck me as odd, maybe because the fish is arguably ruined once deep fried, they’re serving very fresh high quality, still a little weird for such a staple. By no means does this affect their review.
I got back, the fish sandwich was delicious and a good size (~8″), good distribution of toppings to fish ratio, with a nice side of coleslaw but.$ 18, a little steep.
The fish plates’ presentation was ruined in the takeaway container and the portion, a little smaller than expected, it was… all right, poor value for $ 24.
TL;DR Reasonable to good food, cool people, nice atmosphere, $$$ for portions, don’t take away.

Always amazing, always fresh. We’ve been here for dinner and to shop the fish counter several times. Our first experience there we were helped by the owner who was really nice and gave us a little white wine so we could cook our mussels at home (we really need an LCBO in the Junction). They have an amazing server there who is always in a spectacular mood and very helpful. Great addition to the hood.

Quite expensive for the portion sizes but quite good and well executed as well.
The service staff is nice and the chief often comes to bring food and discuss about it with customers. The Canadian-​adapted okonomiyaki (less flour, less okonomiyaki sauce, less mayo, more onions, plus fried bacon and salmon) is interesting and surprisingly very good! Seafood is always perfectly cooked, melting and tasty.
As it is closed on Mondays, I guess the best days to go there are more Tuesdays and the following days for more/​maximum of choices for fish and seafood, rather than on Sundays.

We went on a Tuesday, and they were out of most of their fresh fish so options were limited. The owner/​server was super apologetic and friendly, and made recommendations for us. The clam chowder was super creamy (pretty much all cream, if you’re into that). The steamed seafood was amazing, especially with the bacon infused broth. They also have local beer from Junction Brewery down the road which paired decently with the seafood. The oysters were also fresh and reasonably priced. Would definitely go again.

Owner is extremely nice and helpful! We opted for the $ 50 grilled whole fish and it comes with deliciously potatoes and well seasoned green beans. It was an interesting shop as you can pick the exact fish you want and have it cooked for you. Food took a while to come, however, even though there are only three tables of diners.
If you are a fish and seafood lover you would enjoy this unpretentious, delightful restaurant.

Where do I start… The food was spectacular. So much butter. So much nomz. Simple, fresh food with great flavours. We went for the prawns (the highlight of the meal), squid on an addictive romesco sauce, the clams which I could have done without and the white fish that was seated to perfection. The juices and sodas are also a must try?
The service and ambience really made the lunch perfect. So lovely to chat with waiters and chefs who aren’t pretentious and just wanna give you a good time.
This place is a must try!

Quaint little seafood shop that sells both fresh and prepared seafood. We came here and tried the chowder ($ 9) and the okonomiyaki ($ 13), along with the complimentary bread.
The chowder was simply amazing. I was skeptical at first because $ 9 for a chowder is a bit much considering the portion size, but the generous amount of whole clams and mussels in the chowder changed my mind. The chowder is also very rich in flavour and not too heavy with cream.
The okonomiyaki was good too, but personally I can’t eat too much okonomiyaki without feeling a bit sick after, so splitting this with a friend was just perfect. There was chunks of fish in the okonomiyaki and a roll of smoked salmon on top, so if you’re not much of a shell fish lover I would recommend this dish.

How does a fish store keep things fresh? Serve what you sell of course! Other places also do this but it’s easier said than done. At worst it becomes an after thought and customers can tell right away. I’m glad to say that Honest Weight cooks the seafood right. I ordered both the clam chowder and the curried squid/​pineapple salad and both were very nice.
The chowder had a nice smoky taste to it from the bacon bits and the mussels and clams were plentiful. The bread is not their own as another reviewer wrote but ordered in and they choose a very nice place to do so. Credit to Honest Weight for not going cheap with the bread. Matched the soup nicely.
Squid was done just right, not rubbery but definitely not raw either. The dressing was a yoqourt/​tartar/​mayo blend of some kind, very nice. The grilled pineapples were nice and complimented the squid with a bit of citrus, a nice change from the typical slice of lemon.
Also bought some fish to take home to cook that same night and that turned out to be very good also.
So all in all, a very pleasant experience and I’m sure the Junction will be very happy that Honest Weight is the neighborhood as I’m sure word is going to spread as it seems to be getting quite a bit of buzz already in the media. I’ll definitely be back to pick up more fresh fish next time I’m in the area.

I stepped in here the other day without knowing much about it at all and was greeted by a completely unassuming and utterly mellow guy in a toque behind the counter. He walked me through the menu and I settled on the $ 20 pick yer fish option and was directed towards the Pickerel, something I had never had, as I am a seasoned West Coaster. To be honest, I wasn’t really expecting that much from a lake fish and my Pacific Ocean bias has always told that ocean fish was where it’s at. I am super happy to say that I was proved very wrong. The fish was presented to me perfectly pan fried atop a small pile of rapini, and flanked by pan seared fingerling potatoes drizzled with salsa verde. When I bit into the fish, the synapses in my brain were firing off saying 1) lake fish is insanely delicious and you were a fool to ever think otherwise and 2) don’t you ever doubt a mellow man in a toque again (because, you know, there are just so many out there). To round out my meal, I also requested 4 of their oyster varietals and a cherry soda. All were exceptional. I have dreamt of this meal every day since I left its doors and I vow to return soon.
PS — after I left, I found out that the man in the toque is the legendary restauranteur, John Bil (whom I once read a couple of awesome things about) My admiration for the man has exploded exponentially to fan-​girl levels knowing just how low key and rad of a guy he is in person.

Honestly the best clam chowder I have ever had. Also, the best Okonomiyaki I have ever tasted. And when I asked for eel? They gave me a delicious pickled eel. My god this is my new favourite place in town. Have already recommended it to many friends and I will continue to do so till I die.
Also quite a friendly staff working there.

What a delight…
I had some awesome clam chowder here on a cold, snowy day. I also had some of their freshly baked bread that was delicious. More than that, the service was excellent. It is clear that those who serve you here care a lot about fresh seafood and customer service. The place is first class all the way!
They have tables where you can sit and eat, as well as two separate cases-​one for shellfish and the other for fresh fish. Oysters are available for 2.50 each shucked and ready for your party, or if you want to tackle them yourself, they are 1.25 each. I mention this because I heard a rumour that the owner/​operator here won some big international oyster shucking competition. Big time stuff for The Junction!

Just shopped at Honest Weight. Bought Halibut, which was filet as I ordered. Super price. Same amount at regular supermarket costs quite higher.
BUT THE HIGHLIGHT of my visit was the smoked salmon in house cured. I know my smoked salmon — AND THIS IS the smoked salmon of smoked salmon. Absolutely fantastic! Will be a regular customer. Hope to have lunch there soon!

This amazing new combination fish monger/​restaurant/​wholesaler just opened up a block away from me. I am always on the lookout for fresh, sustainable and esoteric seafood options to keep dinners at home interesting.
On my first visit, I walked away with large bags of razor clams and cherrystones for the most reasonable price I think I’ve ever paid for seafood. The wonderful counter staff took the time to discuss every aspect of their day’s offerings with me, and I left with sincere excitement about what I would be cooking! Upon getting home, I noticed very little sand on the shells, every bivalve was already quite clean. Other than the regular prep one has to do with razor clams, everything only required a simple rinsing before being ready to cook.
All in all, Honest Weight has a simply stunning variety of fresh seafood offerings. Although I haven’t dined-​in yet, I’m certain that I will. Their menu looks so interesting (they’re one of the only places in town that serves okonomiyaki!)
I can’t wait to go back!