Hrvati Bar

Really hurts me to have update my review. I loved this place, food was always great, sure the service was sometimes slow, but it made up for it when we got the food to the table. I’ve been there number of times, but yesterday might have been my last. Go inside at opening and notice the food menu has shrank. The options now are the burger, the cevapi, and a veggie sandwich. Not overly bad because I usually either get the burger or the cevapi, even though I was thinking of actually trying something new this time.
Mentioning that to our server, she stated the place is now under new management, so they redid things. That had me a bit concerned. We ordered our food, it came, no longer on the neat wood platters, just on a normal plate. Not a huge issue it was just a neat presentation. Looking at the burger it looked different. The meat patty just looked like a regular burger, unlike it’s previous version which was 2 very thin patties that were cooked and then «glued» with cheese. Thinking the cheese was gone completely even though it was stated on the menu I kind of ripped into the patty to find it in there. So it looks like they just form the patty with the cheese and then cook. Either way not huge, just different. But then when I stared eating it just didn’t have the same flavour. Kind of bland. The fries although similar were really salty.
So since I don’t live near by or really come to the area that often, I’ll probably not be going back again, unless I hear things have improved.

You know, it’s rare that I take the time to write a review about a restaurant… either good or bad but this place deserved to be told.
Cevapi is an institution in Bosnia… Croatia…Serbia…etc. They elevate this simple, yet delicious food as much as we elevate burgers here in North America. Ask any of the locals and they’ll tell you Cevapi is an artform. Simple to make but very difficult to get it bang on.
There’s not a whole lot of places that serve Cevapi in this fine city of ours but at least those places are authentic, reasonably priced and tasty.
I was excited to hear about Hrvati bar… Rodney Bowers’ reputation is stellar. How could this go wrong I thought?
Visited last night and was excited. A few of us ordered the Cevapi, large portion @ $ 15. Comes with fries, kaymak and avjar. I thought ordering the large, I’d definitely have leftovers to take home. 8 pieces of cevapi is quite a lot. What did we get?
MAYBE half of a lepinje that was anything but fresh. C’mon Rodney… Lepinje is dirt cheap. I’m sure you can afford to give a whole piece of the stuff.
8 pieces of cevapi that were SO SMALL it was a joke. Basically, it’s 4 regular sized cevaps that have been cut in half to make 8. RIP OFF. And to boot, the cevaps were dry… waaaaaay too dry. Too overcooked and weren’t tasty at all.
Onions? Raw onions are the norm. I didn’t get any. Should note my friend did get some sauteed onions with her dish. The kaymak was good but i suspect it’s really just philadelphia cream cheese. At least the avjar was ok.
I gotta hand it to the guy that was working. Either he was completely new or just a lost soul. Very courteous but extremely slow service, forgetful and looked like he was lost despite the place being kinda empty. But I gotta hand it to the guy, he might have been cooking, bartending and serving all at the same time.
Should also note that they were out of schnitzel and goulash. It was 7:30pm. Should have been prime time and to have 2 items out of stock when there’s only about 5 things on the menu is kinda idiotic.
All in all, there’s WAAAY better options out there. If you want real cevaps go to Bosna… or Croatia Restaurant. They’re out of the way but service and quality is way better. If you want schnitzel, go to any of the other eastern european restaurants around town… Europe Bar, Café Polonez, Chopin.etc.
To sum things up — not only is this place is a rip off but it’s doing a series diservice to the kind of food they serve.

How sad. My favorite burger in Toronto is now terrible. The once interesting and mysterious bun is overly chewy and bready (both diners leaving half on the plate), and the meat was scant and overcooked. For a drink and a burger each, it was a $ 50 meal. Injustice! Injustice!

Based on our last experience at Hrvarti (late November), we won’t be going back.
A family of us stood there, at the door, waiting to be approached. We wanted to know how long the wait would be. It was very busy in there, a Groupon voucher was on the cusp of expiring.
Still, we expected to be approached. I kept inching closer to the bar, and felt everyone’s looks. Too bad neither of the two servers bothered to make any eye contact, or to do the minimum of letting us know that hey, it’s busy, and it’ll be x min. before a table is available. Common courtesy.
Eventually, we brought our business elsewhere.
I’ve been there a few times already, and were looking forward to bringing a visiting family member there that evening. Food has been good, but sometimes all it takes is just one memorably bad experience to kill any future desire to return.
Disappointed!

Came here on a Saturday night around 9:30 — it’s suuuper cute!!! GAH! I think it used to be someone’s house, which makes me wanna know if there are any roaming ghosts. There’s a bar-​like table facing the window, then a big communal table, some additional two person (can u say romantic??) tables (more like bars sticking out of the wall) and a decent size bar. They have an awesome beer selection, including Baltica, Lasko, Hoegaarden and Grolsch! I sat at the window table which is great for hipster watching. I had a QC wheat beer that tasted like Hoegaarden but for the life of me I cannot remember the name… SORRRYYY! They have it on tap though :)
I didn’t try the food but I will most definitely be back because a) i love this bar and b) the food smelled amazing, so a review update is to follow!
The bathrooms are hilarious… i hit my head on the way down both times and if i was like an inch wider i don’t think I would fit down the stairs. The path is narrower than Simon Cowell’s mind. Once in the bathroom, if you are 5’2 and up, you will not be able to see the top of your head. The taller you are, the less of your upper body you see in the mirror. I thought it was really funny and it didn’t bother me at all, so koodos to them for having a memorable WC!
Server was super nice, I think her and I had an awkward moment and now I’m kind of embarassed but meh (sorry lady, I don’t know what I did!)

I think the place is shut down, conveniently just before the expiry of their groupon!
Have been trying to call them repeated but no one answers the phone. SCAMMERS!

I’ve been here four times. Each time using either a groupon or wagjag $ 30 for $ 15 coupon. With the discount it is an outstanding deal! Usually, I get the burger, awesome unique bun, lots of tasty beef and the fries with the dipping sauce are fantastic. Last time had the sausage platter, basically like the burger but broken up into sausage form. Still enjoyed it and it came with a few more dipping sauces I really liked. The food is really good, throw in the great selection of imported beers, and it’s a winner. I didn’t give it a 5, due to the service being a little off on two of the occasions.

I came here for Burger Week in May and really enjoyed their burger! So when my friend invited me to go to Hrvati again because she had a $ 15 for $ 30 worth of food voucher, I said yes. We got the sausage platter and of course the burger again. The sausage platter was ok. Not exactly something I would order again although I like the sauce on the side. The burger was the highlight of the meal. It tasted just like I remembered from Burger Week. This time the burger came with a side of fries and dipping sauce. The fries were done perfectly and the sauce was delicious. Not sure what the sauce was made of but I think I tasted a hint of garlic (so instant winner for me).
I never expect this restaurant to be packed since it’s hidden. We arrived at the restaurant slightly before 6 and it was starting to get packed. So make sure you make a reservation!

We waited over an hour for our food and the place wasn’t that busy. The owner did significantly reduce our bill. But the food wasn’t that great anyway. The best was the burger and the red cabbage. Do skip the burnt and dry schnitzel. Beer prices marginally above anything else in the neighbourhood.

Would give 3.5 if I could. Lots to like about this place, but a lot of shortcomings as well.
The beer list is great, but many bottles. The on-​tap selection is actually pretty limited.
Food was very good for pub food. We had the burger (very good) and the sausage platter (also very good). The sausages were very similar to the burger, which I found surprising — like they rolled up minced meat and grilled it in tubes. More like a middle-​eastern kabob than an eastern European sausage.
We sat on the patio, which was not very comfortable. Our long communal table leaned and buckled precariously when anyone sat down or stood up, which is a bit alarming when it’s covered in beers. Also the ground and tables were not leveled, making it a bit awkward.
I will probably go back because although it’s not perfect it’s got something unique to offer.

Sat on the patio in the back where there were way too many smokers. blech. There’s basically just one table inside the place — so the patio is kind of your only option. Beer selection is ok in bottles. Draft selection, not so impressive.
Had the burger. It was decent. There was some sour-​creamy sauce in it which I didn’t think would work but it somehow did.
I probably wouldn’t go back here unless someone I was with was really hell bent on it.

Went tonight at around 7pm, waited 1hr before going up to ask them about our order, (burgers, and by then nobody had come to check on us or get us any drink refills) and without checking with the kitchen the server says that everybody ordered at the same time and to bare with them. People who came in after us, got their food first then the server realized the kitchen never got our order. We were offered a free drink as a compensation. By then it was almost 2 hrs. We got our burgers, couldn’t eat the fries as they were caked in salt and we had to leave for work, too.
The meal came to $ 38+tax= 42.94
BUT for us it cost additionally 1 hr + of waiting x 2 people = approximately $ 60 ($ 30/​hr if we were working)
–we were only offered an apology and 2 free drinks…
Poor service and poor course of action after the fact means we would not return.

I chose Hrvati for my going away party and I couldn’t be happier; I can’t believe I didn’t find it earlier being around the Annex and Korea Town so much but apparently I have no peripheral vision for side streets. Pop on back there for some Cevapi that’s really done well with some great beers or wine. The patio beer hall style with long tables was great for our group that I gave very little notice to, for either them or the restaurant but all went fantastically! It is a bit difficult to go from inside to outside, having to walk the side path back, so let your group know ahead of time which locale is the target for imbibing.

I came to sample Hrvati Bar’s famous Croatian burger for the Grid’s Burger Week on a Thursday night.
The restaurant was quite tiny with limited seating: a long picnic table in the centre, several high bar tables that seats two, and a few seats at the actual bar. Mel and I arrived relatively early at 6 pm and managed to grab the table by the window.
Hrvati Bar’s Burger Week offering was a variation of their famous Pljeskavica with Ontario beef, smoked mozzarella and caramelized onions, all surrounded by a Croatian lepinje (steamed bun). The stand-​out component was undoubtedly the steamed bun. I loved, loved, loved its chewy texture, and that was what made the burger so unique as a whole. In addition, the patty was super juicy, and the caramelized onions added a perfect tinge of sweetness. I also loved the use of mozzarella for its gooeyness! It was quite a substantial burger, but I enjoyed it so much that I couldn’t help devouring the whole thing! It may not be the most attractive burger, but it was certainly a uniquely delicious one.
By the time we left around 7 pm, the place was packed and people were waiting out the door! Next time, I’ll be sure to make a reservation before I come.

I went to Hrvati this weekend and enjoyed the place. The fries were brilliant, the beer menu is extensive and it has a good atmosphere. A few minor complaints, 1. they only have a couple of beers on draught, and as anyone who drinks beer knows, draught is the best way to enjoy suds. 2. the service wasn’t tip top. It took us a while to get our first order in. Once we got started the service was pretty good but it took a bit of time, it was Friday night and it seemed as though they weren’t prepared for a busy night.
But back to the positives, the food is phenomenal. I just had a bowl of fries to munch on and they were among the best fries I had ever had, the seasoning is amazing. My friends had other things and were impressed, plus the burgers looked great (and from what I hear they taste better than they look). The place is very compact so seating was tricky, but we sat at the bar and found that everyone was super friendly so it worked out perfectly, I would definitely recommend this place, although I do wish they had a better draught menu…

Awesome place to get shitfaced with a great variety of beer you wish other places had. I’m excited about this patio they say they have coming soon– it’s patio season now and they aren’t looking like it’s ready yet otherwise we’d so be there.
Burger was really greasy, It’s good for what it is but we need to be able to customize our burgers a bit more. nothing wrong with it we just like to get sick with our junk food and throw on ever possible topping and sauce, their menu is straight forward and I look forward to trying other things, but even if the food isn’t for you the beer selection and tucked away location is perfect for our low-​key intimate evenings.

BOTTOM LINE: You come here for their burger and home to what is, quite possibly, the city’s best burger bun — yes, you read that right, I love their buns! This little Croatian bar is fast becoming one of my favourite hangouts in the ‘hood.
So you want to know how good their burger — which comes with double beef patties, topped with some sort of melted cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and pickles, and held together by a very different sort of bun that is, surprisingly, the highlight of the burger, and accompanied with fries and coleslaw — is? Well, me and 10 of my dining mates recently came here and we all ordered this — and not one of us was disappointed! Honestly, whilst everything else on the menu looks and smells amazing (we were hanging by the bar so we could see everything coming out of the kitchen), you owe it to yourself to order the burger first.
Hrvati also has a vast, although seemingly somewhat random selection of canned/​draft beers ranging from Canadian microbreweries (Unibroue, Microbrasserie Charlevoix, Red Racer) to (over-​priced) Croatian lagers to PBR and Fruli. Either way, you’re sure to find something you like!
The place is SMALL and reservations are recommended if you’re going to come with a large party. It can get really hot in here as well. The staff have always been exceptionally cheery, which really lends itself to a very festive (and rowdy) atmosphere, especially as the night gets longer — if you’re the sort of person who likes to sing in public spaces, Hrvati could be your bar!

I had the cevepi and it was quite good. The little skinless sausages were cooked nicely, it was juicy and flavorful. It tasted no different than a well-​made (ie: scratch-​made), well seasoned hamburger patty. What makes this elevate from a ‘good dish’ to a ‘really good dish’, — better than just a tasty burger at your favorite burger place — is the bun. The Croatian bun is outstanding. Buttered and slightly toasted on the flattop, the chewy and slightly sweet texture of the bread is delicious and pairs nicely with the dense meatiness of the sausages.
What was missing from the platter, however, was something pickled or sharp. like pickled onions or even raw. Since this dish is no more than a good deconstructed hamburger (with a kick-​ass bun mind you), it begs for the regular burger fixins (my preference is hot peppers and onions).
I have a feeling this place may be inconsistent. My dish didn’t come with the eggplant side that it should have, and the bun was cut up in little pieces. Other pictures uploaded look very different than mine (size, cut and sides)
Yukon gold fries were good and the Croatian beer — Ozujsko was a really nice accompaniment. Worth it. (overpriced, glorified burger but well worth it).

I know it is unusual for me to ask my Unilocal Friend to meet me at a bar. a coffee shop maybe? but a bar? There is always a first time!
Hrvati Bar is a great drinking place to meet up with your friends. The large communal table right in the middle of the room give this a beer hall vibe.
Talk about selections of beers… most of them are imported and all priced reasonable from $ 4.50 or so. I was a little over whelmed by all the choices as I am not an expert in beer. The friendly bartender was patient in helping me and my Unilocal Friend to pick something that we both enjoyed.
Hrvati Bar is definitely an excellent alternative compared to the pubs and Korean drinking establishments in the area.
I guess I need to come back to try out the food?! Burger any one? Of course I’m going to wash that down with a beer!

Because you will be confused: Hrvati is located just north of the intersection of Bloor street and Euclid avenue. Look for the round illuminated sign out front. It was a useful herald when my Dining Companion (DC) and I were struggling to find the spot last night.
The name is a bit difficult too. I couldn’t find it on Unilocal because I kept spelling it wrong. Think R before V like a motorhome. (Herr-​vat-​ee.) This is also apt because Hrvati is about the size of a motorhome. There are a few two-​tops along the walls, a fairly-​large communal table down the middle, and bar seating fore and aft. It’s a tight squeeze in here.
But that should not scare you from bringing a few Platonic Companions or a Hot Date here for some Croatian-​inspired grub. The restaurant has a very rustic charm. Instead of acoustic ceiling tiles they have slabs of distressed pine[1], the lighting is dim and moody, and the old-​world wallpaper makes you feel like the Reds could smash through their saloon-​doors at any minute and demand your papers.
The menu is simple. There is a much-​lauded burger, sausage dishes, a veggie burger, schnitzel and Croatian crêpes. Me and the DC split the pork schnitzel which was served in a buttery caper sauce with mashed potatoes and pickled cabbage. It’s a huge portion — perfect for two moderately hungry patrons — and it was tasty. It’s rich, but the schnitzel was perfectly crispy and the capers weren’t too tart. I also enjoyed the pickled cabbage side.
Service was frazzled but friendly. There was just one guy handling the entire restaurant, and you could tell he was nervous about the reservation for 19 about to descend on the place. Hell, we were nervous, so we GTFO. A good spot for drinks and an excellent spot to eat some cro’.
Obligatory Title Pun: Za-​GREB a bite here sometime!
Menu Readability: Jittery typewriter typeface on cream. Swell design, but the print job was wretched.
Need to mention: An impressive collection of European beers here. Now open for lunch.
What this place teaches me about myself: Because I am one-​quarter Polish, I have a soft spot for the peoples of Eastern Europe. Zivjeli!
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[1] According to a girl. Secondary sources needed.