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Ceci Bar

4.3 (12 reviews)
Open • 11:30 am - 9:00 pm

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Interior
Ritwika B.

This is a Latin American inspired restaurant located very close to union station. They have construction going on so their main entrance is closed - you need to use the Front St entrance to enter the property. The interior is very well done - I love how the bar was setup, giving it a very old world Mexican charm. Suitable music playing at a decent volume was also a nice touch. The staff is incredibly welcoming and friendly, that's something you'll notice at most O&B restaurants and this was no different. We were really late for dinner so we didn't order any apps and headed straight to mains with the rigatoni and the flat iron steak with fries. Both the dishes were very well done and the portions were great. We also enjoyed the mocktail that they served - we wanted to be surprised and we sure were with how good it tasted. The basque cheesecake for dessert was also amazing! Overall a great experience.

Fiorella M.

Walked by looking for a place to eat the other night before a concert. It looked lively and colourful both inside and out. Seems like it's an Argentine/Mexican fusion. The waiter was friendly and attentive when we needed something. We each got an order of the mushroom birria tacos - which are vegetarian btw - don't make the same mistake I made thinking they were mushroom AND beef because I thought birria always meant meat :) Anyways, I loved the burnt/melted cheese crust on the tacos. The consommé was pretty good too. The filling of the actual tacos, I didn't love. Too much anise for my taste and honestly the only thing that made them "birria" was having the consomé on the side. Dessert, on the other hand, was much better. We ordered the pineapple pana cotta and an order of alfajores. The pineapple pana cotta was fresh (both in composition and taste) and was topped with crunchy toasted shredded coconut which added a very nice texture to the whole thing. The alfajores (dulce de leche sandwiched between two shortbread cookies and rolled in shredded coconut) were just as alfajores should be - nothing new to them - but that's just the way I like them.

Jonah N.

As part of the Winterlicious promotion, a friend and I went to a restaurant that we had never attended before to try their prix fixe menu. The decor and music were very warm and inviting, with a bit of a Latin vibe. We started off with the Red Chorizo Tostada, which was laden with toppings that tasted delicious; the crispy tortilla didn't fall apart even after taking a sizeable bite! For my main, I ordered the Torta Cubana Especial, a sizeable sandwich of pork, ham, bacon, Swiss cheese, pickles and a fried egg on top. Slathered in mustard, I found myself struggling to finish a delicacy - but I did! There was enough room in my belly for dessert, a chocolate mousse laden with blueberries that was the chef's kiss. The service was stellar, checking in during and after our courses, and taking care to note my dining companion's peanut allergy. All in all, a complete meal in a great restaurant on a wintry February night!

Isabella L.

Visited Ceci bar on a weekday for lunch in the financial district. We selected from the summerlicious menu which had plenty of options for different dietary preferences. Overall great ambiance and well decorated, just like all the other o&b restaurants. Food was alright, fresh but nothing innovative. Unfortunately drinks and food came out really slowly and a drink was made incorrectly too.

Mushroom Birria Tacos
Sel Z.

This restaurant recently opened and replaced the previous O&B restaurant at the same spot. The location is ideal - a stone's throw away from Union Station, Hockey Hall of Fame, and other major downtown attractions. It tends to be busier during the week, given its proximity to the financial district. We came here for weekend brunch and it was quite empty. The first impression was the friendly greeting by the staff at the front of the restaurant. They have a sizeable covered patio and plenty of tables for dine-in. The interior was brighter and more chic, fun, and colourful compared to the previous O&B at this location (which had a darker interior and motif). The waiter who took our order was very sharp and knowledgeable on the menu items. He pointed out which dishes were vegetarian, and was able to make some customizations (e.g. spicy sauce on the side) on some of our orders. Service was friendly, quick, and on the ball. Ceci's menu consisted of "Latin-inspired dishes" - in other words, a fusion and blend of dishes, ingredients, and flavours from the different Latin American countries. Empanadas were done differently here - with creative twists such as the Breakfast Empanadas (with poached eggs on top, but empanadas at the bottom instead of the traditional English muffins with hollandaise sauce). The "chiminasty" sauce was a play on chimichurri. Peruvian chaufa was also done differently, with roasted adobo cauliflower rice (blending the Peruvian chaufa with Mexican adobo sauce / flavours). Spanish Tortilla de Papas, Argentinian Asado, Yuca Fries common throughout Central America, and more -- all were 'spun' differently but resulted in delicious and nicely plated dishes that were as good for the tongue and stomach, as they were for picture taking. If there was one word to describe the dishes at Ceci: creative. Dishes that we tried: 1) Mushroom Birria Tacos (mushrooms, cabbage, cotija, salsa verde, consommé) - The mushrooms were too salty, and I wasn't a fan of the birria texture (even though it was vegetarian). The tacos didn't have much taste other than extreme saltiness from the mushroom birria. 2) Gaucho Mushrooms Breakfast Empanadas (served with poached eggs, plancha greens, pea shoots, radish, and chiminasty sauce) - The texture of the empanada shell was nice (a bit flaky but still firm and crispy on the outside), but the contents were spicy. I wasn't a fan of the "chiminasty sauce", but I liked the cooked plancha greens that it came with. The poached eggs were cooked perfectly - soft and runny when you cut it open. They could do without the red chiminasty sauce that they put on the eggs and empanadas. This was a creative take on the usual Egg's Benedict for brunch, using empanadas instead of English muffins. 3) Peruvian Chopped Salad Bowl (grains, hominy, quinoa, corn, avocado, zucchini, red cabbage, pea shoots, radish, onion, sesame dressing) - My favourite dish here! I loved all of the ingredients mixed together... all were very fresh and had a mix of textures that complemented each other well (the soft quinoa and avocado, with the crispy vegetables and charred corn). 4) Charred Cabbage Salad (with anchovies, roasted garlic, and tortilla crumbs) - I appreciated that the cabbage was crunchy and not over-cooked, but this dish looked and tasted one-dimensional (didn't taste much else except for the crunchy cabbage). I did not taste any of the anchovies or garlic bits at all (maybe because they were very tiny). We opted to add salmon to each of the salads, and the salmon was cooked perfectly - not overdone and not undercooked either. 5) Bravas Brussels Sprouts (served with citrus aioli) - Nice and crispy, albeit quite oily from being deep-fried (but at least they weren't breaded). We asked for them to omit the spicy sauce, and I think it could do without the citrus aioli as well (the Brussels sprouts were already flavourful and delicious without any dressing or sauce). Washrooms were individual stalls that were gender-neutral, very clean and smelled nice (which I can't say for a lot of restaurant washrooms out there!).

CRISPY HADDOCK TACO (front, 4/5) and MUSHROOM MIRRIA TACO (back, 4.5/5). Normally comes with 2 tacos, but we asked for 3

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It was my first time trying Nicaraguan food, and I honestly really enjoyed it. I came here with…read morefriends to try a Nicaraguan restaurant that has been open in Toronto for more than 20 years, which already felt like a very good sign. The restaurant stayed busy throughout dinner, with a steady flow of customers coming in, and after the meal I could understand why. We started with the soup of the day, which was an oxtail soup. It tasted very fresh, rich, and comforting, with a lovely fragrance that made it especially satisfying. For the main course, we ordered the fish of the day, a whole fried sea bass, and it was absolutely delicious. The fish was crispy outside, tender inside, and full of flavor without feeling heavy. It also came with fried plantains, which were such a nice touch and made the meal feel even more special. Overall, this was a wonderful first experience with Nicaraguan cuisine, and definitely a place I would happily come back to.

Esto Es Colombia

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They get 2.5 stars…read more Bandeja paisa: steak was decent, crackling was so-so (pretty crispy but not that moist or flavourful). Sausage tasted decent but slightly dry. Egg was a bit overdone & arepa was decent though somewhat crispy  Beans were decent. Plantain was so-so (not crispy or sweet). Pork tenderloin was pretty tasty but tough & dry especially for a tenderloin. Rice was decent, with a slight flavour, but a bit mushy. Plantain was crispy. The restaurant interior was decorated quite nicely but was very warm (in summer) & service was disorganised & some servers didn't speak English well so communication was sometimes difficult. I asked if the pork tenderloin had a sauce; they said no but it came with a tomato & peppers sauce. They also billed me wrongly.

Incredibly delicious food, authentically Colombian, big portions, and amazing value for money. The…read moreseafood dishes are filled with various different kinds of high-quality seafood to the brim (more protein than rice). All the staff are so friendly - from the waitstaff to the chefs / owners and kitchen staff, everyone in the restaurant seems to exhibit the Latin American hospitality and friendliness. The place feels homey, cozy, and festive with the music in the background (from the TV screen on the wall), and big photos depicting different places in Colombia along the wall. Ambience is very laid-back and casual, with amazing food that tastes homemade and authentic. It took a while for the food to cook and come out (about 40 minutes) - mostly because of the Cazuela de Mariscos (seafood soup) that took the longest to cook. It was also during a very busy time on a weekend. They seemed to have a constant flow of incoming catering and take-out orders (a good sign), and the restaurant itself was packed. All / most mains come with coconut rice, salad, and tostones (fried plantains). As for drinks, you can order freshly squeezed juices in either water or milk. We ordered the fresh strawberry & blackberry juice in water, as the one in milk would make it more like a smoothie. Each juice order comes in a jug (whether it be a small or large jug). This came as a surprise to us - really good value for such a large volume of juice ($6 for a whole "small" jug that turned out to be quite big, enough to refill each glass a few times for 2 people). The juice itself tasted fresh, natural, and refreshing. Dishes that we tried: 1) Filete de Tilapia con Camarones (grilled tilapia fish fillet & shrimps with coconut rice, plantain, and salad) - Big pieces of fish and lots of small shrimps, in a very delectable sauce. 2) Arroz Marinero (seafood rice with plantain & salad) - Loved this dish. The rice was a bit soupy which I liked. It was a bit like a soupy paella (including the rice) - very delicious and packed with various kinds of seafood. 3) Cazuela de Mariscos (seafood soup with coconut rice, plantain, and salad) - Very creamy soup, like a chowder. I'm not a big fan of chowders / cream-based soups in general, but others liked it and said this was good. 4) SIDE: Ensalada (House Salad) 5) Arepa de Chocolo con Queso (sweet corn dough with cheese) All of the main dishes were EXCELLENT - loved the mixed seafood (fish fillet, shrimps, octopus, squid, etc.). There was so much seafood in every dish. In most places, you get more carbs / rice compared to the protein. Here, it was the opposite. The coconut rice was a bit dry but it's decent - good to soak up the sauces of the main dishes. The salad is just shredded cabbage and carrot with big sliced tomato. I was a big fan of the salad dressing (some creamy mayo-like dressing), but luckily the dressing was only at the top of the salad (the bottom part of the salad remained fresh and crunchy, which I liked). We ordered the Arepa de Chocolo con Queso for to go. It was different than the Venezuelan arepa that I'm used to. The Colombian arepa seemed to be sweeter and more buttery. It probably would've been better if it was eaten right after it was freshly made, and while it was still warm. There was a lot of cheese in the arepa, giving it a nice salty and savoury contrast to the sweet corn dough. After you're done the meal, you go up to the counter to pay (instead of having the bill brought to your table). Great food overall - I would not hesitate to come back.

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Rincón Paisa

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. After a very long wait, the newly opened TTC Line 5 was finally there. I just wanted to hop on…read morethe Line 5 train and see where it could take us. Rincón Paisa already had many positive reviews on major platforms. Plus, I had never had Colombian food . On the storefront, a worker happened to see me taking photos outside and kindly welcomed me to take more. My family and I went into the restaurant. There were many signs showing it is an authentic one: 1. The indoor decoration has a strong Latin American vibe -- wooden furniture, flowers, Latin music, etc. 2. Couldn't understand anything on the menu 3. All customers and workers spoke in Spanish We were there to have brunch. I don't recall exactly which dishes we ordered that day; however, we were super full! The portions of their meals are huge. All the things on the plate were tasty. There were many different ingredients on the plate: plantain, eggs, chorizo, fried pork belly, ground beef, avocado, rice, beans, etc. A very good deal. We might have seemed too unfamiliar with the food, because I didn't even know how to eat Empanadas. After I ordered an Empanada and let the servers in the restaurant watch me eat it awkwardly, a server who I guessed might be the owner treated us to two pastries -- one looked like a ball, and the other was flat bread. I looked them up by AI, and they should be Buñuelo and Almojábana, two cheese pastries from Colombia. I hope it's appropriate, but Buñuelo may be the most delicious cheese bread I've ever had -- it's tastier than the main dishes . I think it's a beautiful local business. If you're curious and haven't had Colombian food before, definitely give it a shot .

HIDDEN GEM ALERT!!! Was walking around the block to kill some time before an appointment and…read moredecided to pop in because I've never had Colombian food before. I ended up grabbing some empanadas and holy shit these are tasty. They were so fresh and crispy, I got one chicken and potato empanada and one cheese. The chicken one was wrapped in a corn dough and the cheese one was flour I think but both were really, really good-- and cheap! $2.50 per any flavor. They have tamales here too, I'd like to come back to try them. The interior is also very clean and the decor is so cute. Guy with the tattoos and stretched ears at the front was also really nice. I wish I had more time to try a dish!! I saw other peoples' food and it looked so tasty. Great portions and beautiful dinnerware as well. Will definitely be back and highly recommend for a quick bite :)

Ceci Bar - latin - Updated May 2026

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