Axis Gallery & Grill

The service is pleasant, although we felt the lone server was overwhelmed by the large number of people in for lunch.
My husband had the Salmon burger with fries and I had the vegetarian Quesadillas. He loved the Salmonburger and was really thrilled with the fries. I tried a couple and was convinced they are the best fries ever.
My Quesadilla was perfect. I even had some left over to take home. A very pleasant experience.

Came to see a friend play, started with calamari, it was greasy and rubbery… not impressed, gonna try the fish cakes… wish me luck!

We come by here once and awhile but last night was not good. Ordered 2 happy hour appetizers, bruchetta was overwhelmingly garlicky. couldn’t even taste the tomatoes from all of the garlic. We ate 1 piece each and the waitress asked us if we were done and proceeded to take the other 4 pieces away without asking what was wrong. The toonie sized rings of calamari were overcooked and rubbery. We split a pulled pork sandwich which was decent aside from the massive chunk of red onion we picked off (basically a ½ inch slice of onion plopped in the middle)
Salad was good… so we’re the 6 dollar martinis… but the rest was barely edible.

Walked around junction looking for a patio for dinner and went to axis. Nice place. Cool paintings on the wall. Patio was small but had enough space for us. Ordered the ribs as their special and my Gf ordered the lamb burger. The ribs had a good flavor but I found it to be a little bit tough and dry. The sweet potato fries I had with it was missing a chipotle sauce. Got mayo instead. Otherwise they were good. Had some of my Gf’s lamb burger. I have to say that was amazing. Juicy and the tatziki sauce was a good mix. Overall decent place to hang out with a beer with some pub grub.

Great outdoor patio. 16 oz Steamwhistle for $ 5 with tax Saturday night special! The shrimp vindaloo was awesome with saffron rice, naan, yogurt and samosa included for $ 15, decent deal for a very tasty dish. Good selection of food and appetizers. Good service and live bands some nights.

The only thing this place has going for it is an outdoor patio in the summer. Otherwise, a tired and grungy place with bad service and loud music (is there anywhere in the Junction one can go to just have a meal and talk without having to shout across a table?).

Myself and 2 of my friends recently went here and I have to say the experience was awkward to say the least. It was my first time here and we went on a Monday evening for a bite to eat. The servers spent the entire time flirting with the guys at the bar and came over once to take our order and then came back and put the food on the table and walked away, I was trying the entire time to get her attention so I could get a drink. Anything would be nice… Even a water? But no. I felt like I was on an episode of restaurant makeover. The place it’s self was very nice and the food was good and came fast I just wish the service was better and little more friendly as the server made our time there feel very uncomfortable, almost as if we had just walked into some intimate private party. Maybe it was just the day though? Who knows.

One of the go-​to meeting places for friends in the hood. The patio is great in the summer. Friendly staff, good live music, and the weekly specials… martinis, happy hour menu, etc!

Went to check out a friend’s band — it’s a bit of a haul for us to get there, so it’s not a regular hangout.
But oh my — if we were closer, we’d totally be there.
Typical noisy/​crowded. I’m not good in crowds, but was actually fairly comfortable — and even moreso when the bartender (I think one of the owners) made my first Hendrick’s martini. Oh — it was awesome.
(Sometimes you go someplace and they say they can make a martini but it’s ‘meh’, but this place? Spot on!)
We finally got a table (‘please seat yourself’ eeeek!) and ordered a bunch of appies and a bottle of wine. Seriously: *BEST* Sweet potato fries ever! nom nom nom
We’re definitely partial because were there meeting people we know, but seriously: awesome place. A bit of a cluster_​_​_​_​_​with the milling about creeping tables for a place to sit… and the service is a bit, erm…‘casual’. If you can hang with that, you’re in for an awesome time! Srsly

Tried Axis over the holidays for dinner and I am impressed! Solid pub-​type place with a wide menu and super friendly staff. Our group had burgers, nachos, chicken fingers, wings and fish & chips and everyone was happy. I will definitely return!

Axis is a good place for a beer or maybe a meal in the Junction.
Axis is basically a local men’s sports bar that would love to broaden its appeal to women and hipsters with the name «Gallery and Grill» affixed. FYI– On my visit, there were about 25 people inside. Two were women.
They have about 10 beers on draught, as well as a full menu similar to a pub menu.
The service here is good, and the beer is cold. They do have a nice patio that faces west.
Axis needs a bit of an update. The interior is dark and tired. On my recent visit the art on the wall looked like paper drawings from local school kids. They could also refrain from putting so many posters on the entryway glass.
Axis has a strong local sports bar appeal. Perhaps they would be better served to invest in and develop this theme.
If you are looking for a locals only crowd that skews older where you can get pub food, beer, and watch a game, The Axis may be your place.

Ahh, good ‘ol Axis. This is definitely our go to pub in the Junction. The side patio is great in the Summer for people watching and just hanging out. The live band at night is always a nice touch.
Every time we’ve been there we’ve had good service. It’s just nice to be able to come to a bar and feel relaxed. The place is clean and staff is friendly.
Now, if you come to Axis and don’t order the fries, you are doing yourself a great disservice. They are great. A mix of potato and sweet potato fries that will keep you eating until they’re finished. I’ve dubbed them crack fries and we order them every single time!
Prices are reasonable too so next time you’re in the Junction, stop in here.

we were looking for a place with a patio that would be open in the junction area on sunday after 4pm (for some funny reason most of the places start to close in this area exactly at 4pm)
not only we found one but we also very much liked it.
the service was very friendly and attentive.
the beer menu is pretty big.
there is a screen inside where they were showing olympics closing ceremonies.
the best is the menu. the burgers are yummy and so the fries. but the veg bbq tofu burger is superb! great sauce and caramelized onions such a rarity in veg burgers! really enjoyed the place!

Meh. I’d give two stars, but the patio is pretty great and our visit was on a warm summer evening. We shared two pounds of wings, which were a bit dry and overcooked. I would have asked for extra sauce but we saw no sign of a server until the wings were almost gone. My boyfriend had a coke (watery) and I had a pint of tankhouse (the only thing close to local or micro). Servers were friendly enough, but pretty absent. It’s worth a visit if you’re in the area and want to sit outside, but don’t go out of your way.

Axis is a weird bird.
I’ve been going there on and off since 2000 (wow I’m old) and it’s always held a special place in my heart, mainly because of the friendly staff and the great times I had with friends there during a formative part of my life.
Lately I’ve started going back since I now live in the area again.
And it’s still good. We go often. But when you have to put on your Unilocal hat and become a critic, it’s hard to really give it high marks.
The food is a mixed bag. It’s pub grub, sometimes surprisingly good, sometimes kinda bland. I tend to stick to some favorites and never go wrong (Grill Veggie Wrap + Sweet Potato fries + Bloody Ceaser = good times, every time).
Brunch is decent. Patio is nice sized. The atmosphere is casual and fun.
But the service is pretty sloppy sometimes these days. The waitresses can be a lot of fun, but fun doesn’t always mean reliable. And often doesn’t.
It’s just nothing stand out, but for some reason I always go back. Just something about it feels like home, in a way, and I never regret it when all is said and done.
take that for what you will.

Both of our previous visits were meant to be pit stops, but the quality of their foods and martinis has made us stay for the whole night.
Oddly, for their $ 3.99 martini night they have no martini menu but it’s a blessing in disguise. My boyfriend shoke up his iphone app at random and the bartender made us EVERYTHING the iphone showed, to perfection. Sweet aroma from fresh coffee beans in the Expresso Martini, the subtly spicey Bourbon Silk, Lychee Mango… we end up totaling 9 martinis on top of the pitcher. The bartender doesn’t make girly drinks though; the fruity drinks taste great (no bitterness at all) but doesn’t have much sugar drenched in it.
Oh yes! the food! A $ 5 French Onion soup is surprisingly delicious and plentiful. Salads are light on greasy dressing in a health-​conscious way, and their spring rolls are good. We have yet to expand beyond finger foods but we’ll try some soon, now that my friend has officially decided to switch her office party over to this place from a College St. option. The ambience is great and it’s so close to Bathurst subway station. The place is relaxing but CLEAN: No more bar dives!
It doesn’t look like a breakfast joint: the biggest item on their menu is that bar sitting in the center of the restaurant. I don’t think I’d go for breakfast here unless it’s hangover Sunday. There are TVs around the bar for the sports fans but not as many as Hoops (where they have a flat screen TV at every single table)…good for me, but if you want to yell at a projector on superbowl Sundays, you should go somewhere else.

I went here for sunday brunch. we went specifically because there is sometimes live jazz, but unfortunately the performer was not there that day/doesn’t play on sundays, etc. the restaurant was surprisingly quiet for a sunday brunch and there was soccer playing on the widescreen tv’s on the walls. the interior looks pretty nice.
the brunch menu is pretty small, but it has all the expected dishes such as eggs benedict, ‘traditional’ breakfast and omelettes. the coffee is really good, and refills are free. i had the omlette du jour; a vegetable medley. the omelette was really good, there was a lot of cheese, and chopped vegetables. however, i would say there was too much onion, the pieces of onion were too big and awkward to eat, and the omelette was HUGE! it says its a 3 egg omelette, but it has to be at least 5. With it, came some over-​heated, dried out potatoes and a generous portion of salad mix and also fruit slices. i enjoyed it, but it could use some fine-​tuning, i.e. better mixed vegetables and cheese inside, less eggs, more potatoes and fresher tasting ones. the egg omlette by itself was really good — very fluffy and well cooked.
The people i was with thought the prices were pretty steep for a pretty mediocre bacon and eggs breakfast (8 – 12 $) but everyone enjoyed their food.
The service was very good and the server clearly was experienced and had a good memory. The bathrooms are clean, and in the basement.
The last thing i would say is that it is unfortunate that they only have one large size of take-​away container, which is styrofoam. Overall, a pleasant experience.

Had a burger and onion rings here for dinner the other night.
Can’t vouch for the whole menu, just for what I had.
They have a fairly decent draught menu but it’d dominated more by the national and int’l plonk brands rather than micro breweries.
So, I had the burger. For $ 10 it’s not a bad deal. It comes with fries or onion rings too, so, I guess you’d say, good value.
They make their own patties too, which is a plus.
I was told however, rather emphatically, they only serve burgers well done. I guess I should have just passed then. Indeed, I got a well done burger which meant it was semi burnt and dry and still sitting in my tummy! Wouldn’t have this again. The onion rings are ok. Not great, not like Licks onion rings, just standard industrial frozen onion rings. If they just didn’t cook the burger to much they’d probably have a much better review.
Doesn’t seem to be many pubs in the junction so this may be your only choice for now. I was disappointed. I wouldn’t have a burger here again. Even if I paid more, a burger is something you have a craving for, and if it’s wrong or off or not done right, then the whole experience and craving is kaput! Like going to a bad movie, you walk out thinking you just wasted two hours and you feel completely unsated. That’s how I felt leaving this pub, although I also felt a bit nauseous.

I LOVE LOVE LOVED my experience here at Axis!
D and I went for dinner & drinks here with my Daddio a couple nights ago and had a wonderful time!
We left around 9:15 p.m. and the band had just begun to set up. Seemed like it was going to be a bumpin’ night! And it was a Tuesday… NICE!
We had the bruschetta appetizer (sans pesto, of course — they were more than happy to accommodate my SEVERE nut allergy and omit the requisite «drizzle» of pesto) as well as the crab cakes and the Caesar salad. ALL were DELIGHTFUL.
D ordered the sirloin burger and added cheddar & bacon. It came with fries & onion rings. The onion rings were INSANE GOOD. So it’s been a while since I had an onion ring, but DAMN those were FANTASTIC!!! The fries were great as well, and D said the burger was «OH… it was AMAZING». Yeah. Daddio ordered the «big boy» steak (10 oz.) and substituted extra vegetables for the potatoes. NO PROB to make the change! Also, he asked for his steak to be done «Chicago-​style», which is not something all chefs can do to perfection. It is charred on the outside, to order on the inside… and my Dad wanted it medium-​medium-​rare inside. THAT IS HARD. They did it to perfection! I chose the veggie quesadillas, but I was torn between a few veg-​friendly options! (YAY!) All was fantastic. My quesas were FAB. Everyone loved their food. The apps were particularly wonderful. MMMMMM!!!
I would love to try this place in the summer for its extensive patio area!
The bartender was also GREAT! One drawback for the boys was that they only have one kind of tequila, and unfortunately it’s Jose Cuervo. That aside, the bartender served wonderful drinks, and we drank many.
VERY cool find in our ‘hood that we’ll be returning to often!

Went there about a month ago for lunch, the patio was packed and of course had no choice but to sit inside.
Ordered an Iced Tea & an Axis Club. The food was great BUT unfortunately the table service sucked!!!
Would I go back to Axis, NO
Great service is essential & without great service what’s the point of going there!