The Lakeview
1132 Dundas St. West 
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Phone: 416.850.8886
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When the iconic Lakeview Lunch closed earlier this year, I wasn't the only one who was disappointed. Sure, the service was lousy and the food was worse but there was still something sad about a 1930's era diner shutting down just as Dundas West was showing new signs of life.
Then the National Post reported in September that the three guys who own the Chelsea Room had taken it over, planned to restore it and turn it into a 24 hour diner. It took months of work and no doubt the removal of unsightly grease from long-ignored places but finally the Lakeview Lunch has re-opened except this time under a new name - The Lakeview.
Meeting some friends at The Lakeview a few nights ago the first thing I notice is that my beloved neon sign is no longer out front. I asked Fadi Hakim, one of The Lakeview's new owners, why they decided to change it and he told me it wasn't a decision made lightly.
When they took over the restaurant they found a bunch of boxes that unearthed some of the site's history. The restaurant was actually founded in 1932 and called the Lakeview Restaurant. The name was changed in 1947 at which time the sign was also erected christening it the Lakeview Lunch. Unfortunately, sixty plus years of Toronto winters had not been kind to the sign. The paint was peeling, the neon was broken and they were advised by an insurance inspector that it was a safety hazard due to its weight.
So, they took it down and replaced it with a sign about the same size but white, light and modern. Inside The Lakeview, they've also made some much-needed changes. The whole space has been restored and updated and has more charm than it ever did. There is soft light throughout, a red glow from the front window, comfy diner booths, and found objects from the basement (like the thermometer and exit signs) have been scattered throughout.
But how's the food?
The good news is that The Lakeview has a new menu. Actually, it's a temporary late night menu as they plan to unveil an updated version - including a brunch menu - in mid January. A copy is embedded below.
It took us all a while to read the whole thing. There are hamburgers, sandwiches, apps like poutine and Nachos Tom Cruise, hot plates like streak frites and meatloaf and a number of 24 hour breakfast options. There are also plenty of drinks including a number of beers on tap, fortified coffee, dessert wine, smoothies and milkshakes.
Starting with drinks most of us grabbed a pint ($5.65) but two of my friends decided to try their milkshakes. At $4.75 they were a bit on the small side but both reported back that they tasted pretty good.
The menu is also not without its sense of humour. Hand Shakes are offered free-of-charge as is Toronto Tap Water, billed by The Lakeview as the best no-calorie drink in the world.
Unlike the Lakeview Lunch of the past, service was friendly and generally efficient. All our meals arrived at the same time and except for a missing order of onion rings they were all correct.
Two at our table ordered the burgers with onion rings (or at least once the service snafu was sorted out). A clear winner, the onion rings were big and crispy with that nice golden hue that makes everyone else at the table regret not ordering the same thing. The standard burger ($8) came topped with lettuce, tomato and red onions and was well cooked and filling. The Majestic ($10.50) also hit the spot with its strips of bacon, sharp cheddar and mozzarella.
Our vegetarian friend opted for the soup of the day ($4.50) - a nicely balanced butternut squash - and small salad ($5.25). The latter came dressed with grilled vegetables on top of organic greens mixed with toasted sesame seeds and a honey balsamic vinaigrette. She gave them the thumbs up and devoured them both.
Elsewhere there were the bourbon honey chipotle chicken wings ($8 for a pound) served with standard blue cheese dip, celery and baby carrots. It was noted that they were tasty enough but wouldn't make the list of the best chicken wings in the city.
A better choice might have been the mushroom sandwich ($8.75). Wedged between pieces of multigrain triangle masking for focaccia, the mushrooms were nicely sauteed in garlic and paired with melted gruyere and ancho chili garlic mayo.
I indulged in the traditional ale battered fish and chips ($14), but perhaps indulge isn't the appropriate verb for the occasion. While the fish was ok, I found the batter less the exciting - a bit too thick and boring - and the fries not much better than the ones I once panned at The Cadillac. Ketchup helped and was used liberally.
So, overall, the food was a bit hit and miss but I'd go back. There's no doubt that the new The Lakeview is a big improvement over its predecessor and with 24 hour service now available it's likely to become the go to spot after any late night carousing on Ossington. But beyond the 3am eats I definitely plan to return in the new year to see what's in store for brunch.
The owner also told me they plan to build a 30 seat patio in the Spring.
The current late-night menu:
Comments (23)
Can't wait to try the new menu.
However, what's with EVERY restaurant calling Fries "Frites" now?
I posted this in an old review of the Lakeview, but it references the restaurant since it has re-opened.
"Just came home from 'trying' to have brunch at the new Lakeview. Renovations look nice, but overall the experience was a nightmare. Waited forever for a server to take our order; when our breakfasts finally arrived neither were right so we sent them back. The same breakfasts reemerged five minutes later corrections (sort of) made, but with everything shuffled so we wouldn't notice it was the same food, just cold now. We sent the cold food back paid for our coffee and left.
Mistakes will be made, but they should corrected properly. Shuffling the food is the worst offense; they knew it wasn't right, and tried to hide it.
For a restaurant I previously thought had nowhere to go but up, The New Lakeview has found a new low."
I had dinner at The Lakeview on Friday, and can tell you that the wings I had were definitely contenders for Best Wings. They were HUGE! The sauce was subtle and lovely. My fiancee had the Butternut Squash Lasagna, she loved it as well. Very reasonable pricing, and the service was great. We will be back. Tonight maybe! Did I mention the wings were HUGE!!!
Checked out the Lakeview for dinner Thursday night and found it amazing. I had the chili, and when it came I thought it wasn't a very big proportion due to the oversized bowl it came in. But by the time I had finished it I realized I couldn't have eaten another bite if I tried. It was great!
I really like what they did with the place. They seem to have completely re-touched all of the original mahogany, replaced the ties (painstakingly, check the details when you're in there), and everything just seems so much cleaner and better. The staff was great, friendly, I actually can't think of a single complaint. No wait, the washroom is a bit tight. But what are you gonna do?
Definitely a new favourite spot in Toronto, and I love that I can end up there after a heavy night of drinking. Nice to have the old (new and better) place back!
I was just at McDonalds thier fries are still called fries. If you need them to be called fries then giv'er
Was at the Lakeview last night with my husband and we had a lovely time. Food was great, atmosphere was cozy and intimate, service was on spot ... no complaints at all! Some growing pains should be expected with a new place, especially one trying to do 24 hours without shovling you the grease from the night before. I have no doubt whatever kinks other people might experience will all be resolved soon enough. Loved it - so glad to have a "no regrets" eatery in the neighbourhood
We went for dinner and it was great. I had the mushroom sandwich pictured above and it was delicious. The onion rings are a fantastic treat. My husband had the fish 'n chips and was quite happy with it. The booths have been recovered and wood may have been refinished, it looks really nice. They just need to put some things up on the walls and it will be a lovely space.
We went for dinner and it was a bad experience. The place was half empty and it took over half an hour for us to get our food. My wife had the worst milkshake ever, it was basically just milk. I had ordered the meatloaf. It comes in the shape of a muffin. I cut it in half and it was still pink, raw and cold in the middle. I informed the server and asked for it to be re-heated. 10 minutes later I got my dish back. The plate was hot but the meatloaf was still pink, raw and cold in the middle. At that point, I just gave up and the dish was taken off the bill.
The pathetic thing was that the owners of the restaurant were basically sitting at the next table and and were completely oblivious to the very serious problems in their kitchen.
I was a fan of the old Lakeview until the food and the service made it intolerable and I had really high hopes for this new incarnation but it seems like the some of the same problems persist. At least the service is much improved and the restaurant restoration looks great.
I was there last night and was also not impressed. It took the waitress forever to notice we were there (actually, she didn't notice - my friend had to walk over to her and ask her to take our orders). I had the butternut squash lasagna and found it to be utterly bland and mushy - not unlike baby food. The side salad had no dressing and there was none on the side. As for the "well-done" burger my friend ordered, it arrived "medium-rare" instead and had to be sent back.
Won't be going back.
Delicious and atmospheric; made a post-bar stop with a few friends and all agreed it was the perfect end to a late-night out. Majestic burger and onion rings a particular treat. Small kinks in the food and service are sure to be ironed-out in the coming weeks. The new owners have done a great job restoring an iconic Toronto joint. Would definitely recommend.
I just had one of the best Poutine I ever had in Toronto. As a former Montrealer, I found their Poutine Lakeview extremely delicious and linguistacally correct. They truly serve a poutine that is a real definition of the word poutine. Never have I ever had such a tasty mash-up.
Both spud and sweet potato fries carry the heart of this dish, which was completely new for me. Generous toppings of peameal bacon, sauteed mushrooms, feta and this nice oniony crispy bits were able to cover every bite.
The cheese curds did lack some squeek though, so they may be considered fresh by Toronto's standards, we former quebecers consider cheese curds fresh only to the point of requiring refridgeration (first 24hrs), which usually no one has choice because it has to be trucked here from eastern Ontario.
I really wanted to like the place, but really the only thing that it has going for it, is the charm of the diner. We waited 40 minutes for someone to at least ask us if we wanted to order. And then another 40 minutes for a burger and fish/chips ($32, no alcohol). The food was mediocre and the service was pathetic. It was busy, and I am understanding when it comes to stuff like that, but not an apology, smile or anything. It was a very disappointing lunch. I hope they get their act together, it is a neat joint with some history, and it would be nice to see it survive.
I had a good experience at the Lakeview. We went for dinner. I had the Royale Burger (cheddar and mozzarella) with sweet potato fries. Service was fast and friendly. I will be back, perhaps for brunch next time.
On my first visit to the new Lakeview Lunch I thought I'd run the poutine test past them - could this place serve up a decent poutine?
The $9 Lakeview Poutine (should) comes with sweet potato fries, regular fries, gravy, CHEESE CURDS (VERY important), mushrooms and strips of pealmeal bacon, or something.
So when this huge basket finally arrived, to my dismay it was COVERED in a thick, slightly solid looking gravy with nary a cheese curd or cheese-like substance on it. In it? Nope, digging around only turned up the mushrooms and bacon as promised.
So I sent it back and asked for the cheese curds to be added. It came back with maybe 5 or 6 mini curds! Actually they weren't even large enough to be considered curds. Anyhow.
Lakeview Lunch - YOU FAILED THE POUTINE TEST!
BUT - good prices on decent bottles of wine. That's a good thing.
The place is a lot cleaner, the service a lot better and the decor much improved (that mural with the lime green bathing suits just made one wonder "why?"). But frankly, I was disappointed. Gone are the wonderful choices in omelettes and burgers. There are times when an Albuquerque is called for but now there's no place to find one :-(
P.S. Serving sizes are smaller too but maybe that's OK ...
All has been great since the new ownership, but it's getting pretty busy there, and I can see things starting to slip already. We had one of those waitresses that was just clueless - as in asking her what the specials were, her disappearing for 5 minutes, and coming back with Steamwhistle pilsner being $4 a pint. It was 11am. She then took our order, only to inform my girlfriend that "oops - I'm so sorry, we're out of that". Frustrating. When she finally came back, she took our order again, and as we were sitting by the bar, she turned right around and had a 10 minute conversation with some guys sitting at the bar before she even rang in our order. Food took forever to get to us - I wonder why.
The Lakeview is too new and geographically surrounded by alternatives to treat it's patrons like that. Please get on the ball - there is such potential here.
disappointed in the burger and the gravy.
When it comes to gravy it is so simple to make a delicious gravy out of homemade stock. Why are they using powder gravy pouches to make it? Come on guys.
As for the burger, it was over cooked and almost tasted like old meat.
I have a sneaking suspicion the positive comments were written by the owners and their friends! I went there for dinner two nights ago and everything was AWFUL, from service to food. It looks great when you order it off the menu but what arrives is a disgrace, cold and poorly put together.
Don't waste your time or your money at this poorly managed joke with surly staff.
worse food i've had in toronto, pretentious menu descriptions and ridiculous prices for awful meals.
just read about their conditional pass due to a significant problem with pest control.
will never be eating there again. avoid at all costs.
miss the old lakeview very much.
I will agree "The Lakeview" has it's low points and the service can be awful but the food is delicious. My opinion about the wait staff is that 70%(that I've been served by) have been obnoxious and apathetic. On a quiet night they can be found by the group, standing near the coffee machine gossiping about whatever it is hipsters talk about. On such a night I watched as one of the kitchen staff was already taking the garbage out when one of the four lazy servers asked the young man to "lock" the patio and clean some bucket they keep under the bar. The poor kid just fake smiled and went at it. The group continued to babble on and stand around(And I wanted a refill on my Steam Whistle). What's worse is when the kid left to do the job, they all started talking badly about him and how awful his job was. I asked for my bill and left.
Hard to consider returning.
i was so hungry one night, saw the sign that said always open! walked in with a few friends and i swear now im there once a week. cornflake chicken is the best thing u ever try. the prices are right, and the people are awsome.
GO LAKEVIEW
Despite the mixed reviews, I gave it a chance the other day.
Service was slow and the food was AWFUL.
Avoid if you can. There are better establishments in that neighbourhood.
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