The food at Dailo is amazing!! Full of flavours (very good flavours) the dishes are unique unlike anything else. There is a 5 course tasting menu for 95 / PP if you want to try more flavours. This place is a must dry, has a cute patio outside also. read more

DaiLo - 90 day ages beef - Chinese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Food was tasty but I did not like their packaging. Usually when I order tasting menus or a la carte they have suggested reheating methods. I didn't like how they didn't have any clue or suggestions on how to reheat their food if it's been travelling for 20 minutes even when I called. I expected a bit more from a place like dailo... onto the dish review Burmese tofu - I liked the crunch and different textures from the mushrooms, bean sprouts, fried little condiments, chilies and etc. It was definitely flavourful! Lamb rendang- flavourful and meaty with a side of asian herb salad. It came with two big pieces of bones with a heavy set of meat. I'd recommend this. Smoked duck breast - I liked their sauce and veggies. Came with about 6 thin slices of duck breast with a nice sauce. Good combo with some truffle fried rice. Sweet and sour cauliflower - I liked this a lot! Tastes like a sweet and sour pork but with cauliflower! I usually don't like cauliflower in general, but I liked their version. Big Mac bao- okay.. a small portion for the price but the sauce, shredded lettuce, and thin crispy potatoes did remind me of a Big Mac. Hakka wontons - nothing too crazy about this if you're used to Chinese shrimp wontons Rib eye - Don't get their dry aged rib eye.. doesn't taste as good for take out compared to when it's made fresh off the grill. One less star for their customer service and packaging. They were condescending when I called even though we ordered so many dishes from them. read more

DaiLo - Comes in paper containers, not super ideal for a dine at home experience. - Chinese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I went here with my boyfriend to try the DaiLo chef's choice. It is technically a tasting menu but I've noticed they advertise it as a 5 course meal and definitely was more filling than a regular tasting menu. The staff said they prepare it right there and then so they can accomodate any food restrictions. Since we didn't make a reservation, they only had the bar seating available. The service was relatively quick. We had to pay additional $15 per person if we wanted the main to be the giant prawn, which we had. Food overall was pretty diverse. When you hear Asian fusion, it's normally a westernized version of a traditional food, but the Asian fusion here seemed more like another take on the traditional food. It was definitely an experience I recommend anyone to try. Food was definitely filling and the staff was so nice. One thing I noticed was that the bar was really loud and we couldn't hear partially what the staff was saying. My opinions on the DaiLo Chef's choice were: My favorite would have to be the fried watermelon, 90 day aged beef carpaccio and Smoked trout Pomelo Betel Leaf. Surprisingly the least favorite would have been the giant prawn. It was hard to eat the prawn in general and I didn't like how hard the rice was. Overall, definitely a great place. The food is definitely not traditional, but it's an interesting take on Asian food. I think you get good value for all these meals if you get Chef's Choice compared to a la carte. However I won't recommend paying extra 15 bucks for the giant prawn. Try another main instead. Also get reservations ahead of time and try regular dining. The bar seating was less intimate and the chairs were pretty wobbly. read more

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I really like DaiLo's interesting and delicious take on Asian cuisine. Every dish was unique, and the flavours complemented each other nicely. My favourite has to be the crispy octopus taco. I liked that it was on the warm and doughy "taco". I liked how the tastes were familiar, yet with a surprising twist. I liked everything I ate, and it was a great experience. Try the cocktails too, they're pretty good. The atmosphere felt comforting and it was overall a great dinner. read more

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This was a spontaneous dinner reservation made minutes after the Raptors game being evacuated due to the fire that sparked on the arena's speakers. Nonetheless, we were refunded the amount we had paid for our tickets. Thank goodness. We arrived earlier and was seated right away. To my surprise, they accommodated my request for a vegan tasting menu while my three friends could enjoy the regular tasting menu. We were all delighted to learn how large the servings were and our appetite were fulfilled by the main course hence we had to take away the seven main dishes to enjoy later at home. I was very pleased with the variety of dishes made vegan and favourited the brussel sprouts and the aromatic leaf wrap served second. Unfortunately my friends found the main meat course very salty and displeasing, but enjoyed the rest. The staff and chef were very friendly and accommodating. I'll definitely return for the vegan tasting menu and a bigger appetite. read more

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Overall a good meal, not great. We got the "tasting" menu but really it's just a showcase of everything on the menu. Still a great value though. The flavours are really unique and the chef really likes to use fermented bean curd to flavour a lot of the menu. I was expecting the watermelon to be a bit more interesting but it was just ok. The octopus/pork belly taco was INCREDIBLE. Crunchy, juicy, fatty, it was so good. The wontons were a letdown, kind of just tasted like supermarket wontons with some viet peanut butter sauce. The whole fish dish was a bit dry and we didn't really want to finish it all the way. The dessert was pretty cool too, aloe Vera sorbet with some ginger crumble. So refreshing and a great way to finish a meal. I think the best thing is actually the drinks. Very unique flavours and would definitely come back just for them. Can't remember what the drink was but it was lemongrassy? Really tasty and highly recommended. Also had some kind of special old fashioned, that was ok and nothing really different from a regular old fashioned. Great place to try new flavours! read more

Impeccable service in a beautiful simple space. Fried watermelon 5/5 a must try for the uniqueness, flavour, and great quantity to share Octopus tacos 4/5 taste is amazing but small portion Pumpkin dumplings 5/5 I would bottle and drink the filling + sauce that comes with these dumplings if I could Truffle fried rice 3.5/5 really nice but nothing too memorable compared to other dishes Will definitely be back! Also get the Tom Yum cocktail if you like sweet + heat! read more

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Good food and unique flavours but found it a bit pricey for whats it worth. Came here on a Sunday evening to a somewhat empty restaurant that filled up slowly throughout the night. Dishes were flavourful but expensive. The portions are also quite small so if you want to fill up, you'll need to spend quite a bit. I may personally struggle a bit with fusion Chinese restaurants as I often find similarily tasty food for significantly cheaper in traditional restaurants. Worth a try but I won't be a regular! read more

DaiLo - Chinese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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It's been a while since being at dailo, and food continues to be fantastic. Wife & I agreed that how they serve all their food piping hot was a huge plus and service is always amazing. They also have complimentary sparkling water and actually note this... Love it! There were 2 things that disappointed me that I was really looking forward to after all this time cooped up... But will give the benefit of the doubt. Truffle Fried Rice: this definitely was not as "truffley" as before. Other than 2 thinly sliced pieces of truffle on top of the rice, there wasn't any truffle flavour. Feel like a few (more?) drops of truffle oil would've blown this dish out of the world. Smoked trout Betel Leaf : for a $7 one-bite, for some reason I thought this had more of a punch... Maybe I'm confusing it with another place that served something similar on a shiso leaf. The smoked trout was great but the Betel Leaf wasn't too flavourful. A leaf with more of a flavour punch would be nice :) The things that I enjoyed and would highly recommend are: pork hock, Giggie fish (definitely order!) and the Tom yum booze (best cocktail) We also ordered the weekly special Ox tail, which came with bok Choy, jasmine rice, and fried eggplant for $35. This dish was quite good and Ox tail fell off the bone with great coconut flavour. It was a bit wet but thoroughly enjoyed. All in all, it was a very good dinner with good atmosphere, good service, and delicious food. A bit on the pricey end depending on what & how much you order, and expect to spend about $100+ per person, more if you order cocktails/drinks Cheers read more

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Came here with three others and we got the tasting menu (DaiLo's choice). Service: Our server, Shannon was fabulous. There were a few dishes we were keen on trying and Shannon made sure they were included as a few of the courses. She was accommodating, attentive and when she overheard plans for an upcoming birthday, she even brought out a birthday treat that was on the house. Food: Smoked Trout Pomelo Betel Leaf 5/5 Crispy Octopus Taco 5/5 Hakka Brown Wontons (pork & shrimp) 3/5 Fried Watermelon 4/5 90 Day-Aged Beef Carpaccio 3/5 Smokey Pea Dumpling 10/5 Truffle Fried Rice 4/5 Whole Fried Giggie Trout 5/5 Special dish just cause it was fresh and available, gigantic prawns the size of small lobsters 10/5. This was served on a bed of rice in a Caramelized fish sauce similar to a comfort food Vietnamese preparation. It was crazy tasty. We were super excited to try the carpaccio but it was a little heavy in the soy sauce which made it too salty to be enjoyed. Luckily two of the diners love salt and gladly helped finish it. The Smokey pea dumplings were scrumptious. The broth was rich and complex in flavour. There was an indescribable depth to it which made us want to slurp it. Drinks: We loved the Tom yum booze and especially the phi phi's garden. Phi phi's garden was simple enough that we figured out how to make our own knock off version later. It was definitely worth the try though cause I would not have thought to combine cucumber with aloe for such a refreshing beverage. It will be served at my next bbq for sure. We all agreed we want to return to get larger portions of the items we loved. Along with trying a few other items we didn't. read more

Where do I start with this place. It's Asian fusion done really well. My friends and I booked a table here way in advance. We came here for dinner on a Saturday night and it was complete packed. We ordered the fried watermelon, lobster over a bed of noodles, truffle fried rice and duck over dark blue pottato salad. Food here is pricey, but the portions and service here is great. We literally devoured everything off our plate. The breading on the watermelon and the soft texture inside is a must try. The ginger scallion lobster over some fried noodles provided a nice crunch. The duck was cooked perfected all the fresh veggies played by it complimented the dish very well. Overall the food was really good. 4 entrees was plenty for 4 people. I'd highly recommend what dishes are specials and off menu. The lobster was not on the menu but we'll worth it read more

DaiLo - Fried watermelon - Chinese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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We had the vegetarian tasting menu. The food was delicious and quite filling unlike other tasting experiences. However I took one star off for the uncomfortable stool my husband had to sit on for the two hour dinner. Second star deducted for a disappointing dessert. It was a sorbet served as a palate cleanser, then later when we asked for the dessert, we were told that was it. There was also a shrimp based dip given with our fried rice, although we had requested vegetarian. read more

Ya. Overall, an easy 5/5. Was well full from the chefs choice - recommend it, easily. Service was 5/5 - having multiple servers was fun, they all had their own personalities that came out. Tom Yum Booze and the Whiskey sour were both great to start. Ambiance was great, lively on a Wednesday night. Not silent and high-brow. The lighting was warm and the place felt rustic. Their tea cups were pretty luxurious. The food blew my mind. Their chef's choice was different from each table, and it's a secret before hand, but we were told we could say if we wanted anything specific. The food though. All of it, was good and I can't recommend anything because it was just all amazing. Would come again anytime read more

Service 4/10 Food 3/10 My husband and I have been visiting Toronto and decided to make a reservation here due to the high reviews. Unfortunately we were very disappointed. First I have to say that Dailo received recognition as a top Toronto restaurant for 2022. They were packed and had people coming in even after 9:30. However like I said, my husband and I were disappointed and left the restaurant unsatisfied. First of all, our waiter made the experience less enjoyable. He rarely came around, which might be due to the volume. But despite giving him the benefit of the doubt, it felt like he often left our table unattended. He said he'd refill our water, and it ended up being someone else who helped out when we asked after we waited for 30+ minutes. He also made some weird comments like "you were lucky to get a table when we're so packed", like we had walked in without a reservation. My husband and I thought it was funny that other waiters came to our table a few times to make sure we were okay, and multiple times they serviced us better and quicker. When we were about to leave, we also heard another waiter for a table who just sat down introduce the menu and a "secret item" (the bao) not included on the written menu. Unfortunately our waiter had failed to mention this to us. I would've given the service a lower rating, but I think we may have just gotten a bad server. Next, and MOST importantly, food. First of all, it was WAY too salty. Most of the dishes we thought were extremely salty. This was true for the Carpaccio, the pea dumplings, fish, and truffle fried rice. While the dishes had some Asian influence, I think there was a lack of balance in all the ingredients used. For example, the Carpaccio is a nod to Chinese braised beef shank + the sauce it normally is served with. However, when eating it, there is normally a balance of the meat and the sauce. We were told to let the oils drip off the meat before eating, which we did, but honestly we mainly tasted the salty sauce. The fish dish was extremely underwhelming to me. First, some pieces were a little bitter, and second the fish was super salty which made dipping it into the provided sauces even less enjoyable. The sauces weren't anything spectacular either. They were the typical braised soy sauce fish sauce, a sweet chili sauce you can find in the packets, and another one. The last, and probably most upsetting was the fried rice. First of all, it lacked resemblance to "fried rice". I felt like they tried to make the dish complex by adding somewhat seemed like purple rice and some puffed rice in there. But it didn't help when the white rice was coated with soy sauce and soggy as can be. As you took a bite, you got soggy, salty rice, something hard which idk was one of the other rice, and some burnt garlic flavor. If you haven't noticed, I haven't mentioned the summer truffle in this "truffle fried rice", that's because it was honestly completely overshadowed and overwhelmed by the rest of the "fanfare". The rice came with XO sauce, which usually makes everything better, but in this case it didn't help. Overall, I DO NOT suggest this restaurant to anyone. During my trip to Toronto, I've had both super fancy, small mom and pop shops, and later chain restaurants, all that gave me a more enjoyable experience than here. If you're wondering if we were the only ones that thought the food was salty, I can attest to hearing some neighboring diners say the same thing. Lastly, if you're looking for nice "Asian food" this is not it. If anything, I can see the Asian influence, but I don't think it did it any justice. (There was also an aloe sake sorbet at the end. Which I didn't take a photo of. It was fine. It really tasted like a store bought aloe drink. It came with a buttery egg roll biscuit, which tasted great but you can also find those at an Asian grocery store. At that point we wanted to leave so I didn't even care to take a photo.) read more

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Came back to Dailo for a second time to try their tasting menu and we were not disappointed. First of all, the Dailo team was very considerate of us not wanting to repeat dishes. The entire experience felt like we came back to a different restaurant. Our server was great. We wanted to start with espresso martinis but because they don't have an espresso machine they made us a boozy viet coffee. We also had the last square drink which was extremely boozy. The meal started with a watermelon amuse bouche, which was very refreshing. Then we had the octopus/pork tacos - a must try! After that we had the most amazing poke bowl and beef carpaccio. The carpaccio was covered in pickled peaches and crispy garlic - a really unique dish. Then we had the gnocchi in truffle sauce, which was extremely rich and indulgent. We also got the pork/shrimp wontons here. The pork skewers melted in your mouth, and needed no chewing. The soft shell crab tomato dish was a special - the chef grew the tomatoes in his backyard. We ended with a massive boat of steak, and truffle fried rice - which we took home because we were stuffed. If you're looking for indulgence in Toronto, Dailo is the place to go! read more

I had heard a little buzz about Dai Lo from some friends visiting from out of town. They raved about their Chef's menu and I knew I had to try it. I made reservation a couple days ahead of time... for a Wednesday dinner. They had no problem fitting us in. My first impression was a classy fusion between asian and western decor. Cozy, and not at all pretentious. I had to wait about 20 minutes for my friend, but I ordered myself a cocktail. The staff were polite and didn't give me a hard time about not being ready on time. We selected the Chef's choice menu and we had absolutely no idea what an emotional, and gastronomical adventure awaited us. If I go over my photos, I think I can count 11 separate dishes. Some small, some sizeable... all unique and heavenly. All of that for $67 pp?!? It's a steal. I am not going to describe all the items, because I don't want to spoil it for you (and I don't recall). I really appreciate that they check for allergies and general dislikes before you start ordering. They explain each dish carefully and give you enough time between the dishes to savour and enjoy every bite. If you are not able to finish the last few dishes, they will pack it up for you. Left over fried rice + braised beef for lunch...mmm Just like this review, I can ramble on about Dai Lo and not make any sense. I highly recommend you experience it for yourself. read more

I'm not one to frequent bougie restaurants, but I was invited to DaiLo by a friend and had such an incredible experience. First of all, the service was top quality. Our server took the time to explain the origins of every dish, specials for the day, and checked in regularly throughout our meal. You can tell he really knew his stuff. The three of us opted to order à la carte and share a few dishes (2 apps, 2 mains, and 1 dessert): (I) Hakka Brown Wontons (II) Eggplant Agedashi* (III) Truffle Fried Rice (IV) King Cole Smoked Duck Bokkeum (V) Peach Mango Sfogliatella* *Daily Specials No words will do the food justice, so here are just a few brief comments. My favourite was by far the eggplant agedashi. I was so obsessed with the broth and had to finish every last drop. The sauce on the wontons was also delicious. The rice wasn't anything particularly stand-out to me, though anything with truffle always tastes quite nice. The duck sauce was slightly overpowering, but such gorgeous presentation certainly balanced that out. When pitching the dessert, the waiters described it as similar to the peach mango pie of Jollibee's. Definitely very similar flavours. I absolutely love that there were influences from various regions of Asia. Each dish was unlike anything I'd tried before, and I would seriously consider coming back for the tasting menu despite it being quite out of my ordinary meal budget. read more

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Since DaiLo opened its doors in 2014, Chef Nick Liu has demonstrated the breadth and depth of modern Chinese food in a lively setting. A large proportion of the menu highlights a French twist on Chinese food, but there's also a good proportion of Filipino and Italian influences, such as the Szechuan braised beef rib gnocchi. For those in search of inventive dishes with equally amusing wine pairings, this is the place where uniqueness shines. read more

(pre-covid) The third time here in a while and was slightly disappointed. I feel like the quality and flavors were not as authentic as it previously was. Had the fried watermelon which was sweet and savory. It was just ok. The wontons however were too sweet and saucy. The beef tartare was served on a fried rice cake and didnt have that crunch. The pumpkin dumplings were a bit too sweet. The jellyfish salad was very plain and missing depth. The highlight was the fish, as it was crispy and the three sauces it was served with were delicious too. read more

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The food was absolutely amazing. We decided the go with Chef's Choice and it was the best decision. There were 5 dish which got better with each dish. We also asked them to suggest a sake that would pair well and their in-house sommelier gave us three options to chose from. Service was amazing as well. . read more

DaiLo - Chinese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Great food ! price is fair and the vibe is fun. The place itself doesn't look very nice but it delivers on the delicious food and well thought out courses. The hargow and dumplings were next level. The soundtrack playing in the background was oldies but they were on point! I was surprised at how good this place is - you need to do yourself a favour and try it out. rarely do i have a 10 course meal and not mind something to complain about - Servers were friendly and knowledgeable I appreciated the experience and realize that Dailo is underrated hidden gem type of place. Drinks could use some excitement but food was stellar. I will be back read more

#sickasianfood That's not my hashtag, it's theirs. And it's pretty much bang on. I've been a fan of Dailo (and its upstairs cocktail snack bar, Lopan) for a long time now and they're still turning out #sickasianfood that's inventive and delicious. From the "big mac bao bun" to the pork and shrimp wontons, truffle fried rice, crispy wings and fried watermelon (?!)...it's hard to go wrong and easy to go right. read more

DaiLo was recommended to me by a Toronto local and albeit the pricey small portions, I'm glad I gave this place a try. I mean...truffled fried rice, brown butter potato dumplings, octopus/pork belly daikon tacos?? This place knows how to elevate Asian flavors!! The above were my favorite dishes that we tried but along with those, we also had the pork wontons and the brussel sprouts. I am a HUGE brussel sprout fan and loved this dish but found it quite interesting to be topped with shrimp floss and smoked trout. Definitely make a reservation here if you go! We got here at 5:30pm right when they opened and seats were already limited. read more

DaiLo - Octopus tacos - Chinese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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A new flavor experience in several ways. I enjoy that. Especially when it's tasty. The whole fried freshwater fish was a treat, I'm not too much of a fresh water fish eater. It tasted a bit like fresh salmon. read more

DaiLo - Saki ice cream. - Chinese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Inventive menu, super friendly and accommodating staff. We loved every dish we had here. Standouts included the pho carpaccio, smoked trout on betelnut leaf, and the sun choke dumplings (we were almost not going to order this but we were told that it's a must have so we did it and the waitress was right). The truffled hainanese chicken is sou vided for 4 hours and was pretty good. I can't say it was the best hainanese chicken I've ever had (it was not super tender in parts), but the trio of sauces were spot on. The four grass fried rice could have had more chicken and ginger flavor. The trout dish was quite delicious too. One of the best meals we had in Toronto. Chef Nick Liu helmed the kitchen on a holiday evening. He was humble and kind. I would recommend to anyone visiting Toronto. read more

I had the tasting menu here and a couple dishes were wonderful surprises. And helped me understand what layers of complex flavours really mean. I love it when I'm surprised with something new and unexpected that leaves me craving more. The first surprise was the Crispy octopus tacos with braise pork belly... wow. Not a protein combination I would have dreamed of but the flavours do compliment each other. Nice start. Ever since I saw EmmyMadeInJapan on Youtube try fired watermelon I was curious what that would be like... And I got to try it here. Fried watermelon topped with pork floss. The watermelon has a very light batter coating that manages to stay connected without sliding off as you bite. There is a tiny bit of heat to accentuate the sweetness from the watermelon and the pork floss. Very nice. Ontario Pea Dumplings was a favourite at the table. These were accompanied by shaved truffle... while they could be a star on thier own if they played a very strong supporting role in elevating the dumplings to a higher level. the broth was so rich and flavorful... we all wanted more... or atleast some bread or rice to sop up all the rich flavourful goodness. Hakka Brown Wontons. This was my favourite dish just edging out the Pea Dumplings. On first bite you taste the Pork and strong concentrated flavour from the dried shrimp. Nice and juicy from the right blend of fat on the cut/blend of pork. Then you get the after notes of a deep roasting flavour from the sesame oil and almond. This was complex and have a number of layers of taste. This was a trans-formative experience... like the first time I had mussels with white wine sauce and fell in love. Nearly 5 stars but there were some dishes I didn't care for... and that is likely because of taste bias. I didn't enjoy the Torched Tamari Glazed Beef Carpaccio... it had too much chew for my liking. Perhaps this is the point of a tasting menu but I was left wanting more... in terms of volume... and later in the evening needed a late snack (siu yea). read more

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We came here for a date night and was blown away by the service and the food. I walked in thinking it was just every Asian fusion tapas restaurant but was pleasantly surprised with each dish. To keep things interesting, we had the tasting menu and had dishes that weren't on the menu like the Big Mac Bao - which was delicious and you know, tasted like a Big Mac with that sauce. My favorites of the night were the Hakka Wontons, Ontario Pea Dumplings and oddly enough, the corn soup starter they gave us to kick off the meal. I was completely stuffed at the end until the manager came over and served us a White Rabbit Ice Cream in basically a bowl of chocolate goodness. I will actually come back just for that dessert if it was on the menu - I was mind blown. The only thing I would change is that instead of ordering the Giggling Trout, get the Duck instead. read more

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[4.5/5 STARS] TLDR: HUGE FAN! My boyfriend brought me here for our one year anniversary dinner. Fave thing I ate here was the deep fried octopus tacos. The jicama shell was the most interesting take on a taco shell I've ever had. We started off with some house cocktails. I one that tasted like gin and he got the one with scotch. They were okay. The food on the other hand. Delicious! We couldn't decide which dishes to try, the waitresses and waiters were really helpful they suggested the tasting menu which is $68/person and made up of 5 courses of the Dailo's "greatest hits" - popular items on and off the menu. Probably the best decision we made. We made sure they knew my dietary restrictions and we were good to go! They started us off with two amuse-bouche's which was a like a yam dressed in sake. So good! Next course was the Crispy Octopus Tacos (my fave!!!) and Pomelo Betel Leaf. I love the freshness of the lemon grass and the contrast with textures from the nut crumble. Third course was an carnita empanada with satay sauce (not on their current menu) and this tofu tomato salad that tasted like a play on a dairy-free (no mozzarella) caprese salad. The dough for the empanada was sweeter than i was used to but the sauce was so savoury! It made the dish for me! The tofu in the salad was prepared in a way to almost taste like the texture of cheese. It was very interesting and tasty as well. Fourth course we were served their Ontario Pea Dumplings (with truffles) - so rich so heavy so savoury very yummy - and their Hakka Brown Wontons. The sauce with the almond crumble on the wontons was to die for! The wontons themselves tasted so homey. I loved it. Lastly our fifth course was the lamb and sticky rice dish that came with a slaw (so good!!!) and the beet coconut curry dish. By the time I was done with the huge piece of lamb I didn't even have enough room to really enjoy the beet coconut curry. I liked them both though. They finished us off with a ginger sorbet palette cleanser. It was a lot of food for $68/person. I think if you have an appetite this is a great value for the quality of food you get. The only criticism I had was that at the end of the meal everything was starting to taste like betel leaf - that minty peppery taste - they had used it chopped up in most of the dishes they served us. The dishes on it's own with the betel leaf were delicious if we ordered that solely, but as a tasting menu, it was sort of overplayed all together. read more

DaiLo - Chinese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Service: Excellent. We were greeted and taken to our table, where we were offered coat check, which is a nice touch, especially in winter! Our server is a legit sommelier, which made her wine recommendations fantastic and trustworthy. Highly recommended reservations for this place. We had a 6pm reservation and the next party, wasn't coming until 830, which gave us plenty of time to talk and enjoy the food. Food: tasty! We ordered the sweet n sour pork hoc , which was soft and easy to eat. Im not a fan of eating fat, but this I thoroughly enjoyed. We also had the deep fried trout and octopus tacos. Both very good. The desserts however, I found too sweet. We had the date cake and chocolate chomparado. Food came out quickly which was nice too :) read more

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Great meal and service. Book a reservation, get dressed up, go for the chef's tasting. Enjoy a great meal. All the staff were friendly and explained every course in the chef's tasting menu. The meal took nearly 3 hours so plan accordingly. read more

Dailo's tasting menu is hands down the best meal I've ever had in Toronto. Period! This is solely my opinion, as someone at the table beside me actually LICKED their plate. Yup, I saw that! We came to Dailo on a Saturday night to celebrate a birthday. I called a week in advance to book a table for Saturday night and if you plan to visit, I suggest you do the same. It gets packed! I specifically requested the corner table by the window to get a little more privacy, as the seating arrangement is very tight. We knew that we wanted to try the tasting menu, given that we've never been to the restaurant before. It did not disappoint! For $65.00 pp, we received a total of five courses each (10 in total), plus a refreshing dessert. The tasting menu changes with every visit, but the wait staff was kind enough to fulfill our request of trying certain dishes (I.e. fried watermelon). Skip through the next couple of paragraphs to find out what the tasting menu consisted of, otherwise, stay for my rambling. The drinks menu is a little restrictive for those who may not want to order an entire bottle. There is an extensive wine and sake list, with only several options that are served by the glass. I'm a huge fan of orange wine and I was disappointed to find out that it was only served by the bottle. Nevertheless, there is a great selection of cocktails, beer/ciders, and spirits that provide a single serving. The decor of the restaurant is whimsical to say the least. From the outside, it has the aesthetic of a century-old storefront, whereas the inside is an ironic take on a 50s Hollywood movie about the "Far East." Given the precious name of the restaurant, this was surely done with sarcasm in mind. The bathrooms are tiger balm scented (no, I'm not joking), which again plays with nostalgia and irony all at the same time. The tasting menu blew us away! The entire dining experience took about two hours to complete and we never felt rushed. Check the photos for all the dishes that were included in the tasting menu. I will be surely returning! read more

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Dont be fooled by the reviews. I'm not one to usually come on here and review a restaurant unless I have a very strong opinion about it. Came here with my family for a birthday dinner and was thoroughly disappointed considering all the great reviews they have. First off, food service was extremely slow. We had a reservation for 6:45, and didn't see the first dish until 7:40. All the dishes we ordered in between also took forever to come out. We ended up staying the the full 2 and a half hours at dinner, not on our own accord but only because the food took an eternity to come out. Secondly, the food. We ordered 4 appetizers -crispy octopus tacos, pumpkin dumplings, special menu scallops, crispy tofu (appetizers), and 3 entrees (45 dry aged rib eye, deep fried trout, and truffle fried rice). The only good appetizers of the 4 was the pumpkin dumplings, surprisingly very good. Everything else was extremely average or mediocre, and most dishes came out lukewarm/cold. The rib eye crust was extremely chewy, to a point where it was chewier than jerky and inedible. Truffle fried rice was extremely bland, and fried trout was dry and had little to no taste. I've been to just about every Asian fusion restaurant in the city, and this one is by far the worst. Save your money or go somewhere else. read more

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Guuuuurrrrrl. This place! Ok, lets start with the fact that the entrance is on the side. Where the tiles on the floor spell out Lo Pan. Quirky. I like. The restaurant itself is beautiful. Artwork on the walls. The booths are filled with artsy details. The servers are great. And the food! Living in Toronto I've tried many things but rarely is it executed so beautifully as the dishes we ordered. It wasn't just that the food was delicious, it was also the art of throwing food on a plate. There was a cohesiveness to the meal that I appreciated. My eyes and belly were full. I could not have been more satisfied. As a foodie I live for moments like this. When a plate is set before me and I see a work of art. I am more than happy to give this place 5 stars. read more

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Picked up bae from school figured we eat downtown since we rarely get the chance. Came here in hopes they had the Peking Duck like at little DaiLo and previous reviews also said they did (1 review from a year ago to be exact) sadly they didn't but still had a pretty good late dinner. Service was spotty, it was the end of the night we were one of the last tables to walk in, understandable. The basis were covered but wasn't anything spectacular. Ordered 3 dishes, truffle fried rice, dry aged ribeye, and the beef tataki/tartare..? cant remember. truffle fried rice was PACKED with umami flavour and the side xo sauce enhanced the rice to a new level, I should've asked for more of the it. dry aged ribeye steak was also tender as fffffffff, cooked perfect medium rare and pre-cut just the way I like it. Sauce on top was alright a little too tangy and sour for the girlfriend, I didn't mind it but could've had it on the side and wouldn't have cared about it either. the beef tartare or whatever it was, wasn't too memorable would've rather had a different app but wasn't a bad dish either, 3/5. I'll come back for the fried rice and try other things in the future but it was a tad expensive. in my opinion this is the type of place you go once and a while when you wanna splurge. read more

DaiLo - Truffle fried rice - Chinese Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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One word - Amazing. I got the tasting menu and was absolutely floored. A great fusion of various Asian influences and still stayed traditionally Chinese. Bold flavors and super balanced with fun textures. Go for the tasting menu but if that seems too much Is recommend the truffle fried rice, all the dumplings, octopus taco and their drinks! read more

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I previously posted this review text under the wrong restaurant. So now here's the correct review under the correct restaurant name ! Silly me! Came here for my birthday and ordered their tasting menu. Overall it was a pleasant experience with some outstanding items on the tasting menu, to be expected from a restaurant such as this, #15 on the top 100 Canada's best restaurant list. But there were some misses for me and rather than giving a personal be-all end-all statement, here's what I think of each food item in descending order of liking: 1. House made thick noodle with tamarind butter, white truffle, parmesan cheese This is the only dish that I keep thinking about days after the dinner! This dish was so good it made me regret having ordered a tasting menu, because the portion was small, understandably on a tasting menu. It was the perfect fusion of Chinese egg noodle with Italian sauce, and all the other great elements that made this dish so memorable. The noodle was al dente and the sauce was just superbly creamy. Best dish of the night. 2. Shrimp toast with pear The name of it isn't as interesting as it tastes, and this is why it surprised me so much how good it tasted. It was like biting into a luxurious version of the Asian shrimp cracker that, in addition to the crunch, also offered the slight chewiness of the bread, soaked in shrimp flavor. 3. Baby Back ribs with jackfruit, chili's pork crumble It was a hard choice not putting this dish as my top favorite of the night. Don't get me wrong, I am happy to have a rib of this quality any day, but while the ribs were super tender and flavorful, I found it to be more on the salty side. This is a subjective statement I guess, but I do think that the slight over saltiness of the ribs sort of tipped the scale a little bit for me and decreased my ability to enjoy the full flavor of the meat. Instead, the saltiness of the ribs overcame the flavor of the meat itself as I move onto my third piece. The jackfruit bread that it came with was super yummy though, makes me want to try other things with jackfruit in it! 4. Triple mushroom toast with ponzu butter Overall a very rounded dish, ponzu butter made everything better. 5. Truffle fried rice with edamame and XO sauce This, like the triple mushroom toast with ponzu butter, was also a great dish. 6. Corn and dashi soup with smoked miso butter Loved it, different and memorable. 7. Yuzu sorbet with candied ginger Refreshing..loved the ginger in it! 8. Some leafy wrap with almonds, coconut and fish roe My least favorite of the night, the combination of the flavors were good but nothing surprising to my Asian palate =/ I couldn't even remember the name as a result. read more

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one word to describe the dishes: flavour-town, wing chun those tastebuds like neva before! overall a warm and comfortable dining experience. feels like my cool aunts house.. though the interior decor can get a likkle updating note, some items listed may not be available on their menu big ups to the dai lo themselves, @ninjachef, @dennisjtay 8.4/10 IG @stay.hangry read more

Food: interesting twists on familiar Asian cuisine, beautifully executed & presented. A bit on the pricey end ($19 for 2 bite sized tacos for instance) but well worth the experience. In order of favourites: crispy octopus tacos, giggie trout, fried watermelon, crock pot rice, hakka brown wonton. Atmosphere: great ambience, beautifully decorated. Service: friendly and knowledgeable staff, I really enjoyed that they told us interesting facts about each dish as they were brought out.The wait time between dishes arriving could have been more consistent however- after the second dish there was probably about a half hour wait until the next one came and sometime after that before the final 2 arrived. Overall great experience, not sure I'd return for a second time but definitely worth a visit. read more

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4.5 stars Had experienced the tasting menu ($65) from here and as someone who grew up eating Asian cuisine, it was 1/2 comfort food and 1/2 delighted surprise. Everything from the watermelon gazpacho to the dandan Lobster and noodle dish was extremely tasty making you constantly excited for the next dish. Would definitely recommend if you have some money to spare and love exploring new flavours! It was definitely an experience. As someone who eats a lot of Asian food, what prevents me from the full five stars was that I didn't really see any standout Asian dishes. While they were all super tasty, the final Lobster and Shanghai main dish felt a bit more traditional, than fusion. read more

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I never really leave reviews but the waiter's inappropriate behavior really stuck with me even days after my dining experience. The food was unbelievable, inspired flavor combinations and bursting with creativity. 5/5 stars for the food and beverages! The aesthetic of the restaurant was also stellar. 5/5 for ambiance. Now for the service. I had a waiter who was a bit too involved with my dining experience. I opted for the tasting menu and everything had been going smoothly. After each dish was brought out by the sous chef who explained the components and how to enjoy, the waiter would come by and re explain. Now that on its own while a bit annoying did not ruin the experience. I was in the middle of taking a photo of the beautifully presented dishes when he interrupted and proceeded to mansplain to me how to eat a dish, even taking the spoon from my hand and proceeding to mix up the contents of the tiny tasting dish, also ruining the presentation for any potential photo. It's extremely unprofessional to have your waitstaff take a utensil out of a customer's hand and touch the customer's food with it. Also if there are instructions on how to eat something, please describe the process, don't mansplain and take the customers utensil to do it for them like they are a child. He sensed my obvious annoyance and thought it was because he was interrupting the photo but truly it was more in regards to the mansplaining and touching my food without permission. I still tipped as I know tips are split between the staff and everything else was wonderful. But I hope they can better train their waitstaff in terms of etiquette. read more