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    Aera

    3.5 (58 reviews)
    Closed • 4:00 pm - 10:00 PM

    Aera Photos

    Business Info

    AERA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Classy
    Outdoor seating
    Dressy

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    Recommended Reviews - Aera

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    Reviews With Photos

    Vannesa A.

    The view of the city is beautiful. I loved the food and its presentation. Friendly staff.

    Alyssa Z.

    Came here on a Sunday for a brunch party specifically brunch labs. The party itself was amazing. Great time. However the food it's left to be desired. Nothing really stood out. Was displayed nicely definitely Instagram worthy. It's just sad that nothing made me crave it to come back. The client service is great though honestly everyone there is accommodating nice and overall helped to make the experience a great time. Most likely will come back for another brunch party.

    Lilian N.

    Went to Aera for our team spring event during happy hour, and I love this fancy restaurant. The interior is super fancy but also cozy and you can see the CN Tower by the window. The waitress was very patient and friendly. I ordered the AMELIA cocktail and it was perfect, light and refreshing. For food we ordered the truffle fries and the nigiri platter(x2) for sharing. I love the fries, they were crispy. The sushi also tasted really fresh. We also ordered a sharing desserts flight (soba, cheesecake and more) per the waitress recommendation. And all of them were delicious. It's around $80CAD+ per person during happy hour. A little bit pricey but definitely worth it for great atmosphere, food and drinks.

    Jenn W.

    Downtown Toronto looks different when you get above the traffic and rooftops of neighbouring buildings. Aera's location at The Well offers the sweeping city skyline on one side (including a prominently placed CN Tower) and the tranquil Lake Ontario on the other. Direct yourself towards the Lake if you want a spectacular sun set view, although getting a table right by the window will require prepayment first. No one said these views come easy. The views don't come cheap either. Aera's prices are on the higher end of the spectrum, but the dishes are at least solid and a respectable size. The Maritime lobster spaghetti ($52) uses fresh spaghetti to create a chewy pasta that soaks up the buttery tomato and lobster bisque sauce. This was heavenly, and I'd happily have a plate to myself. Just don't go expecting for a ton of the crustacean. Kazi, our waiter, notes Aera's is known for their steak and sushi ... so many of Toronto's new Financial District restaurants say the same (Black + Blue, Blue Bovine, etc.) so we heed his advice and try both. The Canadian prime striploin ($85) was cooked a perfect medium rare with a nicely salted crust. The cut was tender and meaty, everything you'd want in a striploin. Check, Aera's a good steakhouse. Conversely, while we ordered the spicy scallop roll ($28) they must have thought they do the creamy tuna crunch roll ($30) better as that's what arrived. We let it go as it was a close second anyways. The maki had a thick layer of tender tuna and was adequately stuffed with avocado, picked radish, and crispy bits. There rice was just too cold and too stark and brought down the experience. Sushi house they are not. The sticky bourbon toffee pudding ($16) was beautifully presented adorned with a lattice cookie maple leaf that makes you hear "True North strong and free" before the first bite. The scoop of vanilla ice cream covered with crushed walnuts was certainly solid and strong, so difficult to cut through without squishing the soft cakey pudding on the bottom. It's a good dessert but would be even better if the caramel sauce was thinner and less sugary.

    Daytime view
    Jasmine L.

    Wowowow!! As the sister restaurant of the renowned Canoe - the view at Aera definitely is similar. The inside looks more modern & sultry though, more suitable for a hot date or meal before the clubs. We tried: -Cocktails City Z, Amelia, Strawhat, Espresso martini -CLASSIC MOLASSES BREAD (5/5) SO FRESH and fluffy - absolutely can taste the molasses flavour. Pair it with the truffle appie and it's a tastebud explosion duo -WHIPPED BLACK TRUFFLE PARFAIT (5/5) so creamy, rich, & savoury. Love the presentation -STEAK TARTARE (4.5/5) delicious and love the textures -BROILED SCALLOPS (4/5) can't go wrong with these bacon-wrapped scallops, just wish for the price there were more! -BEET & BURRATA SALAD (4/5) -CANADIAN PRIME STRIPLOIN (4.5/5) -SASHIMI PLATTER (4/5) -WTF SUSHI ROLL (5/5) LOVED every bite, HOWEVER they could've gotten away with using shrimp instead of the lobster tempura since you couldn't taste the lobster with the wagyu dominating most of the flavour anyways. The presentation with the dry ice & bone marrow was cool too

    Amelia
    Clara C.

    Came here for happy hour with some friends to grab a drink but mainly came for the view. The window seats at the bar area filled up pretty quickly. The servers are very friendly and attentive. We really enjoyed the drinks we got; Amelia and French 75. The truffle fries were delicious as well. Definitely a great place for happy hour.

    Chicken was very good. Soggy waffles. Sauce that was dripping off my plate and onto the table.. what a mess!
    Karen G.

    Went for brunch for my friend's 50th. It started with our table missing a seat for our party and we had to deal with a guy that turned out to be one of the events people. Ordered 3 drinks from the menu that was not available. We got there at noon so it wasn't like they ran out for the day. Ordered the chicken and waffles, chicken was very good but the waffle was soggy. Presentation was ok but the sauce was dripping off my plate as soon as it got served. My friend's ceasar had to be returned, and it still didn't come back like a ceasar. The service from the server was excellent which kind of made up for the experience. Place was pretty too. I expected a lot more considering it is an O&B restaurant.

    Walking into the restaurant
    Joy O.

    THE VIEWS were the BEST part of my experience at Aera! It was so breathtaking. I sat at the chef's table with unobstructed views of the CN Tower. The overall ambiance was an upscale, classy and chic vibe. The service was impeccable from the hostess to my waiter. They were pleasant and nice. One hostess even took my picture with the amazing backdrop. The waiter provided excellent recommendations for my meal. Now for the food: Mocktails: 10/10 very refreshing Oysters: 7/10 They were just okay. Spicy Sushi Rolls: 9/10 because they were very filling and delicious. Beef tenderloin: 7/10. I would have liked a bit more flavor. I ordered it medium well, and it was juicy but not not as good as others I have had in elsewhere. Mushroom side dish: 9/10 very good. Overall, my experience at Aera was AMAZING and I would highly recommend it simply because of the stunning VIEWS.

    Yellow tail ceviche
    Chrissy S.

    First of all customer service was not it for me, the wait for the food order was long then the actual food took wayyy too long like definitely over 15mins wait. The yellow tail ceviche was basic I've had better, the broiled octopus almost made be choke because it was soo chewy and rubbery had to turn that back. Signature sushi was decent nothing that wowed me exactly except presentation. The side of carrot was good, maritime lobster spaghetti was quiet al dente for me I like pasta on the softer side, taste was ok nothing remarkable. Prnstar martini was ok didn't come with a side of wine or anything. Overall the restaurant is definitely over rated. Dining time lasted 7pm till about 9:30pm because we kept on waiting for the food or for service for just a table of two. We had to get up to go ask for the bill because that was also taking forever to come by. Ambience is cool, you get good pictures especially if you seat by the windows so you can see the CN tower. Overall was not impressed by this dining experience especially for an upscale restaurant

    The steak that does not come with sides... the burgers do though
    Leo C.

    The place was immaculate. Views were probably the best you can get in Downtown Toronto. The food was quite expensive however but it was good for the experience. In my opinion the price is worth it if you're going to have a window seat.

    Sally L.

    Such a vibe here! Drinks are boozy and views are great. Service was decent. We came for happy hour. Happy hour cocktails are $15 so still pricey but worth it for the views. Great spot for date night or a night out with friends. Washrooms were pretty cleans. Limited parking and wheelchair accessible

    Decor
    HaKim N.

    The view and decor was nice, but I didn't enjoy the 7oz bacon steak. I did ask the waiter if I needed to add a side but was told it's alright without one as there's the onion rings/crisp. Maybe it would be better with sides. 1/4 of the slab was fatty, 1/2 was charred and hard to chew, 1/4 was dry. My drink wasn't that great. Was there catching up with friends and the view. Food wasn't great.

    Elaine W.

    We were here for a large private event and the food was average. We had bunch of hors d'oeuvres which I wish I ate more of as it a lot better than our sit down meal. The sushi was amazing. Now, the dissappointing sit down meal. The starter was a sour prawn and scallop mess. Go with the beet salad instead. No one finished it at our table. It was a bad, upscale take on ceviche perhaps. The mains were steak which some loved and some didn't. Apparently there is a fatty cut with you are meant to eat together with the other piece but everyone left the fatty steak. I got the lobster and cold bosque and it tasted like nothing. Air had more flavor than that. The lobster was chewy. The carrot cake was lovely but nothing to write home about. The saving grace for this place is the views and its staff who were all great! We went around asking everyone how they enjoyed their meal and everyone was deflated "yeah was alright" some "not bad" but when asked "would you have paid for it?" And it was a resounding loud NO

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