It's not easy surviving as a restaurant in Yorkville. Rents are steep, customers can be demanding, and the competition is relentless. Sure, there are a few institutions that have stood the test of time, like Joso's, which dates back to the 1960s, or relative newcomers such as Sassafraz and Sotto Sotto from the 1990s. But many newer concepts come and go, making it a noteworthy achievement that Bar Reyna has reached double digits, celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2026.

I couldn't help but look up the review of my first visit in 2016 when the restaurant had just opened. Back then, it felt more like a tapas bar focused on small plates. A decade later, while shareable dishes still dominate the menu, there are now larger, more composed offerings as well.

One such example is the chicken shawarma ($69), a massive platter that easily fed our table of five. Served with freshly grilled flatbread or romaine lettuce for the carb-conscious, it arrives piled high with grilled chicken alongside lentils, Turkish salsa (essentially chopped tomatoes with a dash of spice), tzatziki, and pickled turnips.

We all agreed the spice blend on the chicken captured those classic Middle Eastern flavours beautifully. Unfortunately, both the chicken and its accompaniments lacked seasoning, leaving the wraps tasting surprisingly bland. It's a shame because the freshly grilled flatbread was soft, warm, and absolutely delicious.

Any leftover chicken paired nicely with the truffle Turkish rice ($49 for a large), a dish bursting with freshness from an abundance of herbs including cilantro, mint, and parsley. Mixed with lentils, caramelized onions, and pomegranate seeds, the rice could easily stand on its own or serve as a base for additional protein. We added grilled shrimp ($16), which arrived as seven plump, well-cooked pieces that complemented the rice nicely. The only things missing were a discernible truffle flavour and, once again, a touch more salt.

In fact, some of my friends resorted to using the aioli dipping sauces from the Reyna frites ($12) to add extra flavour to their meals. The menu offers four versions of the fries: Spanish, Italian, Arabic, and Greek. The Italian variety is essentially classic truffle fries topped with shaved Grana Padano and served with a fragrant truffle aioli.

The Greek version, however, failed to distinguish itself. Rather than featuring the feta and oregano promised on the menu, it appeared to use the same base as the Italian fries, simply swapping in a rather lacklustre lemon-feta aioli. To be fair, I'm also not convinced these qualify as frites. They're so thin they resemble hickory sticks or potato frizzles more than actual fries. I like a little heft to my potatoes.

Surprisingly, the standout dish of the evening was the Reyna salad ($26). A vibrant serrano tahini dressing coated an impressive collection of vegetables including beet, cucumber, avocado, fennel, radish, tomato, quinoa, baby kale, napa cabbage, and radicchio. Fried chickpeas and crispy shallots added crunch, creating a dish packed with flavour, texture, and freshness. It was one of the better things ordered.

The Manchego croquettes (2 for $16; 2.5 orders pictured) were also excellent. Made with a creamy cauliflower mash enriched with plenty of Manchego cheese and served alongside dollops of Spanish aioli, they were rich and satisfying. Still, at $8 per croquette, they're not exactly a bargain.

I was glad to see the restaurant busy, although it was clear they were stretched thin. One server appeared responsible for the entire upstairs dining room, constantly running up and down the stairs while providing updates on delayed drinks and food orders. To his credit, he handled it with grace. On a Saturday night, Bar Reyna seemed to be operating at full capacity and bursting at the seams.

Looking back a decade after my first visit, Bar Reyna feels more mature and confident than its original tapas-focused incarnation. The menu has evolved, the crowds are still there, and in Yorkville, that's an accomplishment worth celebrating.

Friday Burger Company isn’t named to indicate your Friday cheat meal should be a meaty handheld creation, rather is christened after Chef Joe Friday, the owner of the restaurant. Dedicated to one of his favourite meals, he ate a lot of burgers before developing his namesake recipe.

I like the thickness of the Friday Burger ($14) patty: it’s not overly thin for a smashed burger so there’s still a meaty feel. It just needs to be pressed more evenly as the thin outer ring became awfully crunchy… to the point I was afraid I’d chip a tooth on some bits.

The rich but not overly greasy patty started the burger in the right direction but could use more flavour. Mine didn’t have much sauce and the dusting of signature spices wasn’t prominent either. And while I enjoyed the traditional lettuce and tomato combination, the burger would benefit from more pickles (there was maybe one that became lost in the sandwich) and adding onions to give it some crunch and freshness.

I read that what makes Friday's vegetarian burger unique is it's made from mushrooms that's dried and then rehydrated for a meatier chewier texture. Expecting it to be in a patty form, it was a bit surprising when the mushroom burger ($15) ended up being strips of portobello stuffed into the same bun, lettuce, and tomato combo. It's simple and works, but the texture no different from a grilled portobello mushroom cap. 

Share the fries ($4.50) as the portion is huge. Being a crinkle cut, the spud incorporated a lot of crispy crust. Sprinkled with a bit of the Sunday seasoning, it gave the fries enough flavour without becoming too salty. If you’re feeling very indulgent, amp up the fries for an extra $1 to become “Friday” fries where it’ll be topped with the mayo-based burger sauce and green onions.

All in all, Fridays served a respectable burger and fries… although not tasty enough to warrant waiting for in a line-up. Located at the Table Fare and Social in CIBC Square, I was luckily there for an early lunch as by 11:45 a queue started forming. Even though it wasn’t a Friday, people were certainly coming in droves for a cheat meal.  

Martine’s Wine Bar’s vibe is hard to describe, like an upscale farmhouse that plays a great mix of music. It doesn’t feel like a wine bar, yet it could be. In a not-your-parents type of wine bar sort of way.

And while it has a down-to-earth feel, they play up the hospitality factor. While appreciated, I do have a small recommendation: leave the bottled water at the table. Given it’s a busy restaurant with various plates to clear, our swamped waitress didn’t always get a chance to refill water leaving our glasses empty at times.

With the restaurant’s dedication to supporting local suppliers, the dishes exude freshness and their menu changes daily.

You won’t find a heavy thick dressing in their Caesar salad ($16). Instead, the vinaigrette-like concoction barely covered the greens and was heavy on the lemon and light on the garlic and anchovy. I would have liked the big pieces of lettuce cut up, but I guess it allows the diner to behold Van Stone Farm’s greens in all their glory. While they recommended having this with the first round of dishes, you may want it served along side the heavier mains as it’s a great palette cleanser.

Despite looking odd, the raw mushroom slices covering the spicy beef tartare ($24) were tasty and helped soak up the flavourful sauces. Martine’s didn’t skimp on the peppery horseradish sauce that added a powerful punch of spiciness to the meat… even though they provide a generous portion, apply with caution. Even their sourdough had a different quality to it: pillowy soft yet still smoky from being thoroughly toasted. Pile everything onto the bread for a delicious bite.

Large uncut lasagna-like noodles arrived in the fazzoletti ($26). Smothered in a lemony herb olive oil, the sauce’s pop of freshness worked nicely to balance out the creamy smoked burrata. The pasta was minimally adorned with zucchini ribbons so the cheese stands centre in the dish.

The skate wing ($24) was so hot and crispy that it could easily rival a schnitzel. And while most restaurants likely would have paired it with a tartar sauce, Martine’s uses an Americana red sauce studded with pork belly and thinly sliced runner beans. It’s good, but the sauce is just too salty. Perhaps the kitchen can turn the dish into a full blown parmigiana by adding spaghetti to really lean into the savoury tomato sauce.

Chicken isn’t always exciting, but the wood fired chicken and fries ($30 for half portion) was tasty, especially the dark meat pieces that were juicy and tender. The chicken breast was drier, but still decent. You could slather on some of the chive mayonnaise to give it an extra boost of moisture.

Order the “spicy” version of the chicken, which has no heat and instead was rubbed in a sweet paprika mixture. It provided the extra boost of flavour in an otherwise tame dish. The dish arrives with plenty of hot fries that have a great potato flavour but were oversalted.

A lone dessert was offered that evening - Van Stone Farms strawberries ($9) with anise hyssop ice cream. Once you get through the fresh fruit, the melted ice cream and the sweet syrup the berries were macerated almost has a cereal-milk quality to it, with a licorice tang.

The array of fresh dishes left us full and satisfied but not glutinous feeling. It’s a great dinner option for a night out, especially with the restaurant’s proximity to Bar Raval. You can always start there for an after-work tipple, eat dinner at Martine’s, and return to the bar for a night cap. All without leaving the corner of College and Palmerston. 

A new Richmond Hill destination, Jokers Theatre and Comedy Club, provides a slew of entertainment options: comedy shows (we’re advised it is the only place for comedy in Richmond Hill), magic shows, and live band karaoke.

With its infancy comes growing pains, which stemmed from a malfunctioning printer, so the kitchen and bar weren’t aware they were receiving orders. Ultimately, this resulted in a 20-minute wait for drinks and over an hour wait for food, during a July visit.

At first, we didn’t mind waiting for food as their martinis ($15 each) were so satisfying. The French martini was dangerously smooth thanks to the sweet Chambord and pineapple juice mixed with the vodka, a lovely summery drink. The Lychee Loves Lips martini was a bit stronger with the addition of lychee liqueur to the vodka. Although, I was a little disappointed to a lemon slice garnishing the drink instead of lychee. Even a canned lychee would really add to the experience.

As much as we loved the drinks, after waiting 45 minutes, we finally asked someone to check on the food. It was then they discovered the kitchen hadn’t received our order and quick fired a complimentary bruschetta (not offered on their regular menu) to keep us satisfied while our meal was being prepared. We were thankful to have something to tie us over.    

I imagine they were rushing to send out food as the frito misto ($19) needed better draining to remove the excess oil and create a crispier flour coating. At least they were well seasoned, and the first bites super crispy and wonderfully hot. Being a frito misto, or a mixture of fried seafood, ideally the appetizer should contain more than a few shrimps. Alternatively, Jokers should consider dropping the scant crustacean and relabel this as fried calamari instead.

With two simple tweaks, the burger ($19) could shine as it was tasty and incorporated fresh ingredients. Firstly, cook the beef to medium so the thick patty isn’t so hard. Otherwise, if pink beef is not in the cards, chefs should form looser patties (so they are less dense) or switch it up and use two thinner patties instead. Secondly, nix the romaine (or at least the rib portion of the lettuce leaf) as the hard and uneven surface area causes the patty to slip and soft brioche bun to break. There’s a reason why ice burg is so widely used. At least the fries were hot and crispy.

My friend noted her steak was cooked to the requested medium rare but had a burnt taste. We figure it stems from two causes: either the pan/grill wasn’t properly cleaned between uses (in this case, make sure they are cleaned) or the black pepper sauce covering the steak was burnt. If it’s the later reason, to ensure the steak doesn’t cool off or overcook, present the steak at the table first and let the customer know the sauce is being prepared again and will be brought separately. I would much rather wait for the sauce than have burnt tasting steak.

Hopefully, as the restaurant matures, they will develop stronger front-of-the-house management or staff will become more cognizant of operations and communicate better. Indeed, businesses are reliant on technology, which causes havoc when there are issues, but seasoned personnel can mitigate or reduce the aftereffects.

For example, I’m surprised it took us checking on our food for Jokers to figure out the kitchen wasn’t getting orders. When they are approaching a busy dinner period and food isn’t being ordered or coming out of the kitchen, shouldn’t someone notice – either the kitchen, our server, or management?

With the drinks, even after technology issues were resolved, we noticed my friend’s second martini sitting at the bar for ~10 minutes before it was finally brought over. Our server was helping serve the Le Petit Chef dinner, but there were other people milling around the bar. Given Jokers operates two venues in one, management needs to be on the lookout for ready-to-serve drinks and food and/or servers need to communicate and ask others to cover when they are serving during Le Petit Chef periods.

It's a shame we didn’t have a better experience as I’m really rooting for Jokers to do well – everyone is so friendly and hospitable that I’d love to go more often. I love that there’s ample free parking and both comedy nights we attended left us in stiches. Plus, I’m a huge fan of magic shows and have been known to belt out songs, so I feel like there’s so much more of Jokers to experience. The only dilemma… to eat dinner or not?  

• Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
• 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
• 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
• 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
• 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
• 10 - absolute perfection!

• Babel for dinner
• MIA Brunch Bar

There are some dishes that do better as takeout than others and sadly the items from Café Landwer are best eaten at the restaurant. Landwer recognizes this fact, as their menu has morphed to include more travel-friendly offerings like sandwiches, pastas, and pizza. Luckily, it’s always been an eclectic mix of ethnicities and choices, so these new additions don’t seem out of place.

The sinia kebab ($19) was almost like a hearty pizza anyways, a base of their soft chewy pita that’s slathered with tahini and then topped with a full charbroiled eggplant, large hunks of roasted tomato and red onion, and chickpeas for added texture. Of course, there’s cubes of the namesake beef kebab topping everything - they a bit tougher, but still has the nice balance of spices and flavours. It’s something the rest of the flatbread ingredients lack, relying merely on the tahini, which isn’t powerful enough to flavour the dish. It’s something a crack of salt and pepper at home helps to improve.

With all the juicy vegetable toppings on the flatbread, it does get soggy in the middle. Do yourself a favour and cut it into quarters and give it 8-10 minutes in a hot oven. This really helps make the flatbread handle better and gives the ingredients a chance to heat up. If you’re hungry, just start with the chopped salad it comes with to tide you over (another thing a crack of salt doesn’t hurt).

In fact, 6-8 minutes in the oven is what all their pizzas need. It does melt the cheese on the burrata pizza ($16.95) so that it pools out over everything, but cold tomato sauce isn’t really my thing. Next time, I’m going to remove the cheese from the pie before reheating and add it back afterwards. It’s a dish we’ll certainly re-order - a simple pizza like a margherita but creamier and more decadent thanks to the burrata.  

Even Café Landwer felt something was amiss with the feta and eggplant pizza ($18.95) as I now see it’s been removed, and the feta’s been swapped with mascarpone cheese instead. It’s true, the big cubes of soft feta cheese were a bit jarring to have in one bite and should have been cut into smaller pieces; a spreadable mascarpone would be much easier to combine with everything.

Let’s hope the replacement also takes the black olives and cuts them down a bit. Indeed, Café Landwer doesn’t skimp on ingredients, but adding so many olives simply overpowered everything, including the delicate roasted eggplant. In my mind a ratio of 40% eggplant, 40% cheese, and 20% olives would work the best.

It might seem strange to order a burger ($18) from the restaurant – my poor husband, who must get a weeknight burger from Café Landwer, just so there’s vegetarian options for my flexitarian diet. Needless to say, I didn’t try it. He notes that while the bun could be refresher, the burger isn’t bad. It not as good as a gourmet burger found elsewhere but does remind him of the ones you used to get in the 80s/90s at neighbourhood joints.

In fact, one bite of the fries accompanying the burger and I get what he means. They’re likely the mass frozen variety, but I’m transported back to Van Horne plaza where I’d tuck into an order of these same flour laced spuds at the fish & chips place. Strangely, these lukewarm not fully crispy fries were what we spoke about the most and finished completely. The taste of nostalgia.

If all else fails, the chicken shawarma hummus ($16) is always a safe bet. It’s perhaps a tad waterier than having it at the restaurant, but the chickpea base is just as smooth and luscious and there’s just as many tender pieces of chicken on top. The tightly wrapped flatbread is perhaps the hottest thing in the order and perfect for ripping apart and tucking into while waiting for the other items to reheat.

Like most people, I can’t wait until we can eat out at restaurants again – spring patios, please arrive soon! Café Landwer’s outdoor dining is where you’ll find me, tucking into dishes like the shaksuka that definitely isn’t made for delivery. Until then, kudos to Café Landwer for hustling and creating new options to weather the COVID takeout needs. While it doesn’t live up to your regular menu, I appreciate the tenacity.