The Forth

What kind of place is closed with no notice at 6:30 on a Saturday? The doors were shut, there was not even a closed sign on the window… the phone line was automated and still allowed you to place reservations. No indication whatsoever on their website or on any social media that it was closed. Wish I could comment on the food, but the incredible incompetence of management prevented me from having dinner.

Had a reservation for May 30. When we showed up, doors were locked. No answer on telephone. No response to telecom button outside. Dinner for a special occasion ruined. When we called the following Monday, were told that 2 weeks ago, their venue changed to «special events». «Someone» was supposed to have called us but must have «missed us». Was told would «pass along our concern to the manager».
So the last posting on their Facebook was on May 23, exactly one week prior (not 2 weeks as we were told), showcasing a menu item. There is nothing posted on their door, or on Facebook notifying public of changes that this is no longer a dine-​in establishment.
Wow. Shameful and unprofessional. Still waiting to «hear from the manager».

The food was done well and staff there are attentive and engaging. The atmosphere was trendy and had a lounge feel. It was a little off beat for the area that it’s in.

My experience at The Forth started on the top level where we occupied ourselves with drinks at the bar while waiting for our table. We ended up trying a majority of the cocktail menu by the end of the night, and there is definitely a drink suited for everyone! My favourite was The Botonist which satisfied my fruitier preferences, while Kentucky’s Finest Cocktail was a favourite of the hard-​hitters.
With a party of 6, we were able to try a substantial portion of this seasonal menu neatly arranged under the categories «Snacks», «Appetizers», «Mains», «For Two», and «Desserts».
Definitely a meal with many dishes worthy of mention. You can’t go wrong with any of the snacks and appetizers. Many had me sold with its visual appeal and artfully presentation (like the Trout, Steak Tartare, and Fois Gras Torchon), while others were more impressive on the tongue. The Burata seemingly appeared as a simple scrambled egg on toast, but the combination of sweet, salty, and savory flavours really took me by surprise. In terms of seafood mains, the perfectly cooked Scallops wins the battle against the Halibut, which was rather unmemorable. If you’re feeling for red meat, then you will not be disappointed with the options at The Forth. The Duck particularly was my favourite — I can’t resist a tender duck breast with crispy skin! And while I was relatively less enthusiastic about the dessert offerings, my belly was more than content with the delicious cocktails and dinner fare. A place I would definitely come back to!

I went with a group of 12 people and we all agreed this is a phenomenal restaurant. The food, atmosphere, décor, and staff were all first class. I had the duck (which was great), but next time I will try the lobster linguine because it looked so good. The restaurant is as upscale as Globe for those familiar with the Danforth. (Though the menu at Forth has a wider selection than Globe, ie. pasta.) Very impressed.

I have no idea why there are so few reviews for this restaurant. We had an absolutely incredible meal, the service was impeccable, and the bill wasn’t painful. The only reason they don’t get 5 stars is because the large dining room was relatively empty. Why so unpopular T Dotters?
Will I be back? Let me put it this way: there are a lot of restaurants in Toronto I would love to experience but if I’m looking for a reliable place to share a rib eye and a fabulous «Adult Beverage» (fully recommend this cocktail, by the way) in a place that doesn’t feel like a steakhouse, I’ll definitely be back. Oh! And the popcorn octopus… I’ll remember our love affair for a very long time to come.

We had a fantastic meal at the forth. The service was exceptional and the food was delicious. Our server suggested the octopus as a great appetizer and she was right. The bread was homemade and for my birthday I received a beautiful dessert that was delicious as well. The manager checked in with us as well. the personal touch was certainly welcome. The ambiance is wonderful and they have 2 floors — we felt intimate on the 2^nd floor yet they have place for large groups as well. I look forward to booking a large group there soon.

The resaurant is very well put together, from the moment that you walkin the door till the time you leave. We went for our anniversary and was not disapointed. The food was excellent! Highly recommend the tartar, quail, and the Ontario raspberries. They were the highlights of our night. The service was a lil rocky at first, but quickly fixed it self and turned out to be amazing.

Date night.
This place is close to home so we went for dinner mid-​week. It was pretty much dead quiet except for a small party (8−10ish) near the bar on the 3^rd level.
The place is brand new and the place is decorated v. sleekly and modern. The lights overhead are a bit bright to look at directly.
We ordered quail, octopus, halibut and duck.
Octopus should be springy but it tasted mushy. We conclude that the stuff wasn’t fresh.
The quail was good but v. salty. The cornmeal/​bread medallions were too dry and chewy.
The halibut was the best dish of the night. A large portion of pan fried fish but again a bit on the salty side.
The duck was sliced too thick for the rarity/​rawness when it came out. My husband had to send it back to be cooked some more.
Service was attentive.
For the amount they charge, I totally expect better quality in the ingredients, presentation and taste. We won’t be coming back.

The service was great, but the food was hit– and miss.
The octopus, which came highly recommended by the server, was quite chewy and bland. The popcorn did it no favours.
The steak tar tar was one of the best I’ve ever tasted, with complex lovely flavours!
The halibut was fresh, delicious, and cooked perfectly. It was a healthy portion too. The duck, on the other hand, was too rare to eat. The texture was unappetizing.
The room was huge and fancy, but felt a bit cold on a slower night.
Over all, for the price and many incredible restaurant options in Toronto, I was not blown away.

I really like this place. The Danforth really needed a fine-​dining establishment that’s on par in atmosphere and presentation with a Chicago steakhouse. It may seem a little intimidating to enter via stairs or the elevator, this is what gives the restaurant as much space at it has. And it’s very spacious — this would be a great place to host a party. It’s tasteful and elegant, not gaudy. You could definitely impress a date here. While we were there, we saw couples and families with small children enjoying the dining room. So clearly, they can cater to a bunch of tastes.
I started with some cocktails. Order the Last Word, or try one of the beers — they try to keep it local, with Kensington and others on tap. We also tried the fries with sage and parmesan from the bar menu, which were extra crispy. The Forth does half-​price cocktails and $ 4 pints from 4:30−7, so that’s a good way to try out their menu. With that said, we met with the sommelier during dinner and he was really friendly about explaining his choices for different parts of the menu. He wrote the wine menu himself and seemed really happy to geek out over wine and answer questions.
Downstairs, we tried the aged striploin (they cooked it as rare as we liked!), the sauteed wild mushrooms with garlic and herbs, (meaty and smoky and delicious), and the agnolotti in lemon cream sauce with pistachio brittle. The straciatelle in the agnolotti was a little bit gritty for my taste, but if you like traditional ricotta you’ll enjoy it more. I also really enjoyed the tartness of the sauce against the mildness of the cheese.
Overall, I’d really like to see more people give this place a try. It’s something new and different, but the co-​owner grew up in the neighbourhood and really knows how to take care of people. The whole staff is friendly and helpful without being obsequious, and it seems like they have a plan in place for making things even better.

I just want to update my bits regarding the pork fat on the scallop. A very nice and helpful fellow Unilocalers brought it to my attention that the menu DID mention that the scallop dish has «lardo,» which is «pork fatback cured with herbs and spices.»
Thank you again for correcting me :)

Having lived on the Danforth for 23 years, we know food and restaurants. We have lots of them! But nothing like the recently opened The Forth. Lots to say about this incredible place :) The entry off the street leads to a reception area, and the hostess took us up to the 3^rd floor on an elevator. There are two floors, open to one another, with the 3^rd being the main space, including a lovely bar area. Let’s start with the décor. Someone has spent a lot of time designing every last detail of this beautiful space. The wall treatments, lighting, seating, colour scheme… they all work brilliantly to provide a comfortable yet first-​class atmosphere. There are two projectors showing HUGE images of Toronto, then and now, on the wall between the second and third floors. A stunning touch. Every component of the décor worked in harmony with the others. The music was great, but not overpowering. A perfect complement to the décor. The service was formal enough, without being falsely formal. This restaurant is top-​notch on all levels, make no mistake about it, but it is also comfortable and fun. The food. That, after all, is why we came! We had read about this new endeavour by chef Chris Kalisperas, and we were excited to welcome some fresh blood into the neighbourhood. We were not only just pleased with the food, we were THRILLED. The menu is creative, with our favourite «snack» item being the octopus with popcorn. Both our appetizers, quail and steak tartare, were perfection, and prepared with twists to the usual. Nothing we ate here tonight was boring, or like anything we had eaten anywhere else. Our mains were the scallops, and the agnolotti, and again, both dishes were prepared and plated with care and flare. The dishes here are bold, not bland, and each presents a feast for the eyes, as well as the tongue. Desserts really shone. Each choice was in fact a plate containing several homemade desserts items made around a theme. So, for example, my Maple and Almond plate had a number of wonderful concoctions on it, each one a melt-​in-​your-​mouth and to-​die-​for experience. Oh, and I forgot the bread. The bread and special butters here are AMAZING. For me, bad bread can be a deal breaker :) While we did not have a drink, the drinks menu looked really great as well. We did order a fabulous Organized Crime wine, from this winery with which we were unfamiliar. The wine list is not yet extensive, and the one thought we did have for the owners is that their food is so spectacular that some higher-​end wines (and beyond Ontario, though we understand their «grown local» approach) would be an excellent addition. Regardless, the wine list is no loser by any means! At the end of the meal we were also presented with a lovely homemade shortbread in a «The Forth» cellophane package. This was a lovely touch, and like everything else, was clearly made with love, on site. Jimmy, one of the owners, then took us onto the roof to show us what we had to look forward to when a license is obtained. OH MY GOSH. THIS is going to be THE best rooftop patio in Toronto, no holds barred. The space is large, and will have food service, Best thing ever, though, is the unobstructed view of the Toronto skyline. Just spectacular. The Forth deserves a long and prosperous life!

We went to The Forth for brunch on Sunday morning, and were told that we were their first brunch customers since opening as they had been closed for private events on the weeks previous. We were a bit skeptical in hearing this, but everything ended up being fantastic.
I had the french toast which was amazing, and my husband really enjoyed their duck confit eggs benedict. The americano and cappuccino which we ordered were also quite good. The service was very attentive without being overbearing, and the space is beautiful. This is definitely a welcome addition to the neighbourhood and we look forward to trying many other items on their menu in the future.

Super solid 4 stars for the Forth on Danforth.
We made a mid-​week reservation, not quite sure what to expect, but happy to say it did not disappoint.
— Wine list: local and super reasonably priced. Classic cocktail list and happily suprsied to see some great craft beer (very hit or miss at far too many restaurants)
— Food was very tasty. Menu is classic (steak, scallops, tartare) with the more trendy accompaniments (cauliflower, of course!):
Started with freshly (on site) baked bread with ash-​butter, yum! Had the quail, husband had the steak tartare, both very good. For mains, halibut and I had the scallops which were again very good. Lovely presentation and great portion sizes… almost bordering on large, so much so we skipped dessert… although the sweets and cheese list was VERY tempting.
— Service: super friendly, knowledgeable and attentive.
— Space is very large across two levels, both are nicely done. I foresee a ton of success with private events (weddings, showers etc) given the size and layout would be super conducive to it.
Overall the price point is just right given the quality and portions … So while not necessarily the place you’d go to every week, it was a very nice meal, excellent service and very much recommended for a lovely night out.