So fun! A colleague recommended this place and I walked by yesterday night (a Friday) and it was packed! Fun vibes leaking out onto the streets and lots of chatter and conversation. I was able to score a table for 4 today (Saturday) for lunch and had a great vermut with some fizz. We had three adults and a little baby. We got the prix fixe meant for 2 people and added a few other dishes to supplement. The prix fixe included: Shishito peppers, simply roasted and topped with flakey salt Pan con tomate, better than the ones I had yesterday... the sourdough bread they make themselves in house. Think, crusty, topped with great olive oil. We ended up ordering a side of just bread and olive oil because we loved it so much. Papas bravas, a touch spicy. Lots of scallions. I thought they were just alright, but my friend devoured them. We chose the manchego over the chorizo (one of my friends is a pescatarian) and we enjoyed that. The star was the octopus and our additional order of the mushrooms with cured egg yolks. The octopus was so tender and yet crispy at the tentacles. The mushrooms were just scrumptious!! My absolute favorite. Crispy, meaty, topped with some greens that went nicely with the oyster mushrooms. To finish, we had basque for dessert. Umm can't believe it's the first time I had this! Wow, so delicious. read more

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Came here for a date night and I really wanted to love Bar Isabel, but was a little disappointed. There was a lot of hype around the restaurant, but the food was just average. We ordered the Sea Bream Ceviche and chips, quarter Octopus and Patatas Bravas. The highlight was the ceviche. The octopus was unfortunately a little overdone, which made it tough. I would absolutely not order the patatas bravas again. The potatoes were very dry and tasted as if they had been sitting out for some time. We also sat at the bar and had a few ordered of cocktails with the food. Be aware that the bar itself slopes down towards you. With that being said, my partner put her drink down on the sloped part and it fell all over both of us, with the bartender seeing it all unfold. He was nice in providing some extra napkins to dry ourselves off, but all he had to offer was "Yup that happens a lot" as opposed to maybe offering to remake the drink which was now 2/3 empty as a result. Was a little disappointed at that service in particular, especially when you're paying upwards of $18 for a small cocktail. The atmosphere was good, however. IF I were to give it another try, I'd probably just opt for drinks and skip the food, which was a little pricier for what you're getting portion-wise and quality. read more

Bar Isabel - Spanish Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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This place was awesome! In from out of town and came for a team dinner. The vibes are very cave like and Spanish. Felt like I was in Spain somewhere tucked away. The service was incredible with the staff helping with GF options and providing GF bread even! They also perfectly helped us pair drinks with our meal. The food itself was phenomenal. Everything was a hit. My favorites were the octopus, patatas, and the picanha. Definitely would recommend this place 10/10 experience read more

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The space is intimate and cozy, and perfect for lingering over shared plates and drinks. The staff are genuinely friendly and caring, and they're great at guiding you through the menu, especially when it comes to cocktail recommendations. The tapas are really good, though dishes did come out a bit on the slower side. But honestly, it fits the whole experience here: order a few cocktails, enjoy the atmosphere, and let the night unfold at its own pace (within the seating time limit of course). One of those spots that makes you want to order just one more plate. We got: * Half Octopus * Mussels Escabeche * Jamón Croqueta * Shishito Peppers * Sea Bream Ceviche & Chips * Grilled Beef Tongue & Mojo Rojo * Sobrasada & Foie Gras read more

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Excellent quality tapas and a great, relatively casual vibe. Staff were lovely and very helpful in explaining the menu. The octopus, croquettes, and steak were all amazing. A little on the pricey side but worth it for a special occasion. read more

Bar Isabel - Spanish Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I didn't realize Bar Isabel has been in the business for so long, and survived covid! Great service and food. Small space inside so it is intimate but the food was delicious. Ordered mussels, octopus, beef tongue and the grilled mushrooms. Added on some sourdough after seeing the sauces from the dishes as they were brought over. Mussels were refreshing and just enough citrus. Octopus was so soft, not tough at all. And the sauce was delicious to soak up with the sourdough (wihich was also really good with a chew on its own). Beef tongue was grilled nicely, went well with the sun dried roasted tomato's and their sauce. I was surprised with the grilled mushrooms because i hadn't had a medley of them like that before but they went well together and actually my favourite dish (besides the octopus). A really nice spot for special occasions read more

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Rating this a 4/5 overall because I did enjoy my experience here, but I will say the food itself was more like a 3/5. Came here on a Thursday night and was surprised at how busy it was for a weekday. Despite that, the service was excellent! Staff were friendly off the bat and very attentive after each dish was finished, making sure to wipe off the table or exchanging the plates which I was really impressed with despite how busy they were. We decided to go with their tasting menu where you gave them a price range you wanted to stick to - I believe it was $85-$200, and you can mention some dishes you definitely want to try and they curate the rest for you which I thought was so unique! I loved the idea of that. The dishes we really wanted were the octopus, bone marrow and scallops. The only standout dishes to me were the scallops, and a salad I cannot remember the name of but was so shocked at how good just a simple salad could be. Other than that, the other dishes were still good, but nothing extraordinary to be honest. The octopus was a bit too charred which was disappointing as it was what I was looking forward to the most. The tasting menu we got also had mainly vegetable dishes (other than the ones I just mentioned), so was hoping to get a few more meat dishes. This is definitely a great spot for vegetarians as it had a lot of veggie dishes. I would still come back to maybe try some of their other more meat focused dishes. Overall, I still had a great time and can't stress enough how lovely our waitress and the rest of the staff were! read more

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Had an amazing time here for a girls night! We ordered lots of items on the menu. The most memorable to me were the razor clams, bone marrow, octopus!!, and the cake. Our least favourite item was probably the beef? Tongue Our servers were great. Must reserve in advance, this place was packed throughout the night. read more

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Great food and service. I visited on a Wednesday evening with colleagues and we went with the option to have the kitchen select dishes for our courses. The servers were very helpful and accommodating with various dietary needs and preferences from our group. They explained each dish as they carried to our table. My favourite was the octopus and the mushrooms, but everything that came out was delicious. I wish I can recall what was served, but we left it up to the kitchen and it was plentiful. The restaurant is quite cozy so it's lively and the atmosphere was on the louder side. Would highly recommend Bar Isabel. read more

We went for Saturday at brunch and ordered the prix fixe ($69 for 2) and a few additional tapas. We really enjoyed the experience. The service was great. The restaurant is dimly lit which gives it some ambiance. Portions are small so be prepared to order a lot if you're really hungry or don't go too hungry. Keep in mind the restaurant automatically adds a gratuity of 18% to all bills. I kind of liked that they mentioned this up front because I knew to mentally calculate it into everything and felt reassured that I would be getting the same quality of service as other patrons. Pan Con Tomate (4/5) - Really fresh and light. Good raw garlic and fresh tomato flavour. And not salty. Mussels Escabeche Isabel (4.5/5) - Comes cold, in a citrusy, wine vinaigrette sauce that is very tasty and refreshing. It's a smaller app and the mussels come de-shelled, so it feels like a smaller dish, but there must have been ~15 mussels. Shishito Peppers (4/5) - Nice side to munch on. Very light. Slightly salty. Large portion. Good charred flavour, but not overpowering. Jamon Croqueta (4.5/5) - It's a small deep fried pillow of cheesy potato. Tasted really light and not greasy. Well fried. Super soft on the side and great crunch on the outside. And has a nice cheese flavour. Grilled Octopus (3.5/5) - Overall cooked very well but the tips were burnt and tasted too charred. Sauce was cheesy, creamy, and a bit on the heavier side. We happened to have ordered the bone marrow and kept the leftover green sauce at our table - this sauce paired very well with the octopus dish, as it cut through the heaviness of the cream. Sea Bream Ceviche (4/5) - Very refreshing, but the lime and avocado flavours were so overpowering that it tasted more like guacamole with some raw fish rather than ceviche (mind you, we love guac). I couldn't taste the seafood much. But I enjoyed it due to the fresh flavours and it ended up being a good palate cleanser between our other dishes. Roast Veal Bone Marrow (4.5/5) - Was really nice. Didn't need to add any additional salt because the marrow and the bread already came seasoned. Really nice green sauce pairing cuts through the fattiness. Good portion and worth the splurge if you like the essence of a pure beefy flavour. Chorizo (3.5/5) - It was good. Nothing crazy special (maybe I just don't know my cured meats enough), but appreciated it was soft and had the right amount of fat and salt. Not dry at all. Also a smaller app. Patatas Bravas (3.5/5) - It was good. Sauce is pretty heavy and has a strong cumin flavour. Liked the scallions on top. Scallops Mojo Verde (3/5) - We both found it to be a bit fishy, so it might have not been as fresh. Cook was spectacular though - well seared and not overcooked. Sauce was strong / overpowering with cumin flavour, so would only recommend having a little bit with it. Basque Cake (4/5) - I can understand the hype around this cake, especially the sherry cream that's poured on top. I'm not one for alcoholic flavours, but this one is so good! The cake is a tad too sweet for my liking, but the warm butteriness of it is pretty addictive. Unique dessert that's worth a try. read more

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I was going to the Monocle Shop and used AI to find the best lunch option nearby, it did not let me down. My friend and I shared multipek dishes, everything was wonderful but a few highlights. In terms of presentation, marrow was impressive. While it was good, the real star was the tongue, make sure to use the sauce it is served with. Asparagus were the daily vegetable and they were also a star. Nice sauce, cooked perfectly and nice large spears. I love Bleu cheese and the pintxowith it (I don't remember the specific name) may have been my favorite bite. Already planning my next visit. read more

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Had a lovely anniversary dinner at Bar Isabel over the weekend. Given the occasion, I made sure to make a reservation early and everything was no problem. There was street parking available in the area on a Sunday night. We were eyeing the tasting menu and made sure to make some requests - bone marrow, grilled octopus, Jamon Iberico, and Foie Gras. Our server understood we were hungry and they took it from there. The tasting menu was nicely paced with variety given it is a tapas style. We had our mix of veggies, meats and seafood, with some highlights being the shishito peppers, croqueta, jamon iberico, and the foie gras. Service was prompt and friendly, with each dish being explained. I also liked that most times there were multiple dishes served together and that allowed the variety of the menu to shine. The spot is filled with energy and definitely is a spot to sit back and have some drinks! read more

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loved everything about this restaurant. came with a small group, and we had so many standout dishes: the pan con tomate, jamon croquetas, sobrasada with foie gras, shishito peppers, roasted veal bone marrow, and octopus. and of course, we ended with the basque cake for dessert--absolutely perfect. i'd come back in a heartbeat. enjoy! ps: parking can be difficult, be prepared. read more

This place is busy, loud and cramped. But service was on point, especially considering tip is automatically included in the bill. We got the tasting menu which is a bunch of small dishes on the extensive menu. here are some of my faves: White asparagus with saffron aioli - Asparagus was shaved and then cooked to perfect, basically until it was just about to fall apart. Saffron aioli was godly, lightly flavoured to not overpower the asparagus, but also super tasty. Coming back for this again. Sourdough with tomatoes - A simple dish. I don't usually like sourdough, but the bread was fresh, crust was thin and the inside was the right chewy. Fresh tomatoes + olive oil was refreshing on the bread. Grilled octopus - Texture was a bit overcooked, but it was close. The suction cup were perfect texture. The tentacle soaked up the sauce nicely making it super tasty! Basque cake - WOW this was good! I would probably come back just for this. It is kinda like a rum cake, but with vanilla. So good! read more

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Fantastic shareable bites perfect for a small or large group. The iberico jamon are so delicious and incorporated in so many dishes. Don't skip the veg and seafood though! Service was well paced based on your picks. read more

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Food was spectacular! Sobrasada & Foie Gras was delicious! The Pork Secreto w Chorizo Spice was *Chefs Kiss* The Jamón Croquetas delightful! The grilled octopus was really good! Service was wonderful! Sweet servers with great energy! The ambiance was very warm an welcoming! read more

Bar Isabel - Pork Secreto w Chorizo Spice - Spanish Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Heard this restaurant so many times and finally got a chance to check it out with BF. The food 9/10 in general (Love their steak and tuna mojama!!! 1000/10) Like the vibrant vibes, it's a perfect date bar restaurant in the city. read more

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My boyfriend and I dined at this restaurant last night. While the food was pretty good, the wait staff was incredibly rude. There are no signs indicating where the restroom is located, and since it was my first time there, I had no idea where to go. I walked through a doorway at the back of the restaurant, thinking it led to the bathrooms, when a waitress abruptly and rudely reprimanded me. It was a complete overreaction to an honest mistake. Feeling uncomfortable after that encounter, my boyfriend and I decided to cancel the items that hadn't yet arrived at our table. When we explained the situation to the waitress, she agreed to remove the items--but as she walked away, we could clearly hear her and other staff members laughing and making fun of us. As paying customers--and human beings--I expected to be treated with basic respect. I can't say for certain whether this experience was racially motivated (I'm a person of color, and I highly doubt a white customer would have been treated this way) or if the staff simply lacks professionalism, but either way, no meal is worth that kind of disrespect. read more

Bar Isabel has an extremely cute, charming vibe and is perfect for a date night. Our waitress was great - friendly and attentive. The highlights for us include the Iberico tasting with tomato bread and scallops. The basque cake is one of the best desserts I have had in a long time! We also had a delicious bottle of Albariño. Would definitely recommend Bar Isabel for a cozy date night or a night out with friends as there are lots of great tapas to share. read more

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Bar Isabel is incredible - from the food to the ambiance to the service, they really nailed everything. We told the servers to just take care of us, and they certainly did. Pretty much everything we ate was amazing. My favourite bites included the pan con tomate, sea bream ceviche, patatas bravas, and other interest bites included the mussels, white asparagus, and ribeye steak. Finally, the bone marrow - absolutely incredible, one of the best bites I've had. The bread, bone marrow, chimmichurri, and salt went so well together and made for an absolutely heavenly bite. I can't wait to come back! read more

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Came here with as a group, to introduce one of our friends who is visiting the country to show Toronto's food scene. Note: Some of the photos are very hard to see because of the lighting at the restaurant. It was my first time here, but one of my close friend frequents this place, and I can see why. It is good food that isn't overly priced, and they were all consistently good. My friend's highlight was the shrimp al ajillo, while my favorite was the grilled mushroom with cured egg yolk and foie gras. The bone marrow was great, but I wish there was a bit more flavor to it. My friends also enjoyed the octopus, but I think I've come to realize over the years that I'm just not a fan of grilled octopus in general. The shishito peppers were very simply but very well done. The sea bream ceviche could use more fish but tasted good. And the basque cake was great. It was quite sweet, but it was weirdly easy to eat at the same time. I do wish that we can pour the cream ourselves to enjoy the cake two ways. The service was also prompt and pleasant. Overall, I would love to come back again some time. read more

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First dining experience on my trip to Toronto and what a good one it was! Definitely recommend mKing reservations as this place is always packed. It's worth it! We ordered several dishes tapas style and honestly everything was just delicious. The octopus was definitely my favorite but the steak and the pork were also great! Come have a drink and some good food to share! The staff was super nice and took great care of us! read more

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One of the city's best tapas restaurants The atmosphere here is very cool Food is fantastic and the service is amazing. I have been here a few times and never been disappointed read more

I think the food here is even better than the Spanish originals (and I've been to Spain more than 10 times and many different cities). The patatas bravas, fois gras, and basque cheesecake are must try's! The service was friendly and knowledgeable and made good recommendations. The ambiance when I went (on a Wednesday night) was extremely noisy, but I liked the design, decore and lighting; it felt extremely rustic and authentic. I will definitely be coming back! read more

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Been wanting to try this place since I was told about their famous basque cake, then I saw they offer saturdays lunch special. From the host to the servers, they were all amazing; very friendly and attentive. They do have a small patio out front, but we chose to sit inside for the aircon :) The highlight of the day had to be the cake for sure! I can't really put it to words of how it tastes or its texture, it's just perfection. It's one of those things that you have to try to know. The shishito peppers were delicious, yes they're just seasoned peppers, but it was done so well! The octopus was nice and tender as well, not rubbery at all. I would come back just for the shishito peppers and the basque cake. read more

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Great food and lively ambience! We went as a party of 6 for my dad's birthday and had a lovely time trying out a bulk of the menu. Definitely a place to go with a larger group so you get a taste of everything (it's a rather large menu). We also went with two teens, but the restaurant is very loud and might not be the best environment for a quiet family meal The food itself was quite good with a few star standouts including the Jamon Croquettes which we got two orders of since they were so delicious. Deep fried, but light, and creamy and a flavour bomb with the Jamon inside. The shrimp al ajillo were cooked perfectly with the balanced garlic oil. The grilled octopus was also quite tasty; usually I'm skeptical of octopus since it can get really chewy but this one had a nice char and was very soft. The standout dessert was absolutely the basque cake -- the sherry cream was so good with the rich cake. Some dishes like the beef tongue was a bit too salty though, I would skip on this if I were to go again. read more

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Great spot to hang. Food was delicious but pricey. They have an auto tip if 20% which really threw me off. I recommend the pork belly and tomato bread. Foie gras toast was also very good. Cocktails are boozy which is great but just overpriced but I guess that's how Toronto is like now! I recommend this place and would revisit read more

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I went on a Saturday afternoon and they have a Saturday lunch special! What great timing! It's offered from 12-4 every Saturday. This is a prix fixe for 2 people for $69. What a good deal (plus no tax right now). We added the beet salad and it is one of my favorite salads. It is served with friend brussel sprouts and some cheese (goat? Feta?). And it was so tasty!! We got the shishito peppers, very nice and light with some flaky salt on top. Pan con tomate, which was tomato on toast, it came with 2 pieces and the bread is soo good. Palate bravas, which are fried cubed potatoes that are drizzled with a tangy red sauce and a mayo (i think?). You're given the choice of chorizo or manchego and I opted for the chorizo. This was a little salty for my palate but still enjoyable. And finally a choice of mushrooms, octopus, or pork. I opted to try the octopus. It was grilled on a bed of green and i would definitely have this again. The dessert is a basque cake with sherry cream. I am very picky with my cakes but this one was so good, the texture was excellent and not too dry and the sherry cream added the perfect amount of sweetness. We also tried 2 of their half priced cocktails, the el gintonic (which is a fancy gin and tonic) and tinto de Verano (which was red wine and soda). Both were great drinks. Definitely a great spot for food and an even better deal for lunch. We had to pack to take home. read more

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I've been eyeing Bar Isabel's tasting menu for so long. I finally got to try it this year for my birthday and I was not disappointed. Reservations were pretty easy and made about a month in advance online. I went on a Saturday around 7:15pm and it was pretty busy! They do have a seating limit of around 2hrs, which was more than enough time for us (although we are fast eaters). I really liked how the tasting menu is customized to the your food preferences and price point. Everything we had was super tasty and fresh. The grilled octopus and shishito peppers were some of the highlights. These are small plates, so don't expect to be stuffed at the end! Service was pretty good. We didn't feel like we waited long for anything and the time between dishes was just right. Will definitely be back to try their other dishes a la cart! read more

I've been hearing raving recommendations for Bar Isabel and finally got a chance to try it out this past weekend. Reservations are highly recommended as it got busy VERY quickly during the course of our meal. Bar Isabel is a Spanish tapas style restaurant with renowned drinks. FOOD (4/5) As a group of 4 we ordered a decent list of items starting with Sourdough bread, slices of Coppo, Jamon Croqueta (croquettes). And the more substantial dishes consisted of the Bone Marrow, Picahna Steak, Patatas Bravas (homefries), and Seabream Ceviche. The sourdough bread was very standard, nothing to write home about. The slices of Coppo, which we were told were from the pig neck, was a nice cured meat but wasn't too special imo. The croquettes were PHENOMENAL! By far my favourite single bite of the night. Super creamy, rich, and decadent coated in a crispy shell. Definitely recommend the croquettes. The bone marrow was a bit underwhelming in taste and plating. It's served with charred bread, a chimichurri, and sea salt. It was good, but it didn't wow. The patatas bravas was a plate of "homefries" garnished with spring onions and sauces. I thought they were quite tasty and the sauces reminded me a bit like Indian masala. The sea bream ceviche was really tasty, refreshing, light and added levity to the meal. We ordered the large size and it had enough filling to share for 4 however did not have enough chips to portion. The steak was well seasoned and cooked to a nice medium temp. It is served with caramelized onions that paired well with the cuts of steak. Overall, the food was good quality and some dishes were really tasty but did not really wow me (apart from the croquettes). DRINKS (2.5/5) Bar Isabel is ranked fairly highly in bars in Canada and Toronto so we had high expectations going in. We ordered the Rambla Highball, Barragana and the house Vermut. The rambla highball was nice and refreshing and a bit sweet. The Barragana was surprisingly offputting. They use a sage infused base that is SUPER strong and turns the drink very herbacious and the added jalapeno makes it simultaneously spicy. Amongst my group, we did not enjoy it. Lastly the vermut was pretty standard. Even after consulting with the waiter perhaps we ordered drinks not fit for our palette but it left much to be desired. AMBIENCE (3/5) The restaurant is overall quite dim with red lighting for effect to give a bit of a tavern feel. There is decor throughout to add to the tavern-esque look. I'd say it is a more unique ambience heightened when it gets busy and feels more lively. I must say though it is a bit impractical because often we found it was hard to read the menu or properly appreciate the looks of the food. SERVICE (5/5) Staff were very friendly and overall helpful with understanding the menu. They also came by multiple times to refill our water even though we could've done it ourselves. There is however a mandatory 20% gratuity fee for all dine in guests. I do appreciate that the payment machine did not prompt for additional tip which could've lead guests to accidentally tip twice. ACCESSIBILITY (5/5) Bar Isabel is directly on College Street in the West end and directly accessible by streetcar. There is also paid street parking on College as well as a parking lot for the neighbouring Metro that is also paid. PRICE (2.5/5) The prices is a bit on the higher end but you do get your money's worth in terms of freshness and quality of ingredients. OVERALL (3/5) Bar Isabel provides good quality tapas style foods in a tavern-esque environment. Really recommend trying as a group, but be prepared to spend a decent amount to sample the different foods and be full. I wouldn't mind returning but at this pricepoint I may feel more comfortable frequenting some other options in the downtown core. read more

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A cozy place on the western part of College Street near Ossington. Due to the streetcar constriction (hope it will finish soon!) , the access was a bit tricky at this time, but in spite of this, the restaurant was FULL of people by 6:30pm (Friday). I am glad I made a reservation. Was a perfect place to catch up with my girlfriend with great food and drinks after busy weekdays. Even though the place was busy - the a dimly lit interior somewhat gave us a sense of privacy. The service was excellent. Our server was very good at giving details about the menu to us, his descriptions/suggestions were so good that I wanted to order almost every dish he mentioned! He was also friendly and attentive. We (two) had the following dishes: Food: Shishito Peppers Sea Bream Ceviche & Chips Grilled Octopus (Quarter) Roast Veal Bone Marrow Drink: Isabel Fashioned ¡Rebujito! And some draft beer and local craft beers. Impressed by the Roast Veal Bone Marrow. The melty bone marrow came with toasted multigrain sourdough & refreshing Parsley Verde & good quality sea salt. Each item was simple, but eating together - soooo good! Loved this. The grilled octopus was excellent as well. Tender, perfectly seasoned, and goes very well with butter sauce with a hint of sourness. Eating with the sautéed dandelion underneath the octopus gives another layer of flavor (nice bitterness). Enjoyed this, thank you!!! The shishito was nicely seasoned, fried perfectly leaving the plumpness/crispiness of the peppers. They weren't too pungent or overly salty at all. I loved the shaved salt sprinkled around the peppers. Sea Bream Ceviche was the least favorite food of the night, but they are still good. Just felt that it is not worth the price. Will come back for sure, this is a place for the well executed food and excellent service! read more

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Love love love Bar Isabel! From the moment you walk in, you're greeted by a sleek and dimly lit space with a red hue. It is always busy and you definitely need a reservation during peak times. Despite it always being packed, you can actually converse with your table pretty well since it is a pretty intimate space. Service is quite friendly and efficient (but keep in mind there is a mandatory 20% service charge). There have been times when it gets really busy and service can be a little slow. They are most well-known for their Spanish tapas but I personally find their larger dishes to be better than some of the smaller tapas. My personal fav dishes are their Octopus (MUST-TRY) and Picanha Steak (perfectly cooked), and Basque Cake (ugh it's so so decadent). Some plates I didn't love were the snow pea leaves (tastes like Chinese-style snow pea leaves but for 1/4 the value) and the mussels (again, very very small portion for the price - I think we got 6 mussels for $12). The ceviche, croqueta and patatas bravas are pretty average and you can't really go wrong with them. I would definitely recommend this spot for a date night or with a small group of friends! It can definitely add up price-wise but it seems like that can't be avoided anywhere in Toronto nowadays. read more

Food is excellent from start to finish. The iberico pork is maybe the best dish there. The steak is ok. The octopus is good as are all the starters we tried. I think Bar Isabel is better than its other restaurant Quetzel despite its Michelin star. read more

This was my second time coming here, after my first visit over 3 years ago (wow, time flies!). I was significantly less impressed this time around; the food was decent but the tapas sizes were small and overpriced for their worth. We started off with blistered shishito peppers - a classic. It was good, cooked through with a light crisp, and sufficiently salty. The vegetarian in our group ordered Pan con Tomate - it was decent, but not particularly impressive. The near-carnivore colleague got the bone marrow - it was my first time eating it straight from the bone and was messier than I thought! The flavour comes from the accompaniments, so I loaded mine up with the salt and chimichurri sauce. It was very flavourful but fatty! My meat eating friend and I then shared scallops, shrimp al ajillo (which were quite massive and came shell-in), and a quarter of an octopus. The octopus was good but really quite small! My companion ended up having to order another quarter for herself... The other sides we ordered were extremely flavourful. The patatas bravas were very crispy and the sauces with which they were served added a complexity, not too dissimilar from the mayo mixture that comes with takoyaki. The grilled mushrooms and cured egg was delicious (I love mushrooms!!) and the special vegetables of the day, leeks, was very yummy too. We rounded off with dessert, ordering a basque cake and almond cookies with hot chocolate. I was expecting a basque cheesecake (silly me!) and quite surprised to see a pound cake like pastry with heavy sherry cream basted over the sides. The hot chocolate was too rich and indulgent, but the almond cookies were light and crumbly and delicious. I had a coconut dark chocolate dairy bar all to myself and that was scrumptious! read more

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Started off with the barragana cocktail - I love a jalapeño infused tequila cocktail with pineapple. The server will warn you that it's spicy but it wasn't the least bit. We got a ton of food - patatas bravas, shishito peppers, ceviche, bone marrow, octopus, snow pea leaves, and the basque cake. Everything was absolutely delicious. They even got us more bread for the bone marrow. I wish the basque cake was topped with some kind of berry to counter the sherry but I'd order all those dishes again. read more

Food: 4.5/5 First off, I love that they have a large menu here, with a good variety of small starter dishes as well as larger mains. We got the jamon croqueta to start, which was served piping hot. We were absolutely famished coming in and so having that first bite of that gooey cheese truly hit the spot. The scallops are also a must try, although small portions, they tasted so fresh and balanced! The ceviche here was a surprising highlight of the night. Not as runny as a traditional ceviche, it had large chunks of sea bream and the chips were perfectly crispy and salted! So so good. The queso Azul and mostarda was also a great app! The richness of the blue cheese in contrast to the sweet pear... absolutely divine! As for the patatas bravaas, I would skip this one next time. Personally I felt that there was too much mayo and sauce, the potatoes weren't crispy enough, and honestly the flavours together felt quite plain and forgettable. As for the mains, we got the octopus and the pork secreto with chorizo spice. While the octopus was fantastic, perfectly soft and seasoned, the pork was definitely the highlight. If you love a fatty meat, this is the one. It was served with a sweet sauce on the side, which added a fresher tangier dimension to the richness of the pork. We absolutely devoured this. Lastly, the cake is a must try!!! Initially, we were taken aback that there was only one item available for dessert but after having that first bite of the sweet basque cream coated in the still hot sherry cream... we understood they only need one dessert item. Truly unforgettable! We were so tempted to order another one. Overall food here is generally fantastic, small portions but everything is tapas style so you get to try a little bit of everything. Service: 4/5 All of the servers here were super nice and seemed very knowledgeable about the menu items and what/how much to order. I will say that since this is a pretty busy spot, even on a weekday when we came, it did take a while to get their attention and some requests we made were forgotten. Regardless, the staff here have a friendly attitude and seem to be hustling! Atmosphere: 3/5 This place is insanely busy. It's pretty difficult to get a reso last minute so definitely book ahead of time. The main thing I can't stand about this place is how dark and loud it is! It's def purely not an intimate spot for conversation. The space, while cute, is also extremely cramped. It felt as if they tried to fit as many tables in here as possible without considering the comfort of each party. Washrooms are clean enough but honestly this place is your typical college st or Ossington type spot... crowded, dark, and way too loud. read more

Ambiance: Dimly lit, red glow with an old European feel. Perfect for a date night or if you're craving a quick trip to Europe. Nice and intimate with small tables, and wall hooks for your jackets and bags. Albeit loud once it gets busy. Service: Great! Super friendly, great recommendations, attentive and polite. Nothing negative. Food: Ceviche was nice and fresh with incredibly crisp chips. Not overly citrusy. Jambon croqueta is a must have. It's super tasty and it's a two bite piece so definitely not to be shared. Picanha cooked perfectly and very flavorful. Went well with the grilled mushrooms for additional meatiness. Potatoes were cut and fried golden but the sauce was too much - like ketchup and mayo covered potatoes. Overall decent food :) Drinks are nice and fresh. Good price for a tall signature cocktail. Very refreshing and mature flavors. read more

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Wow - so good, and so much food! I don't remember specifics because we all got the tasting menu for the night. It was outstanding, and so much food (for under $100). I remember the octopus and steak were outstanding, but those were later dishes in a 5-6 course meal, so it may be recency bias. Service was great as well. The servers were responsive and friendly. Highly recommended! read more

I have heard of this place for several years, but only had a chance to try their takeout food recently. The portion was relatively small and pricy, but with decent quality of food provided with some highlights there. Their bakeries and cold dishes were especially amazing. My favourite dishes from the order: - Sourdough loaf: Why is the bread dish worth mentioning? Because it was bigger than my face and so chewy and flavourful. - Basque cake: They provided us with clear heat-at-home instructions and it tasted soooo delicious and not overwhelming me with its sweetness level. I wished the portion was slightly larger though because we couldn't have enough. - Mixed plate 4 pack: This included two types of cheese and sausage. Both sausages were so delicious and were gone in ten minutes. The Mountain oak Gouda cheese (cow cheese) was my personal favorite, with slightly stronger than medium flavour. My husband preferred the lighter Manchego cheese (sheep cheese). The cheese goes really well with the sourdough loaf. Worth a try. Now some hot dishes: - Charred octopus: We are a fan of octopus, so would almost order octopus dish everywhere we can. This was overall an average dish. The sauce was really good but the octopus was too hard. I would recommend dipping the sauce with the sourdough loaf though. - Asparagus salad: It was cooked well with its highlights being the strong scent of the Marcona almonds. This was a good dish but not wowing me. In general, I would like to revisit this place when they are reopening for dining in. read more

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This is my favourite restaurant in Toronto. Almost every dish I've had has been outstanding and cooked nearly perfectly, I only really have good things to say about this place. It's cozy & quaint, but really delivers in food quality. This review covers my thoughts on my last visit here: * Pan con Tomate is a classic and fresh starter dish (note that the bread crust can be a bit on the tougher/crunchy side). * Sea Bream Ceviche is delicious (one of my fave dishes in general) and I appreciate the balance of acidity that tastes so satisfying with the raw fish. The tortilla chips have a great texture and are salted just right, pairs very nicely with the ceviche in one bite. * Bone Marrow is so fatty and I love the salt that it comes with. I've had this before and noticed that this time it came with some sort of green sauce which I didn't love (overpowers the mouthwatering bone marrow flavour). * Scallops were cooked perfectly and we really liked the green sauce that accompanied. * Grilled 10oz Picanha Steak (not pictured) is delicious, cooked perfectly medium-rare and seasoned with enough salt to bring out the natural beef flavours. It also has a fatty cap that adds a lot of depth. YUM! * Basque Cheesecake. is. amazing. I don't know what's in there but it manages to soak up a bit of the condensed milk yet isn't too sweet, and the texture is very dense but in a good way. I haven't had anything like this before. It looks simple but I'm impressed every time I come back, like it's my first time trying it again. Side note, I've also had: * Grilled Octopus which I remember being tender and cooked really well. * Meat & Cheese Plate had a yummy selection * Shishito Peppers were well-salted and cooked just enough Prices are reasonable for the quality of food you receive, and it really just depends what you order because everything adds up. Portions for some dishes might look small but if you order enough it is actually quite filling. Service is great and super helpful with the menu, but expect to pay an 18-20% auto gratuity no matter how many people you're dining with (I was just with my boyfriend). Can't wait to come back here! read more

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