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Restaurants

Le Select Bistro

Rating: 2.4/5 (46 votes)

Posted by Staff / Reviewed on October 12, 2007

14 Comments

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Classic Parisian Bistro is one of Toronto's best. Relocated from its former spot on Queen to a much larger plot on Wellington, Le Select cooks up favourites like entrecote steak frites and pied-de-cochon.

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14 Comments

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Halle Forrester / June 30, 2009 at 09:07 am
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After dining in this establishment various times, I have become increasingly disappointed with the food and the service. And if the bad food and service weren't enough, the latest reason to disdain this eatery stems from their recent attempt to use their website for anti-Israel hate speech and propaganda. The owner of the restaurant was quoted in the "National Post" that he stands by his claims, however he removed his racist rant from his website shortly after it was posted because he realized his views might hurt his business. I guess dollar signs are more important than his convictions. Pathetic restaurant run by pathetic people.
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Glen Murray / July 16, 2009 at 08:00 am
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Great atmosphere, great food and lovely service. Really a fine dining experience. But I miss the affordable little hole in the wall on Queen Street West were this was one of those truly great neighbourhood establishments where people gathered for well priced great food. It was about as real a Parisien bistro as you could find in Toronto.
It is now sadly so upmarket as not to be a true bistro and had morphed into yet another one of the decor obsessed French Restaurants masquarading as a bistro. All the bistro menu items are there but those that have been to Paris will know that bistros are not places that are priced and styled to be a special occaission restaurant.
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parker / September 21, 2009 at 12:02 pm
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I love this place. Reminds me of Pastis in NY.. I like the new, more upscale location it makes dining more of an experience as opposed to the hurriedness of their old location. Too busy, too cheap, and too noisy. Not at all what I would consider to be very "French", borderline trashy actually.

Wellington is also a great street for the patio to face, quiet yet enough foot traffic for people watching during the day with a bottle of champagne. Very romantic spot as well for wine/ cheese and conversation..
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Pat / November 23, 2009 at 01:06 am
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Very Dissappointing indeed. Went to Le Select recently for a girlfriend's birthday and received horrendous service from waiter named Jeremy. First off we didn't order much wine because most of us drove, and we got crappy treatment from that point onward. He even had the nerve to tell one of us "is that all your getting" when she ordered a soup! One of the girls overheard him mutter "worst table ever" to another server, which of course we weren't. To top that off after we paid our bill with cash which included gratuities (it was counted by myself, a former, very ACCURATE cash office manager and I didn't have a drop of alcohol in me) he chased after us as we left the restaurant and demanded that we were $15 dollars short! I believe he was hustling a MUCH UNDESERVED TIP from us. I have previously dined at Le Select MANY TIMES and My former experiences at Le Select have been fantastic and the food is always terrific authentic french dining. After this experience I DO NOT RECOMMEND DINING HERE!
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True-dat / December 9, 2009 at 11:41 am
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Looks like the crappy service isn't an anomaly here. Snooty staff, half-assed service and of course they expect you pay the gratuity. I guess they're really replicating the true Parisian experience. I wouldn't even recommend this place to my in-laws!
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Doreen replying to a comment from Halle Forrester / December 22, 2009 at 09:29 am
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good to know I have been reading up the the place, being a French food adorer. I shall not opt.
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LuG / February 17, 2010 at 01:32 pm
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If so inclined, go for drink and check out the bar. It's a great spot to visit. Then head up to King St. and find somewhere to eat as the above comments ring true - average food and merdique service.
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Bad_Self replying to a comment from True-dat / June 26, 2010 at 11:46 am
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I'd say the staff is a bit uptight - but still very hospitable. It's just that the place (and menu too) seem more relaxed than the waiters.

I love the food and the ambiance there. Good Real French Classic Bistro is hard to find in TO.

On another note, why would you let one person's opinion here prevent you from checking it out yourself? Especially from someone who sounds as goodtimes-averse as the upset poster above.
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Mehrad / November 17, 2010 at 11:28 am
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I have been to Le Select twice. The first time, I ordered benedicts and it was by far the worst benedict I have ever tasted in my entire life!

It was so undercooked that when I attempted to eat it, the eggwhite ran all over my plate!!!!! The expereince was so bad that the next time I was there, I was afraid of ordering Benedict again!!!
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Katie / December 6, 2010 at 09:31 pm
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Le Select is a fabulous bistro - almost like Pastis in NYC or L'express in Montreal with a great French bistro atmosphere and tasty food. I had brunch at Le Select back in October. We sat out on the patio, and it was a fantastic place to enjoy the last of the nice weather. The service was really slow at first, but it seemed they just forgot about us and once we got that straightened out it was better.

We all enjoyed our brunch food and drinks - especially the Caesar, but the food portions are small for the price. Parking is good if you have a car. I'd definitely recommend it,and plan to go back to try it for dinner soon.
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moe / April 2, 2011 at 02:37 pm
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putting it all in perspective, i should say the service is not the finest but it is adequate for a french bistro, though the food is always on the better side. good quality food and very good variety. i do recommend the place and you need to check it out if live in toronto, or even visiting. ox tail, lamb burger, duck confit, and the list goes on. yummy, oh, if you're a like heavy dishes though, you may still want more.
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Colin / April 13, 2011 at 01:38 am
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I filmed a scene for a short student film on LeSelect's patio during the summer of 2009 and I found the staff to be very accomodating, open and helpful, even volunteering some of the restarant's articles for use as props. I was, frankly dumbstruck, by their enthusiasm and hospitality for helping out our motley crew of student filmmakers. I look forward to my next visit as a customer.
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Wulf / December 2, 2011 at 11:34 am
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Love this place. Have gone there multiple time for a "fancy" night out with the wife, and it brings back good memories of Paris. If only it were cheaper so I could go on a weekly basis.
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TY / January 3, 2012 at 06:39 pm
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We've been going to Le Select since they were located at their Queen St location, but we've been getting more and more disappointed with the restaurant over time. First the Tarte Nicoise morphed into a soggy pile of puff pastry beyond recognition. Then the service started going downhill. The last straw for us came on a recent visit in mid-Dec 2011 for brunch. One of our staple plates was the steak and eggs consisting of a good sized NY strip steak, a sunny-side up egg and a large portion of frites. On the last visit, the frites and egg were still there, but the steak shrank into an egg yolk-like mass--only slightly larger than a TOONIE--and completely hidden by the egg draped over top! The menu description had not changed, nor the price of entree. After questioning the waitress, apparently Le Select had changed their cut of meat for something "higher-end" and that the cows are usually "smaller during winter". (..)

A most disappointing experience and one that we'll never seek out again.
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Location and Contact Details

432 Wellington Street West (Get Directions)
416.596.6405
King West
Website
French
DineSafe History

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