Finally had the opportunity to dine here. We were a large private group renting out the entire upper floor, so were not seated in the main restaurant. Dishes we tried: Fel Fel (marinated spices olives) - Tasty olives but what more can I saw, pretty much what you would expect! Crispy Eggplant - These came out as small deep-fried fritters, sort of looked like fried zucchini blossoms. Absolutely delicious. Lamb Ribs - WOW. These were my favourite dish. Meat was tender and fall off the bone, but had a crispy and salty exterior. Turkish Manti Dumplings - Small diamond shaped dumplings stuffed with a blended smoked eggplant filling. Local Roma Salad - Definitely the healthiest thing we had, green salad topped with a light dressing and pomegranate seeds. Chargrilled Cornish Hen - Again, delicious, served with a lentil sauce. Sweet Jeweled Basmati Rice - contained saffron and almonds Dry Aged Ribeye - Served with a Za'atar (Persian spice) butter and smoked eggplant. Overall I would like to return to try more of the vegetarian type dishes. I am a meat lover and the meat here was DELICIOUS, but whoever planned our menu seemingly went a bit over the top with meat selections. The main restaurant has a really interesting decor, seems almost quite 70s chic, would be a perfect date spot as many of the tables are small round ones with a circular booth seat. read more

Had dinner here on a Friday at 5pm. Made reservations on the Monday of that week, which I found out didn't seem necessary - it wasn't all that busy when we ate. Between 4 people we got: Cauliflower - very good and definitely an excellent side. We ordered two of these and that was plenty. Beets - absolutely delicious and worth getting. Our waitress told us they come with 3 beers, so she was nice enough to get us a 4th one. Much appreciated. Lamb ribs - pretty good. Worth a try, however you're not missing out if you don't get them. Squid - amazing. I love calamari and these were delicious. Ontario lamb - absolutely delicious and a must try. The meat literally falls off the bone and come with these very thin tortillas to build mini shwarmas with toppings. The size was more than enough to give each us 4-5 tortillas each. Oxtail basmati rice - really enjoyed the kale they had on it and it complimented the Ontario lamb beautifully. The above dishes was more than enough to fill 4 adults and we were all stuffed by the end. We easily could have done without a few of the smaller dishes, but this was our first time and wanted to try various plates. The service itself was excellent and facilities were nice, clean and sleek. Total meal was around $230, including son alcoholic drinks. Definitely reasonable for downtown and the quality of food. read more

I've eaten here twice now, and I love their foray into dishes and flavours that you don't see much of in the city. Their concept of elevating Mediterranean cuisine is incredible in some of their dishes, very tasty in most of their dishes, and only missed in one or two items on the menu (which might not be your experience, so take it with a grain of salt). That's what it comes down to though, I think, The flavours are so different that if you order half a dozen dishes (which I recommend) it's very likely that you'll hate one dish, really like two others, and want to marry the other three. And those love/hate relationships will differ from person to person. That being said, I'd recommend the labneh, the manti dumplings and the octopus. Wasn't crazy about the olives. In the end though, you have to try the place for yourself. And when I say that you have to try it, I mean that you HAVE to try it. You will be missing out on a cornucopia of flavours and experiences if you don't, so make sure you try out Byblos at least once. Oh, and the atmosphere is super cool. Great spot for bringing a date, especially if you have tickets at Roy Thomson afterwards ;) read more

Came for my friend's birthday last night, since both of us had been meaning to try it for months now. While the food was good, the service we received from our waitress was pretty terrible. Before the meal, she came by to fill my water cup and spilled some water in the process. She acknowledged it, but NEVER tried to clean up the spill! I had to dab away the puddle with my own napkin. I've been to cheap pubs in my university years where they would immediately clean a spill and apologize profusely, so this was alarming. Strike 1. Strike 2 was how slow it was to have out orders taken, and how she basically rolled her eyes at our order and when we didn't take her suggestions. My friend and I know how much we can eat, and the kinds of things we like. We never asked for suggestions, so she didn't have to supply them if she didn't want to. There was just so much attitude that it was off-putting. Finally, we requested our bills with our dessert as we needed to make a show and told her this. It took 15 mins for us to receive our bills and pay (after we received our dessert) and we saw other customers cashing out before us. Strike 3 was it - my friend and I each tipped only 15% (which is 10% less than what we normally give) and even that seemed to high for the service. The only redeeming quality was that the food was decent and the kitchen staff did well, albeit my friend and I have both had better and more authentic Mediterranean fare (we are both Mediterranean too!) at cheaper mom-and-pop places. The Good - the Gulab drink (amazing rose flavour and beautiful presentation); one order of lamb ribs (my friend found hers to be too fatty); duck & eggplant kibbehs; both the pistachio and Turkish coffee chocolate ice creams (incredible flavours, especially together!). The Bad - the sours drink (too creamy and thick from the egg whites for our palates); the mussels (way too salty and overspiced); the qatayef (non-traditional filling was disappointing to my friend, and they really just tasted like a standard funnel cake). The Ugly - the "service". Too many other great restaurants to try, so I probably won't be back. read more

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Let's start by saying that this place is fusion but done on a hyper level (it's a fusion of the Mediterranean) I've read up about Byblos before setting foot as researching what I'm about to devour is important to me; and I wasn't disappointed. A group of 5 of us sat down for a late dinner and opted for the servers to surprise us with the dishes they most loved which I think is a great way to go when you're dining for experience with good friends. The first course was a selection of salads, olives, and nuts. A big stand out for me was the roasted, pickled beet salad on top of some house made labneh. BAD.ASS. Second course included a series of sharable plates highlighted by incredible dukkah dusted lamb ribs and seared duck fat dripped cauliflower. This shit was on point; also an insane fried eggplant with basturma sliced on top. Oh ya by this time I was a few cocktails in. They made me forget the pain. Third course was dominated by oxtail basmati rice, a whole boneless branzino (I usually hate fish but this was dope) some wonderfully downright delightful manti dumplings, and the dry aged ribeye that I wanted to get married to. We were fat but still hungry so we ended the savory with crispy calamari and steak tartar. Mmmmmm Dessert was..well everything. I think we had it all. The stand out was the yoghurt mousse but the trippiest thing was a pyramid dessert from the future that tasted like a floral bouquet. If my spelling and grammar suck that's awesome. The end. read more

Byblos was amazing! A great experience for foodies. I went with three friends, one of whom is vegetarian, and we shared plates between ourselves. We started out with the olives, the roasted red beets (phenomenal), and the truffle pide. The black truffle pide was so good, I would have ordered a second one if I wasn't so stuffed by the end of the dinner. For our main entrees, we had the Mediterranean fried chicken, the lamb for two, and the sweet jeweled rice. Everything was so delicious! While this restaurant overall is pretty pricey, we all had enough to eat by sharing everything tapas style. This place is definitely worth it and I'm already planning on going back next time I'm in Toronto! read more

Food was great, love the ambiance and waiter was super nice, same as hostess. Loved the place read more

3.5 stars. Visited Byblos for the first time... and left a little disappointed. Was it the hype? Was it the 4.5 average star reviews on Yelp? Probably a bit of both. I came by Byblos on Monday night (6:30 pm) to a surprisingly more empty restaurant than I imagined. Reservations to this place are hard to get, but it seemed like I could have easily walked in and gotten a table. What we ordered- 1) Lamb Ribs: These were delicious... but SMALL. Seriously, why did no one else on Yelp mention how small these were? Pictures can be very deceiving. At first, I was surprised lamb ribs were $14 at a high end restaurant, but it made sense when I saw them. The dish was 4 lamb ribs, each barely 4 inches long. Now again, these were delicious, the seasoning on them were very good, but it wasn't anything too special. Lamb ribs are naturally delicious. 4/5 2) Roasted Beets: This was the stand out dish of Bylbos. It was amazing. It came accompanied with a side of bread that was seasoned similar to the lamb ribs. The bread tastes great with the cheese and olive oil. It's almost Italian-like, as it really reminded me of a burrata dish. Also, don't let the "beets" part scare you off. My girlfriend and I don't like beets, so we almost didn't order this, but the beets really were not the focus of the dish... the cheese and bread are. To comment on the beets itself, they were delicious, but they were even smaller than the lamb ribs. 5/5. Order this. 3) Turkey Manti Dumplings: My girlfriend really looked forward to this dish. When she had the first one, I could tell she was disappointed. I tried it next, and I could understand why. The flavour was good, but it was... very lacking. The dumplings don't have a lot of filling, it was mostly dough that tastes good because of the yoghurt sauce. Some dumplings didn't have any filling at all. We left this plate half eaten. Not sure why it was highly touted on Yelp. 2.5/5. 4) Crispy Squid: It's good but c'mon... it's fried calamari. There's really nothing much else to say about it. Fried calamari is always good isn't it? But... is it traditional Mediterranean food? I dunno. Probably not. 3.5/5. 5) Tartufata: Being Chinese, my parents would be pissed off if they found out I spent $30 on rice that didn't even have any meat in it hahaha. Anyways, this was a rice with mushrooms, chick peas and truffle. It was tasty because the aroma with the truffle was very good. We mainly used this to compliment the squid, dumpling sauce and cauliflower. Hard to rate... I'd say a 3.5/5 but I would not recommend this. The value just isn't there, and their other rices seems more interesting in hindsight. 3.5/5. 6) Seared Cauliflower: This sidedish was cauliflower seared with duck fat. I'm a little hesitant to give Byblos credit for this dish because you can take any vegetable and sear it with bacon fat, steak fat or duck fat and it'll taste good. I personally liked this dish because I'm into strong flavours, but I can see how others can see this dish as "fatty" or "heavy". Regardless, 4/5. 7) Loukoumades (Dessert): This dessert was great! It is essentially a bunch of small fried timbits surrounding icecream, topped with edible flower petals and burnt honey. I don't even like desserts and I found this to be excellent. Strongly recommend this if you're going to get a dessert. 5/5. I want to warn you about the service. It's really slow. I came on a relatively quiet Monday night and my server did not do very well. It took a long time to do anything like taking our order, bringing out our food and bringing us the bill. I like the fact that someone will describe to you the dish when it arrives, but it wasn't done as well as Lee's restaurant. The servers at Byblos just spew out memorized lines really fast, instead of actually educating you about the dish or how to eat it. Go to Lee's and you'll see how they do it much better at explaining their dishes. Would I come back? Maybe. There's a couple things left on the menu I want to try but would I rave about it to my friends and coworkers? No, there's better places to spend your money or to celebrate an occasion. read more

This was the greatest culinary experience of the year for me and my lady. We live in Los Angeles, and came to Toronto for the 150th. We went to Byblos once and were floored. And we went there a second time and were rocked yet again. For anyone who loves middle eastern food this restaurant flips the recipes on its side and reinvents the cuisine. The food is extraordinary, and if you are lucky get a seat at the bar and hope that Robin will be there to pair the drinks with the food. Serious foodies only! read more

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Lovely dinner, great wine list and helpful, informative and attentive waitstaff. Beets with tahini and bread...so simple, so yummy. Truffle rice...yum. The fig salad, however, was my absolute favorite. So many amazing flavors: sweet, savory and aromatic...it touched on all my taste buds and I could have eaten bowls and bowls of it without any problem. I also had the whole fish, which was simply done and good. Brussels were tasty, too. Lovely atmosphere, great dining experience. read more

One of the best dining experiences in Toronto. Food is all yummy to damn good! Tried: Artichokes, Turkish bread, ribs, ribeye, thrice cooked fries and baklava ice cream Service: friendly and helpful Ambience: upstairs is prettier (and like the bar). QPR: 3 glasses of vino, cokeand above dishes, w/tip came to 250$. Needless to say the two of us were stuffed! read more

Oh man, this place induces otherworldly food-and-alcohol-based hallucinations! The atmosphere is lovely, dark and sparkling. Our server treated us like a dear friend, discussing all of the finer details of the cocktails and menu with us. The cocktails are damn amazing. We couldn't stop ordering them, we were just too curious about the ones we hadn't had yet! My only warning is that they're highly guzzle-able and you may wind up spending $100+ on drinx alone if you're not careful! The food is exalted, with beautiful Persian/Mediterranean-influenced flavours. We decided to just go with our server's recommendations, and wound up eating a 4-5 course meal, sharing everything. Did we break the bank on this meal? Yes, definitely. But we floated out of there, rosy-cheeked, and have continued to talk about our experience there for weeks after. I recommend this place for ANY special occasion or important date. It's a total win! read more

Unique spot for any type of occasion - cool ambiance and amazing food - a little pricey though, but so worth it - here's some 'must try' dishes: -Brussels sprouts & halloumi -Lam ribs with pomegranate dressing (apps) -Lamb tartar -Jewel Rice -Duck Kebbe -Katayef for dessert Very interesting variety of drinks - Gullab and Arak are exceptional! Enjoy :) read more

I pretty much echo what most people here state, Byblos gave me one of the most complete dining experiences I've had in Toronto in a long time. The food was fantastic, service was friendly, drinks (I only had the gulab) was inspiring coming in a frosted steel goblet of sorts. The main highlight here is of course the food! The menu sounds great and everything from the plating to all those flavour explosions lead all in my party to shower this place with constant compliments (except for the quiet times when we were enjoying the food of course!). 4 of us ordered around 7 dishes. If memory serves it was 2 large plates, rice and the small and mediums and we left full! My highlights were the cauliflower and baked fluke, but so many things sound like "must try"s! We all ordered ice cream to end with which came topped with Turkish Cotton Candy which was heavenly. I completed the meal with a Turkish coffee too which I would recommend. I would not hesitate one bit to recommend this place for anyone, it's got a great location and food well worth the price! read more

I'm a total noob when it comes to Mediterranean food, but I had a thoroughly enjoyable first experience at Byblos nonetheless. It's a really hip and cool restaurant located in the Entertainment District, with lots of candles and dim lighting on the inside. Staff there are super friendly and attentive, they come by a lot to fill up your water and clean off your table, and they are really good at giving you suggestions as to what to order. Each dish is pretty small is meant to be shared between your table, so they recommend that you order about 2 dishes per person - my group of 3 ordered 6 things: Shakshouka (spicy tomato + yogurt + duck egg + romy cheese): This was an okay dish for me, but not my favourite. It mostly just tasted like tomato sauce/salsa, despite the other stuff in it i.e. yogurt, egg, cheese. People who like spicy food might be disappointed with this dish, because it's not spicy at all. Believe me, because I can't handle spice and even I didn't think it was spicy. An okay appetizer to start though, and comes with bread for dipping. Crispy eggplant (with tahini aioli + bayildi sauce + basturma): Honestly I don't even know what all the different sauces were in this dish, but I really really liked it. The eggplant was kind of like fried in batter, kind of like tempura. Whatever the sauces were, they all mixed really well, and made this dish delicious, wonderful flavours. Duck kibbeh (dried fig + date molasses + tahini): I love figs so was excited for this, but it wasn't a standout dish for me, not very memorable. I think the texture of the meat was maybe a bit dry but mostly fine, but it was a bit lacking in flavour. Lamb ribs (dukkah + buttermilk sauce + carob molasses + red chili schug): Good dish, the sauces here create a very unique blend of flavours, very delicious and perfectly cooked and soft. Seared cauliflower (duck fat + tahini sauce + sesame + coriander): I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this, because it seemed like such a basic dish. But there was this slightly cheesy flavour to the cauliflower that I really liked, and it was just super flavourful overall without being too salty. Sweet jeweled basmati rice (carrot + saffron + barberries + almonds): Mmmmm sooooo so good. I loved this - the rice was so delicious and fragrant, and there were so many interesting flavours in here that made it unique. I loved the pomegranate seeds that were in here, which added a bit of tartness and crunch! Would highly recommend. Unfortunately I didn't get to try any of their desserts, but I would definitely love to come back here and try some, because they sound so unique and delicious! It can get pricey depending on what you order, but when we split our bill it only ended up being about $30/person, and we were all pretty full. Awesome vibes at this place, and I would definitely recommend for a unique dining experience! read more

Alright. I really really want to give Byblos a 5 but it wasn't perfect. Here's the run down. 1) It's not cheap but it's not expensive either... The house wine is a bit mean, $14 a glass... Really? Kinda a downer! My cranberry juice (I was counting calories) was $4, so that's alright. 2) Started with the fig salad. It was highly recommended by fellow reviewers. I mean it was good and the figs were fresh but it did not make me cry tears of joy or wish I could bathe in it. It was just a nice and fresh salad on a really colourful dish. 3) Lamb leg - OK. YOU NEED TO EAT THIS. warning, it can be very expensive as it is cost per weight so our 1.25 lb lamb leg was $55 but it could easily feed 3 people. They come with wraps and sauce and so much yumminess. And for once in my entire life, there were enough wraps for the meat. 4) Persian rice - SKIP.It was cold and why Byblos lost a star. It was awful... It was also $24. I don't like to waste but it was left. Negative rating! 5) Cauliflower - it was a nice side dish. Again, came recommended but I'm totally biased as I lurve cauliflower. It wasn't as good as #6 6) Brussel sprouts and Halumi. Whatever kind of cheese Halumi is, I need to build a house with it and then eat the house... And probably die of overdosing on cheese but it would be glorious and so worth it. Beautiful dish. You won't be disappointed. If I went back to Byblos, I'd order lamb, brussel sprouts and come back with a 5 star rating. Oh and Byblos is only open for dinner. Their decor is kinda strange... a mix of middle east meets random stuff one finds on the street and then fused it with other random things. And be careful, some of it isn't fused properly and can come off... Just saying... read more

We went there for my father in law's birthday. The truffle boat shaped breads were to die for. So was the couscous dish. I was recommended the whole fish, which was okay, but not mindblowingly amazing. If I'm honest, a tad overcooked. Otherwise a great restaurant. Would love to go back. read more

This place is as good as everyone says it is. We came here on a weekday, and it was very busy. Fantastic atmosphere and service, I would recommend this as a date place. Make your reservation in advance, as it's hard to get a table. We were thoroughly impressed with all of the food (except the cauliflower side, which was OK). For a party of two, they recommend getting 6 dishes to share (everything is meant to be shared). We got 6, and had some left over. Here's what we had: 1. Shakshouka: Duck egg in tomato sauce, served with toasted bread (similar to naan). So delicious. Layers upon layers of flavour. Highly recommend. 2. Tuna Tartare with Avocado (special of the day): This was served with squid ink crostini, and was really good. The tartare was good too, a bit on the small side, and it was actually pretty spicy. 3. Mejadra Rice: This was delicious. Again, layer upon layer of flavour. I was really blown away, it was probably the best rice I've ever eaten. 4. Turkish Manti: This is an absolute must try if you visit byblos. Layer upon layer of flavour, and it was really savoury. 5. Seared Cauliflower Side: As mentioned, this was OK. I wasn't wowed by this, and I can easily say it was my least favourite. 6. Fig Salad: I'm probably biased because I love figs, but this was amazing! I highly recommend getting this salad. I regret that we were so full that we didn't get dessert! All of the desserts looked delicious. I am really looking forward to my next visit. read more

As an Arab, I wasn't sure if I would this place would be up to par as the great restaurants we have back home but I was pleasantly surprised. The dishes are all tapas stype, which I absolutely love - you get to try everything! Everything we had was delicious, nothing was too heavy and had the right amount of spices. Ambience and decor of the place is great, as was the service. Will definitely be back here soon! read more

An extremely good and refined restaurant with Mediterranean flavors. Excellent service and food quality. It lost the fifth star with a price which is not really justified, and with a super expensive wine list. read more

Probably one of the best meals in a while! Was taken here by a lover and had absolutely no expectations. When I first entered Byblos I was endeared by their lovely decor and ambience, you could tell that great thought was put into the design, flow and layout of this place. The place fills up real quick during the nights and the night I came had many tables reserved. The food portions are adequate and fills you up without leaving too heavy of an after taste. The flavor pairings of the dishes were very well though out beginning with waitress' recommendation of fig salad; the herbs and leafs in this was so fresh I almost felt like I was eating it straight from the plant. The sauces and seasoning was so eloquently used that everything balanced out so well, not ashamed to say that I quickly chowed down the entire plate in mere seconds. Next I had the crispy squid, similar to calamari but a little lighter and smaller tentacles. Also had the steak tartare paired with greek yogurt (they call it labneh) which melted in your mouth, albeit being a little plain. The lamb rib felt a little stingy; each bone was probably one bite-size, nothing special. Probably the best dish tonight was the oxtail basmati rice, a little on the heavy size, it was aromatic, creamy and rich. The flavour of the oxtail was imbued into each scoop of the yellow golden rice, while the kale offered a variation in texture with every mouthful. This I am definitely coming back for. To finish had the chocolate mousse and burnt honey ice cream. Mousse was typical, but the ice cream was interesting - I actually don't know how they got that flavour so on point! Must try (and it's only $3). An amazing discovery I had tonight was "dukkah": crushed hazelnuts, coriander seeds, sesame seeds, cumin. The texture and aroma of this garnish is addictive, and Byblos isn't afraid to abuse their dukkah. I left craving for more, and now I'm in the search for making some at home. read more

Dined here with friends prior to TSO concert. A little hard to find (Signage not very prominent), but found interior warm & welcoming. We are upstairs and felt room was spacious and beautifully decorated. Our booth was very nice, with a large circular table 3/4 surrounded by a high-backed leather sofa. Our wait staff were friendly, fun, & helpful in their recommendations. There was a large selection of wines, beers, cocktails, & beverages, and the four of us were pleased with each choice made. The food was superb, chosen again from a wide selection, and all were palate-pleasing. The seafood was exquisite, and I was wishing the table was simply a large "lazy-susan" so we could sample everything! At the end, I was impressed with the bill, expecting it to be greater for such excellent fare. read more

Came here for dinner when visiting from out of town. Was not as impressed as many of the reviewers here, but that may be because the type of restaurant it is, just isn't my cup of tea. It's more for groups that want to go out for specialty drinks and exotic light bites. If you don't want to drink, and/or you don't enjoy sharing your food, skip this place. Pros: The dumplings from the "Large" items section of the menu were wonderful. As was the fried, cream-filled pastry dessert, with minced strawberries on top. The servers certainly know a lot about the dishes they are serving and will spring at the chance to educate you on them. The management was very accommodating to our party and sat us at another table that they felt would be more comfortable for everyone. Cons: Service was a bit TOO attentive. A bit TOO familiar. The waitress should not touch your husband on the shoulder, especially when you are sitting across from your spouse. The food was served too cold. Anything fried, should always be served very hot. Fried eggplant was lukewarm, as was the crispy squid. The octopus is a bit too spicy and fruity. Why they felt the need to dump a wagonload of parsley on the basmati rice is beyond me. The rice on its own was pretty good! Also, it was drafty and cold over by the windows. I had a cold blast of air coming up behind me through some crack in the wall that I could not exactly locate, throughout my entire meal. By the end of dinner, I was chilled to the bone. Would go back for drinks only. read more

Came here intending to have dinner for two, instead the two of us ended up eating what felt like dinner for a family of five. Our strategy for ordering was to order everything with the words "duck fat" in it. I'd advise you to do the same. Won't be writing too many individual comments to the dishes below, everything was delicious - order it all. Sharing Dishes: Duck Kibbeh - duck stuffed grain ball; delicious Eggplant Kibbeh - the vegan kibbeh choice; if you don't have dietary restrictions and deciding between the eggplant or the duck kibbeh, go with the eggplant Organic House Labneh - flat bread and yogurt dip; worth the carbs Roasted Brussel Sprouts - green balls, yum Seared Cauliflower - cooked in duck fat, need I say more? Lamb Ribs - perfect amount of game Spanish Octopus - octopus was more cooked than preferred; dish wasn't too inspiring; this is the only dish that I may consider substituting for the next time Yogurt Mousse - an innovative dessert served with cotton candy Overall: Food: 9/10 -superb food, I plan on coming back and working my way through the menu Service: 9/10 - water service could use just a touch of improvement Atmosphere: 9/10 - lots of seating with cool modern décor. The only caveat is that using the bathroom will be a mid-meal workout if you're seated upstairs. Eat here - trust me. read more

I miss dining at this restaurant, as much as any in the city. Picked up our Dinner for 2 take-out last night from Byblos - What a treat. We choose the Kabob option, it was delicious and helped with our cravings. read more

Great place that was a second choice that is easily my favorite in Toronto! Deliciously Fabulously wonderful!!!! read more

Byblos - Strawberry awesomeness! - Mediterranean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

A meal here is like a trip to the Mediterranean lands. Very dish/drink here resembles a painting, it's so beautiful. It was also a very expensive meal but totally worth it. I found the restaurant to be a bit dark, maybe it that's just me, I prefer well lit places. There were four of us and we ordered a lot of food. -Organic House Labneh: This was so refreshing! It's like greek yogurt but better. -Lamb Ribs: They were so well cooked that the meat just slipped off the bone -Steak Tartare: It's a bit more flavoursome than the regular, I prefer this one! -Roasted Brussels Sprouts: Good! -Seared Cauliflower: The best! This is very creamy and rich so make sure you have space left :) -Whole Boneless Branzino: I was a little disappointed by the size, it comes under large but it's a not enough for four. Also this was my least favourite dish. -Dry Aged Ribeye: Really good! -Mejadra Basmati Rice: My favourite! Its a perfect partner to all the meaty dishes. It's very strong in flavour so if you don't like cinnamon, you won't like it. Everyones favourite drink for the night ended up being the Gulab, its rose flavoured and is a beautiful and tasty drink. This drink alone makes me want to come back! For desert I had the Yogurt Mousse and it's the best! If not for the amazing flavour, definitely try it for the beautiful presentation. We ended up paying $200 for four people but we had food left over. I'll definitely be coming back, nothing makes me happier than paying for something that's absolutely worth it! :) read more

One word - YUM! The city lacks Mediterranean food and this place definitely makes up for it. The menu has so many amazing and unique options to choose from that makes you want to come back to try each dish. My favorite dish of the night was the "Middle Eastern Fried Chicken." Don't judge me and go try the dish for yourself! KFC should take lessons from Byblos - this is what you truly call "Finger Licking Good." The only downside, not really, is that the place is quite dark if you go during the night to take pics #turn on your cam light for me to take a pic pls! Highly recommended and will be back! read more

Excited by the preceding reviews, had a lovely reunion dinner with family and a particularly splendid meal. The service was quite attentive and sensitive to allergies, and that included everyone who served us. Every tapas-style dish was well-seasoned and complex and so palate-pleasing! Too bad we're just visiting Toronto. Would come back again and again! read more

I ate here last night with a friend of mine. We ordered the duck kabbeh, tuna cerviche, oxtail & kale basmati rice, a side of seared cauliflower, and the Cornish hen (main) - all to share. Plus a bottle of Lobetia Tempranillo (Spain 2013, $65). Overall I was disappointed but my friend enjoyed it. I guess I'm the pickier of the two. I felt the 3 duck kabbeh (small plate) were a bit burnt; I didn't enjoy the dollop of tahini & fig drizzle they came with. Tuna cerviche was at first not flavorful (needed salt) and tasted one dimensional. But once we got to the buttermilk sauce underneath and poured that on top Of the squid blue ink chips it was more flavorful. I didn't like the chips - tasted burnt to me - but my friend pointed out that may be the taste of the squid ink. You get 6 chips in total. We sat at the bar as we didn't have a reservation and the bartender was helpful and able describe the different dishes. He recommended the seared cauliflower and oxtail kale rice. I preferred the rice more than the cauliflower. The Cornish hen was a full hen that was quartered and tasted good. We had enough food for 3 people (we were only 2 so we took the leftovers to go). I wouldn't go back personally d/t cost to enjoyment ratio. Thankfully I had lovely company! The ambience was nice; we sat upstairs. read more

This place was bookmarked for a while in my 'to eat' places before I move back to Australia. On a spur of the moment decision, my husband and I decided to go. We had searched the whereabouts of the restaurant at home but had still walked past it, as it was hidden and not in your face branded. It was 9:30pm on a Thursday night and it was still pretty buzzing. I loved the décor, the rounded intimate booths and home-style type pantry/bar when you first enter. We were escorted to the second floor and sat in a booth. Ordered a delicious Sicilian red wine and promptly ordered our food. Started off with the creamed spinach pide (a type of Greek bread) and Spanish octopus. The feta cheese just melted in the pide and the octopus was cooked perfectly, nice and chewy and full of flavour. Wagyu striploin and roasted brussels sprouts were the next set of dishes, don't really eat brussels sprout often but boy the flavour associated with it with the crunch of the roasted sprouts was a great combo. The Wagyu was mouth watering, medium rare (way to go) with the cauliflower hummus, amazing! For dessert, we chose the Pavlova, now it isn't really Greek and we are spoilt for choice in Australia (because it started there or either NZ) but it wasn't quite our cup of tea, wasn't super gooey inside, seemed like it'd been in a fridge for a while but other than that, the food was great. I highly recommend this place for a date night, or even semi-formal drinks with work or friends! Go there now! :) read more

I went here on the recommendation of a friend that had previously visited the city. The atmosphere was great and the food did not disappoint. The craft cocktail was delicious, but the kind that has a lot going on that makes you crave something simple afterward. My biggest piece of advice is about menu structure. It's broken up into different categories like starters, mains, salads, sides, etc. If I were to go back again, I would order one starter, two mains, and one side to split between two people. The server kept trying to talk us into more and more food and kept calling the selections we made a "very light" meal, and describing all of the portions as much smaller than they actually were. Yes, don't go in expecting everything to be super-sized, but two plates per person was more than enough food, and I left feeling overly stuffed from our "light meal." Between my partner and I, we ordered an olive starter, beet labneh, the black cod and Turkish dumpling mains, and the crispy cauliflower and Brussels sprouts as sides. Everything was very very good. My biggest critique is that the cauliflower incorporated duck fat and I just wasn't expecting a meat-like flavor with my cauliflower. I'm sure some people would enjoy it, but I wouldn't get it again. Everything else was delicious. All in all, a great experience. Good drinks, good food and good atmosphere. Just keep an eye out for servers trying to convince you to order more and more food! read more

Food is consistently great. Super flavourful and interesting dishes. Service is always amazing, knowledgeable, and friendly. Really great atmosphere. Intimate and cute for a date night! read more

Coming across their social media I was expecting a totally different restaurant. Firstly, the ambiance was very dark, in the pictures the area looks like it had a lot of sunlight coming through but it just seemed very dull. I ordered the roasted beets with labneh. This was really good especially with the crispy bread it was served with. The olive oil mixed with beets and labneh with pistachios added a nice flavour without it being heavy. I also order a spinach and cheese pizza. The pizza overall did not have enough flavour and it seemed soggy. I probably won't be going back. read more

It's just yogurt. I've had macdonalds better than this. The chicken was DRY and FLAVORLESS. try again.

Everything was delicious, except the drinks are a bit too sweet for my liking. Great ambiance and good service!

5 Stars for the food, 3 for the service. So, we'll just average that out. The food was phenomenal! I went having heard nothing about it yet, and was amazingly surprised. The standout of the night was the fried calamari. Hands down, it was the best version of that dish I've ever had anywhere. The squid was cooked perfectly and the gremolata was delicious. I'd also highly recommend the smoked eggplant dumplings. The flavour was so unique and I'll definitely order them again on my next visit. Our waiter was never around when we needed him. After visiting for our drink order before we'd even been given menus, he failed to return until we flagged him down. At every stage we were trying to get his attention to clear plates or get new drinks. The restaurant could have easily upsold us an extra round of cocktails but instead left us with empty glasses through most of our evening. We were there in total for almost 3 hours - about twice as long as we should have took. Making up for the awful service from our waiter was the server who brought each course. He was so friendly and gave detailed descriptions of each of the dishes, it's clear he's passionate about food and what he does. If only our waiter had the same attention to detail! read more

I came here because one of my coworkers told me it was "the best food he's ever had in Toronto". I would say it's *the* best, but it's definitely up there. Before I mention what I ordered, I really have to hand it to the service. Our waiter seemed to always know exactly what was going on at our table, offered a lot of advice/recommendations while we were ordering stuff, and overall, just did a great job of making sure we had a great dining experience. We accidentally ordered the lamb leg instead of the lamb ribs, but it was worth it. The lamb was ridiculously tender, and it reminded me of the bo ssäm at Momofuku. It was a little too much for two people to finish though, we had to pack it up afterwards. We also had the roasted red beets, seared cauliflower, and duck kibbeh - everything was really good. I'll definitely go back some time to taste the rest of the menu. read more

We were here last night with a group 12 for a birthday celebration. Due to the large group a pre fixe menu was arranged. We had the marinated olives, fig salad, roasted beets, lamb ribs, fried chicken, biriyani rice, rib eye, green beans and chocolate mousse and loukamides for dessert. Nice twist on Mediterranean cuisine and very flavorful. Rib eye was over salted. Lots of nuts in this menu for those who are conscious. We were seated upstairs and that has a different atmosphere than the downstairs space. It is a more cozy and intimate. Tried the echo cocktail and that was delicious. Wine selection spectacular. Server was knowledgeable about wine selection and attentive. Only problem watch out for the low hanging lights at your table when getting up. I hit my head twice fairly hard. Apparently this is a known issue here. Fix your lights! Overall unique and flavorful place for intimate dinner or gathering with group of friends looking to try a new place. read more

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Had a truly delicious, unique meal at Byblos. I came with a group of 5 and sat upstairs, which is less lively but more "atmospheric" than the main floor and better designed for larger parties. Make sure to ask where you're sitting when you book, as we had some issues selecting a seat upon arrival. Our server was friendly and relaxed, and she readily helped us navigate the somewhat confusing family size/tapas mixed menu. Everything we had was next level delicious - the cocktails were strong and tasty, the short ribs were tender and flavourful, the octopus (a smaller dish) was perfectly cooked, neatly sliced for easier appetizer consumption and well spiced, and the rice was a big portion of surprisingly "interesting" food (read- lots of veggies and flavour). I particularly recommend the lamb dish- it's big, falls right off the bone and has a wonderful smokyness to it, plus it comes with fixings to make tiny, entertaining tacos. The veggie sides should not be discounted; the cauliflower and Brussels sprouts were both outright noteworthy and I only wish we had more of them. Only the salad was kind of "regular", but regular was far from not delicious. My party polished off the whole meal with embarrassing excitement. Highly recommend! Reservations are recommended- this place fills up fast. read more