art, overeasy :Dundas and Beverley: I love Frank Gehry. He's on my list of people who amaze me. But we're here to talk about Frank, all caps. It's inside the AGO and presents exactly as you would imagine. A contemporary space that's inviting and chic with lots of natural light and modern decor. I particularly loved the chairs. They were comfortable and they swivel. Frank takes reservations, and that is a bonus considering there are very few places in Toronto that will take reservations for brunch (Boiler House brunch buffet and Hot House brunch buffet are two others. Both of which I love, for the endless food and the live jazz.) Yesterday afternoon a group of my favouritest friends joined me downtown. They're the type who don't question the cost of food because they enjoy quality. Always being "cheap" is a necessisty when you're in your 20s. Always being "cheap" in your 30s is just sad. My dad once told me (because he thought I was a little too frugal) that a person who is selectively cheap is wise, but those that are wholly cheap are tasteless beggars. He then followed it up with, "'so you a beggar?'" Asian sarcasm is always so much more intense. It's always special when I get a chance to catch up with my favourites. It puts me in a good mood. It didn't hurt that it was a lovely fall Sunday. We had a wonderful chow down and service was great throughout. We started witha few plates of the AGO's signature black currant scones with vanilla crème fraîche and housemade preserves ($7). They were good, but to be frank, no one has yet to hold a candle to Windsor Arms'. Minnie had the Croque Madamme ($17). I am a huge fan of the croque sandwiches, so I took a bite. It was well-made, but I thought the mustard seed mornay sauce was overpowering. It might have been better had I not been comparing it to The BEST Croque Monsieur I had in Miami. Oh, I miss that Miami. I had the corned beef, bacon and mixed mushroom hash with yukon gold & sweet potato a poached egg, and a mushroom jus ($17). My egg was cooked perfectly. My buddy's wasn't. It happens. Overall, it was delicious. Smoky and full-flavoured with delicious corned beef and crispy, chewy bacon pieces. Caveat: The portion was small, especially compared to everyone else's. I felt jipped. A few people got the braised beef brisket sandwich on red fife sourdough ($19). The only complaint seemed to be the fattiness of the beef. Brisket is usually a fattier cut, but there seemed to be much more fat than usual. Note that the ketchup was different. We tasted it several times, and the general consensus was that there were beets in there. Beets, neat. The beef brisket burger ($19) smelled amazing. I think it might have been the apple wood smoked cheddar. Aerie and her man liked it, but she prefered the flavours of the brisket sandwich. And finally, the eggs benedict ($20), because one rarely goes to brunch without someone ordering a benedict. It was your basic poached eggs, buttermilk biscuits, pemeal bacon and hollandaise sauce. Not outstanding, but good. The dishes were good. Nothing was spectacular, and everyone took issue with something - either the portion was too small, it was slightly salty, or a bit too fatty, etc. But In the end, we'd all go back. Frank is a really great space and more than made up for the limitations of its dishes, especially because overall, the food was good and there is nothing wrong with good. read more

I wanted to like this place. As an Art Gallery of Ontario member, Frank Gehry fan, and museum nerd, I think I brought the right attitude. However, the food was simply not very good, the prices high for the quality and quantity offered, the service unwelcoming, waits very long, and the "atmosphere," if one is seated upstairs, non-existent. read more

Great service, interesting atmosphere, and good food. : Ahi tuna was cooked through, white and dry. Disappointing. My other guests enjoyed their food. The room we were in had beautiful paintings, but they were huge sad faces. Eating while having such sadness poured down on you is disconcerting. The waiter made up for it. He was attentive, fun and helpful. If you go, don't order the tuna, and stay away from the sadness! read more

Second time going to Frank for brunch. Had the eggs benny. Delicious as always and great service.

I went to Frank with friends for brunch. I would say their scones were excellent but everything else was terrible. There was about 12 of us and nobody was satisfied or happy with what they ordered. It simply was not good. The atmosphere of course is nice. I think I would go for tea and scones but nothing else. read more

Very good food, but very bad service. For example: We ordered a bottle of wine - the server only poured our first glass, then it seemed up to one of our party to get up (wine was places far from table) and serve the group the rest of the time. It took a very long time for orders to be taken and for meals to arrive.At the end, once we had all paid, the server demanded more money for gratuity - even though we had tipped well and his services had be terrible. read more

Frank is the kind if restaurant i feel at ease in instantly. The dining room, although fragmented by landings and separate areas, feels open and modern and relaxing. The service is a relaxed fine-dining style that i enjoy - pleasant but not overbearing. The menu is written so that i want to order everything- it's too bad they don't have a tasting menu. Local ingredients and playful plating make me want to return again and again. Also, a delicious cocktail menu worth trying. read more

This was my second visit to Frank, but my first for dinner. A friend was in town and we wanted to sit somewhere on the quiet side so we could drink prosecco and catch up. We chose Frank because it just so happened Summerlicious was on and we thought it would be a great way to experience the restaurant at the more affordable rate of $35 per person. I arrived to spectacular service. The gentleman who greeted me even went as far as to pull my chair out for me when we arrived at the table, which I found quite lovely. Our server was prompt and pleasant, though a straight-to-business kind of girl. I started with the pineapple salad and my friend had the cod fritters. We both enjoyed our meals, but I found the turkey bacon unnecessary and a somewhat funny looking garnish. I didn't eat it, but loved the tangy pineapple dish. For our mains, we both went for the flank steak. I'm not much of a red meat person, but our server was adamant that I would love it--and she was right. I ordered it medium and was pleased with how it was cooked as usually I'm more of a MW girl if I order beef at all. It mostly tasted like roast beef with a giant ravioli stuffed with mushrooms and gravy rounding out the comfort food feel of the meal. The arugula salad with bursting cherry tomatoes lightened it up and completed the pallet. Finally, I opted for the mango passion fruit smoothie while my friend went for the cookie. Both of us enjoyed our meals and I must confess I kind of regretted not getting the cookie as it looked so good. Despite my dessert envy, we truly had a great time at Frank. I only wish we had arrived earlier to check out the gallery beforehand. Next time I'll be sure to do that. read more

Oh, good ole Frank. I have a love-hate relationship with this place. Since I'm an AGO member, I get 10% off when I eat here so I always eat here when I visit the AGO. Food is inconsistent. They make prix-fixes based on who/what is being exhibited. For example, couple months ago, they have a renaissance exhibition, so they served italian. The good thing about it is that their menu changes every couple of months, so it's not boring. If you're an avid traveler, the menu will feel pretty boring because they generalized each country's cuisines. Plating is pretentious, just like how most of the servers are. China town is next door and so is cheap college food because it is close to UofT and OCAD. However, this is the only place close enough and don't make my clothes smell. I wouldn't come here during winter/summerlicious though. Service is pretentious enough during regular times. read more

Lovely atmosphere, modern curved wood interior- akin to the Gehry staircase inside the AGO. We had brunch, my 70 yr old parents and I (38). Most people there were in early to mid thirties. Good acoustics for conversation, piped music was jazz standards, food was good. I had the smoked salmon Benny. Perfectly made Hollandaise, poached eggs to perfection.... Cheese scone that it was served on was tasty but heavy and maybe wrong pairing with the lighter eggs/fish combo. My meal could have been hotter... Perhaps the kitchen had a timing issue. The beef brisket hash with sweet corn salsa was enjoyed by my Mom, the chicken & buttermilk waffle by my dad. The Brisket seemed filling and enjoyed, the chicken & waffle didn't seem large enough, so I gave one of my cheese scones from under the poached eggs to my Dad. The service was 9/10, super friendly, warm and sincere. Just would have liked coffee and tea water refills without having to ask... The alcoholic drink menu looks amazing, I will have to return for an afternoon, evening with some friends to enjoy those! Overall, a refreshing change for Brunch- not noisy chaos like most of TO's brunch joints. read more

Food was good. Had the beef bourginon, very good. One of my dinner companions had to return her steak because it was dry and overcooked. They did fix it and the second steak was very good. read more

The service was good, never had an empty glass. The food was average and a bit bland, nothing special. The restaurant was empty on a Saturday night, we were 1 of 3 tables only. It was expensive for what it is and I probably wouldn't go back unless the food improved significantly. Too bad it's a great spot with a nice design read more

In general people seem to like Frank. My experience wasn't as good. The atmosphere is on the dull side (the previous restaurant at the Art Gallery of Ontario, before the renovations, was much nicer). No complaints at all about the service. Very friendly and efficient. The food was dull and overpriced. See the photo of my Monte Cristo sandwich. Nothing special at all. Pretty bland and sort of a sad presentation. $18 for this sandwich. With absolutely no sides. I suppose I could have ordered sides separately and upgraded to a decent sandwich (for what? $30?). No salt or pepper on any tables and fresh pepper wasn't offered so I didn't ask. I suppose if you have a bottomless expense account, or just won the lottery, then Frank might be enjoyable. But for me--I can't recommend it. read more

AGO Bistro - A sad sandwich ridiculously overpriced. - Canadian (New) Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Pleasantly surprised at how good the food and service were. The server was accommodating and made great suggestions. The food was verging on exquisite. We celebrated a milestone birthday with family and it was quite memorable. I am generally a minimalist in terms of design,but I felt the table presentation could have been warmer. Not a deal breaker, however. Pricey but special. read more

Went here with my family for my birthday during the summerlicious three course meal. The food was very interesting and really good (definitely what I would consider "food art"), the panna cotta and pork ribs were absolutely delicious and my favorite of everything we tried. The pink lemonade tart was yummy, but I've definitely had better tarts/pies from specialty bakeries. The flat iron steak that my husband ordered was good, but definitely a small portion. THE SERVICE WAS AMAZING! read more

The front of house staff was very friendly and made me feel at ease, the decor was very cool and modern which is expected being at the AGO and all. FRANK offers a $45 prefix menu that looks delicious, but as a gluten free eater, it would need some investigation. The server offered to be my guide through the menu and expressed that 90% of the menu can be made gluten free by their chef. After checking out the goods I went with the Cod, it was the best fish I've had in a long time. I also had a bite of the sliced Adobo Steak, the Adobo marinade enhanced the flavours amazingly, it was truly a work of art. I really enjoyed the portion sizes, they were small enough to allow for other courses but enough to fill your tummy. The only negative about this night out was that they were out of my go to gf vodka 'Chopin' however the wine list more than made up for it. :) Consider me a regular from now on! check out our photos and full review at http://glutenfreebitches.ca/a-review-from-frank/ read more

I'd been meaning to go here since it opened. Finally had brunch here and i highly recommend it whether you're going to the AGO or not. One of the more family-friendly high end places in T.O. The 2 course brunch was friggin' great and the staff was nothing but accommodating and super-friendly. Come for the kick-ass food, and stay for the amazing service!!! read more

Name is not reflective of the up scale ambiance. Very accommodating wait staff and welcoming host. Lunch menu was limited but were offered alternative dishes, such as salmon in the salad. Hamburger was tasty but fries soggy and barely room temperature. The restaurant could do better... read more

Came here for weeknight Winterlicious. The menu wasn't anything special, but we wanted to try the place for the experience/atmosphere. Atmosphere - Big and open, but I personally found it lacking in décor and artwork considering where its located. Service - Our waitress was slow and un-attentive. It took her 20 mins after we sat down to greet us and another 10 to bring us water. She was apologetic however. Normally I feel rushed at Winterlicious events and they try to kick you out quickly, however this was the complete opposite. I personally didn't mind so much as it allowed more time to chat, but I could see many people being annoyed by this. Food: Apps - Most boring app menu!! It included 2 salads, which were NOTHING special. One was literally a bowl of cold lettuce with 2 half tomatoes and some blue cheese, we were not impressed. The soup was ok. Mains - Good and interesting flavours. Dessert - Standard. Nothing special, nothing terrible. Bread pudding flavours were good, but texture was a bit off (dense) in my opinion. read more

Had lunch with hubby here yesterday. I usually like the food at Frank, but was disappointed yesterday. Everything was very salty. We shared Caesar Salad with tiny salty pumpernickel croutons that resembled cat food, not so appealing. We both had the hanger steak which was delicious but the fries that came with it were incredibly salty. However, our waitress was really super and provided excellent service. read more

Went for summerlicious. It's a nice place, somewhat fancy, with really nice atmosphere. The staff is friendly and the seats are cozy. For appetizer I had the charred corn salad, which was quite good. My friend had the shrimp roll, which was good as well. We both got the steak for entree, and it was good, but not amazing. The steak was nicely flavoured but not as hot as it should've been, however I really like the papaya salad that it came with. For dessert I had a pudding sort of thing, and it was not very good. Too tough and not memorable at all, I should've went with the cheesecake. But overall pretty good, definitely worth going for summerlicious, thought rather over priced for regular days. read more

Recently my husband and I spent the day visiting the AGO and decided to have lunch at Frank's, the Museum's restaurant. It was surely the worst and most disapointing meal we have ever had, not to mention expensive. We could not understand how they could've had such mediocre food leave their kitchen. The asparagues soup ($10) was simply an unseasoned purée of no more than 1/3 cup. We felt insulted We also had the scallop appetizer that was also very disapointing. We left after that, no coffee, no dessert. Will never go back. read more

Went on tour to Toronto and one of many stop we have to have lunch at downtown Chinatown,my wife and me we desired to go on our own to a different restaurant and was the best decision, we end up at 'FRANKS' you feel the elegance of the restaurant very modernist at the entrance the reception is very polite,waitress bring as the menu and we chose the tapas all of the six choices were delicious,crispy cauliflower,Cesar salad crostini ,grilled cheese,kung pao chicharron.and mussels cover and a delicious chef own specialty and the merlot wine was great aromatic and good flavor and a pisco sour cocktail very innovative ,We didn't regret walk way from our group specially when a delicious food is read more

Service was amazing! Food was fantastic and suited everyone's tastes. Wine list is killer and this is by far one of the most beautiful places to eat in the city. Ask to be sat in Michael's section. You must go here! read more

Went here for the tail end of their winterlicious menu. The place has a classy ambience and waitstaff were generally attentive (and quick to correct some errors), but the underwhelming food just isn't worth the expense. The best part of the meal was the fresh bread they served at the beginning: the bison burger was juicy, but underseasoned and served on a dry, stale onion roll that fell apart when I tried to eat it, the fries were soggy and overcooked and the salad was basic and unimpressive. read more

Menu is pretty basic, food is creatively plated. Staff is pretentious and rude. Menu prices are as high as they are because you are paying for the atmosphere... Not the food. If you are expecting an exceptional meal, not the place. But good spot for coffee and a quick basic dessert. read more

Went here for lunch with a group of 8. Half of the group ordered prix fixe menu. The portions are fairly small and the main dishes don't come with sides- you have to order those separately. The food was good but nothing special. Mashed potatoes and fries taste like they would at Swiss Chalet. Really just the type of place rich people go for a casual lunch. Definitely overpriced. Our server (Stephanie) was great, though. read more

Not great, not horrible. On the weekend they have a brunch menu for lunch. The French toast - two slices of bread but didn't realize there would be 2 types of bread and didn't like the one with nuts. Generous portion of fruit compote and syrup. The monte cristo was very tasty but very filling as it has 3 slides of bread which was not expected. If you really want to eat here I would recommend reservations. read more

Don't let the descriptions on the menu fool you. Although it seems like many of the options are a bit plain, the food is excellent! A great place to have dinner after the gallery closes for the day. read more

Great location, excellent service, decent menu - a suitable compliment to an AGO visit.

Eating at Frank is always a treat... especially before or after a visit to the AGO! The host / servers are warm and welcoming, and very attentive. The food is a bit pricier than other restaurant options in the area but I like the fact that they change their menu for every season - and sometimes even in between. If you're looking for a three course meal at a more affordable price, check Frank out during Winterlicious. read more

We ate here during the Picasso show so the emphasis was on Spanish cuisine. How disappointing! First the service; once again a restaurant that is presenting itself as "classy" and haven't trained it's staff- from presenting the food options, attending to our tables-'hello-hello!", handing drinks holding the glass at the rim, reaching right over everyone's plate to pass and pick-up-yuck! A couple of us ordered the seafood paella- s's were added to all the seafood components, e.g. prawns, scallops, etc. well there was one of everything, we had to search for some of the stuff, the portion was ridiculously small- it's rice! and the flavour was non-existant. It wasn't risotto AND it wasn't paella either- it was a watery, bland, tiny, over-priced dish. I would not recommend this restaurant for eating. The space itself is nice, maybe an afterwork drink but that's it...not a martinin though because it sucked too same as the other revue....management should either revue this place from the ground up or run it like a bistro etc. like the main floor at TIFF. read more

We've always enjoyed the food available at large art galleries so for our first trip to the AGO we assumed their would be delicious dining choices. After viewing a few floors of art we checked out the rather lacking meal selection in the cafe before we headed upstairs to Frank's. Our casual traveling clothes must not have fit the atmosphere because we were placed in a back corner behind a wall, despite plenty of seating available on the main, more open floor. We are vegetarians and there were very limited options, maybe one main course that didn't appeal to us, so I chose the tomato asparagus soup and my husband chose the mushroom tamales (an appetizer.) My soup tasted like canned soup and his tamale was tiny and terrible. I thought he was being a picky eater until I tasted it myself. It tasted like a chocolate bar rolled in dirt. We paid our $30 bill (water only) and headed downstairs back to the cafe where he had a grilled cheese that tasted like sweet onions and veggie chili and I couldn't even finish my sad, bitter latte. All together we spent over $50 on a terrible meal in a cold atmosphere. The AGO needs to take a hint from other major galleries and offer a wide variety of delicious foods to suite everyones dietary needs at a reasonable price. As travelers we wanted the convenience of staying in the museum for lunch. I'd advise everyone to eat before you go. Yuck! read more