Manita Rosedale is their second location in Toronto (the first along the Ossington Strip near Dundas). Recently opened last week on Thurs, this bustling cafe, grocery store, and bar has something for everyone. They took over and renovated the space of The Rosedale Diner. I've been to Manita's first location many times for breakfast and dinner and I was excited that they were opening up closer to home for me. Reservations can be made online through Resy and recommended (especially on the weekends and brunch) as this new location definitely will be a hit.
I dined at Manita recently on a Sunday night for dinner where I made reservations in advanced. Not sure what to expect or if they would offer the same menu as their Ossington location, I was pleasantly surprised. The customer base of the Rosedale location is older, more family oriented and more established. This is reflected in the neighbourhood that they are in but everyone was all smiles as they checked out the new Manita.
The vibes are the same as the first location, casual and laid-back, a place where you can grab a coffee and snacks during the day, a glass of wine in the afternoon, or have a full out meal for dinner.
In regards to our dinner, service was friendly and pleasant without feeling rushed. The pace of the meal was great as we enjoyed ourselves. Menu wise (for dinner), there are the Manita staples (like the oxtail marmalade, burger/veggie burger, falafel plate, Mediterranean plate, etc.) but there were different items as well.
We ordered the following items:
- Curry mussels (vadouvan cream curry sauce, PEI mussels, chili, herbs, scallion, fries)
- Oxtail marmalade (braised oxtail, raisins, walnuts, dijon, griddled bread)
- Porcini tomato bucatini (parmesan, herbs, house chilis)
- Manita burger (beef and bacon patty, American cheese, onion, pickles)
- Glass of Pinot Grigio
- Barbet
The oxtail marmalade was as delicious as always! The nice tender oxtail with the raisins work well together with the dijon mustard. The perfectly griddled bread is the ideal vessel to hold everything together for some tasty bites of food. The mussels were great as well - plump PEI mussels in that vadouvan cream curry sauce...yum! The sauce had the right amount of thickness to cling onto the mussels and fries where the hint of the lime really came through to elevate the sauce. We really enjoyed those mussels.
In terms of main, the Manita burger is a classic. The patty is cooked to medium and it comes with a large portion of fries on the side as well (you can opt for salad if you don't want fries). The fries also come with an aioli for dipping. The bucatini is a vegetarian dish but the pasta was cooked el dente and each bite was delicious. The tomato sauce it came with was perfectly balanced in flavours and I was also given their house chilis on the side to add to my pasta. Great delicious dish. We were both too full for dessert but I highly recommend the basque cheesecake!
Overall, great new location of Manita along Yonge. This location will definitely do well in this neigbourhood - it was busy the night we dined there and I can tell that people were excited for them to open. Delicious food and great service as always. Can't wait to return for more! read more