Grey Gardens

I don’t go out for fine dining almost ever, mostly because I have a perfect sushi restaurant around the corner from my house and tbh eating takeout from there in my sweatpants is my perfect dining experience - do with that what you will, but it’s sure to influence my review of this lovely restaurant. Food and service at Grey Gardens were both excellent. I sometimes find service at restaurants to be obsequious, which can make me uncomfortable - here the servers were attentive and super helpful without being obtrusive. My water glass was never empty! Server helped me choose a glass of wine (which was perfect) and helped us choose what to order as well as how much to order. My partner had the martini which was very different than how I typically have them but was very delicious. We had the bread and smoked fish dip to start, since almost every review recommends them. The bread came out so warm with a crust that was shatteringly crisp, lovely salty butter, perfect. We had the scallop crudo, the bean salad, and the trout. All were very tasty and each had some element that surprised (and delighted) me. The broth with the scallops! The curry oil! The ramp relish! Flavour bombs, all of them. We also had the strawberry sorbet cornbread dessert, and while it too was excellent, I think it could have been a bit smaller (but maybe that’s just me, I’m a savoury girlie). Playlist was fun, a bold choice to put multiple songs by the same artist in a row lol, we found it fun. We came early-ish (6pm reso) and things were on the quieter side while we were there (our preference) but by the time we left it was bumping, so choose your time and vibe accordingly. A great experience, I look forward to trying more of Jen Agg’s places!

Food : beautiful dish presentation however every dish tasted one dimensional in flavour, the seasonings tasted mainly of salt or pepper on the dishes. The crudo dish flavours were quite mild, I wasn’t sure what I was tasting but there wasn’t much flavour. Oysters and shrimp cocktail were as per usual as oysters and shrimp cocktails are. Service: There was a hair in one dish to which we sent back, there were no apologies from the kitchen chef or whoever was in charge regarding that however our server was extremely nice enough to comp it off the bill for us without us asking. Our server was friendly and available during our dine in. Dessert was okay, we ordered both to try. Overall, the experience , food, decor and overall service was not bad but it was not delicious or extraordinary either. For $200+ for two people, I would not return or recommend.

I love seafood dishes here so much! Especially, the seafood dip that comes with chips is my absolute favorite! :) Highly recommended!

A very nice place for a date, fantastic atmosphere and cool kitchen bar. The pasta was good, not the tastiest i've had but I only tried one here. The oysters were one of the most delicious varieties i've had. Their Australian oysters have a smooth, mild savoury flavour with a little sweetness, perfect amount of creaminess. Served in an adorable way with a hot sauce pipette. I didn't enjoy the combination of ingredients in the crudo, although the quality of the fish was good. The charred kale is so strong it overpowers the rest of the flavours. Definitely a very classic European flavour profile for a fish dish. Mostly savoury, fattiness and umami while lacking acidity or sweetness.

I had a solo reservation at Grey Gardens for my birthday dinner, I'm a huge fan of Le swan (also by Jen Agg) and I heard that Grey Gardens does half portions. Great experience! I love the ambiance with the candles and grey vintage theme. The hostess and my server were both very attentive. There is an open kitchen so if you want to sit at the bar you can watch the cooks prepare the food. They have an extensive wine and drinks menu but I stuck with water. I ordered oysters, a half portion of steak tartare, a half portion of the ravioli and a half portion of the gnocchi. The oysters were well shucked, fresh, and sweet and were served with fresh horseradish. The letdown of the night was the steak tartare, it was sooo salty, and there was no egg yolk to balance that (not sure if it's because I got the half portion). Thank you to the server who refilled my water at least 5 times. The gnocchi was pillowy and the sauce was simple but comforting. The ravioli was amazing as well, the caramelized onion filling had a sweetness which complimented the saltiness of the duck sausage. They also kindly served me some complimentary cinnamon ice cream to end the night. Prices here are reasonable, I was very full at the end of my meal. The washrooms are clean and on the same floor. Highly recommend this restaurant for a date night, great vibes and food! Their menu is updated regularly so there is always something new to try. I will be back to try more of their seafood!

Try their lamb noodles & smoked pork chop - good flavour and flavourful. The branzino fish was a must order as well. Would order this again. Hands down. The vibe was good and the meal was worthwhile, love this Toronto spot. They allowed us to sit in for a while and had our time to drink & eat.

I've been longing to try Grey Gardens and I'm happy I finally did! While the menu is small, it's jam packed with a variety of unique dishes and flavours. The mushroom dish, brimming with umami, is probably the best I've ever had. The Arctic char crudo was flavorful and well balanced. And the lamb pasta was good and unique. Didn't love the pesto ravioli - a bit too earthy for my liking.

What a fantastic restaurant. Atmosphere and service were both on point. Dishes & cutlery changed before every new dish, water always filled, and all the items were described in wonderful detail. They even gave us an extra shrimp for the shrimp cocktail! For the stripped bass dish, they also gave us 2 separate portions of fish, which I noticed wasn’t how they served the dish to other patrons. I’m not sure if this was because they noticed we were sharing all the dishes, but it’s a really nice touch that’s easy to miss if that was the case. This is how you make an extraordinary experience. Grey Gardens does it almost on the level of Alo. The menu is small but all the dishes are very creative and offer good variety. It’s underrated but the bread here is delicious. The red tail grain they use to make their bread is really delicious and the bread comes out so soft in the center but crispy and chewy on the outside. Another highlight was the maitake dish. The barely they use at the bottom resembles a chewier risotto and the mushroom itself comes out so smokey. Not sure if this was from the cooking or from the addition of the black garlic in the sauce. Striped bass was also cooked exceptionally well. I’ve never had fish skin that wasn’t battered and fried come out so crispy like I had here before. I just wished there was more of it. The hand torn lamb noodle dish was also very flavourful and the lamb essentially fell apart within the dish.

Very special little place. Great service, with a curated and enigmatic little menu. Highlights were the pasta dishes, oysters, and ice cream dessert. Came to spend a bit extra and experience something unique but comforting- got that and more!

The real stand out was the sea bass entree. The fish could not be cooked better. The pasta was well cooked but the ragu could have been better i think but i still enjoyed the entire meal.