Omaw

I love this place! I been here at least four times now in the short time that they have been open and I absolutely love the tapas style bc I can have more variety in my palate! The food and service has always been very consistent. They do change their menu from time to time — I believe perfecting it thru client feedback as well. My all time faves are the kale salad, beef short ribs, fried chicken, shrimp and grits, pork ribs and creole ceviche. in fact everything is good you cant go wrong. all are very unique dishes! in terms of the service, all the servers are super attentive and friendly! I remember dropping my fork there a few times and before I can even bend down to get it they already got me a new one! as well, i took my vegetarian sisters there and they went out of their way to remake some of the dishes and turned them vegetarian (we had a bday celebration so we took the pre-​fix menu during this time). This place is exactly what ossington needed and my friends and I will keep coming back!

We had a good time at Omaw and will be back.
We were a group of 6 and came this past Friday. Even though we goofed our reservation (we reserved a table for 4, instead of 6), the restaurant accommodated us the best they could with no attitude. As the place, of course I love it because the space used to be Levack Block and is nostalgic for me. They’ve also done a great job of stylishly renovating it to feel cozy/​intimate.
We went during prime time and the restaurant was definitely packed, including the bar… so I recommend making a reso.
The food was solid. Here is a quick-​overview:
— Cornbread: good and the spread is tasty
— Winter vegetables/​roots: really good with a pleasant sauce to accompany
— Fried chicken: everyone does a good job of fried chicken now, so this was on par with industry
— Pork ribs: these were okay and probably my least favorite dish
— Short ribs: these were amazing! I could have had this as my main meal. Everyone at the table agreed. We ordered a second round and is the reason why I would come back.
Again, I love this place because of its past, the current ambiance, and the good food. We also had lovely service — they were pleasant and attentive.
Definitely worth a try!

After an unforgettable foodie experience in the South this past fall, I’ve been very excited to check this place out and get my grit fix. The 3 of us indulged in the cornbread, ceviche, boudin balls, shrimp and grits, crispy chicken skins, mussels on toast, fried chicken, beef short ribs and the crusted pork. Everything arrived surprisingly fast! We all had our favourites but mine was definitely the mussels on toast — so many different elements that worked magically together. The beef short ribs were very tasty as well, however, the portion size was a little bit smaller than we had imagined. Now, I wanted to love the grits. I really did. But they were a little on the cheesy side and I don’t remember tasting any prawns… or grits. Overall, a solid addition to the Ossington strip, beautiful space and awesome service.
As an extra bonus, Omaw will leave you feeling nostalgic from the good ol’ nights at LeVack Block. So many memories at this Ossington corner…

I was looking forward to this place. The servers are not trained well and have major attitude. We had a reservation and they made us wait for few minutes which wad not a big deal.
The food was very ordinary. Most dishes are being done by many restaurants in Toronto. They rod nothing new on the menu.
Major disappointment is that the staff is very rude. I will not be going back to this place.

I wanted to love this place so much… I have been wanting to try Chef’s food for the longest time and this was the perfect opportunity… but I was really turned off from the moment our server came by. Her attitude was really fake, and she spent a lot of the time flirting with the guy sitting next to us. When she checked on us, it was like she was rhyming the same lines in a very fake voice. a major turnoff like we were not good enough to be taking up the seats in a newly, highly aclaimed restaurant.
The cocktails were great, no doubt about that — crafty, original and very tasty.
We started with the famous «shrimp and grits»… and it was way too heavy, and overpriced for the portion. The texture was okay, but I felt like it tasted like cheesy eggs more than anything.
Sigh. im so sad having to write this review… but it goes to show that a great chef can have a bad day, and terrible customer service can ruin any night, regardless of who you’re with.

I had the shredded kale, shrimps and grits, fried chicken, and the spaghetti tapas which were all amazing. They also carry some great craft beers in bottle.

Great food and drinks! The staff were lovely and welcoming from the moment I stepped in.
We were sat at the bar and initially we weren’t too happy with it. However, since it’s an open kitchen we had great interaction with the chefs. They even let us try a few dishes that we hadn’t ordered.
All in all, a great addition to the Ossington strip.

Omaw is a southern style tapas restaurant with inventive dishes and a very nice and intimate ambiance. Would recommend ordering 4 – 5 dishes for 2 people.
Highlights:
Mussels on Toast ($ 13): this was soooo good and my fav dish of the evening. The baguette toast was crispy and loaded with mussels. The chow chow (relish) on top kind of tasted like caramelized onions and complemented the mussels really well. There was so much flavour with each bite.
Snake River Farms Wagyu ($ 16): This dish was really creative– similar to a beef carpaccio but also served with mini flapjack pancakes that you put the wagyu on. Although the dish was really tasty, there was so much garnish on the wagyu that it really overpowered the beef and I could barely taste the meat. Still worth a try.
Lowlights:
Fried Chicken Skins ($ 7): this dish was ok, but I would only recommend ordering for a group of 3−4+ as I got sick of it after a few bites. The taste and texture was similar to deep fried calamari but without the octopus.
Short Ribs ($ 14): I was expecting traditional bone in short-​ribs and was disappointed by this dish. The meat was served on a skewer and tasted bland. Definitely not worth $ 14.
Fried Chicken ($ 16): This was a highlight that turned into a lowlight. The chicken was seasoned perfectly, very crispy on the outside and the meat was really juicy and moist. Unfortunately, it was not cooked all the way through and the middle was raw. We told the server and he immediately took it back and advised that they would make it again for us. Although this was a major no no, the staff handled the situation really well and even offered to comp our entire meal (yes, you read that correctly). This shows me that they really stand behind their quality and service. The chicken the 2^nd time around was executed perfectly.
Overall, this restaurant is good to try once or as a late night snack with friends (drinks are really yummy!). The pricing is a bit steep for what you get and there are many other good restaurants that I would rather go to in that price bracket.