Restaurants

The Tulip: 80 Years of Steak-Searing Expertise at Work

1606 Queen Street East
Phone: 416.469.5797

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  • Posted by Tanja
  • September 26, 2007

Rating: 3.4/5 (13 votes cast)

Roasted Shoulder of Lamb Special
Somewhere between Leslieville and The Beaches lies a modest strip of Queen East where The Tulip's big yellow sign (or at least two-thirds of it) light up the street. The steakhouse might not seem like much in passing, but having heard great things, I decided to look past the faded facade as I stopped in for dinner with some friends.

We're seated quickly as our waitress rushes off to serve other tables. The place is hoppin' and she forgets us for a while, but we're busy making decisions and marvelling over the prices on this menu anyhow. Most seem too good to be true. Something's got to give, right?

When the orders arrive we find that the ingredients may not be very fancy and the presentation certainly lacks any sort of frill, but the food is quite simply excellent.

Pictured at the top, the Roasted Shoulder of Lamb ($9.70) weekend special, is so soft and moist it falls apart at the touch of a fork. Most of us steal a piece of the dish as there was plenty to go around. Served alongside veggies and a side of potatoes, it was an absolute bargain.

Chicken Parmigiana

Ontario Turkey Sandwich
Chicken Parmigiana ($9.95) and an open-faced Hot (Ontario) Turkey Sandwich ($8.95) make for happy white-meat eaters. The turkey is particularly fantastic as it features a stack of both white and juicy dark meat along with buttery smashed potatoes.

Regular Burger at the Tulip><br /> From the burger menu, a 6.5 oz Regular Burger with cheese ($4.65) (Jumbo also available) is plenty filling. The burger was really thick, yet oh-so-juicy and paired with some of the crispiest fries in recent memory.</p> <p><img src=
For the lean-minded diner, a Pan Fried Filet of Sole ($10.50) is light and flavourful, yet generously portioned with two filets and two sides.

Yes, of course, we ordered the steak.

Steak Sandwich
The Tulip has been serving up ye old steak and potatoes for nearly 80 years and it shows. A 12 oz Black Angus N.Y. Sirloin ($21.95) and 8 oz Steak Sandwich ($6.25) knock the socks off even the pickiest steak snobs.

12 oz Black Angus N.Y. Sirloin
The N.Y. Sirloin appeared a little bare on the dish, paired only with a couple scoops of mashed potatoes, and a slice of tomato and onion but quickly proved to be seared to medium-rare perfection and tasty as hell.

I'd go so far as to call my friend Ron, who ordered the dish, a steak connoisseur and when he looks up from his plate wide-eyed and says,

"This is EASILY one of the tastiest steaks I have ever eaten!" well, I take him seriously.

Before finishing, he was already professing that he'd be back to try out the Porterhouse. You can bet I'll be joining him.

The Tulip Steakhouse, 1610 Queen Street East in Toronto

Reader Reviews and Comments

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But how were the mashed potatoes? I expect you've become a spud connoisseur by now.

Posted by: uwajedi at September 26, 2007 11:56 AM

Good!! Hah... More on those in the final edition of the Best mashed potato hunt... will be posting it next week. :)

Posted by: Tanja at September 26, 2007 12:03 PM

I went there a couple years ago, i forget now what i had ordered, but i do remember it being absolutely horrible. maybe i'll go back to give it another shot.

Posted by: bob at September 26, 2007 4:52 PM

I have been going to the Tulip restaurant for a great number of years, either by myself or with a few friends. I must say that the food is astonishing, not to mention their prices and ever so friendly service. The only negative comment i can make about this restaurant would be that the owner seems to be very aburbt with his staff, by yelling at them sometimes. That aside i give the Tulip two thumbs way up!!

Posted by: Allison Lynn at September 27, 2007 5:40 PM

The Tulip serves the best quality food for the cheapest prices. The proportions are massive and there is a great selection! The Tulip does not limit its expertise to only steaks but also mastering other dishes presented on the menu. As mentioned in the article, the place is usually busy and it is very understandable that a server can lose track. I am sure that it was not in the waitress' intention to ignore anybody. All in all, The Tulip is by far my favourite restaurant, hands down!

Posted by: Kiko at September 27, 2007 7:00 PM

Being a customer at The Tulip for a number of years, I always find myself going back to enjoy a delicious meal. The service at The Tulip is simply amazing. The employees there are always friendly and ready to serve our needs. Having been to other restaurants in the city, The Tulip restaurant serves the best quality foods at the cheapest prices. It is no wonder why I return to The Tulip to satisfy my hunger.

Posted by: Bub at September 27, 2007 7:59 PM

Having been to The Tulip a numerous amount of times in the past, I've always recommended friends to check out this quaint little eatery as well. They've all come back to me telling me how amazing the food was and still is! I've noticed, as well as them, that the place is always busy, but the service is still better than anywhere else I've ever been! I'm always patient when it comes to The Tulip because I know the wait is always worth it. Deelish!

Posted by: Sasha at September 27, 2007 9:25 PM

The food is generally pretty good in a very filling, homey, stick to your ribs kind of way. The prices are very good.

Steaks are excellent. And the steak and eggs ($10 I think) is the best in town hands down...I secretly think its the same striploin they charge you $20 for for dinner...mmmmm

Posted by: PW at September 27, 2007 11:06 PM

I can say firsthand that the food at The Tulip is truly the most amazing, price wise, quality wise and exceptionally taste wise.It's about time this little restuarant got the recognition it truly deserves. Kudos to the staff it may seem a long wait to some but that's understandable I've seen them at work and it can get pretty busy in there but they always get the job done and make you want to come back to The Tulip.

Posted by: Rhoda at September 28, 2007 7:00 PM

aside from the;down-home, clean-cut diner style of the place,five(5)star(*)food-service,at three(3)star(*)prices,kudos...

Posted by: mr.g at September 28, 2007 9:56 PM

When I first moved here to go to RyeHigh, my new pal Jeremy took me here. I'll never forget how good that steak was, and how it felt like I was being introduced to one of those cool, "secret" spots that only true locals know about. Since then (14 yrs ago! eek! I'm old!) I've taken lots of friends from out of and in town there and never been disappointed by the food. Sure the service is spotty at best, but damn, those steaks are truly the best bang for your beef-eating buck anywhere in the city.

Posted by: IanV at October 2, 2007 6:44 PM

Those pictures of the food look great...are they real photos of the food or just stock photos?
The lamb looks amazing...

Posted by: St Itch at October 2, 2007 9:10 PM

St Itch - they're real photos of the food we devoured... photography is my dayjob.;)

Posted by: Tanja at October 5, 2007 1:55 PM

Two thumbs up! Wish I had more!

This restaurant is the reason why I've stopped going to the franchises. Let's support privately owned establishments such as the Tulip.

The Tulip rocks.

Posted by: Sean at April 16, 2008 8:27 AM

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