The Roncy Public

Well made food and good service. I ordered the portebello burger, which was good. My friend loved her pasta and my other friend said the beet salad was tasty. We shared deep fried pickles and they were amazing. Good pub food. I’d go back.

I have been here 3 times now and it’s always been quite nice. Friendly service, gets the orders right every time, good wine recommendations also. The Chicken wings are delicious. I have noticed whatever you order comes out nice and hot– indicating it’s cooked fresh and to order. My favourite snack there are the portobello mushroom fries. I also appreciate that they have gluten free options as I cannot eat gluten due to a stomach condition. Nice ambiance, the place is a good size and they play decent music at a level where you can still converse with your friends without shouting.
Good, freshly cooked food, good wine list, good beers, nice, tidy place… can’t lose, check it out.

Came here for a friend’s birthday dinner and private party. Loved the music they had playing — lots of cool, old stuff during dinner. I noticed that the other guests were really friendly too. Two different tables were conversing with us at a few points during the evening.
Restaurant has a nice ambience. Server was attentive and personable and resembled Bradley Cooper. He was a super sweetie.
The Kentucky Lemonade was delicious. The Deep Fried Pickles, Caesar Calamari and Fried Chicken Cobb Salad all were great. Damn, I’m already craving that salad again. Seriously, fried chicken and candied tomatoes? Hella delicious combo.
The pasta dishes were all large portions and everyone raved about the Mushroom Penne. Someone noted that the gravy in the poutine was salty but that can be a difference of opinion — it was a huge portion as well. Someone else had the Chocolate Crème Brûlée and said it was heavenly.
Had a great time here. My friend loves this place, I’ll for sure be back.

Really enjoyed this restaurant.
Would go back and try almost everything on the menu.
The chicken and waffles were so good, the club was so good, and someone at my table said the burger was one of the best.
Would go back.
If you are looking for good hardy yummy food, you cannot go wrong here.

great food and great place. I went there just for their mushroom fries and mushroom pasta and I was not disappointed.

I’ve been to this restaurant twice, and am a big fan of the food and service. To me, the food is exactly what I’d describe as elevated pub food — a niche that I feel is missing in the Junction /​Roncesvalles /​Bloor West area. I’ve tried (or had bites of) the pulled pork sandwich, fries, chicken & waffles, sweet potato gnocchi and flank steak with roasted potatoes. All were delicious. My one tiny hangup is that the bacon in the gnocchi is described as crisp on the menu, but it was actually really underdone in the dish. I avoided it as I only like crispy bacon (small thing, but I thought I’d mention!)
Like other reviewers have said, the décor doesn’t blow me away, but it’s a nice atmosphere and honestly, the food and service makes up for it. I’ve never been here when live music is happening, but I can definitely see that being really loud.
I can see myself becoming a regular here!

I’ve been in this place four times. The first time we went we really enjoyed the food, the quiet atmosphere and our waitress was just an awesome person. Five stars back then.
Second time I went, we immediately walked out as they had a band playing and it was WAY too loud.
Third time I went, same story, super loud band playing. I said to the owner «would love to stay but this is way too loud». He kind of shrugged his shoulders and turned around and walked away. I should mention, I’m a DJ so I’m not one of those super sensitive people about loud noises. But when your restaurant has about 8 tables in it and half of it is being used by a four piece rock band…
Fourth and last time I went, we went early to avoid the noise and it worked. There was one young guy working there, owner wasn’t in yet. We ordered two drinks, a cosmo and a mojito. Not exactly tough drinks to make. The young waiter decided to take on the drinks himself, which took about 20 mins to make. The owner walked in just before he was about to give them to us. I guess he didn’t notice I was looking right at them. Owner grabbed a straw, stuck it in the cosmo, took it out, put the straw in his mouth and said «it’s fine» and then did the same with my mojito and said «fine» and then disappeared in the back. So the waiter gave us our drinks, said «sorry it took so long, I’ll take them off the bill» and then walked away. The drinks were garbage but we figured «well they’re free so no biggie».
The owner came over and said «how are the drinks?». I kind of shrugged my shoulders and said «not great» and he said «do they have booze in them?», rolled his eyes, walked away. Much like he did when I said his live music was too loud in the past. I think he likes the drama, he’s very good at the turn and stroll away like he has better things to worry about. Lot of people on Unilocal seem to like him, trying very hard to understand why as he seems pretty arrogant.
When our food came, everything was salty and not as good as the first time we had been. We ordered the portobello fries, I had a burger and my wife had the pulled pork. She didn’t mind her meal, I just kept thinking Rude Boy burgers is across the street and do a much better burger. Fries were extremely salty and not very good.
When the bill came, surprise-​surprise, full price for both drinks. If I had known that was going to happen I would have sent the drinks back and I DID let the owner know the drinks weren’t good.
So, that’s that. I love the Roncy neighbourhood but we’re running out of places to eat. These owners seem to be pretty high and mighty serving shitty overpriced food and drinks.

Great place with live music some nights. Owner run and operated — he may be the one serving you!
Great menu and HUGE wings too :) love the flavors.

Good food, small portions and great atmosphere. The servers were very nice and friendly. I was here for a work lunch function during the week of Xmas this year.

Went inside randomly on a Thursday night when we heard the live music from outside. My boyfriend and I were taken care of by Jamie, who is charming and entertaining to watch when flipping around bar bottles. We shared the Warm Mushroom & Lentil Salad and Mushroom Penne because mushrooms. But seriously both plates were enjoyable and quite tasty. Would return, especially again on a Thursday, $ 4 simple beverages huzzah!

The food PRESENTATION is amazing but the food tastes so bad!
I ordered the flank steak and it was served medium rare (like I asked). It was so tough and chewy that I could barely swallow it. Also, the flavour wasn’t good. The sparse mushrooms and potatoes it was served with were tasty though. I barely ate half of my dish and it cost $ 21! What a waste. To top everything off, later that night, I got food poisoning.
My husband ordered the chicken and waffles for $ 20. The waffles were dry and the chicken was mediocre.
I would not return again, considering all of the other delicious (and cheaper) options on this street.

Went last night with friends. Pretty atmosphere and very good service. Nice selection of wines and beers on tap. Food was average. Husband had fried chicken with waffles– very solid. Burgers were good with tasty fries. I had the beet salad and fish tacos– neither were special– tacos were not worth ordering and the beet salad did not have very many beets on it. All in all you could do worse than this and it is certainly as good as Cubana next door but there are better options on Roncy if you are a foodie.

We stopped in here for brunch one day because La Cubana was full. I was expecting it to be awful since it was empty and the space looks a little bit like it’s out of the 90s but the cornbread we had was tasty, as were both of our meals. I had the eggs benny with pulled pork. The pulled pork was a little sweet (lovely) and very tender — very tasty. My boyfriend had the omelet and said it was good. Our server was also excellent.
The ambiance of the place leaves a bit to be desired. It seems to be the one downfall. The tables, chairs and fabric on the booths feel a little dated and I’m not a fan of the tall seating. The TVs were a little overpowering too. It felt a little like a house that a bad realtor had staged.
A coat of paint to brighten the place up, replace the tables and chairs and take down those awful TVs (ok, maybe keep one but I’d love to see them all go) and this place could be amazing.

Roncy just keeps adding more and more to the depth of choices to hit up for dinner and drinks and music. This place nailed it on all accounts!
Went there with the lady friend and had some cocktails; I had the Kentucky Lemonade which was killer and she had the Orange Rickey which she really enjoyed.
We got the portobello fries to start, which were tasty, a little bland without the Aioli which gave it the added pop it needed. I’d definitely order again.
She got the pork chop which was insanely good, the squash purée that came with the chop was so flavorful and the meat was absolutely on point.
I got the Fried Chicken and Waffles and couldn’t have been happier. The waffles were perfectly fluffy and savory with the golden brown chicken that was cooked to a T! The sauces and maple butter just put it over the top for me. They nailed this dish and would bring me back just for that alone.
Portion sizes were on par with what you’re paying, great value for everything and I will be back.
As an added bonus the live music that goes on every other Thursday was amazing, guys name is Kurt and the guy can play the hell out of an acoustic guitar. I’ll be coming back to support this guy as he was an absolute beauty!
I guess i should get back to work now. See Ya!

Good atmosphere, good service. A nice little spot that fills the bistro pub niche on Roncy. Not too stuffy and serves up some tasty fare.
The Cobb ($ 13) is definitely a goto: smooth Dijon style dressing with the usual trimmings topped with crispy bacon and chicken on top — hit! The pulled pork tacos came recommended and they were tasty and very much bistro-​quality. Saw someone across order the waffles and fried chicken and it looked really good — if you’re into that.
Overall, I liked it.

It’s a nice little spot that has good vibes but little seating space. I personally think the tvs are redundant and without them, the place might feel a little more intimate so to speak.
Here is the breakdown:
Kentucky Lemonade: 4 stars. Really tasty cocktale with burboun and lemonade, no stinge on the lemons either!
Calamari: 2 stars for the squid, I found it was too chewy and when I tried to bite it, I just lost all the breading over my plate. That being said the breading was good!
Fried chicken and waffles: 5 stars! This is a real winner, the waffles were crispy and warm. The chicken was perfect inside and crunchy outside. I think I would prefer it too be golden rather than dark brown though. The sauces it came with were super delicious.
Pulled pork sandwich: 3 stars. Sandwich was small and dry, and the plate was overbalanced with fries.
Just middle of the road.
Dessert: 5 stars! Crème brûlée made how it’s supposed to be, and an equally delicious tira misu.
The chef was friendly enough to come and introduce himself to the diners.
Yes I would go back! I think there are things to improve on but there is a lot of promise here!

I just had the best chef salad ever! It was fantastic. Great place, I will be back. My only critique is the rather steep priced menu. for a pub/​lounge type place. apps are $ 13, mains are all $ 20 plus. cheapest wine is $ 9/​5oz. a decent brand was $ 12 fir 5oz. Its a 40 – 50 dinner. I was in on a Sunday and it was empty. A drink/​dinner special would bring me back much more often! The music was very annoying.

I really wanted to like this place, and I do, sorta. Full disclosure, it’s owned by the good friend of a friend. (I don’t personally know the owner — though we met during our visit.)
The atmosphere is interesting, but not-​quite-​there. A decent DJ was playing, and the many TVs had hockey games going.
The food was hit and miss, but the hits were out-​of-​the-​park. The red-​velvet waffles were phenomenal. The chicken accompanying them was good, but wings were an odd choice of cut, and the portions were more odd — half the size of an order of wings without waffles, at nearly double the price.
The dry dusted jerk-​spiced wings were good too (and a decent portion), with the accompanying dip very good indeed.
An order of bruschetta was a serious flop, with too much onion and unripe colourless tomato, drowning in balsamic reduction.
The service is attentive, friendly and gracious. Prices are a touch on the high-​side, but not outrageous.
So, all in all, a good addition to the neighborhood, but not quite my cup-​of-​tea. I wish them all the best, but even more, I hope they figure out what they want the place to be: Is it a sports bar, or a club/​night-​spot, or a gastro-​pub?
I think they’ll do well when they decide.

I’m pretty picky about the spots I choose to go out to, but I’ve definitely found my new spot for everyyyything — dinner, drinks, watching the game, music, oh and it actually has incredible food.
ATMOSPHERE:
Upon walking in we felt very welcomed and comfortable. The vibe was super chill and relaxed, though the place is beautifully decorated and has a really good look. The volume of the music was perfect and there were a few TVs showing the Leafs game which was great — the best of both worlds.
DRINKS:
The drink list is full of delicious cocktails — I would know having worked at a bar myself for many years. Jamie makes the best ceasar in the city (I’ve had maaaany). My drink was never empty as Jamie was always on top of it — even if it was just refilling my water.
FOOD:
I’m so excited to talk about this part! I’m a huge foodie and it can be hard to find a lounge that actually has good food. I’m also a nutritionist so I was very impressed to see some veg options, gluten-​free, and quinoa on the menu.
We had the smoked apple cheddar cheese plate and the calamari as apps. They were both good sized portions and really well made and presented. For dinner I had the mushroom penne and am dying to get my hands on that recipe. It was mouthwatering good. My fiancé is Italian so it can be hard to impress him with pasta. He couldn’t stop taking bites out of my dish. He was egging me on to ask for the recipe too. Finished off with the crème brûlée which was delicious. Did I mention everything is made in house?
The chef came out to see how everything was. He introduced himself and shook our hands. Such a nice guy and he is doing something right in the kitchen — the food is AWESOME!!!
SERVICE:
I’ve been to a ton of spots on Ronces and other cool city bars/​lounges, and it’s hard to find servers who actually care. I’ve been disappointed time and time again, especially coming from the service industry myself. This place was great though! You can tell the servers and bartenders there love their job and want to make a connection with everyone that comes through the door. They get to know you by name, shake your hand, and go above and beyond to make you happy. So impressed!
OVERALL:
I enjoy spending money but I don’t like throwing it away. Spending your money here promises a wicked experience, delicious food, and totally cool atmosphere. I can’t wait to go back!

Just had my first set of wings at the Roncy public and they are fabulous. Chris, the head chef, sauced up some in house creations, from scratch. I dare say some of the best in Roncy, if not toronto. Come try them out.
Jamie, the chief mixologist, flaring his way through the night will keep you entertained and well served. Since it was a nice quiet Monday night, we got some extra attention which makes all the difference.
By far one of the chilliest places on Roncy and worth the stop by for anyone looking to have a drink a good conversation and a good time.