Brilliant vegetarian menu by a super talented Vietnamese chef! (You have to ask for it, as it's printed on a separate page.) This is the first tofu steak that actually earns that moniker: marinated and then grilled with cold pressed olive oil, it has wonderfully mouthfeel and char taste and is paired with a rich assortment of fab grilled veg and mushrooms. The curry tofu was also outstanding with a rich, bright flavour and just the right amount of heat, paired with luscious black rice. The standout item, though, may have been the watercress salad with chimichurri and a light, sweet oil and vinegar dressing. read more

I am feeling super bad to leave a negative review but I am just hoping they can improved in the future and more people to like their food. We came in in a late night and we are too tired to decide what to have, so we ordered something classic. Grilled Calamari, Argentina style Steak, Pad Thai. Grilled Calamari salad is the best out of the three dishes. I could not resist to finish the whole plate by myself and which almost get into a fight with my partner. The appetizer gave us a good impression on their food and made us thrilled and excited for our main dishes. When my partner's Argentina style steak arrived, I was shocked by the price tag and meat selection they decided. It did not deliver the same quality with their $25 price tag. I hope they can change another style of meat or part, otherwise, it kills people satisfaction instantly, especially when they earn high rating. Pad Thai, in general is blend and nothing in there really amazed me. My partner and I also did a little feedback for ourselves, we think probably we had a bit overhead expectation on a 4.5 star rating restaurant and in which it causes us feeling disappointed after all. In either way, we would still love to come back and try the other food on their menu in order to deliver a fair and non-bias review. read more

I am now a regular at this restaurant! All ingredients are so fresh and the chef is very creative with his dishes. However, some items on the menu are better than others. MY GO-TOs: Thai Beef Salad, Spicy Jerk Fish (with rice instead of fries), Karaage Chicken, Calamari and Cheese Cake! You won't be disappointed. Highly recommend! read more

The most egregious thing this restaurant did was demand a 22% tip on the bill for a group of 6 people. They claimed it was policy despite it not being mentioned anywhere on the website or menu. We complained and asked for a manager but the staff became obtuse and maintained it was policy. Rather than continue to fight with the restaurant we paid and left. It was probably the right decision at the time as we were getting increasingly frustrated, but in retrospect I'd wished I'd held my ground. The food was painfully mediocre and an example of the laziest fusing of foods I've ever seen (ex. how do we Latin this up? Dump a scoop of pico on it). The lemongrass pork though itself cooked well was seated on a random bed of lettuce and smothered in a slaw that seemed out of nowhere. The portion on the Argentianian Style Steak was among the smallest servings at the table despite the high price. I'd give this one star, but to be fair the edamame and french fries were both really good - though they are two of the hardest things to screw up so... read more

Asian - Latin tapas, what a great fuse. This little restaurant really did surprise me, and this area needs more of this. Every dish that we tried was original and very tasty with great flavours and textures. We ordered: Shrimp and Crab Ceviche $9.50 - great flavours and texture, but can use more chips. Green Mango Salad with grilled tiger shrimp,Thai basil, and chili dressing $9.50 - our favourite. Grilled Spicy Jerk Fish, mango salsa with crispy fried potato $17.00 - least favourite, but was still very good. Fish was a tad overcooked. Grilled Chipotle Tiger Shrimp Tacos $16.00 - very authentic with the flour tortilla. Looking forward to the fish tacos next time. An order has 3 tacos. For dessert, we were told all the cakes were made in-house. We ordered the Japanese cheesecake, and boy was I glad I did. I have yet to try Uncle Tetsu for the sole reason the wait is insane, but I must say, this is by far one of my favourite cheesecakes. It was both fluffy, like a sponge cake, and creamy and cheesy, like a western cheesecake, all at the same time. I'm salivating just thinking about it, and I can't help but wonder if I can order a whole cake! That would be amazing. Service was friendly, polite, and attentive. The chef was indeed a character. He was passionate and very personable. He came out a few times to deliver the dishes and we had great conversations with him throughout our meal. Great guy, Manh is his name! Will be back. Parking: There is parking at the back, or there is street parking. read more

Really good food. We ordered the japanese fried chicken. It was delicious. Then we had the grilled calamari, I fought with my wife over it, simply awsome. Then we had the grilled beef taco. Best taco ever. Finally we ordered the salad roll with shrimp and mango. Again exquisite. The service was good, even with the small kitchen and fairly buzy place, the food came fast. I would recomend the place to friends and enemies. Food was fresh and healthy. read more

Great place for when your craving Japanese/Mexican food - a unique food offering! The food is very flavourful and enough to fill you up if you came in starving like I was. Don't forget to get the Japanese cheese cake which is delicious. read more

Just tried this place for the first time tonight.... Delicious!!! Atmosphere: Warm. Cozy. Elegantly decorated. Location was great. Lots of street parking available. Food: F'in fantastic! We shared 4 tapas between the two of us. Shrimp ceviche. Mango salad w shrimp. Pork tacos. Angus steak. All were packed with flavors galore. We were full but a nice full where you get tons of delicious meat and lots of fresh veggies and do not feel gross from oily food. The steak was perfectly cooked and the accompanying sauce was mouth watering. I do prefer flour over corn tortilla though so that was a meh for me. Who would have thought latin asian fusion is so perfect. Becareful of their hot sauce dish on the side...holy mama it is hot. They were giving free dessert cake but we were too full to eat it. The chef gave us a spoonful sample of his japanese cheesecake as we were leaving and way better than uncle tetsu. Definitely will come back! Price: 4 tapas with tax and tip was 80. We were super full. Well priced for quality and portion size. Service: We came near their closing so we were the last to come in and two tables were there before us. Waitress was friendly and food came out promptly with good timing between the tapas. read more

Wow. This place exceeded all expectations. The food was fantastic. The atmosphere is great, too. The blackened fish and calamari were both outstanding, the pad Thai was the opposite of the typical sloppy, sugary affair - Mai's was complex and flavourful. Everything else we had was great, too. If you haven't been, go already! We'll be back again and again. read more

Mai Bistro - Yum! Charred, perfectly cooked calamari. - Asian Fusion Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Just happened to pass by this very empty little bistro down the street from my home. Was a little concerned about it being empty, but walked in and was greeted warmly right away by the cutest recently landed Korean girl. The decor was amazing. Beautiful and well thought through. The lighting piece above the bar was awesome and I want it in my house. The paintings were lovely too and shockingly started a great conversation between me and the hubby (our first art chat!!) We had our choice of seats, so we took the corner booth near the door, which also gave us a great view into the open kitchen. Menus were distributed (Asian Latin Tapas) (on paper for now as they are testing the waters) and drinks ordered. We ordered fried calamari (10$) and the shrimp ceviche (10$) and were very surprised when a free bowl of curry chips (6.50$) came in tandem. We think it was either a freebie as they had just opened, or a freebie because they were empty. Both the calamari and chips were hot and crunchy and absolutely to die for delicious. The ceviche was cold and creamy and perfectly balanced. A bit light on the salt, but that is fine dining for you! For dinner I ordered the recommended marinated chicken with olive salad (16$). The hubby got the Argentinian steak with fries and added a side of shrimp (18$ +8$ for the shrimp). Both were absolutely perfect! The steak was a bit chewy, but it was due to a bit of connective tissue and not the cooking (which was perfect). The chicken was moist (brined maybe) and fall-y apart-y in my mouth-y. After, we were offered dessert wine or coffee, we politely declined as we were stuffed to the gills. We did have a lovely chat with both Chef Manh (formerly of Supermarket) and Gina (the cutest server ever!) and after about two hours, found our way back home. Came to 100$ total, including two beers and a glass of house red. Loved it and cannot wait to go back. Maybe tonight. read more

I've been here a few times, for lunch and large functions, and every time the food is really good and the staff are super friendly! Their pad thai is really unique and has a nice flavour that sets it apart. Also, if you are a fan of sweets, try the homemade cake! read more

Awesome food! Amazing ambiance! Absolutely a must! Our new favourite restaurant in Toronto. read more

Great food and great service! We were a party of 6 and we all ordered different items on the menu including fish, pork and steak tacos, curried chicken, Thai beef salad, oysters, crab and shrimp spring rolls and lamb spring rolls- all amazing! I especially recommend the Thai beef salad. The chef came out and chatted to the tables, and spent a lot of time with us telling us about his story and his inspiration. Highly recommend!! read more

Mai Bistro - Cheesecake with raspberry - Asian Fusion Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Hidden gem in... is this place considered Etobicoke? Geography aside, it's an intimate place with great tapas! Small restaurant so definitely would not recommend groups bigger than 8. Free parking lot located behind the place which was very convenient. All the dishes we had (which was literally half of the menu) tasted great, not one bad dish I'd avoid, which was impressive! However, would like to note that their "large plates" are still actually very small and should be shared with no more than 3-4 people. Because of this, one might find it to be a bit pricier than expected, but nothing outrageously expensive. Our party was quite hungry and had to order a lot of repeat dishes so everyone could try a little bit. Tapas are more of an Asian vibe, and my favourite dishes were the grilled calamari and lamb curry spring roll, but honestly you can't go wrong with anything on their menu. My only disappointment was that I didn't get to try their cheesecake! I'll definitely have to come back! read more

Excellent fresh food- not super salty which was so nice ! Owner was friendly and took so much pride in his food !

Excellent food, excellent service! My girl friends and I really enjoyed this place. We ordered quite a few items from the menu And shared with a litre of sangria! Everything was absolutely delish. read more

First and foremost, the food was delicious. I second a lot of what the other reviewers are saying about the small portions. We ordered 5 different dishes for two people. 1 of the large portions, 2 tacos, 1 crispy calamari (so good!) and 1 small lamb roll starter. The bill came to $96. The service was decent. Not super friendly but not rude. We really liked the ambiance of the restaurant and would definitely go back, again the food was really tasty. read more

Wow this restaurant is so incredible ! Mai is an excellent cook and is very accommodating to his guest. I really love the fish tacos, and his portobello salad ! If you're looking for some great food cooked by someone who really loves what he's doing come to Mai Bistro read more

This review is for a Saturday dinner. We were a party of four; I was the only meat eater in the group. They have a separate menu for vegetarians which was kind of interesting. The food was really good. I had grilled calamari as my small tapas and coconut chicken curry as my big tapas. Both were really tasty. My vegetarian friends also liked their food selections. Overall, a really good experience. read more

Great food and atmosphere! The chef came out to talk to us as well! Friendly wait staff and it is a family owned place. Would highly recommend and will definitely be back. read more

We were promptly helped by Melissa who was very patient and sweet. We ordered six dishes (which were delivered in this order): Gazpacho (really good), Chicken Pad Thai (this was supposed to be for the kids but my hubby and I kept picking at it because it was yummy), Shrimp and Crab Ceviche (yum), Lamb Curry Spring Rolls (tasty), Grilled Thai Beef Saad (delish), and the Yellow Curry Shrimp (omg, so good). Everything tasted fresh and very, VERY good, but the last two were our favorites. Honesty, if they sold their curry sauce in a jar, we'd buy it. After all of that, we ordered two desserts - Japanese cheesecake and Mexican Tres Leche. They were both excellent and my hubby and I had a different favorite. This has been without a doubt the best dinner of our 10-day Canada Road Trip. We would come back to Toronto (from Miami) just to eat here again. Hopefully, we can make it back before we leave. read more

This place is awesome. Can't believe we've never been here before. The food was awesome great service. The food is a bit pricey but everything is made with care. There are a lot of really cool interesting and dishes from Argentinian steak all the way to my Asian inspired Mexican food. Go read more

Amazing food. I've been many times and have never been disappointed and have ALWAYS loved everything I've tried. It's a great vibe and the owner/chef is awesome - he always comes out to talk to us and see how we're doing and remembers us. read more

The chef is a very personable fellow. Hell speak to you and share his life. The food itself is very good and a different combination. I felt the food was a good fusion and complimented ceviche and bbq pork chops. It was a bit more expensive. Deserts are well received as well. During dinner, food took some time. I don't have any suggestions for improvement. read more

This is a really cozy restaurant that serves very interesting food. Can't say I've ever had Asian/Latin American fusion tapas before. It was really good, we went for lunch in a group of 8, ordered almost one of everything off the menu. Highlights were the grilled calamari, cheesecake (very much like Uncle Tetsu's), karaage (super crisp and moist without being too oily), the lemongrass pork (so flavourful), the seafood platter and their hand cut fries were also very excellent. This is definitely a good place to go with a larger group because then you can get some variety in dishes. read more

Here are some highlights from my blog review (link to full review below) The food and service was great, so great that we ordered take out for the next day! Here is what we had Shrimp and Crab wonton ceviche ...After trying this, I was determined to make it through some mains and dessert!! Organic Ontario Lamb curry spring roll ...So flavourful and reminiscent of something a fine dining Indian restaurant would serve. Oh but its sooo much better wrapped up in a spring roll. Grilled chimichurri Calamari with baby greens ...It was soft, tender and done in 1 minute!! Thai style fresh blue crab fried rice ...Lime, chunks of blue crab, rice... so unbelievably flavourful we were debating ordering one more so we didn't kill each other. But then the beef came... Braised beef with lemongrass and potato ..We ordered this to take home for the next day. Yes people, it was that good. Cajun fish with crispy wonton noodle.. It was pan-seared, nice and crispy on the outside and soft and juicy on the inside. Peach, Port Wine and Mango Ice Cream ...OMG. What a great dessert. Absolutely loved it. Check out my full review with pics at - lilmissbubz.com read more

My husband and I had their fish tacos, yellow curry chicken chow mein and Thai style fried rice with real crab meat. The fish tacos were delicious and are good tapa size. Although the fish tacos were good, I've had better at other places. I loved the fried rice, it was perfectly seasoned and there were big chunks of crab meat. The curry chicken was very unique and delicious. There were dough bits in the noodles which the chef said were gnocchi. Who would think to put gnocchi in chow mein? It was probably the best dish we ate.the chef/owner came over to our table and gave us a complimentary piece of Mexican tres leche cake. The cake was so moist and delicious like a pound cake. I will definitely come back again. I saw their lunch menu and saw some items I would like to try since it's not on the dinner menu. read more

My husband and I found this gem when looking for a local place for our anniversary. We were really intrigued by the Asian Latin fusion, and were not disappointed. The food was delicious, the wine was reasonable and the service was fantastic. We decided on an early dinner on a Monday, so there were only a few other people inside, which allowed for the chef to personally visit our table. We order three small tapas, including three cheese wontons, grilled calamari, and mango salad. All of which we perfectly cooked, and seasoned. Each bite offered a different flavour. We both ordered a large tapa, which we shared, Pad Thai and the Grilled Argentina Steak. We were really surprised with the Pad Thai since it was so fresh tasting and balanced. The Grilled steak was to die for, with a butter sauce I could have eaten with a spoon. I can honestly say I have a hard time choosing a favour item from the meal. The only reason I have them 4 out of 5 was the decor. There is certainly nothing wrong with the current decor, and the restaurant is very clean, but there is some room to improve the ambience. My husband and I have found a new local joint. read more

A real gem in Etobicoke. Great food & service. The chef has clearly put a lot of thought into the menu - lots of interesting options. Had the tea-smoked duck w/papaya, and an Argentine steak. Everything was spot-on. My friends and I thoroughly enjoyed our dinner! read more

I have passed by this place many times, as I live just around the corner. Finally we decided to try it out and were really glad we did. The food is delicious and the service top notch. I highly recommend it. My perception prior to visiting this place was that it would be a simple sandwich/taco kind of place (don't ask my why I thought this way). Instead it is a restaurant with a extensive menu and many interesting choices. read more

Great food and atmosphere, ceviche, calamari , tacos and vegetable bowl was especially delicious

This place truly is a hidden gem in Etobicoke. The food is eclectic with dishes that showcase influences from South America to Mexica to Southeast Asia to East Asia. I came here with my family and was pleased with our overall dining experience. Everything we tried was really tasty, well prepared using fresh high quality ingredients and with beautiful presentation. My favorite dish was the fish tacos. The service was attentive and good. The decor seemed a little dated but the restaurant was spotless. The only thing I wish is that the portions were a slightly bigger as I felt the pricing was a bit high for what you got. read more

Food was fresh and amazing, I was pleasantly surprised with the asian twist on the Tapas. Loved the Ceviche could have easily ordered two of them. We were well attended to could not have asked for better service. Chef did a good job Ordered: Pork Tacos, Ceviche, Fried Calamari, Grilled Shrimp, Pork Tacos, Steak Tacos Will definitely be coming back wished every dining experience was like this one. read more

As we on our way to the Toronto, Ontario airport, hubby found this place on Yelp. After a lot of time searching for a good Asian dinner, hubby found this little charming neighborhood restaurant nearby and based on the chef's culinary background, we knew this would be a solid restaurant. Since this is an Asian fusion tapas place, we ordered a few. - Grilled tiger shrimp mango salad with Thai basil, chopped fresh tomato, thinly sliced lettuce with chili dressing (very good and light, sweet, salty and tangy at each bite) - Grilled Argentina style steak (was my least favorite, nothing to wow and was the most expensive dish, but hubby liked it). It's served with chimichurri butter and hand cut fries. - Grilled spicy jerk seasoning with grilled tilapia fish with mango salsa (another light dish and substituted the fries for rice, (really like this dish, light) - Grilled steak tacos with salsa, fresh cheese and avocado for my little guy (but there was no avocado). The lemongrass pork with rice and Asian slaw (tastier than the steak). - Tres leeches cake (I wanted to see how this compares between their version vs. the Mexican Tres Leche which I am familiar with) was a very wet and sweet cake. The winner is the chef. The chef was classically trained by a Japanese chef so I think this is why his desserts aren't as sweet (which I prefer). It's more like a light sponge cake topped with whipped cream and fresh sliced strawberries and filled with light condensed milk at the bottom of the cake. The chef's wife saw me took a picture and she told me if she knew ahead of time, she would garnished with flower to make it prettier, very cute of her. Prices range from $8-10 for small tapas. The large tapas range between $12-$21. We picked the most two expensive dishes on the menu. Highly recommended this place to anyone. Sort of on the way to the Toronto airport, they have parking lot in the back. I would recommend reservations, since this is a small neighborhood restaurant and does get crowded mostly from their regulars. I wish I could live close by this restaurant so I can be one of their regulars too. read more

Everything was delicious! The fried chicken was perfect! The steak tacos tangy and savory! Bok Chou was smokey and wonderful. I could still be eating the mixed grill! The grilled squid was the best I've had. This is a must eat place! read more

Awesome food!! All the dishes were prepared with great attention to detail - none overly flavoured. The cerviche is fresh and flavourful. The Thai fried rice and Pad Thai noodles were not greasy. The Watercress Beef salad was outstanding and a 'must try'!! The cuisine is a fusion of Thai, Vietnamese, North American, Carribean, Japanese, Mexican and Latin cusines. You have to try it to believe it!! read more

Great food - enjoyed the large tapas of tilapia with fries and the small tapas of jerk chicken. They had run out of pork tacos which I really wanted. Fried fish tacos were not that good. Basic service. Would visit again for the food. read more

Grabbed a quick dinner at this neighbourhood bistro. Tasty grub. I had the lemongrass pork and calamari starter. Excellent service, reasonable price, good selection. Next time I'll try the Argentine steak. Decor and atmosphere just right. I will return. read more

Mai Bistro - Prompt drinks before placing our order. - Asian Fusion Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

We just came back from eating dinner here and it was absolutely fantastic. The food is so lovingly prepared and completely delicious. The flavours are so well thought out and perfectly complemented each other. It was also a huge plus that they had a vegetarian menu! We ordered the portobello and goat cheese (my favourite of the night), the baby greens and king oyster mushrooms (the sauce was so delicious), the lemongrass pork (fiancé devoured it), and the grilled tofu with chimichurri and veggies. We were so impressed with the quality of the food and practically licked our plates clean lol. For dessert we had the tres leches (highly recommend) and the cheesecake (not as mind blowing as everything else and very yummy still). My fiancé already can't wait to go back to try more stuff off the menu. The chef is a genius! read more

Wanted to make sure I wrote a review for this restaurant since my family and I had a satisfying experience here. The restaurant has free parking in the back which is convenient with motorists. We sat outside since we had a toddler and did not have to worry about other customers overhearing any screaming or crying. Main observation was that all items we ordered were delicious, and were cooked by the chef who is also the Owner of the restaurant. The chef seemed to put a lot of attention into everything he cooked and paid us a visit on a few occasions to bring us items we ordered and check in on us. It was definitely personalized. I ordered the Argentinian steak with fries. The steak was cooked just right (i ordered medium) and the meat tasted fresh. Also, there was a nice subtle asian spice flavor to the steak. The french fries were hand cut which made the whole dish satisfying. Also presentation of the dish looked great as well. My wife ordered pasta w/shrimp and it tasted great. Even my son, who is a toddler, enjoy his 3 steak tacos. We ordered japanese cheesecake for dessert which tasted good but not sweet enough for those with a sweet tooth. Also, the waiter was very attentive and gave my wife some nice suggestions on the different types of beers offered. Overall, we left this restaurant very satisfied and was one of our better dining experiences while visiting Toronto. read more