Great for tapas and standing or seated, drinking with friends. Interior is very cool - artistic and all wooden convex / concave architecture. Ambiance is just right read more

Bar Isabel - Octopus, ribeye, side squash - Spanish Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Coming in on a Wednesday night, I didn't expect this place to be as packed as it was. Fortunately by being alone, the staff was able to get me seated at a 2-top despite the numerous reservations in queue. Awesome! I came to this dark and lavish restaurant per a recommendation from a friend back home, and I'm so glad I traveled out here to try. The environment, super-professional staff, and exquisite cuisine really made my day in Toronto extra special. Started off with "My Favorite Ex Girlfriend" as my cocktail of choice. It was sweet and refreshing, with that alcohol-induced burn finish, reminiscent of your last breakup. At $16CAD I had apprehensions, but after trying it, I was quite satisfied. I ordered the 1/4 Octopus, but decided to start with the Jamon Croquetas per recommendation from my waiter. I had no idea what to expect. Out came two little crispy morsels about egg size. There was a rich creamy sauce, with onion, but I didn't taste much ham? Or maybe there was a bunch of ham in there? OK, I'll be honest, I practically swallowed them whole. It was delicious. Don't judge me. Finally came my Quarter Octopus. WOW. I kept staring at it. I didn't want to eat it because it LOOKED SO GOOD. And after 10 photos and 5 minutes of staring I finally gave in. The chorizo sausage tucked into the dish had that perfect natural smokiness with a meaty homemade texture, and not that chewy, store-bought casing you would have to masticate for a couple minutes. It was really spicy, just the way I love it! The octopus itself was grilled to perfection, and did not have a rubbery texture; just just meaty goodness from the sea. I was in meat heaven! The sauce in the dish had a lightly tart, spicy and herbal flavor but not powerful enough to interfere with the natural flavor from the octopus and sausage. It was absolutely delightful. I'm in love with Bar Isabel. I need to come back and eat. If I ever apply for citizenship to Canada, this place will be my justification. read more

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Business partner brought us to this place to try. It was highly recommended and so we thought we would try it out. The atmosphere was ok. It wasn't too dark, but wasn't too light. Not too noisy so was able to keep a conversation. As it gets later, it gets louder so keep that in mind. The menu was very limited. Not a lot of choice, and everything was small portions. We ended up sharing everything so that we could try everything. The quality of the food was amazing. Would go back, but the price of the selection was very expensive. Not for those on a budget. Lost a star because the service was VERY slow. We went for dinner, and it lasted 3 hours. I don't know if it was because they were getting busy or if it took a long time for the food to be prepared, but it was slow. We kept asking why our food hadn't come. Overall, it was a good experience, but wouldn't go back unless the partner wanted to go back again. read more

Bar Isabel - Spanish Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Very romantic spot. Overall dishes were good but the octopus might be the best one I had in the city!

Favourite restaurant in Toronto. I can't get enough of it. Grant is a food god and he deserves all the success in the world. I'm going to leave it at that. Just kidding! Big tip: get their basque cake. Yes, I know. Why is she talking about dessert first. But you'll know what I mean! As for food food, get the shishito peppers and pan con tomate for apps! They are a necessity. So simple but packed with so much flavour. So addicting!! The seafood... ahh!! Get the octopus. It's heaven. Oh oh oh! The ceviche. Oh man, it is gigantic! Every time we've been, they've always had razor clams as a special menu item. Get it. You'll die. You honestly can't go wrong with any of their chorizos / cured meats! Last but not least, my favourite cocktail in Toronto. The fancy punch. Oh man, it is dangerously good. read more

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Great atmosphere. Food was delicious. Servers are very attentive and the wine connoisseur was knowledgeable. read more

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I'll just get it out of the way- I've been to Spain (only once lol I know, cue eye roll haha), and Spanish cuisine is honestly probably one of my favourites. This review is probably a lot more critical than the average reviewer here. I understand I'm in Canada and can't expect the same quality but I honestly haven't been able to find any restaurant in the city that scratched my itch for Spanish cuisine... so this is more of a review of people who are looking for more authentic tasting Spanish tapas- it's hopeless out here I'll start off with the two dishes that I liked here: Grilled mushrooms & Cured Egg Yolk, and Bone Marrow. I'm a meat eater and loved the grilled mushrooms and egg yolk- this dish is packed with umami. Bone Marrow, I personally just like to eat bone marrow and it's not the most common dish in Toronto, so that was already a win for me. I was surprised and how big they were here! I will say it's an extremely rich dish so you may start feeling sick if you don't balance it out with another acidic dish to cut through the fattiness. The rest of the dishes weren't anything to write home about. I was pretty disappointed with the pan con tomate- I love pan con tomate and thought it'd be a safe bet but the bread was burnt and overly buttered in my opinion. I tried shrimp, octopus, shisito, foie gras, few other dishes that I can't remember as well, but generally it seemed like the meat/seafood was rather dry. read more

3.5 Star I don't usually hang out that late downtown but since our guest from Brooklyn was in town, we decided to take her to Bar Isabel for some small sharing plates. Late Night Menu: Árbol Chili Chickpeas & Snow Pea Leaves ($6) Morcilla & Salt Cured Foie Gras ($13) WHOLE Sea Bream Ceviche ($26) Original Tongue on Brioche ($14) Roast Alaskan King Crab 1/2 LB ($20) Basque Cake & Sherry Cream ($8.50) Most of the item we tried were A-OK. I really enjoyed the King crab. I might just skip the fish ceviche. Hopfenstark, Ostalgia Blonde (750ml) 5.5% ($22) Seasonal Draft from local breweries including GLB and Bellwoods and Seasonal Bottle Menu with great selection from Le Trou Du Diable and Dieu du ciel. My Yelp friend ended up picking Hopfenstark, Ostalgia Blonde (750ml) 5.5% ($22), maybe of the low ABV%, maybe of the word "Blonde" or maybe it was the cheapest large format bottles on the menu. But I love how the bar attendant came over and served that to us with and explanation of the profile... (he is cute too, but it was kind of dark...) Bar Isabel has an impressive cocktail list too. I would just hang out at the bar and have a drink or 2... $15 a pop, I have to take it easy. Bar Isabel is a good place to have a night cap with friends and have a snack or 2. They do take reservations! read more

Bar Isabel - Spanish Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Every drink is about $20 -$25 if you add the tax and tip. Seriously overpriced. We ordered food which came in the smallest portions. The vibe inside is heavily hipster. It felt very much like I was in a restaurant trying to be one in Spain - it was very Caucasian. I didn't see a single spanish person in this Spainish restaurant. read more

By far this is the best restaurant I tried in Toronto. The food was so good and unbelievable. The place is amazing and the bartender Laurine was the soul of the place. Very professional and smiling all the time. It makes a huge difference when the staff are smiling and welcoming and she made sure we are welcomed. All the staff were great and happy. The chili with lemon and salt was amazing I didn't expect it to be that good. The patatas were yummy and the fish ceviche was super good. The octopus was delicious as well. I loved every dish I had it was all great. I'll come back for sure. read more

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If you only hit one restaurant in Toronto, make it Bar Isabel! When I asked my friends for Toronto recommendations, this was the only one that showed up (twice), and it did not disappoint. The atmosphere is elegant but relaxed, and the food is outstanding quality. The prices are a bit high (especially the wines -- and especially the sherries, unfortunately... so we opted for cocktails), but overall worth the pricetag. My favorites were the shishito peppers (so good), gooseneck barnacles (seasonal special), grilled mushrooms with celeriac (fantastic), and patatas bravas with boquerones (I really enjoyed and felt like only moderate heat, but too much for my wife.) I wasn't as wowed by the octopus (it was fine, but I've had better, especially for the price.) read more

Bar Isabel - Delicious gooseneck barnacles - Spanish Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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This is my favourite restaurant in the city for sure. The atmosphere is dark with bright colourful lights that has this old feel to it. Service is amazing they do team service and someone is always around if you need help with anything or have questions or want to order more. It's toppers and I highly suggest ordering a bunch of different things. The sebrasoda is the best thing in the world. I always order an order just for myself. You'll understand once you bite into it. It's the perfect mix of a tender but crisp piece of bread, spicy meat, sweet honey and creamy/buttery foie on top. The peppers, octopus, cheeses and cocktails are great also. You MUST get the bask cake too. It's a dream! read more

One of my favorite bars/restaurants in Toronto. Always exceptional experience with food, service and the ambience. Every dish you try is unique and tastes amazing. So much taste in every single tapas and dish. Bone marrow, artichoke and eggplant, croquettes, shishito peppers, patatas bravas, scallops and the basque cake are amongst my favourites. SERVICE, SERVICE, SERVICE. Can not compliment their service enough. read more

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I've been here a few times and have always had a great experience with the food. This time we ordered the Sobrosada & foie gras, the fries, sea bass ceviche, bone marrow and the famous octopus (quarter size). I would say the highlights were definitely the sobrosada & foie gras, the ceviche and the bone marrow. The fries were a bit of mediocre and the octopus, thought tasty, not the best quality compared to what we had before here. It's a bit dry and the presentation (one tentacle on a few dandelion leaves) was just not that impressive. Overall it's a great meal and I would definitely come back for more food here. read more

Bar Isabel - Sea bass ceviche - Spanish Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

The grilled octopus at Bar Isabel is one of the best in the city. You can order it as half or whole grilled octopus. The menu overall is meat-heavy, but they do have some vegetarian dishes (under "Verduras") and a few seafood dishes. The ambience inside is cozy - a bit dark and dimly lit. Making reservation is a must as it's a popular place and sometimes there is a lineup formed just before it opens. read more

Came here for my birthday with my boyfriend. Book in advance - made a reservation 4 days in advance for a Thursday night and was only able to get a table at 8:45. The restaurant had a romantic vibe, and the food was delicious. Don't waste your time with their sausages. Best dishes were the octopus (best in the city), sea bream ceviche, the patatas bravas and the famous basque cake. Came up to around 80 dollars after tax per person without drinks but we were very full and happy. We loved it because the servers were incredible and took their time explaining anything we didn't understand on the menu (most things). And when we ordered the cake, they remembered it was my birthday from when we made the reservation and put a candle on the cake, which was a great touch! Highly recommend. read more

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For my parents anniversary we went here. Pros: +Really tasty food +Bring your own wine (25$ uncorking charge) Cons: - small locale - very small portions The place is pretty crowded and really loud. Some could consider this cozy. (It was not uncomfortable, but a bit more room would have been nice) The portions are really small, we need up ordering 4 portions (including the steak and half an octopus) and 2 appetizers. At the end of the meal we were full but not stuffed. The total cost was 200 before tax. I would def recommend the steak. Everything else we got was tasty (a dew dishes were a bit sour) but nothing that was a must have. Service: Great service, the main waitress was there whenever we needed her, but not annoying, and did not inturupt us during our meal. During the meal, a couple other ppl came to clean up our plates and refill the water without disrupting our conversation. Would go there again with a small group of ppl. Would not recommend for a larger group. read more

Bar Isabel - Hald an octupus. - Spanish Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Amazing place!!! A friend and I went in and silly us forgot to make a reservation. Make a reservation, they are busy and packed!!! We sat at the bar and had an amazing time. The bar tender was great and recommended the white sangria, delicious !!! We then ordered some tapas. They flavours were exploding in my mouth and I wanted more. Ambiance is very romantic and creative. I would def go again!!! I'll post pics of what I ordered, don't recall the names. It is pricey but def worth the experience and food!!! read more

Bar Isabel - Spanish Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Food was just okay, especially for a meal this pricey. We had the - patatas bravas with the added boquerones (not worth the extra money) - ceviche (good chips, bland sauce) - octopus (opted for the oil sauté instead of butter and it was well cooked and tasty with all the garlic) - mushrooms with egg (read rave reviews about these but they were nothing memorable) - gluten free basque cake I appreciated that they had gluten free bread and dessert. But otherwise the flavours were muted. Even the cocktail and tiny beers didn't stand out. Service was great though and the vibe was good. I just wouldn't recommend this among the other great options in the city. read more

3.5 stars ... some good dishes but service was slipping very fast throughout the night & flavours weren't as great as other 4 star places. Maybe I came with too high of an expectation, maybe I ordered wrong (but I would have hoped the server steered us right), or maybe it's one of their off nights. Maybe Bar Isabel isn't my place. I came here incredibly hopeful of a mind blowing meal that rivalled my Buca or Grey Gardens experience as it's rated in the top 15 in Canada 100 best restaurant. That's some serious cred right there but for the price, it was just ok for us. They do have online reservations but this small, dimly lit, and super loud bar books up super fast. I made weekend reservations a month in advance. That was easy and simple to do. Our arrival was quickly greeted and shown to our table. We were seated in the back along the wall. It was comfortable and tables were well spaced. Unfortunately it was so soooo loud. You cannot have a conversation even when yelling. We noticed most tables were either getting louder and louder with the more glasses poured or they're quickly leaving with little conversation. Service here is quite varied ... looking at other tables, there were 2 very good staff who helped craft the dinners and mentioned the specials. Ours just nodded their head and he never mentioned once the specials or what was good to order when asked. This is where I feel we probably ordered wrong. We had the garden pickles, ensalada de la casa, scallops, bone marrow, chorizo rojo, and quarter octopus along side some ciders. We didn't order the famed Basque cake because we waited and waited for someone to come by but we were mostly left ignored for nearly 15 minutes with menus on our tables. Garden Pickles - decent with fair variety of different vegetables but nothing unusual or special about it. Comparing to maple leaf tavern, theirs had an unique spice kick that made it pop. This was just simple. 3.5/5 Ensalada de la casa - one of the better dishes of the night. Several variety of different shaved vegetables lightly and nicely dressed. It had Sprouts, fennel, carrots, Brussels sprouts, and pomegranate. Light and refreshing. Solid choice 4/5 Bone Marrow - I've had bone marrow at a few other places and it's usually a rich wonderful bite with the accompaniments. This was mostly a miss ... this is definitely one of the smaller marrows at a higher price point. It came with 4 pieces of large toasted bread that were possibly cut too big as each bite consisted mostly of dried bread, a smear of lightly flavoured chimichurri, and a few tiny spoonful of marrow. There wasn't enough marrow to even make it to 3 pieces of bread and the chimichurri was very light in flavour compared to the Argentinian ones I've had which help make the meat pop and cut through the juicy fatty flavour. 3/5 Scallops - maybe Toronto has a hard time doing scallops. Thinly sliced scallops are lightly grilled and then placed on an asparagus and leek sauce. The scallops were cooked fairly good. The sear marks were a faded beige and because of how it was thinly sliced, once of the pieces were already crumbling before even attempting to eat it. The leek and asparagus sauce was mild and didn't really add much flavour to the already mild scallops. It reminds me of my Good Son scallops order ... I wish I got something else 3/5 Chorizo rojo - most flavourful dish of the night. Bold and smokey, this is a great chorizo. Loved the spicy heat that it brings. It is a small portion but because of the flavour, it is satisfying. If all dishes were this good, I would have left quite happy. 4/5 Grilled quarter octopus - this is supposedly be one of the best octopus in Toronto if you read Yelp reviews. A quarter octopus is a decent size to share for a smaller group or twosome. It is nicely tender with a softer chew and some good grilled edges. Cooking wise... awesome. Flavour ... it was missing compared to other places I've had. The sauce had some spice (paprika?) but it wasn't enough to give the octopus anything to be memorable. 3.5/5 I was hoping for an amazing dinner but left quite disappointed. Service ended up being forgetful and we left without dessert because it just took too long to be acknowledged. Bar isabel clearly is loved but just didn't provide the flavour or service for me to recommend. read more

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Fantastic food. Fantastic service. Our trip back to Spain while in Toronto. And the house G&T was spot on. Highly recommend!

Not at all worthy of the hype. Food is just about okay, staff is EXTREMELY RUDE (they force down a 20% service charge on all dine ins, so that explains!). They even charged us for the small piece of bread they gave us so our infant could play/ nibble on the side. Overpriced, rude staff, okay food...never going in here again! read more

Great food and service. Loved the menu. And the assortment of whiskey. Try the bone marrow.

Great restaurant with amazing seafood options and cozy atmosphere! Most dishes are tapas style -designed for sharing. Would definitely recommend giving the oysters a try! By far, my favourite was the foie gras. All the seafood tasted fresh and service was prompt and polite. Would definitely visit again! read more

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This is a super cozy spot to grab tapas and drinks; the interior is dimly lit, and would be great for a date! ;) I tried the el sherry cocktail, which was delicious; it had sherry, pomegranate, oranges, and rosemary. It was a quite salty/sour, however, but was definitely interesting! I also got the patatas bravas; however, they were large pieces of potato and were quite soft, and the sauce was not that flavorful, which was a disappointment. At el camino in Ottawa, their patatas bravas were much better. Service was very attentive, and the waitress came by to check up and take orders quickly. Next time I might try more main dishes/larger tapas, but it's definitely a really cozy spot to grab drinks! read more

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This has been on my list for a long time... After trying to walk in on a Friday night and getting turned away, we booked online in advance. Tonight was the night. Service was exceptional and our water glasses were never empty. The food wasnt over salted, thankfully. We had the peppers, anchovy mustard cabbage, sausage fois gras crostini, and part of an octopus. Octopus smelt amazing. Peppers were great accompanyment to snack on with drink while the rest of everything showed up in a very timely manner (probably because it was a winter Wednesday). Their beer list and cocktail list was splendid, though they were out of the draft that caught my beerofile eye. The washrooms were larger than their other restaurants which was lovely because I am a giant. Atmosphere was wonderful and the lighting was kind, as it hid the lipstick that accidentally found its way to my nose. The floor was nice. read more

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Had an absolutely fantastic time here ! We had reservations for 7pm on a Wednesday evening and when we arrived the place was absolutely packed. It was super loud so I'm glad we were seated near the window at the front. We opted for a tasting menu - minimum $60 per person. The server asked everyone likes/dislikes and anything that we for sure wanted to have. It was so fun to be surprised with what we were going to eat and everything was so delicious. My favourite was the foie gras. Other highlights were definitely the chips n boquerones, chorizo, manchego cheese eaten with the pan con tomate, mushrooms, peas & mint, and cod. I didn't care much for the shishito peppers and while I enjoyed the patatas bravas and octopus, they were nothing special. We finished off with the basque cake was perfect - very rich and not too sweet. Overall I felt we had the perfect amount of food with great variety. I would definitely return ! read more

Excellent food, service, and atmosphere. Their market is also great and we love stopping by to buy their bread. They also have a cute tapas box to go. If you can, try to treat yourself here at least once! read more

When taste stirs emotion, you know you have something. Every course at Bar Isabel this past Saturday was, well, emotive. We started with the house-baked sourdough (the sour part was tastefully subtle). The bread was so good, we raved about it to our waiter before anything else landed on the table. Our first dish was the Eggplant and Artichoke. The flavours were simple but striking because of their unique combinations. The eggplant was char grilled and soaked in a smooth but tasty olive oil. The artichokes were perfectly softened and not at all vinegary (a fault of too many artichoke dishes). The magic, however, was in the caper berries and the heavenly Peruvian drop peppers. We opted for a complement of anchovies, which was a solid decision. Next was the scallops with salsa verde topped with thinly sliced green apple. The scallops were melt-in-your-mouth with a pan-seared crust. The sauce had a bite but had a perfect counterpoint in the fresh green apple. The sauce had a hint too much cumin for my taste but my wife loved it. She had to pause just to savour it. Next was the charred oyster mushroom with thinly sliced celeriac. This was my personal favourite. I will never eat oyster mushrooms again unless they are grilled over charcoal. The celeriac complemented perfectly. Our savoury menu came to a close with the Bavette steak, charred just so on the outside and a juicy medium rare within. We had to finish with the special Basque cake immersed in sherry sauce. The Basque cake lies somewhere between shortbread and pound cake in texture and is served warm. The sherry sauce infuses every pore. My only critique is that the menu skews heavy on pork products and those of us with dietary restrictions of that nature have a smaller selection. This was ultimately of no consequence. There were enough vegetarian and non-pork choices to build a great menu for us that night. The ambiance is energetic and loud but not distractingly so. The lighting is soft and decidedly red but it works, creating a den-like atmosphere, making it easy to imagine you're dining off an Andalusian alley way. The servers were not only good in the conventional sense of being attentive and helpful but also sharply attuned to the customer and highly trained in proper service protocols. To top it off, I had mentioned in my OpenTable reservation that it was a special occasion, our wedding anniversary. At the end of the meal, our waiter gifted us a loaf of the sourdough and wished us a happy anniversary. *sigh* read more

Had a couple of lovely drinks with an old friend at the bar and this place was absolutely adorable! The drinks were strong and well balanced ... and they have big ice cubes!! Also definitely get the bread. Inside is cozy, dark, boisterous, and you really feel like you're in a little cafe in Spain. Sigh. I love Spain. read more

Bar Isabel - Spanish Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Terrific dinner last night after travelling here as a last resort given that many restos are closed by 11pm. Glad we did. Service: Friendly & accommodating Food: artichoke & dip, jamon serrano, suckling pig, pork jowls, oysters etc. Wine: they've corkage, so took our own bottle. Only drawback can be noise, it can be overwhelming. Reservation in advance is recommended. I'm glad this 2nd visit changed my opinion of bar isabel and we'll return. read more

What a cool spot! Great tapas that reminded us of Barcelona (especially the pan con tomate and jamon) and a great vibe. The jamón serrano is great -- no need to go for the Iberico for the price difference. The steak with foie gras was awesome, of course. The broccoli was great too, actually -- a little vegetable with our meat fest. They also had one of my FAVORITE white wines on the menu: Chateau Musar! It's a splurge but we would recommend it. read more

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First time visiting Bar Isabel and came away quite impressed. Tried the cured meats, ceviche, marrow, foie gras, octopus, chorizo and the basque cake. All were very good. Service was friendly and efficient. Server was great at suggestions and explaining the menu. Sommelier directed us to a nice Portuguese white that did not blow our brains out. They do have some pricey bottles on the list. Place was packed even on a Monday evening and quite loud. Look forward to visiting Bar Isabel again. read more

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Food is decent and good, but the service is just terrible. The staff served us make me feel maybe I own her money that is due for years

Few dishes blew me away... I've always loved small plants, this was my first visit to Bar Isabel, I know it sounds excessive, I wanted to cry (tear of joy) after tasting the last dish and the dessert. We had some meats, tomato bread, octopus and the marrow. The restaurant has such great reputation, these dishes were delicious but also what I had expected coming to Bar Isabel. As a side note, I really dislike eating anything with tomato (raw or cooked), but the tomato bread is going to be a repeat for my next Bar Isabel reservation. First time tasting tomato so naturally sweet, refreshing with no acidity. Special of the day - razor clams arrived lightly soaked in a creamy white sauce. I could not believe the flavours and resisted (very hard) to not lick the plate. The sobrasada & foie gras, such a brilliant dish - hugs to the chef(s) that came up with this. The shaved foie gras (lifted the heaviness if it was a chunky piece) goes so perfectly with the sweet and spicy sobrasada. I wanted to repeat the plate right then and there! We thought foie gras & sobrasada was the highlight, until we tried the panna cotta & honey. The honey so floral I could close my eyes and imagine myself in the Bellagio Conservatory. It was very unfortunately that they couldn't let me pack one home... This dessert beats the panna cotta at Paul Bert (my previous favourite). This review was very fun to write, I am re-living the lovely dining experience as I recall each bite of my meal. Can't wait for my next reservation! read more

With all the hype from friends and online reviews, I had high expectations for this place. Unfortunately, I have to admit that I was quite disappointed. This place is good but nothing special. FOOD: Roast Bone Marrow (3/5) - Very disappointed in this dish. Tasted extremely plain and lacked seasoning. Their sister restaurant, Black Hoof, is the place you want to go Grilled Cuttlefish & Sea Spinach (5/5) - I absolutely adored this dish. The cuttlefish was cooked to perfection and very well garnished.. The sauce was so flavourful that I was tempted to lick the plate clean. Highly recommended! Sweetbreads & Raw Tuna (3.75/5) - I felt this dish was pretty basic. It was nice but nothing out of the ordinary. Octopus (4/5) - In terms of taste, I would rate this dish a 3.5. It lacks seasoning and flavour. We did not bother finishing it. I ended up rating this dish a 4 due to the respect for how Bar Isabel is able to cook the octopus. It is chewy and not dry with no rubbery taste to it, which is a very difficult task to accomplish Mussels Escabeche, Pork Belly, Broccoli (3.5/5) - When this dish came, I was very surprised. The pork belly was in strips like bacon. Nevertheless, the overall taste of mussels, pork belly and broccoli complimented each other in terms of texture. Once again, it was nice but nothing amazing DRINKS: The Smoking Jacket (3/5) - As a huge scotch fan, I was recommended this drink but I have to say that I was really disappointed. I have to admit that this is partly my fault for ordering a scotch cocktail since I like my scotch clean A Doctor's Orders (3.5/5) - It was good but nothing great. Pretty average My Favourite Ex-Girlfriend (5/5) - I loved this drink and the name suits it perfectly. It is very sweet and just plain delicious Overall, for the price, I would probably not return to this restaurant. If I do, it would definitely be for the cuttlefish! read more

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Definition of Bar Isabel: An overpriced place that serves small portions of bad quality food THAT DOSENT TASTE good!! If you don't like don't pretend to,just because it's rated highly or your friends like it.Don't just go there because it's voted highly.Nowadays that's what people do! I'm writing you this review do you don't waste $150 on bad overpriced food. No offense to the owner read more

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My boyfriend called a month in advance to make reservations for our anniversary dinner. He did not find the phone conversation very pleasant. The person that he spoke to said that they only had a 6:00pm reservation available (WHAT! My bf called a month in advance!!! I was shocked to hear this) My bf felt like the person gave attitude when he asked if there were reservations available after 6:00pm. When we went into Bar Isabel, we found the place nicely decorated. The atmosphere was casual yet chic. The place was not packed when we went - a lot of tables were still vacant, but after 30 mins of seating, most of the seats were filled. The music was extremely loud so it was definitely hard to have a conversation without having to shout. We ordered: Marinated Sardine Montadito ($6) - this was okay. A bit salty, but I liked that the bread was soft. Even with the sardine on it, the bread was not soggy. (B) Grilled Asparagus, Chorizo Verde, Tomatillo, Marcona Almonds & Mahon Sauce ($14) - this was one of our fave dishes. The asparagus was grilled to perfection, the sausages were delicious, and the sauce was heavenly. (A+) Sobrassada Foie Gras & Honey Montadito ($6)- This was okay. The honey overpowered the foie gras taste. (B) 1/2 Grilled Octopus ($34) - the octopus was very tasty and tender. It took awhile to chew, but was cooked well. The end of the tentacles were nice and crunchy. The leafy vegetable looked like chinese broccoli. I didn't like the way it was prepared. It tasted very bitter and sour. (A-) Bincho-Grilled Iberico Pork Presa (Served Rare), Scallions, Espellete Butter Sauce ($24) - Our waiter recommended this because this is the most popular pork dish in Spain and it was from the shoulder part of the pig. We have never had pork rare so this was a first for us. This was both our fave dish. The pork was marinated in a lovely butter sauce and pairing it with the scallions (long green onion) was a very nice touch. The green onions were grilled so it produced a sweetness when paired with the pork. (A+) Aside: Toronto star just came out with an article ( day after we ate the pork) saying that eating rare pork could be dangerous if not cooked right. Only black hoof and bar Isabel serves rare pork. We feel ok, but definitely be aware of the potential risk. We wish we knew before ordering so we could have made an informed choice. To read article: http://read.thestar.com/?origref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.ca%2F#!/article/539c3267ec069172800005cd-toronto-restaurants-flout-regulations-to-serve-raw-pork Leche Frita & Salted Dulce de Leche ($7) - this was the best dessert EVER! It was basically a timbit with a sweet cream filling inside. (A+). Howe Sound Lager, Dortmunder Lager ($7) - A nice fruity light beer. Riesling, Norman Hardie, 2012 PEC, Ontario, Canada ($13) - nothing special. Our bill came up to around $141 with tax and tip. The service was okay. We had several staff serve us. Our main waiter was so-so. He didn't really make any chit-chat with us, but did check on us several times to make sure we were okay. Our water was mostly filled and our napkins were always re-folded when we went to the washroom by other staff. We really liked the person that took our order (not our main waiter). He gave us a lot of good tips on what to order. He recommended that we get 5 dishes (plus dessert) to be full. He was right. Dessert was a mission for me to finish! Overall, I give this place a A. Why not A+? Cus the call to make the reservation could have been better. That really left a sour taste in my bf's mouth despite enjoying the food. read more

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Bar Isabel is easily among the best food I've had in Toronto. I may be slightly biased because I've yet to try many tapas bars, but I can assure that you will not leave disappointed on the basis of food alone. My favourite dishes include the sweet breads and raw tuna, sea bream ceviche (which I believe is now made with B.C. halibut, perhaps due to seasonality), and the basque cake & sherry cream. Surprisingly, the octopus, which is considered to be their most popular dish, was more of a novelty item IMO. It seemed to lack seasoning, and the sautéed greens underneath were a bit too bitter for my liking. The shishito peppers are a fun item to order if you're dining with a group of friends since ~1/7 are super spicy! Expect to pay around $40 - $50 per person not including drinks, and reservations are highly recommended no matter what time of the evening based on my experience. read more

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I liked some dishes more than others. Ordered some of their famed dishes along with some of our server;s recommendations. I thought the dishes were a bit pricey but since this place is so hyped up, maybe it's worth it. When the food started trickling in, we started digging in. I think the best tasting dishes we tried were the grilled octopus and the morcilla and fois gras. Also loved the basque cake! Yummy! Didn't care as much for their bone marrow, and cured meat plate was average, nothing special. The atmosphere is interesting. Don't know how to describe it. It's casual, hip, and very dark, hard to read anything at all. They limited our seating time to two hours because this place is so popular but we were done before then. It comes to about $50 pp after tax and tip which isn't too bad. But considering how small the plates were and how we probably filled up on the three orders of bread, we would have done more damage to the wallet had we gotten more dishes. I think you can try to visit just to try out some Spanish tapas. But don't come here believing the hype because you might be disappointed. read more