Lot St.

Met up with an old university friend for drinks and catch up. I suggested Lot. St as it was close to her work.
We made last minute reservations via email for a table for 2 on a Wednesday night. Arrived to a near empty restaurant around 6pm which meant the reservations weren’t absolutely necessary that night.
I ordered a pint of the Side Launch Wheat ($ 7) — my now go to warmer weather drink and she went with a red wine. Since it was a buck-​a-​shuck night, we decided to start with some oysters, which were a West coast variety and there was a limit of 10 oysters per person.
I am a big oyster fan but wasn’t too keen on the West coast ones… the shells were really ugly on the outside and meat was a bit gnarly and fishy tasting. Not as sweet and easy to digest as the East coast oysters. Kinda glad the limit was 10.
We also got an order of the grilled calamari ($ 8) and the fish and chips ($ 14) to share. The calamari was good but such a small portions. Just 5 – 6 rings on a small bed of grilled veggies. I’d pass on getting that again.
The fish and chips on the other hand were a generous portion of 2 large panko crusted pieces of fish and mound of fries.
Service was a bit on the slower side, even though the restaurant was pretty quiet. I would still come back for drinks/​snacks or when the buck-​a-​shuck oysters are a different variety.

The food was totally disappointing. We ordered the cheese and charcuterie platter for alpaca and prosciutto as the meats, sadly I think we totally received calibrese. If it’s shaped like calibrese and its spicy like calibrese than we most likely did not get alpaca or prosciutto. The oysters were the only redeeming quality but either way, there are too many places in Toronto for me to go back for «poor/​mediocre» food.

This small location has a great atmosphere and a industrial and hipster vibe. We decided to go with the chef’s choice menu and we were not disappointed at all. The Chicken lollipops were delicious and the dishes were perfect for sharing. If you’re looking to have a casual meal out with friends, Check this place out!

Love this place! Funky & industrial but in a nice way. Came here on a week night @ the end Nov, not too busy, great service. For starters we had the calamari & duck poutine & mains the fish & chips & slow cooked lamb. Food was an oral sensation, delectable & scrumptious & left you wanting more! A bit out of our way to get to Queen Str W but hoping to return very soon! Want to try some other things on the menu as everything sounds so good!

This place has a nice atmosphere. Good lighting, nice stone and wood elements. Nice and rugged. I like how they have drink specials every day of the week. I think this place would be a good spot for drinks like beer and bar rail cocktails, but not for wine, unfortunately, unless you’re getting a bottle, since the glass of wine I had tasted old and vinegary. It was definitely left open for too long. I got the middle priced glass (out of 3) on the menu.
The place was empty but it was a cold, Sunday night.
The cheese and charcuterie board was pretty good. The cheeses were nice – Brie, some ripened Italian one – and the spicy salami was good too. The apple sauce that came with it was too heavy on the cinnamon and it overpowered and drowned out the flavour of the cheese. A more mild condiment would’ve been a better choice, but the cheeses seemed like good picks for the price. The charcuterie board was one of the best parts of the experience.
The Brussels sprouts were quite good at first but a bit too oily and salty. They had a nice kick to them. The beef sliders were ok but nothing amazing, and sort of plain, with ketchup being the strongest tasting note. The beef was also a bit dry. The duck mac & cheese was very good and creamy. I would say that’s a good item to go for if you like a creamy mac & cheese.
The server was friendly.
I would come back to take advantage of their drink specials but not likely on wine day, unless I was going for a bottle and I could see it opened in front of me (since they lost my trust in serving up wine by the glass). The wine did, however, taste better once the cheese got to our table, but that’s to be expected.
So, good for beer, mac & cheese, bottles of wine with cheese and charcuterie board, and Brussels sprouts if you’re splitting them (since they’re too oily to have all to yourself). I would give them another chance and hopefully bring up that star rating.

I’m impressed with this hip little Queen Street joint. But then again I loves me a snack-​bar menu… small plates priced $ 15 and under, intended for diners to munch on a variety of flavours. And that we did!
We came for the Wednesday night buck-​a-​shuck oysters (which were super delicious, although very small oysters indeed). We also sampled:
Lot St Guacamole — this was one of the most unique guac recipes I’ve ever tried – fresh and chunky, with a smidge of heat. Truly excellent.
Duck Confit Lettuce Wraps — 2 little wraps for $ 8…great flavour; totally scrumptious
Charcuterie & Cheese (select 3 choices for $ 15) — we chose thinly sliced venison, thinly sliced wild turkey, and brie. The meats were wonderful and spiced to absolute perfection; the brie was also divine! I need to find out what kind of brie that was. Also, the dish was served with a dollop of spiced apple sauce and the BEST CROSTINI ever! (We asked for seconds of the crostini, it was that good.)
Cocktails and (limited) wine selection were also terrific. I can’t wait to come back here and sample more yummies!

Queen West is a bit of a blessing and curse at the same time. On this street, you will find no shortage of restaurants, but finding the good ones requires a bit of digging or sometimes just pure luck. While it is a desired postal code to open up shop, the turnover only goes to show that you either sink or swim with all the intense competition. If you don’t have the goods, you will drown on this strip.
Cue Lot Street, which for sixty years was the name of what we now know as Queen Street. It was one of the first «lots» laid out in the city of York (which we now call Toronto). Lot Street was renamed Queen Street in honor of Queen Victoria in 1837. The name also is an acronym:
L-​ocally driven
O-​ntario proud
T-​oronto inspired
So much meaning in just the name itself; naturally the menu must be well thought out too? Aye.
Like many of its Queen West counterparts, Lot Street took over the space from Rus-​Teak, one of the many furniture stores (another abundance on Queen Street) that shuttered its doors earlier last summer.
Remnants of the former tenant still linger. Tall ceilings, exposed brick, and supporting beams give off an almost industrial-​feel but the banquettes and an open kitchen and bar which span almost half the length of the restaurant and sit side by side makes things a little cozier.
The cocktail menu, remains true to its Toronto roots with drinks like the Cherry Beach Manhattan; subbed with bourbon in place of whisky, with cinzano, cherry bitters + luxardo cherries. And while the bubbly and craft beers remain true to its «locally driven» motto — the wine list is only about ¼ so.
The menu is divided into breads, meat and seafood, and vegetables and grain. A list of house preserves, charcuterie and cheese and oysters make for great noshes while enjoying a drink. You can also opt to «Let the chef decide» — with Peter Petruniak in the kitchen, you’re in good hands. Maybe his previous mentor, Nic Prong at Ten Restaurant rubbed off on him (he quit law school to become a chef) and Petruniak traded in his calculator (formerly an accountant) for chef whites instead.
Of the offerings, the stand-​out dishes for us are:
The roast local mushrooms topped with a golden fried egg. As a mushroom lover this dish gets top marks. It is served simply in its own pan jus with some radish and wild rice which are flavor-​neutral enough to let the mushrooms’ natural flavors come through.
The sesame brussels sprouts get an Asian makeover with garlic, chili, ginger and pear. While bacon is usually the preferred flavor-​infuser of choice; it was not missed here. The sweet and savory coupled with the naturally intense flavor of sesame really makes this one a winner.
Funny enough, of the 2 pork dishes we order (ham hock with lentils + pork belly with pear, onion marmalade and celeriac purée); the belly definitely flops and the much cheaper cut of ham hock comes out guns blaring.
The duck confit lettuce wraps are served with kimchi and caramelize nicely in a hoisin glaze; the glaze saves you the trouble of having the smear on the sauce yourself like you have to when eating the traditional Peking duck wraps and the lettuce means you don’t have to kill yourself for missing a night at the gym.
The smoked trout rosti ends up paling in comparison to the other flavor-​packed dishes. The horseradish crema doesn’t pack in the intensity it should and the already-​mild cucumber fails to save the day. And maybe I’ve been eating too much sodium-​laced, store-​bought smoked trout, but the one here is also too «tame» for my taste buds. The saving grace are the rosti, which are fried to a golden brown and are chalked full of starchy deliciousness.
Lot Street is one of those places where there’s a little bit for everyone. Those with non-​meat-​eating friends will be delighted as Petruniak doesn’t alienate or insult with the usual rabbit-​like «salads» to appease the vegetarian taste buds.
With the most expensive dish ringing in at $ 15, Lot Street allows you to eat your heart out without gouging your wallet. It is one of the rare occasions where I just order whatever I want to eat (though next time I might let Petruniak do all the choosing — it’s only $ 35 a pop). And with drink specials 4 out of 7 days of the week and buck-​a-​shuck Wednesdays; you know I’ll be back!

Ended up at lot St on a Friday night because the line at snack bar was too long. We were looking for a few small bits and drinks.
Ambience wise great looking space but even with a lot of people still felt empty.
Waiter was attentive but didn’t know much about the menu. When describing the smelt he described the fish as «fishy», oysters as «big enough» and everything on the menu as «popular.» felt like he was telling us what we wanted to hear.
We had the blue cheese flatbread — which had way too much cheese. (and I love cheese) and two other dishes that were nothing special.
We won’t be returning.

I came here with a group of 5 on a Saturday night — it wasn’t very full (it was pretty early) and right on trend both décor and menu-​wise.
I say on trend because of Edison bulbs, interesting and unique cocktails, chalkboard menus — etc. Even though I’m thinking that pretty sure I’m going to be over this «look» (it’s everywhere!) I’m currently still loving it so this was the perfect spot.
My table split 5 apps which were all delicious, but as Dishan W. mentioned, kind of small. However the taste really did make up for it! I just wish I was sharing with one instead of four other diners! While the rest of my table ordered the steak frites, I went rogue and ordered the special — bacon wrapped rabbit stew. While rabbit can be a bit risky for me, I find it’s either delicious or inedible — this was bang on! I was so happy I took the risk and would certainly order it again.
Besides this delicious menu, the cocktails were tasty (though at $ 10 I only had one), and the atmosphere was great — I think this place would be packed later at night and would be great for a date or a group outing.
Overall, I’m a big fan!

On a stroll down Queen St looking for a god dinner spot, Lot St stood out for a couple of reasons: 1. Great looking interior dominated by a long narrow bar adjacent to most of the restaurant’s seating 2. The menu sounded great with prices that wouldn’t have broken wallets. Extra points for it being empty early in a Saturday evening.
Upon initial glance, Lot St. seemed to be a predominantly French restaurant but I think just attributed that to the fact that the «Beast of the Day» was a bacon wrapped Rabbit Stew (that «bacon wrapped» should have given it off that this would fall under «Canadian» on Unilocal). I had the hardest time deciding what «pleaser» (aka entrée) to order since the 5 or 6 they had on their menu all looked great (well except for the chicken, not a fan of stuffed chicken meals… sorry?) The «Steak and Frites» emerged victorious in a closely fought battle between the «Catch of the Day» 2 large octopus legs/​arms? and their chick pea dish. Our table ordered 5 apps all of which I was very happy with, portions were generally on the smaller side but I found that to be secondary to how tasty they were.
Another big plus about Lot was that they make a solid effort in ensuring your drinks are well made, almost all of my group ordered their drink special «The Grandma Smash» or something like that, it was tequila based and a whole lot of ingredients smashed in there ending up with a great tasting drink, I observed the bartender go at our drinks with a pestle (is that the correct term for it?) with some dedication!
Overall this was a great dinner, good service, delicious food and a good drink menu slightly small portion sizes so make sure to order a couple of appetizers perhaps (they have 3 different app sizes on their menu). The crowd did pick up towards 8 or 9pm, so make sure to either call ahead or come in early!

I came here on a Tuesday evening with my colleagues. The restaurant was pretty empty (maybe 4 – 6 patrons other than us).
Service: While the waitstaff were friendly and came by the refill water frequently, they were quite passive when it came to taking orders for mains/​apps/​desserts. I found myself having to turn around to make eye contact with them quite often in order to get things done, despite the fact that the wait station was 3 ft from our table.
Food: Our party of 5 ended up just sharing small plates, and no one ordered mains. We had the lollipop chicken, bacon mac & cheese, lobster ceviche, lobster poutine, oysters, charcuterie, duck confit lettuce wrap, and rib sliders. My personal favourites were the lollipop chicken (though slightly salty), and the duck confit lettuce wrap (so much flavour). The charcuterie board left much to be desired, and the lobster ceviche was uninspired. But the bacon mac & cheese had tons of flavour, and real substantial bacon pieces in there. For dessert, we ordered carrot cake fritters and the ice cream sandwich (vanilla with two oatmeal cookies). The ice cream sandwich was disappointing in that all the ice cream was melted by the time it was served. However, the cookie was chewy and all round amazing. I would pass on the fritters — they were not nearly as sweet as I would have expected.

We came here a couple weeks back on a Thursday night during TIFF. The atmosphere was friendly when we came in. The décor is beautiful and rustic.
However, the moment we ordered we were ignored and forgotten about all night even though we were sitting beside the hostess. We ordered a lot of food and none of it was spectacular.
The Portuguese Mac and Cheese was bland and unremarkable. There was not a lot of seasoning and nothing special about it.
The Shrimp Po’ Boy Sandwich was waaay over seasoned. The sauce had a weird taste and was just salt city. Half of the shrimp was well cooked the other half was overcooked. The only good part of the sandwich was the bread.
The slider platter was supposed to have three distinct flavours, but everyone agreed that it all tasted the same. The burgers themselves had a funny spongy quality about them which made it off putting.
The Goa Chicken was an entrée which was twice the cost of an appetizer, but was the same size as an appetizer. We were almost done dinner and had asked twice about the dish before it finally arrived. The sauce was not spicy or flavorful, and the texture of the chicken mimicked the rice. There was nothing special about this entrée and we all agreed it wasn’t worth the money.
The pierogies were super sweet for a savoury dish and the dough had a strange texture to it. It was too much dough and not enough cheese and potato.
We all agreed that we wouldn’t ever step foot in this place again.

Lot St has a really interesting mix of cuisine on their menu. Part Italian, part Canadian, part Latin American makes up their eclectic menu.
Glancing through the menu I wanted to try nearly everything (note: prices are great here.) I settled on the pierogies and the pulled beef, coleslaw, and cheese served on a plantain.
The pierogies left much to be desired. While the filling was good, there was very, very little of it. I felt like I was mostly eating the pastry when I was eating these. I definitely would steer clear of this dish going forward.
The beef and plantain sandwich was A-​Ok. Decent flavours, big portions, but very, very messy to eat.
I sneaked bites of the Mac and Cheese which also fell into the A-​Ok realm. The scalloped potatoes were actually more cheesy than the Mac and cheese and are pretty good.
I stole a churro from my friend for dessert and it was fantastic (and I’m pretty picky when it comes to churros!) 6 of them come with an amaaazzzzing (toffee?) milk sauce that you just want to lick clean, as well as a tasty chocolate sauce. Definitely worth getting and the highlight of my dining here.
Cocktails are top notch: try the King St if you’re a fan of ginger beer and cassis and want something light and refreshing.
Overall, a good place to pop by if you’re looking for some variety in your menu as well as some tasty cocktails.

Went last night for the second time. First time we just stopped in for drinks and to check it out, and we were really impressed. A nice selection of interesting and local draft beers at reasonable prices, and great staff.
Last night we went back and ate and we were still impressed. Had an excellent cocktail made with interesting local ingredients that the bartender had picked up that morning. We tried a number of appetizers/​tapas style things. Mac and cheese was to die for — if you are a mac and cheese fan do not miss out. We also had the sliders — they have 3 types and you can get an order with 1 of each. They were all great and interesting. The plantain with pulled pork on it (I don’t remember what it is called) is another «don’t miss» selection.
I can see this place easily becoming favourite of ours.

Attended Lot St. on an easy Wednesday evening while working-​up an appetite for dinner at much-​beloved La Palette. Always eager to discover new spots in the neighbourhood, Lot St.‘s menu was hanging in the window. Not over-​thought and concise, it is inclusive of many of a many an epicures’ staples: ceviche, shrimp cocktail, and rack of lamb.
After reviewing the menu (gluten-​free friendly), we decided to stopped for cocktails (many named after city locales), and an appetizer.
DRINK: His «South of the Border» (~$ 14) was reminiscent of a tart margarita, but skipping the traditional salt-​rim for a salted meringue egg-​white foam. I ordered a «20^th Century» (~$ 10) — also citrusy, fresh, and smooth, not too-​sweet. Other cocktails included elements of cassis, thyme; their bourbon maple old-​fashioned will be a future try…
FOOD: We’ll return for dinner another time, but the Shrimp Cocktail ($ 6, whipped avocado, caramelized mango, peppery shrimp — eaten with a spoon) was very pleasant, and good for sharing.
THE VIBE: Long banquet seating with sultry lighting highlighting the exposed brick, and clever copper pipe-​lighting to parallel the already exposed pipes — all designed to leverage the heritage of the space. Not overly-​designed, and very inviting. Nice bar-​seating, also at the front window for those who prefer to indulge in people-​watching.
THE FUTURE: Their kind (and talented) mixologist advised that they’d be starting up brunch in the next month and would include a Caesar/​Bloody Mary station (yum!) to look forward to. They were really excited for what I anticipate to be a bright future.
Definitely warranting my return, in addition to the great service at sensible pricing. Hats-​off for a great first-​impression!
POINT-​FORM FOR THE LAZY:
— no arrogance; friendly/​welcoming staff; a proud and smiling owner happy to greet us
— intelligently priced (cocktails ~$ 10, apps ~$ 6 – 10, mains ~$ 25 – 30)
— warm décor
— great attention-​to-​detail (beautiful plating, fine stemware)