Rickshaw Bar

I love Rickshaw Bar food concept: a fusion of street food from some of my favourite countries in South Asia: Burma, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, India and Pakistan. Food that is simple but has such interesting and robust flavour with spices and herbs.
Thanks to Elvis A inviting us to join him a few Unilocalers for a little tasting of what Richshaw Bar so I ended up able to sample quite a few of their dishes. Just like any downtown «Tapas» style restaurants, you paying quite a bit for really small quality of food. Food here is quite tasty but as a big eater you might need to have 3 app and 2 mains in order to be full.
Roasted Cauliflower ($ 7)
Scallop Ceviche ($ 12)
Pakora Fritters ($ 6)
Smoked Eggplant Flatbread ($ 9)
Paratha Tacos ($ 6)
Khao Shay ($ 13)
Chili-​Fish (Trout)
Everything tasted rich and well flavoured.
I don’t mind coming back again for a pre or after dinner snack. The main Small plates is really really «small».

A solid 3.5* for fusion East African cuisine.
There’s not many East African restaurants in Toronto, and very few that offer a more elevated experience, and this is the only one i’ve ever been to that’s been fusion.
A+ for creativity, A+ for flavours, but the price to quantity ratio needs to be looked at (B at best). I get it, rent in Toronto and all, but it just leaves your a little unsatisfied at the end.

Long waits. Was told to wait 20minutes and had to wait an hour. Very unattentive servers, asked for water and server responded yes and ignored us for 15minutes. Food very greasy. Do not recommend.

Worst experience. EVER.
We were blatantly ignored for the first 10 minutes while we stood awkwardly in the middle of the restaurant’s floor. When I asked the server behind the bar if we should seat ourselves her response was, «I would prefer if you didn’t.» Following which she continued to ignore us. A group of three patrons asked what we were doing because we were hovering around their table making their meal uncomfortable, at which point the same server who I had spoken to came over to deliver some food to them, ignored us again and then went on to clear a table (of the wrong size for our group) rather than acknowledging us.
There were 2 open tables at the back, which would have been large enough to accommodate our group of 3 — so having been repeatedly ignored and told not to seat ourselves we left.
I will be sharing this horrific experience with all of my friends to ensure none of them eat there. Stay posted for the review of the restaurant we wound up at, which acknowledged us.

It was late and we were wandering with some friends from out of town looking for a late drink. We stumbled across this place on the 5^th day of its soft opening.
The drinks were good and food was amazing.
The chef herself was serving us as they were not completely staffed up and service was a little slow but will definately be coming back again.

This place has been on my radar since it opened, but prior attempts to dine here were thwarted by various unforeseeable circumstances. I was finally able to make it on a few weeks ago — and it was so worth the wait.
We (party of four) ordered ten of the dishes (not including multiples of the ones that we knew would be popular amongst us). Almost everything we tried was fantastic. The standouts were the Ismaili beef curry, naan-​kebab, cauliflower, and the crispy milk pastries. Other reviews have commented on the small portions, but it is meant to be small plates/​tapas style. As mentioned earlier, we ordered 10 plates for 4 people, which was just the right amount of food.
The service was fantastic — attentive but not over bearing. They took the time to describe the dishes as they were brought to the table and our glasses were kept full the entire night. Chef and owner Noureen’s dad also happened to be there that night, supporting his daughter, and he took the time to stop and talk to the guests at every table. He described her journey, having made stops at Momofuku, Origins, and Alinea (to name a few), and it was obvious that her dad was very proud of how hard she had worked to realize her dream. It was all very sweet.
All in all it was a fantastic dinner. I will definitely be coming back again and again =) And I hear they will start offering brunch soon!

This is one of the best spots for date night! The food is extraordinarily amazing and the staff is super friendly! My husband and I went there last Friday and (luckily for us) the chef introduced a new item to the menu — Sweet Paneer — and I must admit it was definitely the best paneer dish I have ever had in my entire life! The head chef personally came and asked us for the honest feedback and I feel I have to tell everyone here how amazing it really was — highly recommend it! The price is justified as well… must say — you gotta eat here!

Went here for a night with the girls. The 2 stars aren’t for the long wait time because what do you expect from a new place on Queen West? 2 stars are for:
— Tiny portions that all taste the same. I don’t eat meat, and though I ordered several different dishes they all ended up tasting exactly the same — vegetable fried something. It had a good spice to it, but it was hard to enjoy over how oily it was.
— No utensils even though the food started coming! It was pretty funny though how after 5 minutes of trying to call attention to a server and finally getting one, everyone was brought utensils (no forks though…) except for one of my friends. She got mad and went to get them herself. ¾ though… not bad for a long wait for cutlery with which to eat your meal, right?
— Empty dumplings. They literally had nothing inside. We got suspicious and asked the server, who confirmed this was a mistake and brought us different ones out, but also super oily.
— Did I mentioned tiny portions?
— Frazzled servers. Yes, we waited forever for water, utensils and to pay (their machine wasn’t working so everyone’s cards had to have copies made — safe, right?) but the servers were literally running. They definitely didn’t have enough waiters on the floor.
+2 stars because the cocktails are fantastic and if you come here on a weekend you’ll have time to enjoy about 6 of them.

First things first — I have to comment on the great atmosphere of this tiny little place on Queet Street. Dark, cozy, with smart decoration choices. I think that a party of 18 – 20 were celebrating a birthday party when I went, so I’m guessing that the hosts are VERY accommodating (just as long as you give prior notice)
I shared the Ismaili Beef Curry with a friend and it was pretty good! Not too spicy and not too runny. I’ll be sure to go next time with an empty stomach so that I can try out more of the dishes.
The real gem of the Rickshaw Bar was our amazing server. He legit had a smile on his face the entire time we were there and checked up on us regularly to make sure that everything was going perfectly. I didn’t get his name, but shout out to you, dude. You were the clear highlight of our visit.

The only reason that I wouldn’t give 5 stars would be for the very small portions. However, the quality of almost everything was wonderful. The menu recommends that you order 4 snacks and 2 mains. I could have swam in a bucket of the gorgeous Ismali Beef Curry.
This dish is beyond the scope of any curry you’ve had in Toronto, and like nothing that you will have anywhere. The chef explained that it’s her great grandmother’s recipe and very special to her. If I had a family recipe like this, I’d be just as proud. It’s a silky mixture of peanut, coconut… and EGADS… what else is in there??? The server said there were over 27? ingredients and it takes a week to make. This spicy, harmonious curry clung to the sous vide beef and soft potatoes like a velvet glove. This dish was probably one of the best things I’ve eaten in my life.
The Kho Say was delicious, too. Crunchy noodles, soft noodles, a light creeping spice and a fabulous coconut broth.
Chicken paratha tacos were amazingly delicious, and full of flavour. Really liked the paratha shell, too.
Cauliflower was a wonderful side with our curries and a must have with any of the dishes.
The ceviche was okay. I found the portion to be a little smaller than almost everything else we ate and the fish felt a little buried under the rice puffs.
Milk pastry was out of this world!
Bottles of wine are the way to go as the pours by the glass are only about 4 oz. Bottles are all below $ 40 and chosen to highlight the depth of flavours in the food. Not always easy to pair, but they’ve made some good choices.
I love that we live so close to this place and I’m already planning to return next Friday with some friends. Rickshaw bar is a favourite new place!

The décor was nice and didn’t feel like I needed to be careful with the furniture. The wait staff seemed a little inexperienced but did a good job. They took good care of us. It is tapas style so get ready to constantly be ordering. I’m not a fan of tapas style dining because I always leave hungry or paying way too much for ordering so many dishes to fill me up.
All the food is Indian flavour with different fusions. For example, soft taco shells with Indian filling. There were a lot of vegetarian options so my wife was into it. We tried basically everything in the menu and the food was good. Just a few things that got me annoyed. Since its tapas and sharing, there should be serving utensils. No knife at table, just spoon and fork. Getting a second glass of wine took way too long. We were there at 730pm and they ran out of the specially so quickly.
I probably won’t come back on my own but would definitely recommend the restaurant.

Excellent food and excellent service!
I went late on a Saturday night with some friends who were slightly inebriated which is not an easy thing to have in a restaurant. Not only was the food incredible, but there service was as well. I would highly recommend this place :)

Was here on Thursday. Very cute rustic ambiance
Food was not cheap but every dish was a work of art. Very tasty
Kudos to the chef

Thanks to Elvis A. for organizing a UYE to Rickshaw Bar. It was a nice mid-​week pick me up and was thoroughly enjoyed. Right at Queen and Bathurst, the restaurant is non-​assuming; I did walk by it once and missed it. The décor is minimal, but I can’t say the same for the food. Rickshaw’s kitchen is an open concept so you can see your food being prepared with tlc. To start, I ordered the chicken taco; the lime and jalapenos definitely were working. I enjoyed the kick to it. As a main, I had the Ismaili Beef Curry — another winner. Like the taco, it’s also quite spicy. The curry comes with a bowl of basmati rice as well.
Good for: Indian

I have walked by this space for years and watched it pass through so many hands. I have to say, I truly believe this space is now in the right hands with Rickshaw.
We went there last night for some pre drink cocktails and ended up trying some of the food.
Drinks aside (had a decently priced glass of vino), the food at Rickshaw is outstanding.
We tried the Califlower (which I cannot get out of my mind), the fritters, the dumplings and the beef tacos. All were very flavour forward and all deserve an encore. I have every intention of repeating this meal over and over again.
Everyone who works at Rickshaw are very welcoming and friendly and incredibly helpful in picking items off the menu.
For a space that just opened a month ago, I have high hopes for it

There are some small, slightly out of the way, places that are worth a visit and this is one of them.
At the moment, because it is fairly new, the owner is on the premises and clearly working all the hours to make sure it is good.
The ambiance is nothing to write home about; bare brick walls and standard restaurant tables and music a fraction loud.
However, the welcome and approach of the staff overcomes the mundane. The service is very attentive.
The wine list is bare minimum, there are only five reds, but the Torres Tempranillo @$ 50 is perfectly acceptable.
Both the starters we had, the roasted cauliflower — slightly spicy and very tasty, and the smoked eggplant, slightly spicy and very flat were good.
The beef tacos were tiny, but made up for their size in taste and interest.
The beef curry with potatoes had its own internal warmth and was rich.
The vegetable curry, had crispy chickpeas and was excellent.
The portions are small, but clearly made with love and care.
A place well worth a visit

**A serendipitous encounter during our short stay in Toronto, Rickshaw is a must :)
We happened upon this place when the original restaurant we wanted to eat at was full, with a 1.5hr wait. But what a pleasant surprise it was!
Sitting down to the mostly empty space we weren’t sure what to expect. We were soon greeted by an energetic and very nice fellow eagerly awaiting our questions and order. There were four of us and we just couldn’t decide so we ordered one of nearly everything on the menu.
I could go through each dish, but plain and simple it was amazing. Seriously some of the best curry and South Asian dishes I’ve ever had. Each plate was a world of flavours that delighted our tastebuds. Amazing.
My only criticism was the size of the dishes. Small plates indeed, but I think there could be room for change here, even a small (like teeny tiny) increase in size of dish would be all it would need.
Highly recommend getting in here before it’s too popular and busy.

This review is for the soft opening of this spot. I will try and update the review once I have had a chance to revisit.
This was a planned visit so I have had a chance to study the menu beforehand.
First off the ambiance, the place has a nice clean open feel. Plenty of seating at the bar as well and I can see that being a popular spot for late night drinks and munching.
We were a group of 4 so ordered a bunch of items
Pakoras. Decent and were nice and hot when served. The chutney on the side was OK as well.
Cauliflower. I did try this dish though not fan of cauliflower I found it to be spiced well.
Chicken Tacos. Prathas were used as taco shells (clever twist on this crowd pleaser) Chicken was OK.
Flat bread. A small portion and again spiced well.
Ismali Curry. Top notch. Complex flavors and thankfully the spices and heat were not held back. I haven’t had this curry before but beef rendang would be a close comparison. Beef was cooked just right and falling apart.
Makai Curry. A vegetarian curry. Hmm one doesn’t get to see this often. It was popular with other diners and they even ended up ordering a second helping. I tried it as well and again kudos on not holding back the spices and heat. Nice and flavorful.
Crispy milk pastry. Hmm this one was not to my liking as the fried pastry overwhelmed all the other ingredients IMO.
The portions are tapas size so I would recommend 3 dishes per person if you are ordering the curry (comes with a bowl of rice)
The cocktail list is interesting and worth a look. I had to order a delerium tremens once I saw it on the menu. Red wine was limited though from what I was told they will be expanding it once their supplies are good.
4 stars and I will be back.

Food was amazing, great presentation, friendly staff. Prices are low enough that you can try a few items without breaking the bank. Also had very nice drinks.
Beef was so soft that if you even looked it would fall apart into a pile of juicy deliciousness.
Give this new place a shot you will be glad you did.
Side Note to Hipsters:
Do not be alarmed by the fact that this place may not have a 2 hour wait list. I know how desperately you want to tell your friends and colleagues how you went for dinner at the hottest place in town. But here’s your chance to try a great place and say «I went there BEFORE it was the spot». We all know how much you like to brag about that, so here is that opportunity. Your welcome.
Chris

We walked into Rickshaw Bar by chance and sat down towards the back from the room. We ordered the ceviche, all three tacos, the khao shay and the crispy milk pastry. We were very impressed with the complex but complimenting flavours of the dishes, with the beef taco being my bf’s favourite and the milk pastry being my favourite (the cardamom flavor really stood out). As another reviewer mentioned the portions are on the smaller side but we were not hungry after our meal, I think because the khao shay and the beef taco were actually pretty rich and filling. We plan to go back another day to sample the rest of the menu.
The ambience of the restaurant was nice and felt classy due to the minimalist style of the décor. I think it would be a good place for a first or a casual date. They also have a wine and cocktails menu.