Love! It's the food you know and love with an upgrade. Quality ingredients, innovative recipes. Plus the service is impeccable.

We arrived late in the evening and were seated quickly. As other parties were finishing up their meals it became quieter, but the music was pounding away. Hard to hear each other, hard to hear the server. In the meantime, the food was delicious. Just delicious. Every plate was interesting. It is nicely presented and explained. The steak tartare was perfect. The staff seemed to work well with each other, in and out of the kitchen. The atmosphere was friendly and unrushed. But the food was definitely the star. read more

Wanted to celebrate my son's 30th birthday somewhere special but fun. My daughter suggested Rasa and although I hadn't heard of it, I decided to give it a try. WOW! What an incredible evening. Spectacular service, sensational food, creative presentation and phenomenal ambiance. Each dish was better than the next and believe me, I think we tried them all!. Six of us likely ate enough food for 10 but it was worth the calories. The variety of flavours and textures tickled our tongues with each bite. Never have we enjoyed falafel, cabbage rolls, fresh tuna and corn muffins so much. And those are only a few of the many dishes we had the privilege of devouring! Honestly, I cannot say one negative thing about Rasa except that maybe I am over-the-top full and wonderfully satisfied. Thank you Rasa for providing my family and I with a memorable dinner that was delicious, inventive and better than anything I have tasted in a very, very long time! read more

What a surprise!!!! Went there on Friday April 8th.The food is stunning and you can literally see that the chef is working every piece that is place on your dish. It is flavorful, super tasty and well balanced. The restaurant is well decorated and the music nice. Staff is super nice and will make sure that you have everything you need without you noticing them. The only thing that was missing is a basket of bread. Mini muffin are great and can't replace the bread (too rich). read more

Crazy good place! Feels like a New York spot, a below street level gem. Try the chop salad (amazing tastes!) And the lamb speducci. Definitely coming back. read more

What an amazing, well rounded spot! The beef tartare with beef dipped chips was absolutely outstanding and packed with flavour. The brussel sprouts are incredibly crispy and delicious. A must try! Their salads are amazing as well. The burger is one of the better ones in the city as well- perfectly juicy and very flavourful. Excellent bun as well! The truffle gnocchi is another star! Ridiculously flavourful and filling. We've also tried specials like the french onion dumplings which are so different and unique. Amazing drinks as well. Honestly, it's so consistent and delicious! A must attend. read more

This is probably the worst dining experience I've encountered in the downtown area. Service is terrible, waiters and waitresses are snobby and I felt like they didn't want to work there. Portions are ridiculously small even though the menu is "meant for sharing". Definitely would not recommend to ANYONE. read more

This place is absolutely top notch! All around. I suggest letting your server or the host choose the menu for you, as it's constantly changing and packed full of very interesting things you might otherwise miss. This place is about nuance. The chef's put a lot of thought into the details. For example, we had a very unique take on a make-your-own shwarma (think fajitas but with braised lamb, freshly made pita, and pickled vegetables). Presentation was beautiful. It was potentially the best thing I've ever eaten in a restaurant in my entire life. Cocktails are made by professionals, with quality ingredients. Atmosphere is made even more special if you remember Momo's (the middle eastern place that used to occupy the space). The Rasa guys have turned this place into a beauty and in general have created another great addition to the neighbourhood. read more

Looking for a way to beat back the Monday blahs? Rasa has a special set Monday dinner accompanied by live music. This definitely makes Mondays more tolerable by having something to look forward to that night! To start off our work week right, my wife and I decided to head out to Rasa. The dinner started off with a small snack and that was a potato chip topped off with cheese, beans and other goodies. It may have been small, but it was a delicious start to the meal. Next up was their chopped salad, which was shared between myself and my wife. Neither my wife nor I get too enthused by salads, but this one was an interesting mix. It contained a number of veggies and other ingredients that went very well together, and I loved the use of crispy chickpeas in it. After the salad, we each received our own appetizers, which you can choose from a slate of three. We ended up choosing the po boy bites and the cauliflower fritters. We both enjoyed these two dishes, but they weren't too memorable. Finally, we get to our mains, where again, we each choose our own from three options. I got their cheese steak sandwich which was packed with thinly sliced beef tongue, melted cheese and slathered with sauce, all between two slices of cheddar focaccia bread. This sandwich was surprisingly good! The bread was so soft and the tongue was nice and tender. This was one of the best tasting sandwiches that I have had recently. My wife got the grilled octopus, which she really enjoyed. Certain parts of the octopus were just a tad mushy, but the pork belly was so good! The sweet glaze on that crispy pork belly made it really tasty. Even though the dinner ends with a small sweet snack (for that night, it was a piece of fudge), we opted to get the full sized dessert since it was just five dollars. What we got was full plate of chocolate chip waffles, chocolate granola and vanilla pudding. It all made for a nice dessert. Overall, we had a fantastic night out! The food and service were both great, plus we got to enjoy it all while listening to a live band playing some cover songs. read more

Fresh, creative dishes that aren't over worked. The staff are also quite nice. Very casual dinning room.

This is one of my favorite restaurants. Delicious inventive menu, cool atmosphere and super friendly staff! Just go!

We've only eaten Sunday bunch there, but it is our favourite hang over spot. Everything is delectable, but the breakfast steak burger is the absolute bomb. Everyone is very nice, the coffee is perfectly brewed and the atmosphere is trendy. read more

I had heard great things about Rasa, and was really looking forward to our meal here but our meal was a big let down. We went on a Monday and ordered the set menu. The chopped salad was average at best. The fried chicken did not have the crunchy on the outside, juicy on the inside feel that I expect from great fried chicken (try Guu, or Brock's sandwich Fried Chicken, both are legit) My girlfriend had the trout which was also mediocre. For dessert we had two chocolate chip cookies with wasabi drizzle on the side. The wasabi drizzle was a nice touch but the cookies were weak....a step above chips ahoy soft cookies. The positives from this place was that the burger was above average and the service was solid. I wish I could say better things as I wanted to like this place, but in my opinion it was very mediocre and overhyped by many people. read more

This restaurant is in the Harbord Village neighborhood, near the University. You descend a few stairs to enter the establishment which gives is a rathskeller aesthetic. All tables were filled, so I ate at the bar. Very interesting and eclectic menu, and the food was very good. read more

This is one of my favourite restaurants in the city! Came here with a bunch of self-proclaimed Foodie's for the first time and then many times after. Incredible food, excellent service. Highly, highly recommend this restaurant! read more

Absolutely loved our visit to Rasa. The ambiance is amazing - cool but unpretentious with a great patio and a warm, open feel inside, plus a great view to the kitchen. Staff were attentive and friendly. The food was really delicious. Particular standouts were the fish board, the cabbage rolls, the chopped salad (I could eat this every day) and the steak tartare. Reasonable portions and really thoughtful flavour combinations - inventive yet familiar. Good drinks, too. We will be back! read more

Amazing and unique sharing dishes and mains. Great dirk menu n wine selection. Will be back for sure!

Fantastic meal - everything about it was great. Thought the place had a really cool design/aesthetic. Great music. Amazing service. The food was delicious. We got the cheese biscuits to start (they are comped) and it was a great way to kick of the meal. Delicious. We shared the po boy sliders and dumplings as apps and both were extremely tasty. Our mains were the spare ribs which were so tender and flavorful, I was thoroughly impressed. We also had the fish special which came with a mushroom risotto with bacon. A perfect blend. Dessert was a sticky bun which was the perfect way to top it off. I also had 2 different cocktails (the whiskey one and tequilia one) which were substantial and tasty. Cannot recommend this place enough. Will be back soon! read more

Definitely deserving of all the wonderful reviews. Was here with some friends and we were all very happy with our meals. The rasa snack was lovely to start, and Chopped Salad and Jalapeno poppers delicious apps to share. Octopus was beautifully cooked. Drinks were inventive, tasty and strong! Best part was the super friendly, unpretentious service. Everyone was very warm and welcoming and an extra dessert was even brought out when they heard it was my birthday- such a nice touch. I will definitely be back to try out more on the menu! read more

Favorite restaurant in the city! Delicious food and great service. Come on Monday nights for the Prix fixe. read more

We had an amazing experience at Rasa this evening. We went in a group of 10 and the manager Adam was so accommodating of our requests in organizing the evening. Loved the size and atmosphere of the restaurant. Our server gave us incredible service, very knowledgeable and helpful with menu guidance, attentive and didn't rush us in the slightest. And of course, the food - everything was delicious! Chopped salad totally lived up to the reviews, we also enjoyed the Bangkok bowl, burgers and short rib. Our server even arranged for cheese-free individual portions of our apps for a party member that is lactose intolerant, without us even asking! 10 out of 10 on all counts!! Thanks Rasa! read more

Everything about this place is a 5 star. From the food to the atmosphere and especially the serving staff. Some of the best food I've had in Toronto! read more

Fantastic restaurant. The bangko bowl was out of this world- so tasty and delicious. Our server Mark was very attentive and got us whatever we needed. He also had really good recommendations. Very reasonable prices too. Would definitely go back again soon. read more

It's taken me a while to write this review, but I really needed to. First off, the food here is amazing. I came with a friend on Monday when they have a set menu, and it did not disappoint. In fact we looked at the options we didn't choose and swore we'd return to try those. The only thing that was distracting in a MAJOR way was that there was a photo shoot happening. I'm not using hyperbole, an ACTUAL photoshoot. So, lots of flashes, chairs being moved, tables being bumped into, etc. However, when I mentioned how this impacted our enjoyment to the hostess on the way out, the owner came right over and talked to us - and mentioned how it was a magazine that insisted on shooting during business hours (shame on them IMO if that's really true). I mentioned since we had a reservation (which they called to confirm) any notice would've been nice and he readily agreed and offered a GC as an olive branch. He was attentive and obviously cares about what his patrons think which, to me, makes all the difference. The food already had me sold on the place; but the customer service REALLY made me a return customer. read more

Amazing food -- so many flavors and textures that all work together to create a great dining experience. The Brussel sprouts and octopus were particularly good, but none of our 7 dishes missed the mark. The service was also friendly and attentive, but never rushed. read more

Fantastic restaurant! My favourite industry night in the city....amazing food, great music and the staff are super friendly.

I like that you can make reservations for brunch at Rasa, guaranteeing a seat instead of having to wait like at many other brunch institutions. I was interested in trying this restaurant as it's opened by the people behind Food Dudes food trucks (so good!). I ordered the Rasa Breakfast which included cheddar scrambled eggs, maple smoked bacon, grilled chorizo, latkes, grilled salad & toast. It sure sounds like alot, but what actually arrived was a much much smaller portion than expected. Maybe I was just really hungry and looking forward to a big portion. Every component on the plate was delicious and super flavourful though, just wish there was more. My two girlfriends ordered the Huevos Rancheros which was a vibrantly coloured plate - looking like a larger portion than mine, all served on a large tostada. I will probably order this the next time. Interested in trying the dinner here sometime too! read more

Rasa continues to be one of our favourite restaurants in the city. Just added a summer pea dish that was absolutely amazing. Great food and great people read more

Went to Rasa a few weeks ago and loved the decor and ambience of the restaurant. We sat at the kitchen bar and the service was wonderful. We tried the dumplings, truffle gnudi, veggie slate, and the burger. All of the food was delicious at the time but I had the worst food poisoning of my life afterward and was very surprised and upset after enjoying the meal so much. I hadn't eaten anywhere else before Rasa so I am sure that is what it was from. I am assuming that this does not happen often at Rasa but it was still extremely upsetting that a restaurant of this caliber would allow food contamination to occur. read more

Came here for Sunday brunch, very small space and they put a lotttt of tables there, so place became very pack and barely any room to walk. Food was ok(we ordered chicken waffle benny & ricotta scramble). Service was lacking, do not think they have enough servers for such a busy place. read more

I ate here about 2 months ago so I cannot recall exactly what we had. I can say however, that my friend and I were loving almost everything we ordered. If we did not love it, it was due to personal taste, not the fault of the chef, and I am fairly certain we still licked our plates clean. We came on a fixed menu Monday and ordered differently so that we could share. The four stars is because I'll have to come back on my next trip to try it all again, it's probably deserving of a 5. The service was fantastic. When they brought dessert we didn't eat it as we don't like nuts in our sweets. When we hesitantly expressed this, only because our server wanted to know why we barely touched it, he exclaimed, "OH! we have some without nuts! I wish you had told me." Not expecting for him to bring us anything else (we were stuffed at this point and didn't need to eat more), he brought out the nutless brownies. They were totally worth feeling over the top full for. I cannot wait to come back! read more

One of my favourite restaurants in the city. Highly recommend the tasting menu! Great price and huge portions - we left stuffed. Friendly service, and very accommodating. You can also request specific dishes that you'd like to try. read more

I want to give this resto more than 2 stars because the food is EXCELLENT! But I just do not have consistent good experiences with the service....The first time we went our server was almost aggressive with us. The second time was in August 2016 and we had the best time. Our server was so awesome and we were like 'we have to come back here all the time, it's so hard to find good service in the city' (and we aren't high maintenance at all...I'm really not expecting/asking for too much here haha)..Then we came back with my mom and once again the service was just 'meh'. (The food was so good every time though).... read more

We tried the Brooklyn Tequila cocktail, Chopped Salad, Street Corn, Albacore Tuna and Secreto Pork. All are highly recommended. Staff were also excellent. We showed up without a reservation but they fit us in on the patio after a less than expected wait. A very enjoyable visit. read more

My girlfriend picked this place for my birthday dinner and it was fantastic! Had the chopped salad, fish board and burger, all were great. Looking forward to going back and trying a few more of their offerings! read more

I have never written a review before but my experiences at Rasa have been so incredible that I feel compelled to do so. Food: I have tried all the food on the menu (although I do have to say, other than a few favourites, I did notice that they change up their menu often enough) and it's all amazing but I especially love their burger which is done perfectly with a super tasty sauce, toppings and a brioche bun that all go so well together (it was voted one of the top burgers in Toronto and definitely lives up to the title). The Bangkok Bowl is also one of my favourites, again with the tuna cooked perfectly, crispy calamari and bright mango jicama slaw. The chopped salad (also voted one of the top chopped salads in Toronto) has amazing crunch with the crispy chickpeas and great flavours. It was so delicious, my friend was actually scrapping the side of the bowl with her finger to get any remaining dressing. But seriously, they know how to make good food here and you really can't go wrong with any of items on the menu. Ambiance: I love how inside it's really beautifully done but feels cozy and comfortable at the same time. The small space and open kitchen gives it an intimate feeling. They have a great wrap around patio outside as well. I also like how it's not douchey our sceney here. And Monday nights they have live music, which is a bonus to their $40 set menu and $5 drinks! Service: I can't say enough good things about the service. They really go above and beyond. Everyone, from the servers to the hostess to the bartenders to the managers to the cooks are all so incredibly nice, friendly and on point with the service. I have to say that Tess, on the management team, and Moar, one of the servers, are incredible and make you feel like family there (but not in an uncomfortable, over the top way). I also really like how last night, when part of my party was an hour behind the rest of us, they didn't rush us to order even though the place was full. And then when my party unexpectedly turned out to be too large for where we were seated (I had booked our reservation at the Chef's Bar because that was all that was available at the time of booking), the manager was so accommodating and moved us to a table when it became available. I took a break from going to Rasa about a year ago just because I had gone so much the year before that I felt like I should try other places, but after going again last night for my birthday, I don't know why I ever stopped. The incredible experience made me want to keep going back there again and I would like to share this hidden gem with everyone. There are a lot of great restaurants in Toronto but Rasa consistently over delivers in every category. You won't be disappointed. read more

Service is friendly and patio is nice. We had the burger, chopped salad, spiducci, sticky bun and dessert of the day and they were all incredible! read more

I really wanted to like this place but the service just wasnt there. I had a craving to try octopus and went to Rasa after seeing pictures of other people ordering it. We got seated right away despite not having a reservation. The ambiance was very cool. While ordering drinks the waitress asked if we had any allergies. My date said she was allergic to bell peppers. "Me too!" the waitress replied. We ordered the chop salad and octopus to share. "Great choice". They brought complementary cheese puffs which were delicious. Next the salad comes and sure enough it has bell peppers. Ugh. "Thats ok Ill just pick them out" my date says. But again it was delicious. We asked for another order of cheese puffs because they were so good the first time. Those never came. Then the octopus arrives. Im not exaggerating when i say the portion covered 1/4 of the plate. It looked like garnish without food. Friends have suggested it was likely an appetizer. It would have been a bit better if the waitress had mentioned the small portion when we ordered it specifically to share? Again it was still very tasty. At this point we decided against dessert for fear of being disappointed yet again and left to try a gelato place nearby. All in all it was a bit of a let down. Next time Im in a nice restaurant Ill come better prepared to ask how big the dishes are. read more

One of the best restaurants in Toronto. It combines local charm with creative cooking. The warm atmosphere and friendly staff made for an amazing experience. All of the food was delicious, but I would personally recommend the Rasa Salad and the burger. read more

I went to Rasa last night and I have to say that as someone who eats out a few times a week, this is the best restaurant I've been to in a long time. The atmosphere was cool, comfortable, and trendy - great music, dim lights, and a perfect date spot. The service was excellent and the servers were really helpful explaining each dish. We ordered "the experience" which is an 8 course tasting menu for $60 a person. What was really great about the tasting menu was that we were able to specify which dishes we really wanted to try and they made sure they were part of the tasting menu. We're also not big desert fans so they were able to accommodate and replaced desert dishes with other appetizers. Everything we ate was delicious and there wasn't one thing I wouldn't order again. We had the chopped salad, the "caprese" tuna, dumplings in a smoked chicken broth, jalapeño poppers, roasted vegetable medley, truffle gnudi, bangkok bowl with crispy calamari and a mango/jicima slaw, the hamburger, grilled octopus and glazed pork belly, and steak. Needless to say we were extremely full by the end of the dinner and as the name goes, it definitely was a food "experience." My top choices would be the dumplings and the caprese tuna were definite highlights! If I could make one complaint it would be that the restaurant was really drafty and every time the door opened I could feel the cool breeze at the back of the restaurant - I wore my jacket the whole time but this is something that could easily be fixed by the restaurant. That being said, Rasa is a great new addition to the Toronto restaurant scene and a place I'll definitely be going back soon! read more