Saturday Dinette

Only been there for brunch. Large portions, tasty food, friendly service. Shakshuka was the best I have ever had. Parmesan crisp in the ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ burger was a nice touch. Only wish is if you had espresso…

This was our first visit; we really wanted to like it. Food looks great, no doubt; however we were disappointed. First off, French press coffee was so watered down; could have used twice as much coffee grounds. Second, the «fresh» orange juice tasted of concentrate. When my food arrived, it was room temperature. This is not normally a problem but I had sausage and toast in my dish. Flavours were really good; but they really need to up their game.

So glad we finally tried out this little neighbourhood gem! We went for dinner and had the wedge salad, country fried steak & pan roasted white fish. The brunch menu sounded so great we returned the next day for herbed poached eggs & the Dinette Brekkie. It’s clearly a family-​run labour of love. It feels like being invited into someone’s home for an amazing local & seasonal meal. Can’t wait to return.

Saturday Dinette is located at a not so glamorous portion of Riverdale. But it sits well at this spot, elevates the street corner but yet blends in very well.
It’s a cozy place with an open kitchen. Nice music wafting through the space. Already I felt happy even before the food.
We ordered the burger and the chorizo. Chorizo was nice, but not too impressive. The pickles that came with it were very good.
The burger arrived towering high, two thick patties, one crunchy layer of crispy cheese with sweet potato string fries on the side. The burger was juicy and bursting with flavour. The mint sauce totally complementary to the lamb/​beef patties. The fries were delicious and fun to eat.
Service was attentive but not overbearing. Perfect!

Let me start off by saying that I’m THRILLED a neat little place like this has opened in my hood (I think of it as being located in Leslieville but I may be incorrect as others are saying it’s Riverdale… south).
Great service, friendly and low-​key vibe. Understandably, the menu is currently limited so it doesn’t reflect what’s posted online. They may want to consider saying that on the actual website so people are prepared.
Food was good. Personally, I felt some was overpriced when compared to similar establishments that offer a lot more in terms of ambiance (I love this place but it’s not fancy, which is fine, but don’t charge fancy prices) and a level of quality that is a notch higher. I had a fish brandade appetizer at $ 12 that me and my dining companion thought was good but nothing special. And we both had the fish entre, which was quite good… but hoped it would be a little better at $ 18.
On my visit, there were two white wines on offer. Neither bottle was open, so I asked our lovely server to ask chef what she recommended I have with the fish. It was undrinkable. Both my dining companion and I couldn’t take more than two sips as it was not only sweet, but simply a pretty bad wine. I find it shocking that the wine was on the menu, let alone that the chef would have recommended it with the fish. There were only two choices and she got it very wrong. Odd. I also think the wines were overpriced when compared to other similar establishments that offer quality, and curated wines. For example, I visited a hole-​in-​the-​wall called Corks and Platters in the Beach. Wine was the same price of $ 11 but it was spectacular. The owner used to work in the wine industry, so she curates her offerings. Couldn’t help being disappointed with my experience at SD.
I’ll go back for dinner when they have a few more offerings on the menu that appeal to me, like mushrooms on toast. I think lunch and brunch would be excellent choices and fair pricing for this little gem.
Chef and family have a lot on their, er, plates right now. I’m routing for them!

Let me start off by saying I want to write this in the most fair way as possible. Two stars is the most accurate, non exaggerated score I can give.
First off, we arrived at a full restaurant. No problem, we asked how long the wait might be. She said oh Um, Half an hr? Sure. Ended up being an hr and a half… if we had known we would of never had stayed that long. I mean granted she can’t control how long people stay for, but if they just sat down or haven’t started eating, don’t say to your customer the next table is in half an hr!
Chicken balls were frankly not that tasty. A sauce with a whole garlic inside didn’t really work, might of been better crushed since it wasn’t very garlicky infused at all.
Fish cakes were dry and hard like pucks… Uh Ya.
Bbq pork sandwich finally turned it around I thought it was tasty but on the sweet side…
One of the chefs or owners I’m not sure came by to ask us about the food and I was like oh ok I better tell her about the sandwich how it was too sweet. She was like oh… That’s bbq sauce that’s how it is. Then when I continued to provide some constructive criticism she cut me off and said well I won’t bother you enjoy your food. I’m like OK u asked me for my opinion and when you don’t hear ‘oh everything is wonderful!’ or something like that you cut me off? Okay.
The meat platter was overall not bad. Chicken was flavourful and tasty so were the beans. I think the ribs used the same sweet bbq sauce and again, just too sweet. The beef steak kebob, overcooked and tough. Bread, was cold.
Sigh
So. Food wasn’t all that bad it not spectacular. A fair three. — 1 for service.

We went to Saturday Dinette last night and it was out of this world yummy! The service and ambiance was spot on. Tiny spot with room for us only at the bar which was fine; it allowed us to talk more to the lovely staff :)
It seemed there were lots of regulars.
We ordered the tacos, mac & cheese and the Bimbibap, paired with beer/​cider. The food was some of the best comfort/​diner food we’ve ever had. The mac and cheese was perfectly creamy (without being overbearing); the tacos (vegetarian) were so, so lovely for a veg taco — lots of flavour notes with great textures.
We can’t wait to go back!

Came by for brunch. Great feeling, Real LP’s playing for background music (bring some of your favourites to share). Cozy and not too noisy. Fun neighbourhood find. We sat near the cook grill, so it was fun to watch and see the care in preparation of the food. My friend, who raved about he Burgundy French Onion Soup (only on the dinner menu) had the buckwheat pancakes with fruit compote and maple syrup — loved them (would order the syrup on the side next time). I had an egg dish with avocado on homemade crunchy toast. A nice combination with a green salad and a citrus dressing. We ordered the coconut mac n cheese — too watery and no real coconut kick.
All in all a nice find, met some friends, chatted and enjoyed this neighbourhood diner — give it a try — plenty of options. Will do dinner there next

Can’t get enough of this place. Great food. Great staff. Great vibe. A little secret gem on Gerrard East.

Excellent service and pride in ownership from back to front of house. A well assembled team who care about the food, and customer. A balance led by owners clearly aware of what it takes and what matters.
The menu provides a really nice balance of unique well thought out flavours, without compromising comfort staples of comfort. Case in point — a masterfully slow cooked french onion soup. Great, décor, staff and menu.

I’m so sorry to write this, but I feel the need to update my review. My most recent meal at Saturday Dinette was so-​so. The food seemed over salted, the ingredients seemed less fresh, and even the candied walnut salad was lacklustre.
The service was great, the milkshake was great and the people remain lovely. Which makes this very sad to write. I wonder if they are having difficulty getting the best ingredients? I will give them several more tries before I give up.

Went here for breakfast hoping to see how it would compare to Hammersmith’s, the beloved brunch spot that occupied the space beforehand. Maybe I am getting older, but this place is definitely more hipster and not as calm — hip hop blaring, curtains hanging in the window and door (wasn’t even sure if it was open), and a few nudie pics hung like wallpaper in the ladies (not sure how the mom I saw explained it to her kid). I didn’t see the «romantic» side of this place as some reviewers had mentioned — it’s small and tightly packs dining parties beside each other.
Despite this, the food was good — I had scrambled eggs with Rosti and beans, and my dining companion had something similar. We also indulged in dessert which was pretty yum: a crumble with rhubarb and a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Not sure how I feel about paying $ 5.50 for coffee (even though it’s French press and all) and my friend being charged twice for two pots of tea (most places just fill it up again without a charge).
Will we be back? Maybe. But for now, our search continues for a less hipster place in the East end.

Excellent innovative comfort food. I have been here for both dinner and brunch and was very happy with my meal every time. It’s a little on the small side.
The chicken and johnnycakes for brunch are amazing.

Love the atmosphere. Food created with care. Great people and just the spot that riverdale needs. Great burger. Try the pork belly.

This place rocks. We like it more than Hammersmiths that was here before. Wife and I love everything we have tried: trout hash, ⁸⁰⁄₂₀ burger, ‘shrooms on toast, big chick thighs, buckwheat pancakes. All unique menu items rather than run of the eggs benedict. Kids love the view of the street from the big windows, pumpin beats, free banana bread that comes while you wait for your food (which is a good idea, because it’s usually busy), and friendly service. Tea comes in a huge pot. Prices are reasonable for the quality and quantity of food here!

Ok, so I was a negative nelly going here with the fiancée. We went to hammer smith and loved it, and thought that the replacement couldn’t match up. We were wrong. Service is fast, caring and fantastic. And the food is Fabius. We had the zucchini latkes, and the pear compote was a brilliant match. For mains, the nightly pie was fantastic. This was it in a nutshell– as a kid, you love pot pies but there’s always something off. It might be texture, flavor, or crust. Fuck. This killed all of it. Light thin crust with fantastic gravy. Tender meat. Sided with mashed and mint. I will steal the recipe. Dessert was the ginger bread s’mores. All made in house and all fantastic.
I’m done with my overly glowing review. Just go. Small, romantic, great food and casual atmosphere. I hope you survive the east end. We will be back.

Saturday Dinette is a modern diner that opened up in the Riverdale/​Leslieville area a few months ago. The diner offers a healthier take on classic comfort foods with dishes that incorporate local and worldly produce.
The small diner seats 30 making the ambiance quite intimate and cozy. The space is littered with feminine art, vintage kitchen equipment, old-​school vinyl and lovely hanging light bulbs strung across the ceiling. The creativity and flair is fluent throughout the diner which truly makes Saturday Dinette a welcoming neighbourhood gem. The diner has also implemented a great employment programme for staffing women from the YMCA Toronto who have an interest in the restaurant industry.
The food at Saturday Dinette ranges from ribs and burgers for the meat lovers and millet burgers and blackened tofu for the vegetarians. Comfort foods such as beef brisket, savoury baked pies and liver & onions are some local favourites. Fries are not an option at this diner instead you can order candied plantains, polenta cakes, roasted vegetables or herbed smashed potatoes to accompany your meal. Saturday dinette also serves cocktails, local beers and wine.
I sampled some of the dishes during the opening of Saturday Dinette and everything was loaded with impeccable flavour. I was really impressed with the creativity that went into each dish and would love to go back to try some of the other menu items that Suzanne has created.
Fav dishes:
The ribs with sesame seeds and green papaya slaw — very fatty and juicy and full of flavour, top-​notch ribs!!!
⁸⁰⁄₂₀ Beef Lamb Burger — Two Patties, Beet Mayo, Daikon Slaw and Candied Plaintains — this burger was loaded with great flavour and I loved that it came with plantains instead of french fries. Much healthier and quite tasty too.
Great spot if you’re in the neighborhood!

I was eager to try out this new brunch and supper joint at Gerrard and Logan.
The interior is almost as hipster as you could imagine. Think steel buckets holding the utensils, nouveau-​rap-​rock music constantly blaring from the speakers, denim-​looking napkins and teeny tiny almost-​shot-​size glasses to drink your tap water out of. Oh, and tea and coffee comes by default in French presses.
Whether or not you like the ambience will entirely hinge upon how much you like or dislike general hipster vibes. I personally am sorta neutral to that kind of atmosphere, but was really grateful and relieved to see that the helpful, smiley, genuine staff did not exude any stereotypical hipster sultriness. What did bother me though, was the descriptions of some food items on the menu. The baked beans, sausage and fried egg I ordered was described as :‘molasses baked beans (I could not taste any molasses), farmer’s sausage (uh…what? There was hardly any sausage with it, anyway) and an ‘over-​easy cluck’ (turns out this ridiculous description was a mere fried egg).
I’m sure some people would find these elaborate descriptions funny; me, hungry and decaffeinated and wanting to order quickly, found it distracting and annoying. To each their own!
Staff were all around fantastic. 100%. The hostess welcomed us immediately and seated us at the bar, on surprisingly comfy stools. The man behind the counter making cocktails and hot drinks was a joy to deal with, really friendly and funny with an attitude that would put a smile on anyone’s face. One of the chef did her work while dancing around and generally loving life. Brilliant!
Unfortunately, the food did not live up to the great expectations set by the staff. The baked beans came a bit too crunchy for my liking and the sausage parts were barely noticeable. In fact, had I ordered simply beans, toast and egg, without sausage, I may not have even noticed that any sausage was present, or may have just commented ‘huh, seems like a bite of sausage found its way into my dish’! Disappointing. The toast came dressed with olive oil, which I hate, and I did not know about this dressing when I ordered. Gah. What’s wrong with butter?!
There was a $ 1 for ketchup. BOOOOO.
Boyf liked his buttermilk pancakes but was still starving after having eaten them, and not happy about the portion size (small) vs price ($ 9).
I know it’s a cliché to say ‘I really wanted to love this place’, but I really, really did. The staff were as great as I’ve ever encountered, I love French press coffee, it’s nice to see a trendy place opening in an otherwise dull intersection, and I admire the much-​written about community spirit of the chef and the establishment overall. Unfortunately, I just didn’t enjoy my meal enough to warrant giving this place any more than three stars — and that’s at a stretch; I feel I have to be generous as the staff were lovely and the place is still new so I don’t want to be harsh.
I may return and try something else — I do hope to be proved wrong if I do come back.

My sister invited me to eat brunch at the newly opened Saturday Dinette in between grocery shopping. It wasn’t so long ago that this corner location at Gerrard and Logan was a hip yet basic diner called Hammersmith’s. And it was a long time ago that this was the Logan Grill, a place that never kept regular hours so I always wondered if it ever opens whenever I pass by it on the walk to school way back in my teenage years. A man sitting next to me recalls the time the Grill was open, where he was a regular there could chill for hours all morning alone in a booth.
Saturday Dinette maintains the floor plan and white walls of its predecessors, though the bar counter has been remodeled and now serves alcohol. he walls are decorated with facial motif paintings by illustrator Stephanie McKay. The open rear kitchen bustling with women at work. Some of the kitchen staff come from a YWCA training program, here to learn on the job alongside chef/​owner Suzanne Barr. I asked about this to a waitperson, who remarks, «We are very into community involvement and giving people a leg up on life.»
I didn’t know what to expect from this cozy and very hip, ‘feminine moderne’ diner, scanning the daytime menu where food makes up a small chunk. I just went for the burger ($ 12), and another waitperson was kind of second-​guessing herself. «I think that’s half lamb, half beef… like, it’s two patties, with the lamb and beef mixed in together.» You sure? Sign me up for one! Wasn’t even expecting a two-​patty burger at a place like this, never mind a big burger.
The ⁸⁰⁄₂₀ refers to the ratio of beef to ground lamb (it doesn’t say anything about it on the menu though) in the two tender-​loose patties they give you in an oversized bun. With the addition of a house mayo and a relish of diced beets and zucchini, the burger is so damn exploding with juicy flavours, you will forget there is such a thing as ketchup or pickles. Highly recommended, highly out of this world. With a focus on fresh modern takes on comfort diner fare, served in dainty cups and dishes, there’s no fryer in the kitchen, so you can forget about fries on the side as well.
The community investment theme seems to extend well to the diner’s hospitality, where they made us feel more than warm and taken care of in our dine-​in. It’s hip but mature, beatnik modern but classy, romantic yet totally chilled out, and certainly gives the Gerrard area more vibrancy than it has ever seen before, where the Leslieville and Riverdale crowds can hang out for an evening. I’m more than surprisingly impressed; I’ll be poking my head here more often when I can.
{TTC: the 506 all the way to Logan Avenue.}

Had an amazing meal at Saturday Dinette. As with Hammersmith’s before, the space is open-​concept, cozy, and has a great vibe. Staff was attentive and friendly and the prices were very fair for the excellent food.
After sampling bite of every dish on the table, everyone in the group was thoroughly impressed with everything and we ate every last bite of food. The coconut milk mac and cheese was really delicious. There were lots of vegetarian options and extremely tempting side dishes, appetizers, and milkshakes!