Torito
A few days ago I had dinner at Torito, a new Spanish tapas restaurant on Augusta in Kensington Market. I had a hunger to go there for a while. I think it was something to do with the big yellow sign that I was staring at through the windows of Rice Bar when I was having lunch there a couple weeks back.
It all started with the name. I was confused. Was it Toritu or Torito? I couldn't really tell as the O looks like a U as it takes the shape of a ring through the bull's nose. Confusion breeds curiosity which in turn breeds the need to consume copius amounts of fish and red wine. So off to the tapas joint I went to see what they were grilling up.
With tapas it pays (figuratively) to order as much as possible in order to get a sampling of a wide range of dishes. Since there were five of us, I managed to get a pretty good taste. The results?
Great! I loved this place. Best of the bunch was the grilled kingfish with Basquaise sauce; fish ceviche with corn and yam; orange, radishes, toasted pepitas, red oak lettuce salad with sherry vinaigrette; the spanish tortilla; and the apple-banana (plantain) gratin for dessert.
Photos by Tanja
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Do they now have their Liquor licence?
Yeah. They have a bunch of wines by the class, cava and three red's by the bottle ranging between $30 and $50 I think. Not sure about their beer selection.
I agree with Tim. The food is fresh, the staff/owners knowledgeable and friendly. It's like eating in a Spanish home. Excellent. Nelly
I've been to Torito twice and both times were awesome! I love the bread with fresh cheese and fiesta. What i like in particular about that dish are the sundried olives - yummy! I also am a huge fan of the beef tongue and cheek - so delicious! Torito is by far my fave restaurant. The chef is very friendly and my friend Damon and I like talking to him when we go there. Torito is by far my fave restaurant anywhere!
Our meal at Torito was outstanding. The salads - arugula and the green bean/mushroom were delicious. My favourite dish was the flatiron steak. The owners were very nice and gracious. The decor was stylish and modern. Can't wait to go back.
I ate here last night and it was the worst tapas I've eaten in my life. The patas bravas consisted of bland, boiled potatoes, overcooked chorizo and uninspiring salsa. The lamb loaf looked and tasted like cat food.
prices would be great. thanks
Last night, my wife and I, visiting Toronto, followed up on your recommendation (by "Frank") for the supposedly best tapas in the city. To say that we were disappointed hardly suffices to describe our experience. Without question, this was the worst tapas we have tried anywhere (between Barcelona, Amsterdam, New York and at least half a dozen locations in Toronto and Montreal). We are of course familiar with places that open strong and gradually suffer the effects of declining quality over the years, but judging by the photo of the Andalusian spinach and chickpeas stew that highlights your review, it seems that this appalling dish has been on the menu in similar form since the place opened. I'm sorry, but $8 for half a can of warmed chickpeas with a few leaves of spinach, while, arguably, a bargain relative to some of the other (passable, but hardly memorable) items we tried (pequillo peppers, grilled kingfish, beets and black lentils), doesn't cut it. Have these guys even read a basic recipe? When we started ordering, we were tossing between glasses of wine or ordering an extra dish; the one upshot of the evening is that we opted for the former and held off on dessert for the Future Bakery. It's beyond the two of us why so many readers on yelp and chowhound are singing the praises of this place. Were we just treated to an evening when the chef swapped roles with the dishwasher? Interestingly, the waitress didn't once bother to ask us how we were enjoying the meal... perhaps she knew. Not meaning to sound presumptuous... taste is, after all, a personal affair, but #1 in the tapas category? No lo creo!
crazy to think of people eating cat food to review in here, ufff