Meh. The venue is beautiful and honestly the highlight of the venue is the washroom (as odd as it sounds check it out). The service was kinda cringe inducing as we had a member of our party that had a gluten allergy; however, our server and the manager were constantly contradicting each other. This was fairly confusing as we were dealing with an allergy, but the staff was lacking knowledge on their own product/menu items. That said, when we get to the food it's was very off balance. It's either too salty, too sweet, too sour, but ultimately not good. If you're hungry and looking to have a nice lunch/dinner then I'd recommend passing on Sara since I'll guarantee you'll be let down. However, if you wanna go somewhere and take cute pictures... then maybe Sara, but it's not worth it since you'll be wasting money. read more

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Sara is for sure one of the Food Dudes finest yet. The room has been decorated perfectly and you can really see all the time that was put into making the space perfect. Even with a fully packed room the vaulted ceiling was done in a way so you can actually talk to the person across from you. The storage space on each table for your phone is an excellent way to avoid that bad habit of being on your phone during the meal. The service is excellent but this comes as no surprise as all of their locations have excellent staff. My water glass was never empty and even when busy they took the time to explain the menu, how many dishes would make the perfect meal and explained each plate as it arrived at the table. The flavors of the food were spectacular and the each dish we had was so different in it's own way. You can really see the thought that must have gone into this new menu. I would highly recommend the chopped salad, tempura shrimp, any of the dumplings and the black cod. For something sweet go for the famous carrot cake! This restaurant is perfection. read more

Had a birthday dinner here last night. Food was fantastic - really, everything was so delicious. My favourite was the beef tartare, burrata, chopped salad (a truly noteworthy & fresh salad), the falafel....ok basically everything. Special shoutout to Mahi who took such good care of our group! Really went above and beyond. A true star. Thanks, Mahi! ** apologies if I spelled your name wrong. read more

Amazing service!! Spectacular food!! Presentation is awesome!! Will definitely come back!!

Wow what a delicious tasting menu! I loved every single dish, but the standouts were: chopped salad (which rivals the famous salad at Lee), wagyu sandwich, steak tartare, and chocolate dessert. The interior is minimalist and quiet which is nice - I was actually able to hear my table mates! The server was friendly and knowledgeable, and I left full and happy. Well worth the $89 for the tasting menu. read more

We dined at the beautiful new restaurant SARA last night. Wow! The renovation of this Victorian house on Portland is exquisite. Light wood, white surfaces create an elegant and serene space. The place was full all evening including the gorgeous bar upstairs. The food of this sister restaurant to RASA was superb. Each sharing plate was better than the next and we only tried about a third of the menu. Be sure to try the Reuben, the French Fries, the seafood dumpling, the latke, the Tempura, the Black Cod --- All so innovative and such interesting combinations of flavours. Mobile phone use is discouraged but they are not strict about it and don't leave without trying the washrooms in the basement-- so unique! read more

how did I not find this place earlier? Everything from the interior, to the bathrooms, the service and most importantly the food is amazing. They have both a lunch and dinner menu which are different. I have to come back for dinner as lunch was really good, and very reasonably priced! Definitely a hidden gem in Toronto read more

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I'm happy to be the first to review SARA. As a fan of RASA I was eager to try it and happy that they had their act together on the fourth day of business. To begin, it is definitely a higher price point than RASA but the asian fusion menu is outstanding. Standouts include: hamachi bites, wonton soup dumpling, the ribeye and the chopped salad. The gin highballs we had were fun, fruity and beautiful! The service was informative yet not at all stuffy. I highly recommend SARA and will be back on a special occasion soon! read more

We maid a last minute decision to visit SARA as it has a patio and weather was great. I was expecting it to be all book on Friday night and no place with no reservations. To my surprise the had plenty of tables. With this background, I was not expecting a great experience. Oh boy I was so wrong. The service was really good, the place well decor but the most amazing part is the food. Every tapas dish we ordered was amazingly tasty, complex and well thought out. They surpassed my expectations again and again. The dishes were well at the level of a one Michelin star restaurant. They are small but supper tasty and to my opinion well priced we did not order. We did not order bigger plates as we were not hungry much so 5 plates For 2 was a lite dinner. We also got one complementary dish that I think was the best. I highly recommend the plan and will visit again. read more

Absolutely one of the best meals of my life, the whole experience was utterly fantastic. We ordered the tasting menu ($79) per person and literally everything was unique and delicious. Some standouts being the wagyu beef and the wontons. The toilets are also just insane, pro tip. Cannot reccomend this place enough, even the waitresses outfits matched the decor of the restaurant. read more

Ambience of the place is simple but pretty good. The decor kinda reminds me of Avec in Chicago. Service was very good, they did well in that regard. We had the following: - Hamachi Bites: Loved these!! - French Fries: Were fine but nothing spectacular - Wings: Interesting concept stuffing shrimp in it, with a spicy touch. liked it. - Black Cod: Wasn't my favorite, and overpriced - Pork Belly: Even if you don't like pork you'll eat this, it was good. - Party Sandwich: Was good, nothing unique here but gets the job done to wrap up the evening. Some others have mentioned drinks to be underwhelming. The cocktails taste good, but agreed there is too much ice in them, my wife had to sip it very slowly and then we ended up going somewhere else for more cocktails with greater portion. Good place to try for sure, between 2 people, with 2 drinks, 6-7 dishes, tax/tip etc you are looking no less than $200. It's on the pricey side so if you're gonna spoil yourselves go for it. read more

Excellent food with friendly welcoming services. Very unique menu not seen elsewhere. Highly recommended.

Out of the many tasting menus I have tried in Toronto, I am sad to say this was the most disappointing. I was with a group of 6 people, and we got 5 dishes in total. Each dish came with only one or two plates, with 2 bites each to share between our group. The table of 4 next to us got the same amount of food. Not to mention, it took them 35 minutes to bring us our drinks, and 50 mins to bring out the first dish. Each dish came every 30 ish minutes after that. The restaurant was not full. We felt a little cheated as we were there for 3 hours, starving, waiting for the next dish. And naturally buying drinks which increased our bill even more. We had to walk across the street to Gusto and order pizzas. The thing that bugs me is that in the beginning, our server said that the tasting menu is A LOT of food! And made it seem like we weren't even going to finish it. PROS: - The bathrooms are very nice and high tech. read more

Sat on the patio and enjoyed a superb meal. The staff was courteous and made us feel safe.

Nothing I can say, except an incredible experience on all fronts. The atmosphere is truly one of a kind for Toronto. Staff is beyond welcoming and knowledgeable about every dish on the menu. The flavours of each dish instantly want you coming back for more. Highlights include the Chopped Salad, Himachi Bites, Dumplings & Aged Rib Eye. Deserts are delicious as well! read more

Sara is easily one of my favourite restaurants in Toronto. The food is amazing, the drinks are creative, and it's what you would expect for the Food Dudes' next step, but these are not the elements that make it so fantastic. Sara is an all-encompassing, incredible experience. From the minute you walk in, the host makes you feel like they are actually hosting you at their own home. The scale of the restaurant lends to this feeling as well. By the end of the meal you know all of the names of the wait staff, bar tenders and hosts, but somehow they aren't annoying or too chatty. The modern design is thoughtful and contributes to the experience as well. The space is warm, cozy and insanely beautiful. The tables have little integrated pockets for your phones to promote human interaction. The toilet seats are heated. Every detail is intentional and perfect. If you value design and experience then this is the place for you. You won't be disappointed. read more

Had lunch at SARA today - they have just started serving it, and the word hasn't gotten out yet. With affordable and delicious lunch specials, it won't be a well kept secret for long. The RASA chopped salad with sesame salmon was a delight - crunchy toasted chickpeas, greens, spicy feta, and delicious delicate slices of sesame crusted sashimi salmon. And the washrooms were weird and wonderful. I'll definitely head back for dinner... read more

Wow. I never write reviews, but when I got home I could not resist. When we arrived 20 minutes early we were happy to be seated early. Sad that no one came back to our table after 30 minutes, but my guess was that they figured our reservation had not started yet. Food was fine, trying a bit too hard, but our water glasses were empty and our wine was never filled up. Every table around us was filling their own wines from decanters or bottles. I can't even describe the experience because no words come to me as I type. I'd love to have my $500 back. Food was fine. But for $500 I would expect more attention. I think everyone around us felt the same. Will not be back to that cute house until it's something else. read more

Visited SARA two weekends in a row! Sat on the back patio on one occasion and the front the second time. The entire experience was exquisite - the heaters made it super comfortable (enough to take your coat off), the service is friendly and kind, very attentive but not obtrusive. The food is spectacular - each dish has a different flavour profile and so unique. The drinks are so well balanced and simply delicious. The wonderful bartender even made mine extra special and personally came outside to gauge my approval! Overall great vibe and the service take the experience above and beyond. My favourite place in the entertainment district. read more

If this review was based on the quality and imagination of the food alone, it would be a 5 star. Unfortunately the service we experienced last night really tainted the experience. Good stuff: all the dishes were creative, well executed, tasty and well plated; the ambiance and decor were very pleasing. Bad stuff: not sure if it was an oversight or their standard but they seated us with only the drinks menu, no food menu was offered. We sat for 10-15 minutes before anyone offered water despite that the 2nd floor where we were seated was not that busy. The wait staff walked around our table, had chats with each other but never approached our table. Another 10 min past before we had to flag down the waiter to ask for menus. The service all evening can summed up as indifferent and for the prices that Sara is charging, indifferent is like a slap in the face. read more

The service and food was unbelievable amazing!!!! The ambiance was very Europe and felt like we were not in Toronto!

Definitely my favourite restaurant in Toronto. Great service and atmosphere, and the food is unbelievable! Get the tasting menu, the wine pairing is perfect but the cocktails are lovely as well. read more

Everything about this place gets 5 stars. Amazing food, so accommodating. Fantastic service, over and above to make you feel special and welcome. Overall great vibes ! read more

I was so looking forward to trying this new restaurant as I've watched the renovations of the house it's housed in... but unfortunately was underwhelmed ...the service was good... but for the type of different dishes brought out tapas style... plates needed to be changed more often... the food was good to look at but not that great tasting... this is a competitive market and I think they really need to up their game to compete or lower their prices substantially... sorry guys... wouldn't recommend or come back:( read more

We liked the ambience of the restaurant. We ended up ordering the tasting menu and found it to be quite underwhelming. The flavour profile of the meal was a little chaotic, unconventional, and the dishes felt over worked. We had dishes that were too fishy, too salty, or too weird. We generally felt that nothing was memorable for the right reasons. The ordering of the tasting menu also felt a little bit awkward. For instance, we got a raw pea dish at the very end of the dish. The desserts were probably the best part of the meal. Overall, it was over priced for the portion and the taste didn't make up for it either. Would not recommend. read more

Uninspiring tasting menu in an extremely loud atmosphere. We took the servers suggestion and ordered two of the three featured martinis but returned both (they did credit one of them on the bill). Won't return. read more

Had a wonderful meal here. Have always been a fan of Rasa but I am definitely an even bigger fan of this restaurant. The decor is beautiful, and food was delicious. My husband and I had the tasting menu, so we got to try more items. It was well paced and well sized. We left feeling perfectly satiated. Highlights were the latkes scallop/crab dumplings, shrimp, fries, hamachi sashimi. The miso pot de creme was ughhhhh amazing. A great ambiance and I enjoyed all the small touches like the phone box, heated bathroom seats, great service. Will be back!! I don't know about all the reviews here commenting on small serving sizes and price. I thought everything was appropriately priced given the level of quality, service and ambiance. read more

Beautiful space but found food inconsistent. We ate there on a Monday so we had the tasting journey. Really enjoyed the squash latkes and the chorizo dumplings. Salads and rib eye were just okay. The price point was reasonable for the amount of food. Would try this restaurant again with the full menu. read more

Six of us dined at Sara this evening and was a great experience! Firstly, the staff are brilliant and make some very good recommendations - listen to them! But most importantly, the food was amazing. As others have mentioned, the portions are small, but then again, this is a tapas restaurant. But absolutely delicious! We had a number of dishes - where to start! All agreed that the Chopped Salad was amazing! As was the Squash Latkes, Pork Belly and Wagyu Reuben. Also had a number of other dishes - all very good - but these ones stood out for us. We were celebrating a birthday and a few amazing deserts were brought over on the house. Really nice! Shout out to Benji - thanks for a great evening! We will be back! read more

delicious!! Went on a Travelzoo voucher that said 6 courses but it ended up being closer to 12-13 courses. Super tasty, a good mix of proteins. And service was really impeccable. They made us feel special for the eve, and was even nice enough to throw in an aperitif for dinner. The black cod was the fave, the sashimi a close second. read more

The food is incredible, the service is friendly, and I can't not mention the bathrooms. Best damn basement loos in the city! Loved the Hamachi and the Wagyu Reuben but everything was delicious! read more

I went with some friends after work and the food is probably the best I have had in the city. All the dumplings are must haves and so is the pork Belly. I also loved the design of the restaurant especially the washrooms. Everyone should try SARA as soon as they get a chance. read more

I went for a birthday dinner with my wife and ended up being very fortunate to have picked this restaurant. I'd suggest one thing- don't bother messing around and splurge for the Tasting menu!... or 'The Journey' as I noticed being called on the bill. It was an incredible dining experience- one of the best I've had anywhere in the world in 20 years of eating out. We loved everything from start to finish. Well done SARA. The staff were all enjoyable and the right amount of attentive. It was so refreshing to put our phones away and enjoy the right amount of food brought to us with savoring explanations of what was in each dish. Highly recommend to foodie groups or couples. read more

Amazing food, amazing wait staff, beautiful look. After 9 small plates, all beautifully presented, the 4 of us had little room for dessert but we managed. Everyone from front host to wait staff were charming and eager to make this a memorable evening- which it was. Don't forget to order the French fries or scallop crab dumplings! read more

Great new concept from the Food Dudes in an expertly designed space that is modern, minimal and warm. As nice as the space is, the food is the star here. The menu pays tribute to Toronto's cultural diversity by showcasing flavours from all over the map. Everything we ate was well balanced and light. The higher price point goes hand in hand with their use of high quality ingredients. You really do get what you pay for. Make sure to get the hamachi and the crab+scallop dumpling. Adam, the manager, was very accommodating and slightly funny. read more

Sara is the much anticipated sister restaurant to Rasa, one of our long time favourites. Sara is more upscale and elegant than Rasa and the food is mind-blowing. They did R&D in Japan and it shows in some of the dishes, especially the superb dumplings. The Wagyu Reuben is not to be missed, similarly the "French Fries".....all the dishes are highly original and so creative. The bar offers custom cocktails and a decent wine list. Servers are very knowledgeable and accommodating. Desserts were excellent and just as creative. Definitely 5-stars. read more