Simple Bistro

I went there for brunch time and there was absolutely no one there but us.
There was lipstick on my glass, which made me question the cleanliness of the place. The food was really bof-​bof, way too overpriced for what it is!!!
The only positive thing was that there was no one there.

What a Mother’s Day disappointment! Despite the fact we had reservations, the staff seemed surprised — and put out — by our presence. The children were not offered drinks, the coffee was tepid and weak, we had to ask for bread and butter, salt and pepper, and for additional milk after asking for more hot water for the teapot. Although it was expensive for what we got, the graceless service is what really deflated our mildly celebratory mood. Dinners in the past have been a very very different experience. Shame.

I really liked Simple Bistro in 2012 when I first moved to this neighborhood and still had high hopes for it last year when I wrote my initial review based off of several good meals! I’m not sure what changed, but the last time I ate there — shortly after posting my much more positive review — my meal just wasn’t very good compared to previous times I had ordered the same dish (not a hard one: steak frites).
My partner and I decided to wait for them to change to their summer menu so we could try new things (and because in 2012 the prix fixe went down to $ 35 for summer) and I think they went at least six months without changing anything on the menu… the price definitely didn’t go down.
I took a look at their menu while walking by today and found that they’ve raised their three-​course prix fixe from $ 40 to $ 45. It’s not that big of a difference, but we probably won’t bother going back. The discount prix fixe was a lot of what brought us in and I’m not really willing to pay any more without being sure there’s been an increase in the quality of the food since our last meal there was sub par.

I had dinner here the food was amazing and the service was so nice. I would definitely go again.
The prices for a really nice night out are very reasonable for a three course meal. Its very small and simple, but the foods is delicious.

I came here to celebrate my girlfriend’s birthday last Monday. We were recommended Simple Bistro from one of her friends who had eaten here a couple years back and she had rave reviews about this place and we’d been meaning to check this place out for awhile. When we got there it wasn’t too busy, about a third of the restaurant was full I would say. We brought our own bottle of wine based on the restaurant’s website encouraging its patrons to make use of their BYOW policy. When my girlfriend went to wash her hands before the meal I told our server that it was her birthday and asked if they did anything special. The waitress said that they usually provide a free dessert to which I said that would be nice.
Meal: We ordered a charcuterie board and escargots to share for apps, and I had the duck confit while my girlfriend ordered the short ribs. The charcuterie board was really underwhelming. The meat tasted like the salami you buy in grocery stores. There were two kinds of salami — just a regular one and the same salami cut with parmasan wrapped around it. Based on the charcuterie boards we’ve ordered from other restaurants in Toronto I think I was expecting a nice board of house-​cured meats but didn’t get it. Even with modest expectations this was a pretty bland dish. My girlfriend also commented that the bread they serve is likely store-​bought (she bakes bread at home and can usually tell when something is homemade). The escargots was pretty decent, although REALLY creamy.
The duck confit I had, the duck was nicely cooked but the dish, overall, was really salty and lacking in flavour. It got to the point where I had to accompany bread with every bite I took of the dish to offset the saltiness. The short rib dish was much better tasting I would say.
Service: Atrocious especially considering how unbusy the place was. Our service started off attentive but after we ordered our meal, the waitress only came by once to fill our glass up with wine and bring out our plates. She never once asked how our meal was, if we needed anything etc. She was much more attentive to a couple other tables which seemed like it was comprised of regulars. Also, the free birthday dessert she had promised earlier never came. We finished our main and probably waited for a good ten minutes before we could get her attention again. At that point we were ready to go and once I was finally able to flag her down she came by with the dessert menu and asked if we wanted to order anything off of it. We said no thanks and just grabbed the bill. Once we got the bill I noticed that she charged us $ 30 for our corkage fee when I knew from their site that it should’ve been $ 20. I asked her about this and she said «my mistake I thought it was the weekend.» Really, you didn’t even know what day it was? Come on, it’s small details like that that really separate service standards. On that note I also asked her about the birthday dessert and she said she had forgotten because she was so busy. Not sure what her definition of busy is but the place was less than half full at any given point we were there.
I paid the bill and left quite disappointed and dissatisfied with our dining experience.
Our experience certainly was not reflective of the one my girlfriend’s friend told us she had a couple years ago. The dishes were mediocre and the service very amateurish. Perhaps they were just having an off-​night but there were a lot of strikes all night and based on the experience I had, I certainly could not recommend this place to anyone.

This meal was absolutely delicious from beginning to end! Started with the escargot and mushrooms which blew me away! Was prepared in a beautiful dill cream sauce that was completely unexpected, but packed so much flavour without being too rich or heavy. Followed up with the braised short rib over ratatouille and fried polenta which tasted as delicious as it smelled! I can honestly say that aroma has very rarely played such a large part in my most recent meals but this one was to die for! The polenta wasn’t gritty as I’ve usually had it, the short rib just melted in your mouth and the tomato based vegetables complimented the beef and polenta perfectly! Finished the meal off with the meringue aux fruits which again just exceeded my expectations! The slight hint of cinnamon was so unexpected yet complimented a usually ordinary dish with something so unique and flavorful I was very pleased and surprised!
Compliments to the chef! This place is definitely a hidden gem and I can’t wait to go again!

We saw this restaurant featured in the Toronto Life magazine and wanted to try it with friends from Vancouver. Wow… What a treat with a $ 40 dinner price fix. The food is all fresh made and homey which made for a wonderful meal. Everything was executed perfectly and the service was fast and friendly. The owner is opening a lounge in the upper level and will sure be a great local spot to be seen. Give this restaurant a try and it will not disappoint.

My wife and I went to a movie on Mt. Pleasant and we walked by Simple Bistro and said «why not try it»?
We each ordered the beet salad and the steak frites but we both felt that the restaurant has missed its price point, it was simply not worth $ 40 each.
The beet salad was nicely presented but for $ 11 there really was not much there.
The steak was tasty and there was a generous helping of french fries.
Overall, the food was good and the presentation was tasteful but we wont be returning.

The service was terrible, our waitress Erin never greeted us or smile. The bill was brought to us without even being asked for. We will never go back

Maybe this place is great at brunch? Here for dinner and our experience did not match the high Unilocal rating in the slightest. Everything was just ill conceived.
A celeriac salad seemed different and adventurous, but turned out to be odd and disappointing. It was very heavy on the mustard and had too much dressing. Odder still was the decision to include a poached egg croquette. Having egg yolk exploding over what was already a too-​wet salad just seemed bizarre. (If served with some toast, the egg croquette would have been a great idea.)
My main course was rabbit served in a mac cheese dish. I know, I was asking for trouble, but I got so much more than I deserved. The dish was headlined as «Braised Rabbit.» Well, I’m sorry but this rabbit was not braised in the slightest. It was boiled in a béchamel sauce. Unfortunately, it wasn’t boiled long enough for the «pasta shells» — which were really about the thickness of gnocchi — to cook through. But that’s not the worst of it. The dish didn’t include cheese within the béchamel. Instead it was actually capped with a very thick layer of Fontina cheese, like a french onion soup. Fontina is strong enough in small quantities. When plastered across the entire dish, no other ingredient even had a chance. For no apparent reason, this dish was also accompanied by some sort of meat croquette. «Micro greens» mentioned in the description turned out to be a tiny garnish rather than an ingredient.
My S.O. was similarly disappointed in her main (though her’s looked better than mine). She had the pork belly. And yes, it too included a croquette.
Like the food, the music was similarly odd and seemed to be trying too hard. We literally listened to a full hour of atonal Hammond B3 solos. No, I’m not exaggerating. I had lots of time to think it through. Someone actually played it and thought it sounded good and someone else recorded it and didn’t throw the tapes away, etc. Leading all the way to this restauranteur thinking «Say, I’ll bet our diners would like to listen to a full hour of atonal Hammond B3 solos.» I’m guessing the person who designed the menu also selected the music.

I had brunch here. They serve coffee in a French press. Fresh baked warm bread with butter and flaked salt accompanies your order. I got the Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon. It was pretty good. My only complaints is that the smoked salmon was too salty and the English muffin was too hard to cut through. It tasted good otherwise. It comes with a salad of only greens. The service is friendly, attentive and quick.

I was out of ideas for where to go for Mother’s Day, so I randomly selected a restaurant that had availabilities from Dining Date Night. We haven’t had French food for awhile, so I picked Simple Bistro, which I’ve read good reviews on Unilocal.
The complimentary bread was super dense, so we didn’t enjoy it very much. Even the delicious butter couldn’t save it.
My mom loves oysters, so we ordered the feature of the day– Beau Soleil Oysters ($ 9 for 3). I can’t recall what’s in the mignonette, but I remember that the oysters were sweet and fresh.
Grilled Ontario Harvest sweetbread with roasted St. David’s red pepper marmalade ($ 14). We loved the red pepper marmalade. The sweetbread was fine, but I prefer the deep-​fried version.
Everspring Farms duck terrine with Bumper Crop asparagus, pickled rhubarb, Kozlik’s mustard, toast ($ 11). The duck was quite pleasant, but the mustard was really intense– one little dab of it overwhelmed everything!
Wild Atlantic diver scallops on barley and nettle risotto, samphire, double-​smoked bacon crumble ($ 26). This was my favourite course of the evening. The texture of the barley was perfectly for a risotto, and I loved that delicious green sauce. The scallops were cooked nicely and the bacon crumble provided a nice crunch.
Pudding Chômeur– Warm nutmeg cake, Calvados maple cream, brown butter ice cream (normally $ 9, but if you order an appetizer and main course, they’ll take $ 5 off your dessert!) I can never resist ordering a pudding chômeur because of my love for warm gooey desserts. This one was a lot better than my experience at The Drake Hotel last time, but it didn’t blow my mind away either. I guess I’m still on the search for the perfect pudding chômeur!
All in all, it wasn’t a bad meal, but I wasn’t overly impressed with the food.

Had dinner@ Simple Bistro with friend last week. Mushroom soup was delicious. My main was black cod, with side of lentils and auberge caviar. The flavors were well balanced and the dish was very tasty. The sides were such a nice complement to a perfectly done cod.
My friend had salad as her app and scallops as the main. She was very happy with both, and loved how scallops were seasoned, and also commented on the delicious cauliflower.
This restaurant is neighborhood gem. The service is always friendly and highly attentive.

Living so close to the ever vibrant Yonge Street I too often over look Mount Pleasant’s little restaurants. Not this time though, and I’m glad I didn’t.
This little french restaurant is cozy, warm and charming with an inviting sign outside enticing you to come in out of the cold.
The restaurant is aptly named with a small concise menu that offers just 7 appetizers and 7 simple main courses. One of each meat really: steak, chicken, lamb, duck, scallops, trout, a vegetarian option.
Each is artistically presented, full of fresh perfectly cooked food and covered in an always delicious sauce. All the main courses cost exactly $ 25 and the appetizers $ 11.
My advice, order the lamb!
Typically, I am not a lamb fan but this stuff was melt in your mouth delicious. Everyone at the table agreed it was the best of the meals we ordered (duck, scallops and lamb).
The desserts are equally simple and delicious. Get the sticky toffee pudding. It’s sinfully good.
The one complain I had about the restaurant was the lighting. I like my restaurants dimly lit and this one was not. Far from a reason not to go again though. I will return.

3.5* which i’m happy to bump up to 4* for good service, bottomless coffee and yummy fries
I got the steak frites which was good. the fries were delish (you Torontians really do know how to make good fries).
i also ordered the panna cotta which was yummy.
prices were a little pricey, but not exorbitant
$ 25 for steak frites and $ 9 for panna cotta
the restaurant is small and cosy and has a personal, warm ambience

We had the Omakase, newly added pre fix, in short; simple, elegant and delicious! The service was excellent with a great recommendation on wines to be paired with my meal. The grouper served tonight was just a bit on the salty side for my taste, but was overall excellent. The main course consisted of venison was amazing, no gamey taste, with full on meat flavors! To finish the evening, a warm brownie topped with a scoop of pistachio ice cream. Wonderful!

On a chilly Saturday, I found my way in here whilst waiting for a Christmas gift to be wrapped at another store.
Host greeted us warmly and let us sit at a table farthest away from the cold. Special of the day were Oysters… awesome; Malpeque-​like, but big and meaty. With the house vinaigrette, they were perfect.
I opted for the Onion Soup with duck confit and Benedictin bleu croutons. Not at all the taste I was expecting. It was very light and delicate, but flavourful. My wife had the mushroom crepes. Outstanding. Light and fluffy, but so full of flavour and were just the right amount of filling.
Two lovely wines went nicely with the light lunch — Jean Geiler Pinot Gris (available at the lick-​bo) was buttery sweet. The other was a Tawse Chard and much lighter, but a wonder accompaniment.
Small place with great photography for artwork. Kinda pricey for a lunch ($ 70+), but great nonetheless.

Was looking forward to this spot for brunch, but it missed the mark.
They don’t serve the French toast anymore. The eggs Benny? Not on a croissant (at least today). The bread was stale, and the milk for the coffee came in a creamer that had chunks of sour milk clinging to its insides. Benny was only OK. Croque Monsieur was better. Service only ok, and a bit nonchalant. Try rebel house at yonge and summerhill.

First impressions are paramount, right? When I arrived I was greeted with the following: «Hey, we’re really busy. Either you’ll have to put up with slow service as I’m the only person working, or I’ll have to turn you away.»
?
Talk about a first impression! Now I ask you — if you received such a greeting, would it encourage you to stick around? Would you be more lenient and patient with your server or would it annoy you further? Had he not said anything I probably wouldn’t have even noticed or remarked on slow service, as Simple Bistro’s version of «slow service» was hardly that at all — in fact, service was totally fine — but now my mind was on it. Otherwise, five stars. Worth the trek to Yonge/​Eg for sure — the food was outstanding.
We received a basket of freshly baked bread that was still warm, complete with pats of salt-​dusted butter, and the bread was delicious to the extreme. Among the best loaves I’ve tasted and it was a blessing that they didn’t keep bringing it out or I’d be the size of a house today.
I ordered the Florentine Benny ($ 11 — also available in peameal or smoked salmon) and it was served on top of a fresh croissant. Génial! It was served with crispy frites (pre-​seasoned and awesome) and greens. An absolutely perfect little meal with everything cooked to perfection and not too much hollandaise.
They also offered a dessert menu (how French!) but I was too stuffed after my brunch and all that bread to even contemplate dessert. Would definitely return for brunch or dinner.

Yes, it is a simple sweet bistro. The décor is spare, cozy, spartan.
Brunch was a delight, the croque monsieur was rich, creamy, perfectly toasted. The lightly dressed greens and perfect crispy bistro frites were exactly what I wanted. My mother and husband had the French toast, which also came with frites and greens. The sweet French toast was topped with bacon, they loved it.
Our server was a graceful, handsome gentleman who was sweet and efficient (even though he was the only one on hand for the entire restaurant). We wanted to ask if he was a dancer, but my mother didn’t want to look like a cougar…