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    Alma

    3.9 (34 reviews)
    Closed 6:00 pm - 11:00 PM

    Alma Photos

    Business Info

    ALMA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Classy
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Alma

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    Squid fried rice & braised beef cheeks
    Faiza K.

    Been meaning to try this place out for awhile and finally got the chance. Went with a few friends so we ordered a bunch of dishes to try. - Baos with spreads (cheese, eggplant & fenugreek spread) - fried chicken wings - soy glazed - braised beef cheek with cabbage - squid fried rice - smoked trout There were 2 pork dishes ordered for the table but as I don't eat pork I won't comment on those. The baos were warm and fluffy and so delicious. I also enjoyed the smoke trout as it was done to perfection. It's about 5-6 pieces so depending on how many people in your group you may want to order 2 (** this was a special so may not be available all the time) My favourites were the beef cheeks...so tender and sliced through like buttah baby! The sauce did not overwhelm the beef and it was succulent. I also enjoyed the fried chicken wings. I felt that the sauce contained some citrus as it had that brightness to it. I could eat a plate of those! We also ordered desserts, clementine chilies sorbet and cheesecake. The sorbet was too citrusy for me but the cheesecake was pretty good. Not overly creamy that is typical of cheesecakes. The service was lovely, our server made recommendations and answered our questions This is a really tiny spot so definitely make reservations!

    Char Siu and cod
    Reyaz H.

    Honestly, this restaurant is not amazing. They do have fast service and they're very friendly. The drinks look great but in the end, I think the food is barely elevated for the format of restaurant and the flavour and preparations are quite lacking. I do recommend the tuna tartare and cod but I do not recommend the char Siu.

    Just your usual wok fried choy
    Ve T.

    Alma has been on my list to try for quite some time now, ever since it was mentioned that they do a twist on Chinese food. Decided to come here for my birthday! The restaurant is small but cozy, the server was attentive and knowledgeable and even suggested us a beer with fermented plum. Ordered it and thought it was interesting and quite tart! My partner and I ordered the bao with stratcchiatella and eggplant dip. At first I was hesitant on ordering this dish because it seemed too simple, but I'm glad we did. The eggplant dip had notes of ginseng, and herbs similar to what you'd find in a Chinese herbal soup, and the bao was the softest I've ever had. We then moved to mains and ordered the charred trout and lamb belly. The charred trout was delicious. The trout was cooked perfectly and the sauce on it made me want to lick the plate clean! The lamb belly was tender and amazing with the szechuan spices, was not spicy to me at all. The Chinese olives was a nice touch, and the tomato at the bottom was interesting. For dessert we ordered the banoffee pie pudding and coconut flan. The coconut flan was a bit overpowering with the bitterness, it felt like the sugar was overcooked. The banoffee pie was good! The miso dulche de leche added a nice touch. Overall it was a great experience at Alma, I'd highly recommend people to come here if they want a fancy meal!

    Brenda T.

    I came here for New Years Eve and had a preset menu. While the service was good, the food itself was such a huge disappointment that I felt the need to share this review. I'm giving this restaurant a 1 star because of how underwhelming my experience was. The preset menu only had 5 items and they were all really small portions. I've added photos to show everything we had (for 2 people). The price for all of this was $320, so $160 per person. This was so crazy to me - It was all EXTREMELY overpriced for what we got and I just can't understand how these prices can be justified. None of these dishes stood out to me at all. The only one that I enjoyed was the miso cod dish. Everything else either tasted bad or felt low quality/below average. I think I would have had a better experience at Congee Wong or something...

    Michelle M.

    Alma, you were such a great experience and I wish I had more of the tapioca fritters! We initially booked for patio but we got lucky that Ontario went into Stage 3 the day of our reservation. We got moved inside and I felt comfortable of the surroundings. Between 2 people, we shared 4 small plates and 1 large plate. Perfect amount of food. Loved the Vins D'Alsace rose! Servers were so friendly. Will return to Alma for their next seasonal menu.

    Angela Y.

    This was on my list for a while because well...Asian fusion . Their menu consists of small, tapas style plates and priced accordingly ($15-30). Our reservation was 30+ mins late, so they gave us 1 item on the house which was nice We had almost everything on the menu: Parmesan tapioca fritters: this was pretty good! Crispy, cheesy and the tapioca had some bounciness (complementary) Radish cake: one of my favorite dim sum items, they tried to make it different with the garlic chive sauce but it didn't really add flavour IMO Scallion bread: I appreciate they tried to do something different and reimagine it as a bread, but plain old scallion pancakes are just better: they're crispy and fragrant (everything this bread was not) Fried chicken: the flavours of this were actually however the chicken was dry af which was disappointing Marinated cucumbers: honestly these were meh; I feel like I make it better at home lol Pork wontons: the wontons plus some noodles were $27 the wonton skin was too thick and starchy, I prefer them thinner. The noodles did not have a lot of flavour or any sauce Fish: I forgot what fish this was but it was ATROCIOUS, it was literally unseasoned fish with oyster sauce drizzle? And served on a bed of blanched bean sprouts?!? WTF is that??? Short rib: the short rib was actually fall-apart tender and had a lot of flavour, this would be my top contender for the night. Note: they don't have a cocktail menu and only serve wine, which I felt, didn't not complement the dishes. Overall I was HUGELY disappointed in the entire experience, and wouldn't come back

    squid fried rice
    Xander G.

    Went here with some friends for a casual dinner. The reservation process was very straightforward and the staff were super welcoming when we arrived slightly early. The space has an understated elegance. It's not too loud, but maintains a social buzz. We ordered a bunch of plates to share and none of them disappointed. The fried chicken started us off on a high note- perfectly crispy with a rich sweetness to the glaze. The radish cakes didn't jump off the menu at first glance, but I'd certainly recommend em. They've got the texture of a rosti with small garnishes of rhubarb and garlic sauce for each bite. The squid fried rice was another hit, with some mixed rice grains of varying textures and a healthy amount of grilled squid. We ended up ordering both dessert options as well and were glad to have had both! The airy sorbet paired nicely with the richer and more savoury cheesecake. It's a bit a steep price for the size of the plates (we ordered 7 for the 4 of us), but it's well worth it for this unique culinary experience.

    Marie N.

    Part of a longer review... "The fried cauliflower, curry, fermented pepper, honey ($10) was the perfect marriage of Asian and Indian flavours. Notre première selection from the small section of the menu, it made a good first impression. Crispy morsels of fried cauliflower sat on top of a pool of bright yellow curry, which doubled as a creative plate presentation and dipping sauce. While this dish didn't demonstrate technical brilliance or boldness, per se, it was divine in its simplicity. My guest and I both sopped everything up, and agreed that the honey and fermented pepper were the appropriate accents without overpowering the vegetable centerpiece. Similar sentiments continued for the artichoke, ajo blanco ($12). A staple cold soup in Spanish cuisine, ajo blanco is a delicious combination of bread, crushed almonds, garlic, water, olive oil, salt and sometimes vinegar. While it is usually served with grapes or melon, Chen placed delicate artichoke hearts on top and drizzled the whole dish with olive oil. I had an issue with the temperature inconsistency of the dish. The ajo blanco was chilled, and the artichokes were warm and didn't impress with flavour. This was one of the more elaborate dishes in presentation, but it seemed indecisive in its identity -- was it hot or cold? Chen has flexed her pasta-making muscle for years at high-end establishments such as Buca Yorkville. The duck sugo and pappardelle ($22) was reminiscent of mon plat préféré at Buca Yorkville: the duck ragu. One bite led me to conclude that Chen's version had room for improvement. The salt balance was off (did she forget to add salt to the boiling water?) and the meat was dry. A sugo is a patiently-simmered sauce that should burst with flavour. Think: Grandmère's tomato sauce that's been simmering on the stove all day long. Chen's sugo, however, had clearly been prepared in haste..."

    Violet O.

    Creative and unusual taste. Love cleanliness and friendly service. I would recommend for small adventure

    Robyn H.

    Alma is a small and cute restaurant. The chef did a pop up at Famiglia Baldassarre before this restaurant opened up so I got chance to sample her flavours beforehand. I am not really a fan of fusion or nouveau Asian food even though I go to the restaurants all the time still. I am just never impressed by small portions seemingly amped up with sauces and presentation. For me, this dinner was okay. I liked the atmosphere, the friendliness of the server, but the food didn't really connect for me. While I could see conceptual creativity, the flavours didn't really come through, and once again, I am never a fan of dishes where three small dumplings could possibly constitute a dish. Probably my favourite dish was the cucumber.

    Loved the design of the menu. Cocktails were also delicious, though I can't recall the names - sorry!
    Gracia S.

    From the outside, Alma dosen't seem to look like much, but upon entering the clean simple decor, the music, the attentive and friendly service to the presentation of the food makes this restaurant a charming spot for dinner. The chef at this restaurant is Chinese but has worked in various Italian restaurants which translates into the dishes that are offered on the dinner menu. It is rather a happy marriage between two cuisines that delighted the pallet of both my boyfriend and I. The dishes and portion sizes of the menu are meant to be sharing plates, and it was reccomend to get 2-3 items from each section of the menu (snacks, small and large). The servers are also very thoughtful in the sense of giving you recommendations of what you're craving for and what you may like. So onto the food... From the SNACK section we ordered the: Flat Bread (which was fairly similar to the bread from a rou jia mo Chinese sandwich), and paired it with the Rampini Dip and the Pork Salami. The Flat Bread was delicious as it's made to order and came piping hot, it was wonderful with the Rampini Dip which my boyfriend and I did not leave a trace of. The Pork Salami was a neat play on various types of Lap Cheong that's house made with Italian inspired flavors. Needles to say, we were happy with our choices from this section. From the SMALL section we ordered the: Squid and Cucumber, and was delighted for the chef to come out and serve as a complimentary dish of the Eggplant Wontons. The Squid was cooked to perfection with a nice kick from the pilacca sauce. The Cucmbers were also not a miss as it made for a lovely summer dish as every bite was refreshing! The dish that was a miss for both my bf and I however was the Eggplant Wontons which we greatly appreciated was presented to us by the chef herself explaining it and give to us on the house; it fell short due to the overwhelming amount of dark soy and molasses as well as us seeing that the wontons were slightly undercooked to our liking. For the LARGE section we ordered the: Ricotta Gnocchi and Pork Wontons, as they were the top two most ordered dishes and reccomend by our server. We were blown away by the Gnocchi, each one was light and fluffy to the bite, and the sauce was also not overbearing. We also enjoyed the corn and fresh tomatoes that added a refreshing element to the dish making it a lovely summer plate. The Pork Wonton dish was an interesting one as it reminded us of a cross between lo mien and cacio e pepe, it was a lovely dish, however just like the Eggplant Wontons, the wontons were too al dante for our liking. Perhaps, asain wontons are just not meant to be eaten al dante like Italian pastas? Not too certain, but it was a bit of a miss on that note as it was odd in its texture for us. Ending off our meal, with not knowing what DESSERT to choose from, we played it smart and decided to order both! Both desserts hit it out of the park with making it a wonderful treat in ending our meal as both the PEACH, YOUGURT, ALMOND and the BLACKBERRY STRAWBERRY SORBET, RICOTTA AND SHISHO ended off the meal on a good note. Overall a lovely dining experience and a good restaurant addition to Toronto. Looking forward to coming in for their brunch menu sometime.

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    Tasty food.. Very small portions.. Over priced for the quantity. Very nice wait staff!

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    Went with a friend on a Saturday night and it was pretty easy to get a seat, but they do take…read morereservations. Our server was great at helping us pick our wine, he mentioned that their wines are all on the dry side which is perfect for me, I'm not one for sweet wines. We also had two of their small plates the mussels and the burrata. The mussels tasted great with the sauce, a little garlicky which I prefer. The combination of the peach and mint went really well with the burrata. Light and easy to eat. The patio at night is one of the highlights. The only small complaint was it did take a while to get our wine after we ordered it and a little while to get our check. Otherwise cute spot.

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    Alma - desserts - Updated May 2026

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