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A cozy, welcoming space with genuinely great service. Mother Tongue is one of those spots that works just as well for a date night as it does for a night out with friends. It's not a must-return-immediately kind of place for me, but it's an easy recommendation and one I'd gladly say yes to if friends wanted to go. We ordered: * Duck Dumplings * Torched Wagyu Chow Mein * Szechuan Sticky Pork Ribs * Korean Beef Short Rib * Butterfish Escabeche
Visiting Toronto for the first time I knew I had to try some place good. Really good! Mother Tongue did not disappoint (and how convenient that it was right across the street from the BNB.) This dimly lit restaurant is inviting and easy to find with its neon sign out front. My friend and I sat in the back at a two top table where we had a glass of red wine and started off with the wagyu bistek bao. For dinner I had the Korean short rib and my friend had the Taiwanese noodles, both which were exceptional. Plan to pay on the higher end while visiting this restaurant. It is a great place to eat for yourself or split plates among a small group if you want to try a bit of everything and try to save some money. The staff was knowledgeable and friendly. I really wish we had a place like this in Charleston because I can't stop thinking about how amazing the flavors were in all of their dishes. Mother Tongue is a must visit on your travel list.
I'll be honest, I walked into the restaurant with a bias. As someone who's Chinese, paying $16 for a bao and a bowl of chili noodles felt absurd. But... after tasting everything, I had to admit the food was well-executed and delicious. The ribs, in particular, were sweet, tender, and paired perfectly with the garlic rice. I still think the prices are steep, but once in a while, I could be convinced it's worth it. Service was warm and attentive, and the inside was unique and intimate, perfect for a date night.
Went for winterlicious. Already loved this place which I first tried at Blue Mountain and was impressed there. Sexy atmosphere, delicious fusion food very detail-oriented and subtle nuanced flavours, awesome cocktails. Good service. On the pricier side, but at least for this place, u do get what u pay for, and it is worth it!
The Summerlicious menu at Mother Tongue looked amazing, so my friend and I decided to come check it out. While we loved our cocktails (especially the ube!), the food was a bit of a miss. We both felt that the food was not quite flavourful. The ambience and vibe inside is trendy and fits the mood, and the service is efficient and kind.
The food here is great always. They have a variety of Asian fusion foods and it tastes unique. Great spot for a date as the ambiance is nice and romantic vibes inside. Service was good even though we messed up the order and confused the waitress she still replaced our dish.
Our dinner journey kicked off at Mother Tongue, where we sampled a trio of dishes--Filipino slaw, butterfish escabeche, and Tokyo miso black cod. Each one was a delightful. Service was adequate given that one server was juggling both the bar and front of house duties, and still managed to keep things flowing. It was a good stop to start the evening on a flavorful note.
Asian influence spot in the downtown core. My favourites were the skewer, Korean beef and the Bao dessert. It was really in
Came for dinner. Food was pretty good, the fish was very tender. Service was good. I liked the interior / vibe of the restaurant.
My friends were keen to try Mother Tongue for their Summerlicious promotion, which is still going on as I type this. The dinner menu is $55 prix fixe, which seemed fair at the time. When we actually got down to ordering, the numbers just weren't numbering, meaning there were only a few combinations where the three course meal made sense for the price. We ended up doing a mixture of summerlicious and a la carte to get the best value. For 7 people, we ordered 2 summerlicious 3 course meals and 6 additional dishes. My favourite dishes were definitely the Grilled Liempo Skewer (part of summerlicious, but otherwise $19) and Fried Brussel Sprouts ($17), which were both appetizers. I wasn't the biggest fan of the fried rice, which really lacked flavour for me - but I don't think the rest of the table agreed since we ordered another one. I had a few bites that tasted just like white rice. The short rib was good, but nothing special. I'm not sure if the one on the summerlicious menu is the same as the one on the regular menu ($55), as the ingredients noted below the dish name are a bit different between the two. The service was attentive and the environment was also good. It does seem like they mashed two tables together to accommodate for our group of 7, which looked a bit awkward. Overall, the vibes were there but the food fell a bit flat for me, especially for the price (around $60 each).
Great ambiance, great service, and amazing food! Was in town for work from Chicago and had dinner here my first night - the duck dumplings were absolutely phenomenal. So tasty and flavorful without being too rich. The chicken inasal Bicol express was my main, would have been great to have a side of rice but honestly I'm glad I didn't so that I could eat everything on the plate. The coconut curry and chicken were perfectly cooked and I could have licked the plate clean. Being Filipino myself, I have a high bar for Filipino restaurants but this place did not disappoint! Would definitely come back, maybe even on this same trip
The atmosphere surrounding this place oozed a certain level of sophistication. As for the waiters, they were very attentive and asked us if we needed anything multiple times throughout the evening (maybe a bit too much). Be warned that the portions of the dishes are fairly small and come at a higher end price tag. Although the flavour profile was definitely there, I believe that the quantity should be significantly increased given that they are charging top dollar for these items. All-in-all, I would likely only come back for winter or summer-licious (reduced pricing - fixed menu) and/or a very special outting occasion as it is most definitely a bougie establishment
Came here for Winterlicious 2026 $55 per person. They had an ube cocktail that i was interested in but sold out. I was quite sad... The 3-course menu had 3-4 options under each course. So there's something for every one. Nothing fancy but tasted delicious. read more
We came on a Friday for dinner and didn't have a good experience. 3 items on the menu was not available and when we ordered, we were told there was a 4th item not available. Their menu isn't extensive so it was a bit of an issue trying to find dishes we wanted to try. We got the duck dumplings, brussel sprouts, grilled shrimp, crispy tofu, miso cod and shrimp scallop chow mein for five people. The stand out was the miso cod, but for $36 it was not enough as an entree as the size of the fish is small and it didn't come with substantial sides. Also after taking our orders, our server disappeared. Another server came by to cover our table but there was no explanation or reason given. It was strange as they had just opened for the day. Expect high prices and small portions. Nice ambiance but don't think I will be back for that. read more
I came here with a friend for Winterlicious. Loved the interior design and the overall vibe of the restaurant. While waiting for my friend to arrive, I ordered the clarified ube milk punch to drink. Not gonna lie, when you think of ube, you think of the rich purple colour that is associated with it, so it was quite a surprise to see a clear colourless drink arrive at my table. The cocktail had a nice taste, on the sweeter side, but I had trouble tasting the ube notes in it. For starter I got the butterfish escabeche tartare. An umami explosion. Nice contrast between the the tenderness of the fish and the crispy texture of the rice cracker. For the main I got the seabass bicol express. Great portion size and very tasty, but it didn't taste like the traditional bicol express that I know. For dessert I got the pandan tart. These were a standout for me, and was pleasantly surprised to see that there were 4 of them. Very friendly wait staff, and would recommend for others to try here. read more
A cozy, welcoming space with genuinely great service. Mother Tongue is one of those spots that works just as well for a date night as it does for a night out with friends. It's not a must-return-immediately kind of place for me, but it's an easy recommendation and one I'd gladly say yes to if friends wanted to go. We ordered: * Duck Dumplings * Torched Wagyu Chow Mein * Szechuan Sticky Pork Ribs * Korean Beef Short Rib * Butterfish Escabeche read more
Visiting Toronto for the first time I knew I had to try some place good. Really good! Mother Tongue did not disappoint (and how convenient that it was right across the street from the BNB.) This dimly lit restaurant is inviting and easy to find with its neon sign out front. My friend and I sat in the back at a two top table where we had a glass of red wine and started off with the wagyu bistek bao. For dinner I had the Korean short rib and my friend had the Taiwanese noodles, both which were exceptional. Plan to pay on the higher end while visiting this restaurant. It is a great place to eat for yourself or split plates among a small group if you want to try a bit of everything and try to save some money. The staff was knowledgeable and friendly. I really wish we had a place like this in Charleston because I can't stop thinking about how amazing the flavors were in all of their dishes. Mother Tongue is a must visit on your travel list. read more
I'll be honest, I walked into the restaurant with a bias. As someone who's Chinese, paying $16 for a bao and a bowl of chili noodles felt absurd. But... after tasting everything, I had to admit the food was well-executed and delicious. The ribs, in particular, were sweet, tender, and paired perfectly with the garlic rice. I still think the prices are steep, but once in a while, I could be convinced it's worth it. Service was warm and attentive, and the inside was unique and intimate, perfect for a date night. read more
Went for winterlicious. Already loved this place which I first tried at Blue Mountain and was impressed there. Sexy atmosphere, delicious fusion food very detail-oriented and subtle nuanced flavours, awesome cocktails. Good service. On the pricier side, but at least for this place, u do get what u pay for, and it is worth it! read more
28 days ago
The Summerlicious menu at Mother Tongue looked amazing, so my friend and I decided to come check it out. While we loved our cocktails (especially the ube!), the food was a bit of a miss. We both felt that the food was not quite flavourful. The ambience and vibe inside is trendy and fits the mood, and the service is efficient and kind. read more
The food here is great always. They have a variety of Asian fusion foods and it tastes unique. Great spot for a date as the ambiance is nice and romantic vibes inside. Service was good even though we messed up the order and confused the waitress she still replaced our dish. read more
1 year ago
Our dinner journey kicked off at Mother Tongue, where we sampled a trio of dishes--Filipino slaw, butterfish escabeche, and Tokyo miso black cod. Each one was a delightful. Service was adequate given that one server was juggling both the bar and front of house duties, and still managed to keep things flowing. It was a good stop to start the evening on a flavorful note. read more
2 years ago
Asian influence spot in the downtown core. My favourites were the skewer, Korean beef and the Bao dessert. It was really in read more
10 months ago
Came for dinner. Food was pretty good, the fish was very tender. Service was good. I liked the interior / vibe of the restaurant. read more
My friends were keen to try Mother Tongue for their Summerlicious promotion, which is still going on as I type this. The dinner menu is $55 prix fixe, which seemed fair at the time. When we actually got down to ordering, the numbers just weren't numbering, meaning there were only a few combinations where the three course meal made sense for the price. We ended up doing a mixture of summerlicious and a la carte to get the best value. For 7 people, we ordered 2 summerlicious 3 course meals and 6 additional dishes. My favourite dishes were definitely the Grilled Liempo Skewer (part of summerlicious, but otherwise $19) and Fried Brussel Sprouts ($17), which were both appetizers. I wasn't the biggest fan of the fried rice, which really lacked flavour for me - but I don't think the rest of the table agreed since we ordered another one. I had a few bites that tasted just like white rice. The short rib was good, but nothing special. I'm not sure if the one on the summerlicious menu is the same as the one on the regular menu ($55), as the ingredients noted below the dish name are a bit different between the two. The service was attentive and the environment was also good. It does seem like they mashed two tables together to accommodate for our group of 7, which looked a bit awkward. Overall, the vibes were there but the food fell a bit flat for me, especially for the price (around $60 each). read more
Great ambiance, great service, and amazing food! Was in town for work from Chicago and had dinner here my first night - the duck dumplings were absolutely phenomenal. So tasty and flavorful without being too rich. The chicken inasal Bicol express was my main, would have been great to have a side of rice but honestly I'm glad I didn't so that I could eat everything on the plate. The coconut curry and chicken were perfectly cooked and I could have licked the plate clean. Being Filipino myself, I have a high bar for Filipino restaurants but this place did not disappoint! Would definitely come back, maybe even on this same trip read more
1 year ago
The atmosphere surrounding this place oozed a certain level of sophistication. As for the waiters, they were very attentive and asked us if we needed anything multiple times throughout the evening (maybe a bit too much). Be warned that the portions of the dishes are fairly small and come at a higher end price tag. Although the flavour profile was definitely there, I believe that the quantity should be significantly increased given that they are charging top dollar for these items. All-in-all, I would likely only come back for winter or summer-licious (reduced pricing - fixed menu) and/or a very special outting occasion as it is most definitely a bougie establishment read more
9 months ago
This review is for the speakeasy - liquid courage only. A very cool speakeasy in the basement of Mother Tongue. We came here on a Saturday night without any issues after learning about the 2-hr wait time at Bar Chef. The cocktail menu had a good selection for everyone. The honeycrisp old fashioned was boozy and flavorful, with a caramelized slice of honeycrisp: the strawberry rum punch was tasty and light; the razor crest was strong and smoky (mezcal). The bar was lively and the bartenders were friendly and attentive. Highly recommended! read more
Birthday celebration!! My first time!! And I will Go back for sure! Totally enjoyed the atmosphere. Our server and amazing and super friendly. The food was delicious!!! Although I would have liked more rice with the short rib; I didn't realize there was so much meat! Not complaining!!! It was delicious! read more
2 years ago
Winterlicious menu was good. The ube tart was disappointing because they were two mini ones instead of the one advertised on Instagram. There was too much crush and too little filling, making the ube flavour less apparent. I hope they don't do that again and just serve the one larger tart instead. Service was fine! read more
2 years ago
Food literally took 30 minutes. No attention to us was given and we were pretty hungry and a bit upset read more
Mother Tongue is an Asian fusion restaurant located along Adelaide near Peter Street. The eatery is a hip spot primarily serving small tapas plates that are meant to be shared. There is also a great cocktail list and happy hour deals as well. Although the chef at Mother Tongue is Filipino, the dishes take influence from the Philippines, China, and Japan. The restaurant has a small front room with more tables in the back. There is also a small patio with about 3-4 tables. My friend and I dined at Mother Tongue on Wed night - we both tried the Summerlicious menu which was priced at $45. I was promptly greeted when I entered the restaurant and taken to my table. As the night went on, the place got more busy. Our server was extremely friendly as she went through the whole menu to explain the concept of the restaurant. She also pointed out some of the highlights and favourites from other customers. Summerlicious is a great way to try some of their dishes but some of the mains are made smaller for the prix-fixed menu. Drinks wise, it was still happy hour so I ordered a Pretty Lodi cocktail. A bit sweet for me but it was made well. My friend got a mocktail. In regards to the items we ordered (off the Summerlicious menu): - Appetizers: B.C. trout ceviche (citrus salsa, calamansi, crab chips) and the crispy mapo tofu (a vegetarian/vegan dish with a mushroom ragu, toban djan, and chili). - Mains: Torched wagyu chow mein (with roast picanha, chef's vegetable selection, and chow mein sauce) as well as the fried sea bass (golden curry, baby bok choy). - For dessert we both opted for the buko pandan custard cake. Overall, food was decent. The golden curry in the fried sea bass dish was delicious. Also, can't go wrong with a wagyu cut of beef. The mapo tofu wasn't spicy and the ceviche was fresh and light. The buko pandan custard cake was not too sweet and a good ending to the meal. Service wise, again, our server was attentive and made sure we were satisfied with everything. The meal was paced well. We also stayed for a little bit to talk and catch up and we never felt rushed or were asked to leave. Overall, a decent Summerlicious experience! The regular menu items looked interesting as well. read more
3 years ago
Really nice spot that's much bigger than it looks from the outside. Our bartender Theo made us some great cocktails. I love beer and I love gin. He made me a Hong Kong Handover which he created for the restaurant. It was a nice balanced drink great for the summer. And boozy. Bonus for it being called Hong Kong Handover and my background is HK ;) read more
I really enjoyed Mother Tongue and had my best meal of my short early Feb '23 Toronto trip there. I enjoyed the vibe, the decor, the friendliness, and most definitely my food and drinks. I'd arrived in Toronto during the winteriest days of winter. I therefore chose places that were generally within 2 blocks of my hotel, or my thin-blooded San Diego body would probably shut down in the sub-zero-F wind-whipped tundra. Fortunately these winter days also coincided with Winterfest, a prix-fixe "restaurant week" (as it's known in SD), where many restaurants had a special 3-course menu, and I was happy to find that Mother Tongue did, as well as having a seat available on a Friday night. I had the crispy mapo tofu, fried sea bass with curry, and a difficult-to-explain but tasty sweet-and-savory Ube ice cream for desert. (Ube is apparently a purple potato that's kind of related to the yam). All were excellent; I think the tofu was the best, and that's saying a lot when I applaud tofu at all. Mother Tongue is oh-so-pretty inside, with a candlelit, almost tiki-vibe. If you bring a date here, you're probably going to be thanked a lot later. I didn't, so I wasn't, but your results may vary. I had two really interesting drinks, a margarita in which the tequila had been infused with peppercorns and other spices, and a Filipino take on a pisco sour (the Pili Sour, I think it was called). Both were excellent. My server was very kind and also very proud to work there. She gave me the backstory regarding the Filipino chef and the various ingredients in the food, as well as advice for other not-so-cold-I-die things to do in the neighborhood later. I don't have any future plans in Toronto, but if I do, I'll definitely be back here! read more
Early birthday dinner this weekend at Mother Tongue. It was our first time visiting and I loved the decor as soon as I walked in. There's two floors - top floor is the main dining area with a homey feel and the lower floor is more of a vibey intimate speak easy cocktail bar. The menu features share plates with Filipino, Chinese and Japanese influences and a variety of cocktails and other drinks. . . Seafood mountain 4/5 Gai Lan 4.3/5 Garlic rice 1/5 High Noon Cocktail 4.5/5 Passiflora Mocktail 5/5 Cake 3.75/5 . . Overall we had a great time and enjoyed the drinks and most of the food. The seafood mountain had to be preordered 24-48 hours in advance and although the flavours and seafood were all good, I feel that for the price, it's not good. The lobster was pretty small for what it was. The Gai Lan was really good. The garlic rice was borderline edible... it was absolutely dry and hard. I'm not even sure if the kitchen knows how to cook rice.... Drinks on the other hand were all amazing!! Will definitely come back for the drinks next time and check out the lower floor. read more
3 years ago
we had a chance to visit mothers tongue during summerlicious. although there is a lot of hype with this restaurant, i found that the food fell short. from their summerlicious menu, we had the steelhead trout crudo, hoisin duck confit, and peach mango pudding. out of the three dishes i had, the crudo was the only thing that really stood out. it was vibrant in flavour and was very unique. i would get it again! 8/10 the hoisin duck confit however, i found that it lacked flavour. the hoisin was the only flavour coming through with this dish, which can get really tiring. additionally, we were excited to try the freshmade scallion pancake, but found this to be extremely dry and also lacking flavour. 4/10 the peach mango pudding was also nothing special. it was also very tart but that is a personal preference of mine. in addition to the meal, i found that the service here was not so great. we had a reservation at 7:30 but did not get seated until 20 minutes later. the food also took extremely long to come out. we did not receive our first dish until 40 minutes after ordering. on top of this, our server was more on the clumsy side as our drinks were spilled over our table. not really something you would expect from a highly rated restaurant. overall my experience here wasn't the best, but this may also be due to summerlicious- how they were busy during this time and used few ingredients as the meals are prix fixed. read more
1 year ago
7 years ago
Mother Tongue was an incredible dining experience! I visited with a few co-workers, and loved everything from the ambiance, to food and drink, to service. I'd have to say the cocktails were some of my favorites. They were unique, well-crafted, perfectly boozy, and flavorful. We ordered everything to share and started with the crispy mapo tofu, mango papaya salad, duck dumplings, and calamari. They were all good, though take note that the duck is pâté style, so the texture was different than what you might expect. For entrees, we had scallop and corn fried rice, trout teriyaki baked fried rice, eggplant, and pork belly. I really enjoyed the pork belly and trout teriyaki baked fried rice the most! We visited during a construction period, so we just sat in the back room, which felt intimate and fun. Really good experience overall! read more
I came here on their last day of summerlicious. The place looks small from the outside but it actually is spacious inside with even a lower level seating area. They have high top tables, bar seats, and also regular tables. After asking our server for suggestions, I decided on getting BC Trout Ceviche (citrus salsa, calamansi, and crab chips), Fried sea bass (golden curry, baby bok choy), and Buko pandan custard cake (buko leche flan, pandan chiffon cake, and coconut streusel). I also ordered a side order of garlic rice to go with the fried sea bass since it didn't came with any carbs. This was disappointing since the garlic flavor wasn't there at all, only in smell. Overall the experience was okay, with the Buko pandan custard cake being the most memorable experience. It was sweet and took a little bit of time to finish despite of the size, but the flavors were present, and neither the buko nor pandan flavor overpowered each other. read more
Decided to check this place out as I heard some buzz about it...and I like a good buzz - LOL Anyways...this is a cute spot, dimly lit, great for a date night or a nice night out with your friends b/c you can hear the person talk, and they have a bar located downstairs! It's a rather small spot, so reservations are your best bet. We ordered a few items and shared: - Duck dumplings - pretty good, but not sure what all the fuss was about (heard these are the things to get) - Brussels sprouts - oh man - super delicious - definitely get an order of these! Nicely charred and great smoky flavour. I could eat a whole plate of these - Bao - these were good, nothing special - a solid effort - lemongrass chicken rice - this was pretty good. Note that it is supposed to come with a chili jam/sauce mixed in...I happened to mention I don't eat pork and the server mentioned the suace was made with a tiny bit of pork fat. I would have never had known! Thankfully, she knew and checked with the chefs if it could be made without (yes it can) The staff are really friendly - we were pretty early for our reservations and they took us in even though they were pretty full. The servers are clearly knowledgeable about their food which is amazing. We also went downstairs to the bar, the grove is fun, miami club kinda..but I didn't particularly care for the drinks. Overall, I'd love to come back and check out some other items..and get those brussels sprouts again read more
Definitely their menu has lots of interesting ideas that i didnt think about. Pretty lodi cocktail was delicious. Pork belly is like a must have. They did the duck dumpling so well that i realized i didnt like duck meat scent. Not being sarcastic at all. The duck meat was well minced and put together that the fragrance, taste, and texture are mostly equally balanced. For people who love duck, might like this dish. Fried sea bass! Taste great. Nothing to complain about the dish. The bao? its ok. It was for my husband. I didnt get to taste it nor I have much passion to have it. The vietnamese coffee affogato... its good and i like it but its a dessert i only need to try once. Save room for new desserts for next time. For sure, i come back for the fried rice that i didnt get to try and the pork belly again! read more
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More info about Mother Tongue
348 Adelaide Street W
Toronto, ON M5W 1R7
Canada
Entertainment District, Downtown Core, Waterfront Communities-The Island
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(647) 243-5858
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http://www.mothertongue.ca
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