I love the Distillery District ! It's always a 'must see' when we have people from out of town visiting us. Anyway, we wanted a place that had a large patio with a menu that would appeal to any palette. * As mentioned by others, the patio here is quite big - they seem to be able to take any size group. When I went to the washroom, I noticed that the décor inside was nice as well. * Both food and drink menus were extensive, albeit expensive. You're definitely paying for the ambiance, but the food is pretty good too. As an appetizer, we had the oysters that came with three sauces: cocktail sauce, a hot/spicy sauce, and a vinegar/cucumber sauce. For my main, I ordered the Thai Curry Mussels with frites; the portion was quite large. * Reservations (which are needed) can be made conveniently on-line. * Service was great; our server was very friendly. Good for: celebrations, patio, drinks, tourists read more

Commenting purely on oysters and beer here peeps. My boyfriend and I came here two Sundays ago after some St. Paddy's Day celebrating. We ordered the Shucker's Dozen, which was a selection of various types of oysters. Each of us ordered a beer to have with the seafood. My boyfriend's first beer was poured and it said it seemed "skunk" smelling. He is quite the beer connoisseur, so I believe he knew what he was talking about. Our waiter was very professional and kind about getting him something else. My beer tasted just fine to me! I really enjoyed the oysters, loved the three different sauces accompanying the meal and also the fresh horseradish (oh how I love you!). My BF did eat an oyster that he said had some yucky grit in it, for which I have to remove one star. If you are an oyster house, something like that should not happen to your customers, especially when you pay $3 - $5 dollars a morsel and you have to leave it behind in your napkin. Overall, I enjoyed our visit but will most likely not rush back. read more

Every single meal we had was amazing. We really enjoyed the variety of different tastes each of our meals had. Service was good nothing special, inside was pretty good, chairs outside were a bit uncomfortable. Always pretty views in the distillery. read more

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Came by here because a friend recommended the place and I had a wonderful experience. The place was beautiful. The interior and atmosphere was very cozy and I loved the brick walls which was what was left over from when this place used to be a large distillery or part of one. To start off, we ordered 2 of their dozen oysters from different regions. I can't say enough about their oysters and how fresh they tasted. It was as if they went to the ocean in their backyard and plucked them right there and then served them to you.. that's how fresh they tasted. I loved their homemade sauces as well as the staples of cocktail and horseradish sauces. I was very pleased with the oysters. For Dinner I ordered their Yellowfin Tuna that came with black eyed peas, bell peppers, millet hash and egg sabayon. To be honest though, I thought the portion was pretty small compared to the price. The tuna itself was cooked to perfection though but I can't say I liked the egg sabayon. Overall, I wasn't really impressed with the dish. Service was excellent. The server was very attentive and the manager came by and greeted us and we had small talk. Good experience but very pricey. Would come again but occasionally since it is so expensive.. at least for me. read more

Pure Spirits - Yellowfin Tuna seared rare with black eyed peas, bell peppers, millet hash and egg sabayon - Seafood Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Pretty awesome place. We were looking to actually eat at El Catrin right across but the lines was wayyyyy too long. Every other restaurant had a 2 hour wait but we were lucky enough to have the owner give us a reservation later on in the night for Pure Spirits. We had to wait about half an hour past our reservation for us to prepare our tables but we were a big group and I thought it was pretty fair. I was worried about it being pricey and it kind of is; average of about $23-25 for a pasta entree, $30-40ish for steaks, and lobster is $50. I ended up getting a funky salad with poached shrimp, chayote, chillis, etc which goes by the name of Cold Noodles. The food took about 20 minutes to come out but everyone loved their food and all the servers were kind and patient despite our large group. I recommend this restaurant, maybe for some special occasions rather than a casual night out :) read more

Pure Spirits - Cold Noodles. - Seafood Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Pure Spirits was a great find that was recommend by the front desk at the Sheraton hotel. My friend and I arrived at 7:30pm on Sunday and were seated immediately since we had a reservation, though the restaurant was not fully occupied. Our glasses were promptly filled with chilled water, and was topped up throughout the meal by our efficient, but cool waiter. The recommendation of Prince Edward Island mussels cooked in the lemongrass sauce was excellent and were served with delicious sides of garlic ciabatta bread. Warm ciabatta rolls and butter were served, which was perfect for dipping in the extra sauce. The grilled calamari salad was fresh and tasted excellent with the balsamic dressing. The pork chop schnitzel was well-portioned and relatively lean, accompanied with a creamy risotto and autumn vegetables. Dessert was a bread pudding shared between us, which proved to be an excellent end to the meal. Overall Pure Spirits was a fine choice and highly recommended - the food and ambiance can't be beat (we loved the music track) and pricing was par with other restaurants in the same class, with entrees generally ranging from $20-30. read more

Pure Spirits - Evening setting at Pure Spirits - Seafood Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

We ordered burger and linguini. Both just average The burger was ok and the chocolate shake is just a joke... mostly foam ;) my favorite part was the bread and butter :)) read more

Pure Spirits - Burger Linguini - Seafood Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

A good place to go for some drinks on the patio - their patio is huge. It wraps around the restaurant on the left and then continues into a larger area in the back. The oyster selection is excellent and starts with your standard cheapy malpeque oyster to the more expensive kaipara. Drinks selection is also good but not great. They have a good assortment of mixed drinks along with a hand full of beer choices and wines. I got a mill street organic in the bottle and my friend got their seasonal beer, a delicious Quebecois beer called la fin du monde. The oysters came out with 3 sauces: seafood sauce, mango sauce, and cucumber/onion mignonette. I didn't think any of the sauces were that great although the mango one was interesting. There was also freshly grated horseradish (very important!), tobasco and lime. I'll be back to try their dinner/lunch menu for sure. I was eyeing the lobster as it was being carried out to another table! Service was very friendly. Parking can be found either at the large green p nearby on the streets surrounding the distillery which are also green ps. read more

Pure Spirits - Cheers! - Seafood Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Worst restaurant in all of Distillery District. Came here with my grandparents and boyfriend for brunch and didn't have any expectations. As we headed towards the patio seats I noticed the patio was basically empty compared to every other restaurant we walked by. I didn't think anything of it and we sat down. The menu is extremely small.. -Of the 3 or 4 entrée options they all contained pork. -2 salads to choose from that had too many toppings and tasted horrible! I don't even remember the rest because everything looked disgusting. My boyfriend ordered a side of sweet potato fries for his brunch ...if that doesn't say the menu was small I don't know what else to say. The server was missing half the time and the patio was too big to even wave anybody down if we needed something. All I can say is they need a way bigger menu to cater to more people.. And stop making everything so "fancy" sounding and actually make good tasting simple food. read more

Pure Spirits - Only go for the Mussels.. - Seafood Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Only had oysters and a mojito and I was happy! Staff was super friendly and attentive and gave me some local recommendations. I'd come back and try their food another time. read more

I tend to have an expensive taste for food (actually, an expensive taste for everything, yikes!), so my boyfriend brought me to Pure Spirits in the Distillery District. The atmosphere was very nice, it was quiet inside, and I loved the decor of the restaurant. Lots of wooden paneling and decorative wine bottles. Plenty of booths as well! The area where the oysters are shucked are right by the bar, so you can see a bit of what the oyster chef is doing. Our server was very chill, laid back, and friendly. He had great customer service, and props to him because he was the only server for the entire restaurant at the time! The price isn't too bad, the oyster menu has a large variety of various oysters from the east coast or the west coast. The price for the oysters go from $3-$5. I recommend going on Tuesdays, where Fanny Bay oysters are half off ($1.50). For the rest of the dishes, the price ranges from around $15-$25 for mains. For my visit, I ordered 10 Fanny Bay oysters, 1 angel oyster, and 1 valentine oyster. My boyfriend ordered fish and chips, which I believe costed him $14.95. The fish and chips came with a great amount of fries, and two LARGE pieces of fish, with a side of tartar sauce. I loved the oysters, it was all very fresh and chilled, coming on a bed of ice. It also came with 3 sauces; a red hot seafood sauce, mango puree sauce, and vinegar and cucumber sauce. I loved all three. My only beef with this meal: I found a small, unidentified, wiggling little worm like...creature?...in my valentine oyster. I wasn't too worried about it being a tape worm or anything crazy, i understand that it was probably picked up from the waters or tank, and missed during the shucking and cleaning process. It honestly looked like some algae like creature. My server was very apologetic and came back with TWO more valentine oysters on the house. Now that's a recovery! Overall, I'd definitely come back, these were the freshest oysters I've ever had. read more

Pure Spirits - A sneak peak at my tray of oysters! Fanny bay oysters pictures here. - Seafood Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

The menu is very innovative, we took of stars as we had a reservation for a party of 6 arrived before our time we were not seated as they still had to clear the table which is fine .. no problem once the full party arrived we still had to wait and was told the reservation cannot be guaranteed so we will sit you smack in the middle . All in all great food , good company and stiff juices just lost a few stars for the reservations! read more

Pure Spirits - Salmon with Israeli black lentils - Seafood Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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As much as we enjoyed oysters there a few weeks ago, disappointed now. Customer service either suck or extremely stupid. Called for reservations last night. No reservations. But you cannot get there without a reservation. Weirdos! Just say you don't want any business. There are plenty of other oyster bars around. read more

Did they think PURE means without any spices or flavors???? Every dish we ordered here was cooked for people with blood pressure of 200 or above. I don't cook, but I know I can cook better than these "cooks". It's like they hired a bunch of dishwashers to do all the prep AND be line cook. Actually, i correct myself, if dishwashers cooked food, they will have flavor. DISH SOAP flavor, but these dishes did not have ANY flavor. On top of all that, front of the house staff were friendly, but moving at a snail's pace. I'd rather wipe my a$$ with that plastic Canadian money and set it on fire than spend another penny at this horror house of no flavor. Anyway, if you are wondering here is what we ordered: -Caesar Salad: looked like it drowned in Hurricane Harvey, but rain was replaced with Caesar dressing. (Yes, I apologize, this was the only thing that had any flavor) -Crab Gratin: stay away -Mussels and Fries: looked like frozen mussels swimming in dark colored piss water... again WITHOUT flavor... -Fish and Chips: now this.. THIS really shocked me. breading on the fish was not seasoned... fish itself was not seasoned... this fish NEVER tasted salt or any seasoning in its life... like EVER!! Chips... french fries... THANK GOD FOR KETCHUP!!!! -Lobster Pappardelle: you know pasta was cooked well just NO FLAVOR AGAIN!! it was swimming in butter though so that was i guess.... good? -Salmon and Egg brunch thing I don't remember what its called, but doesn't matter it tasted like one of those fake food display models PS their bread is really good. comes out warm and with salted butter. read more

Have been here a couple times - once for lunch and most recently for dinner during summerlicious. Nice atmosphere - elegant yet casual with a spacious patio in the summer. Service is average - nothing to write home about but adequate. I had a mixed green salad which was fresh and simple. The pan roasted halibut was delicious, served with buttery mashed potatoes. The trio of desserts included a chocolate cake, tiramisu-esque cake, and one more that was apparently unmemorable. Overall, solid place to eat if you're in the Distillery District. It's my fall back place when Archeo is closed for private functions (as it often is, especially in the summer. the last time I went they were filming a TV show there) and if you don't feel like spending too much $$$ (i.e. Boiler House) but still want a nice, sit-down meal. read more

3.5 for food, 4 for service Went here for lunch and ordered the slow roast lamb sandwich, my friend ordered the kalbi beef (Korean short rib) sandwich with a kimchi slaw in it. The lamb sandwich was ok...it had some pesto oil/cilantro sauce thing on it which I think ruined the lamb. Now I love me some cilantro so when I say it ruined the flavour..that says a lot. The kalbi beef sandwich was DELICIOUS. I could eat that all day! The server we had (I forgot his name) couldn't have been more pleasant! He asked if we wanted lemon or lime slices for our water and was extremely polite - but not in that fake ass way. Never overbearing or pushy. A pleasant time spent here - I would come back just for that sandwich!! read more

Went here for one of my birthday lunches a while back and it was great! Oysters were delicious with the home made sauces and I really enjoyed their tuna tartare. Service is great but a little pushy... But the food makes up for it. Sit outside in the summer and you'll be in a happy place ;) read more

When the sun is out, it's patio time! I wasn't a huge fan of the sangria. It was a tad heavy on the ice and not so much on the flavour. For $10 a glass, that's the price you have to pay to sit and bask in the glorious sun. The fries were yummy. The calamari was strange. The batter was too... White. I like a golden brown, crisp coating. This wasn't it. The calamari itself was very tender though. Our friends ordered a plate of a dozen oysters. $3 each was about right. They seemed to enjoy them. It's tough to get a decent spot on a beautiful day. I guess this place was alright. read more

As shared appetizers we had the oyster sampler, po' boys, calamari and steamed mussels I'd have to say you should pass up the po' boys as they had barely any oysters in them, more like bread and coleslaw. As for the calamari, its 4 tempura fried pieces for 13 dollars, over priced and nothing special. The oysters and mussels were however quite tasty and fresh. As for main entrees, my boyfriend and I had linguini with seafood and mac and cheese. The mac and cheese was tasty yet the mussel in the linguini was not fresh and left a disgusting odour and taste, I ended up leaving it behind. Service was average, I've had better experiences elsewhere. read more

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I love Pure Spirits. The oysters are the best. The service is excellent. It's a great place to relax and enjoy a nice glass of wine. The raspberry point oysters from P.E.I. today hit the spot. This time I also had the chopped salad. Fresh and light with chicken, avocado, asparagus, chick peas and roasted corn with romaine lettuce. My husband had the Ahi Tuna Tartar and the Lake Erie pickerel which had a lovely crispy skin. So good. read more

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Came here around 6pm (on a Tuesday) during the Christmas market and there was a lineup outside of ~6-7 people. We spoke to the hostess and she said we didn't have to wait if we were ok with sitting at the bar. We quickly agreed to the bar seats since the line at boiler house (right across) was even longer. Their Tuesday special was $1.50 for selected oysters. Excellent deal! The oysters, sauces, and freshly grated horse radish were delicious. Also ordered a main salmon dish. Forgot the full name but it was something like hot smoked Sally. This dish was VERY SMALL in portion...the whole meal was slightly bigger than a hockey puck. It was delicious but not very filling on its own. Honestly, I don't think it was worth paying $27 for. Ambiance is great and cozy. Overall, nice place for taking your special someone for a romantic date. If you're looking for something a little more economical, walk around the distillery, there are a few restaurants not so close to the main area that has a smaller line and are more budget-friendly. read more

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Three of us wandered in out of the cold on Tuesday afternoon, while exploring the Christmas Market. We were greeted at the door and advised that the wait time was nominal...we were seated once a booth was cleared for us (less than 5 minutes). The decor is outstanding...warm woods, exposed beams, gorgeous original hard wood floors...it is exactly what you expect a restaurant in the area to possess. Our server was over shortly after we were seated, told us the specials (oysters were $1.50/each) and off she went to get us water. She returned a few minutes later to take our order. She was spectacular....clearly explained the condiments for the oysters (when she brought them out) and was warm and friendly. So far, so good. I ordered the Buffallo chicken Mac and Cheese. It was described as smothered in a cheese sauce....what I got certainly didn't live up to the menu's description...it was fairly dry pasta (from sitting under a heat lamp too long) with very LITTLE cheese. If it weren't for the Buffallo sauce from the chicken, it would have been flavourless and awful. The Buffallo chicken tossed in was ok....but they tasted like frozen chicken fingers, diced up, tossed in Buffallo sauce. Totally disappointing....would not recommend....esp. at a $23 price point. Person 2 ordered the catfish sandwich. Came with coleslaw (on top of the catfish) with a side salad and fries. He said it was amazing, flavourful and moist. The fries were fantastic ( I stole a few) ......he thoroughly enjoyed it....although the bun was way too big for the size of fish he got (he ended up leaving a good portion of the bun on his plate as it was a lot of bread). The third person ordered oysters (started with 6 and then ordered 6 more). They came with a spicy mango sauce, a cucumber relish and cocktail sauce with horseradish. She loved them. LOVED THEM. She also ordered some sort of fish ball (I think the menu referred to them as poppers) which were composed of various types of seafood (crab, etc) rolled into bite sized balls, breaded and fried. She raved about them.....but her hilight were the oysters. So, although I'd classify my meal as "dreadful", my dining companions enjoyed theirs immensely. Ambiance is amongst the best. Dinner, as described above with a glass of advertised wine ($15 for 8oz), a beer and a Diet Coke came to around $110. read more

Pure Spirits - Seafood Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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One of my favourite places in the distillery district. I've had their seafood Mac and cheese and their oysters of course. A little pricey but it comes with the atmosphere and the food. Would go for special occasions for sure. To Rik. O: sorry just noticed your msg! I definitely look forward to patio weather for our spirits :) read more

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My girlfriends and I came here on an EXTREMELY hot and sunny day. We had a table on the patio, which was perfect. It was extremely hot on that day we went but where the patio is located - there are tall buildings so there was wind and it wasn't utterly hot and we were able to enjoy the weather. We first sat at the bar while the staff got our table ready. The bar staff was fun, nice, and friendly. The waiter at our table would forget some things but he was still great. He was friendly and courteous. We ordered a couple dishes and just shared everything. I love family style because I like to have a taste of everything! Traditional provencale mussels: I generally like this dish but i'm going to say It was okay as it was nothing different and special. Chopped salad: this was very refreshing and the perfect had to our meal. I ate around the chickpeas but i'm just not a fan of that! =p Crab and salmon roll: this was good! The crab and salmon on it's own is a little salty but with the brioche bun, it is perfect! Even the fries it comes with is good. Lobster pappardelle: this was AMAZING. I definitely need to come back for this dish. I would even recommend another to come here just for this dish! The black truffle cream sauce was perfectly creamy and the lobster pieces were pretty big. Food (Taste): 4/5 Food (Presentation): 3/5 Service: 4/5 Ambiance: 5/5 Price: 3/5 read more

As soon as you walk in, there's a warm atmosphere (lights are dim and staff are friendly). My group of 9 ordered appetizers of oysters, we each had our own main, and we all shared a dessert platter at the end. My main was the Fresh Nova Scotia Lobster Pappardelle. I have to admit, I did eat a late lunch that day so normally my appetite isn't great before eating out. However, I devoured this Pappardelle. It was absolutely delicious. Totally worth it. Would I come back? Hell yeah read more

Pure Spirits - Amazing appetizer to start our dinner. Highly recommended - Seafood Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

This place is great for some cheaper, delicious food. Oysters are pretty good but for me it's all about the lobster & mushroom pappardelle...man I'm dreaming about it right now. Definitely worth taking a look. read more

I hope I arrived on an off night, b/c the service was really questionable. The host was friendly and we were seated promptly on the patio. We ordered drinks + oysters + a few menu items to share. The appetizers arrived first, I would normally expect drinks and oysters first but this was ok. We had to ask for side plates as we were sharing the dishes. One of my friends and I ordered the same cocktail, but hers with gin and mine with vodka. A runner brought them to the table and when we asked which was which, she shrugged and said "how should I know, I was just told to bring them over". She asked if there was an allergy, and we said "no, but we'd like the drinks we ordered" (especially when they are $13+ drinks!). The oysters arrived far later than the drinks and apps and there weren't any accouterments or little forks with them. We repeatedly had to ask for more water, and when more guests joined us, we had to ask if they could order something. Overall I really enjoyed the food and cocktails - but expected far more from the service. read more

Stopped in for some oysters and bubbly! Service was friendly and attentive, and the few dishes we had were great! read more

Pure Spirits - Seafood Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Cute little spot in the distillery district. Reasonably priced I had the fish and chips. Can't complain food tasted good with in house made tartar sauce. Staff was friendly I would go again if I was in the area. read more

Monday night at Pure Spirits was great! Started with a freshly shucked variety of oysters, then onto some fish cakes - a little too breaded for us but not bad. Yellowfin Tuna atop delicious quinoa and kale salad for dinner was great and our server, Nolan suggested just the right wine to accompany the fish! Distillery District always a great place to visit and Pure Spirits is definitely a highlight! read more

Pure Spirits - Yellowfin Tuna with Quinoa and Kale Salad - Seafood Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Came here for summerlicious in July 2017 and the quality of food was not as expected. The portions were small, and 3/4 of the plate was covered by fries. Some might like that, but I would prefer a larger sandwich or fried cod portion. Also, the cubano sandwich came in a half-sandwich portion... unless someone can tell me otherwise and the cubano sandwich a la carte (not part of summerlicious menu) is also a half-sandwich, the portions should not be that different between summerlicoius and the a la carte menu. If the portions are the same between both menus, then the overall portions are just small and food is overpriced for what it's worth. read more

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This is by far Toronto's best Oyster house. The service and the food quality is number one. We feel extremely welcomed every time we come here, and BEN is our favourite server. He always the best of everything in this restaurant. You must try this restaurant. read more

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I was looking to find a place to satisfy a small group of us away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Toronto. I wanted an excuse to visit the Distillery district as well so I picked this place. Opentable had good timings so we rolled the dice. On site parking is close by on several lots. Once you find a spot, you make your way thru the Distillery districts brick streets and quaint shops. Once you walk in, you are greeted by a quiet, seemingly fancy place with warm colors and textures and a big bar. I've visited this place 3 times and each time I get a booth on the wall. They have a gluten free menu along with an extensive wine and cocktail list. Enough to satisfy anybody. In my multiple visits, I have tried the Salmon Mac and Cheese, the Black Truffle lobster pappardelle and the fresh salmon. Each and every time, the dishes tasted amazing. The service has been excellent as well. Very attentive. Our final bills end up in the $50 range with tax and tip. I find that to be a fair price for the quality of food offered. read more

Pure Spirits - Seafood Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I just got home from Pure Spirits and I'm still confused as to what just happened. My friend lives in the Distillery district and we frequently visit restaurants in the area. Being avid seafood/oyster fans, we have been wanting to try it here for a while. We usually go to Rodney's on King, and wanted to try something new and close by. My friend and I ordered the $36 dozen oyster mix to start. Followed by two "New England Clam Chowders." We were then going to share an order of mussles. The oysters were not the best (I've had better, had worse.) Our main issue started the second the "clam chowder" was brought to us. Honestly - Campbell's makes better Clam Chowder than what was presented to us tonight. The soup tasted worse than canned, and barely had any clams in it. It did however have corn and celery.... and was extremely bland and watered down. I was starving so I ate it anyway (the slow service did not help) - but my friend was truly disgusted, and could not finish hers. When our waiter arrived back, he asked how the soup was. My friend told him she did not want hers (and maybe only had eaten two spoonfuls.) I then chimed in telling him that I was also not so impressed. His response was something along the lines of "that's a shame." No apology. No nothing. Apparently our waiter took this complaint personally, and refused to serve us for the rest of the night. Would not refill our water, would walk straight past us, and would not even make eye contact. It felt brutally uncomfortable each time he would walk by and literally snub us. (He was talkative and friendly before this happened.) Our mussels were then brought out by a different waiter and our water was now being refilled by the hostess. When we complained about the soup, it was done in a polite and casual way - we were by no means rude about it. And this treatment from someone in the service industry was completely unacceptable. Needless to say, we couldn't even enjoy our mussels due to this awkward experience. We did not even finish them. Our bill came to over $100 , and they didn't even remove the $11 uneaten soup. Based on this unfortunate experience, we will not return, and would not recommend. read more

We went to dinner there last night with a relative from out of town. The atmosphere is great and I loved the decor. We were served by Dom ( I hope I'm spelling his name right, he's originally from Algeria) he was extremely polite, thoughtful, and gave us great suggestions: the Pappardelle was amazing and the cod was divine! One thing I appreciate is that he kept refilling our waters, I know its silly but many restaurants don't do this enough. I will definitely return on a Tuesday to try the $1.50 oysters. read more

Probably one of the handful of times in my life where I refuse to finish. First, warm bread, totally promising. But should have known when the hostess (there were 3 of them) took 7 minutes and 28 seconds to come back (and yes, I timed them). Had to wave my arms like a crazy madman before anyone came, but that's ok, I'm a little crazy so who cares. But then the food. Caesar salad, absolutely drenched in dressing. Mussels, seriously? 2x frozen mussels? You think people wouldn't notice? And seriously, you don't have to use half a bottle of olive oil. Fish and chips.... wow... just wow... first of all, undercooked. Second, the batter was 3-4 times the size of cod, which would have been ok, except NOTHING WAS SEASONED. If you want to taste oil with undercooked fish with batter, yup, order this by all means. Moving on, the crab gratin. Let me just say this. It is incredibly, let me repeat that, INCREDIBLY difficult to make crab taste like crap. The crab in gratin, of all things where you infuse cream then bake, dryer than my elbow. Wow. WOW. Lastly, if you are going to charge almost $30 for a lobster pasta, please have more lobster than 2 knuckles and 1 knuckle size tail and 2 leg meats. I won't even go into the soup of the day. I felt like I was Gordon Ramsay filming an episode of kitchen nightmare. You should, by now, know what the answer is when you are at the distillery, where should I eat? The bread was excellent, I had 5 ciabatta bread, so I at least didn't go hungry. read more

I've been here a few times and have never been impressed (never again). The reason that it is an "unfortunate place to go" could be that it is in a tourist area and they don't think that they need to try. They aren't looking for repeat business. Perhaps Pure Spirits know that there are lots of chumps that will be wowed by their patio and get drawn in light a moth to a flame. Food is substandard and the service is too. This place needs to really improve. It's a shame really, the only reason that I gave them two stars is because of the atmosphere. **don't go here unless you have an expense account, lots of time and really don't care about food** read more

Long waiting for the drinks and food to arrive... Very pricey. The portions are rather small. Go there just if you are a real oyster lover.

Food was fine enough. Service was disastrous. My girlfriend ordered the seared Ahi tuna and I had the arctic char, and we split a dozen oysters to start. Everything was going smoothly until, post-oysters, a server brought out our main courses -- a Nicoise Salad for my girlfriend and a "halibut" for myself. (I put "halibut" in quotation marks, because as I suspected -- and as I discuss below -- it was not, in fact, halibut.) We told her that's not what we ordered and it must be the wrong table. She apologized and went back inside to conference with the waiter. 15 minutes later she came back with our Nicoise Salad and arctic char. The "halibut" had been miraculously transformed into arctic char, as it was clearly the same "halibut" we were shown before, only now 15 minutes older. (Not sure how the server thought that it could be halibut, given there was no halibut on the menu). Meanwhile, the Nicoise Salad was the same Nicoise Salad we did not order, which we had to reiterate. At this point our waiter came out to apologize that we must have ordered off the dinner menu by accident as "the only seared tuna item on the lunch menu is the Nicoise Salad." He's only about a quarter right: my girlfriend did indeed (inexplicably) receive a dinner menu when we sat down, although we realized it was the dinner menu when we were discussing what we wanted to order and confusedly couldn't find on our menus what the other wanted to eat. In any case, we did order off the lunch menu -- THE SAME LUNCH MENU POSTED ON THE RESTAURANT'S WEBSITE (http://www.purespirits.ca/lunch) -- which clearly has a seared tuna entree in addition to a Nicoise Salad. Moreover, when he took our order initially, he confirmed we didn't want the Nicoise Salad (!). What really pisses me off is how somehow this was our fault for "ordering off the dinner menu." I'm always surprised when a restaurant puts the blame on the customer, and in this case, it's bizarrely inexcusable. Moreover, the restaurant made no gesture to us for the inconvenience or the fact that we ended up waiting over 30 minutes to finally receive our main courses. (A comped glass of wine or two would've been nice...at least it would've shown some effort or acknowledgement of error.) I left an 8% tip but I'm getting worked up writing this review and feel like I shouldn't have left anything. P.S. I should also mention one of our friends got his main course before his salad. read more

Came here for BFs Mom's Birthday, we ordered: -Seafood linguine (mom said she liked it) -Mussels and Parmesan & rosemary fries. (I enjoyed this, just bummed that the fries were really nothing special) -BBQ Baby Back Ribs (BF did not like the BBQ sauce they used, he also did not like the fact that fries were not a side...) -Side of fries (were good but went stale really fast when cold) I had asked the hostesses if they were able to do anything small but special for birthdays, and was told nothing complimentary but they can put a candle maybe? I asked if maybe they could write something on a plate and they said no. That kind of made me disappointed. If low end and other high end restaurants were able to do something little on desserts we ordered then I don't understand why they could not do something special for occasions here. Our server was basic, he did not bother to make conversation with us. Just came by and asked us what we wanted to order. Did not go out of his way to be nice nor bothered to ask us how we liked our meal. After we got our oysters I asked for bread...he would not have brought it out. I don't really understand if every table gets bread or only certain ones. Because if so, the bread is really slow. For the price of our meal, I feel like the service should have been higher. I felt like we were shoved away and rushed in and out. The food was nice but the service was lacklustre. I'm sorry if I sound picky, but I really wanted it to be a special night for my BFs mom. read more