The Blake House

I used to live by the Blake House for a few years, so I frequented it quite a bit. It is a great spot for after work drinks, a casual date or weekend brunch.
The Blake House interior is lovely. It’s nice, cozy, comfortable and makes you want to stay there for hours. The outdoor patio is huge and gets quite busy during the summer but I don’t remember every having a problem getting a table (I did avoid this place during the Pride though).
The staff is very friendly and welcoming but sometimes it gets pretty slow. The food is great. I’ve eaten here many times for brunch and dinner and I’ve never had a bad experience or been disappointed.

The weather for patio brunch was perfect today. I ordered blueberry pancakes and their breakfast special. Reasonably priced. Had a very good waitress. Great service.

I want to give it three stars only for the house but for the food… Two stars no more.
I visited there a Friday afternoon, of course the restaurant was almost empty. I waited to be seated and ordered one ’ The Blake’ mac n cheese to go, add mushroom for $ 2. The food packed well with another box with salad. But unfortunately, the taste was not good. The mac n cheese was creamy but not cheesy, and portion of mushroom was too small. Fine, salad was OK without their salad oil. Overall, if u come for a drink, the ambiance seemed good but never expect to eat the real food.

Great food! Loved the chicken and Brie wrap. The only complaint was the slow service. Our waitress was busy at a lot of tables and took longer than normal to get our food (which might not be her fault) and our check.

We were in Toronto for a business conference staying at a nearby hotel which recommended we have our group dinner at The Blake House and I’m glad we did. The staff couldn’t have been nicer, they planned a nice set menu for our group of 15, and the waitress totally took care of us while we were there. She was attentive, checked on our drinks frequently and the kitchen got all of our food to come out together. The group liked everything we had, a nice meat/​cheese board, spring rolls, goat cheese crostini were great appetizers. Our choices of entrees included salmon and a flat iron steak, both very well received but the vegetarian option, pappardelle with mushrooms was also very good (says the non vegetarian that ordered it). Dessert sent everyone over the edge, a gooey brownie a la mode.
Nice selection of beers, we were looking forward to having something local and we were not disappointed. A good evening all around!

Went here for Sunday brunch with friends and the service was brutal. We waited for just under an hour for our food. The inside of the restaurant was dead but the patio was somewhat busy. Not much food was coming out of the kitchen and our server disappeared for long periods of time.
Ambience was nice and the food was acceptable.
Will not be returning.

Great patio just off the beaten path of the village. Have been a few times and will continue to go back.
Food is reasonably priced of the most part. Have had brunch as well as lunch items. The Mac and Cheese with bacon as well as the potato hash that comes with most breakfast/​brunch items are particular stand outs. The chunks of bacon in the Mac and Cheese are for sure worth the extra $ 2 as they are huge and taste great.
The entire meal including 3 cocktails, a beer and 2 brunch main courses came in at $ 60 even before tip, great value.
Only reason I docked a star is because on a couple occasions I have found the service to be a bit slow or un attentive, not to say everyone who’s served us wasn’t very nice and accommodating, they could just be a bit more aware of their tables.
Recommend.

Very good food, stout pie and fish and chips were just as expected. Everything has a homemade touch. Only change would be my cider was not as cold as I would have liked.

I was here for my good friend’s birthday.
This place has a cool ambiance and its cozy and it is technically in a house.
MY ORDER
Poutine — I have had better. It was warm rather than hot so the cheese was melted and stringy. The fries were shoestring style, where typically they are thick homecut fries.
Calamari — was yummy with yummy sauce. The calamari had a light batter that was crispy and the calamari was fresh. Loved it with a squeeze of lemon.
Jerk Wings — yummy, just the right spice. There are many flavours that I am looking forward too next time.
Grilled Steak Sandwich — medium rare and it was juicy and tasty with the caramelized onions on a soft toasted baguette paired with a house salad dressed in a vinaigrette.
SERVICE
We were a group of 20 and our server did very good. All our orders were correct and we were checked in every so often to make sure we were good.
OVERALL
I didn’t give a full five stars as it was off based on the prices the quality should be a little bit higher.

I always walk by this place and this time decided to give it a try. The food is pretty good, I give it 4 out of 5 stars. I ordered something off their special menu (shaved prime rib sandwich topped with swiss cheese in a baguette, and for the side I decided to get mashed potatoes (they were amazing!).
The vibe of the place is very cozy and warm, which was nice after walking in the cold for a bit. The reason I gave this restaurant 3 out of 5 starts is because of the service. Our server kept disappearing. We had to ask for the specials, instead of her telling us the specials were (maybe she was having an off day).
I would give this place a try again during the summer as it seems like they have an awesome patio!

I love the interior here with the dark wood and what looks like stone work on the walls and the cozy booths. As well as the fact it’s In an old house in cabbage town which are notoriously beautiful. The drinks are very good deals and the food is delicious. Steak dinner on Sunday is 19 which is a big portion w leftovers. Service was fast and friendly. Transit around here isn’t the best by any means but it’s worth checking out.

I went here with a group of friends for a mid week dinner celebration. We were able to take the entire downstairs area. Their staff were friendly and accommodating.
DRINK
Their bar selection is not very varied and not extensive. I got a decent bloody ceasar for $ 6 but lacked the dressings you would normally expect.
FOOD
I ordered their Blake Mac n Cheese with salad on the side, hoping that it would be a tasty namesake dish. To my disappointment it was actually quite tasteless and so I added flavour with pepper and ketchup. Two others in the party ordered the Mac n cheese and I could see that they were doing their own renditions of adding flavour.
Dishes that were popular and enjoyed by the group were: Fish and Chips, Gnocchi, and Chicken Pie.

I’ve been here a few times, and I always forget to check in! The Blake House is where we have our «catch up» dinners with a few of my former co-​workers.
It’s in a really cool old house on Jarvis, and has a great big patio out front. Once inside there is a long bar to the left and a nice seating area to the right. The whole place I would say holds about 150 people inside when sitting.
The food is great, fresh, and unique. Make sure you have the Irish Style Chips. They are nachos, but instead of tortilla chips, they use kettle cooked potato chips. Speaking of the menu, it’s limited, but has a good selection and mix. A few salads, pastas, burgers/​sandwiches and apps.
In regards to the staff, I’ve never had a problem with any of them. They are all fun, attentive and know their menu. Regardless of how busy the place is, they wait staff is always prompt.
Check it out if you’re in the area.

Great atmosphere and drink selection. Very friendly staff. Beautiful big patio. Food was edible but not fantastic. Also, it would be better if their patio was non smoking (or at least smoking was limited to a particular area of the patio). Doing so would have raised my review to a solid 4.

This was the final stop of our Pride crawl. I ordered a martini and it was okay. It’s a personal preference, but I don’t like martinis in a short glass and that’s how this one was served. Boo hoo… I know. Our server was pleasant and apologized for not being as attentive as she should be. I hadn’t found her inattentive, but I did notice a table of gentlemen sitting behind us who were getting grumpy because no one had come to take their order. It was Pride, so it was very busy– especially the patio. I liked the atmosphere in this place; classic without being stuffy. I would be happy to return another time and sample some of their food.

Blake house catch FatCat by surprise first time FatCat go. FatCat notice many boys in restaurant on date with other boys, and not girls. Not what FatCat expect when FatCat read online reviews… and then FatCat remember that boys who like other boys generally very pleasant people… so FatCat go into restaurant to eat.
FatCat chow down on fish and chips. FatCat so happy with food that FatCat call Blake House as «excellent alternative» for House On Parliament (also read FatCat review for House on Parliament as «best pub in city»)
Things FatCat like
— Excellent food (FatCat recommend potato nachos for starter)
— Excellent décor and feel
— Excellent service — consistently
Things FatCat not like
— Nothing — like house on parliament, Blake House very good.

Lesson learned: When you go to a pub-​grub place, don’t order steak… even if it’s JUST $ 20.
So… I ordered the «aged» steak on the menu. It was really dry and not medium rare like I had asked for. The insides were pinkish brown… not the slightest bit of pinkish red. You know what that means? Cooked from frozen. Ugh. Also, the blue cheese dip that it came with sort of made me hurl in my insides. But that’s my fault; should’ve ordered the green peppercorn sauce instead. Anyway, upon complaining, the waitress was nice enough to offer me another dish at once… but I didn’t feel it necessary. I just kept chomping on my steak when the head chef came by and told us that he’d be serving us French Vanilla ice-​cream on the house; which I think was SUPER nice of him. And god, was that French Vanilla ice-​cream amazing. I tasted some sweet Carnation milk in it and mmmmm, creamy… and it’s necessary to point out that I don’t even like Vanilla!
I also ordered a Margarita. It tasted like super sour lime juice sans any alcohol.
My experience aside, note that this place gets quite packed for lunch. It’s a nice little restaurant with cozy seating; perfect for dates, a meal with a small group of friends or work collegues.

My family & I ventured over to the Blake House this past Mother’s day for brunch (note: they take brunch reservations! perfect if you’re looking to brunch in a large group!)
LOVE the atmosphere and décor of The Blake House. It really gives you more of a classy vibe compared to your generic pub, but still has that casual pub feel. The building itself is very old, but gorgeous. They have lots of pictures inside of different areas of Toronto & how it looked in the earlier 1900s.
There’s lots of seating both inside and out, as well as a parking lot right beside the location if you’re driving instead of using transit.
Our server was really sweet & friendly. Service was a bit slow, but it was a busy Mother’s day, so that’s to be expected.
We started off with the Baked Brie for the table. Oooooohmygod. If I were basing this review on that Brie alone it would be a five star. This is a legitimately delicious dish. I highly reccomend it for sharing (it’s an entire wheel of brie, so you probably don’t want to tackle it solo!) The brie was baked to perfection which gave it a yummy flaky crust with just a tiny bit of crisp, and of course on the inside it was all ooey gooey goodness. It comes with roasted garlic crostini, red onion marmalade, and a red grape reduction to eat with. Simply a heavenly combo. Mmm.
I had the Monte Cristo for my main. It was good! I really enjoyed the shaved back bacon. I found the french toast a teeeeny bit dry (though I am quite picky about it, to be fair :)), but other than that a very decent Monte Cristo, though nothing to write home about like that Brie ;).
My mother had the Mushroom Benny & gave it rave reviews!
Overall, a really great experience and I will most certainly be back (since that Baked Brie is invading my dreams! Visions of baked brie dancing in my head?)

Patio!
Big TV at the bar and dining area!
Decent draft and bottle beer list!
It might not be the best pub/​bar in the area, but I just love the cozy and laid back vibe of The Blake House!
Free Wifi!
I just wish the patio is not cigar friendly. Not good for non smokers on a windy day.
I definitely be back to meet up for friend for some drinks when I am in the area.

My Winterlicious Challenge 2013. So is the service and food quality that inferior at these culinary events? Well, my goal is to find out. First stop, The Blake House…
The Blake House was my first stop in my Winterlicious 2013 Challenge. The point of this visit was to determine if the quality of the food and service was sub-​par as we are expected to believe. We are paying less after all. In this case, I thought The Blake House did well. Sure the appetizers needed work, and every chef should know better than to send a dish out without tasting it first (lentils in soup were still hard), or at least taste the soup directly from the pot! Come on! Isn’t that Chef 101? But I will let it go because I loved the fries, the ice cream and my friend loved his macaroni and cheese with real cheese. :)
And service? Danielle, our server was very nice, but she also seemed very busy. It looked like she was responsible for every table in the room, and the place was quite busy. Taking all these factors into account, the service and food were better than average. I would definitely return for a basket of fries and a side of vanilla ice cream. Have you ever tried dipping your salty fries in ice cream? It tastes really good. I dare you to try it!

Nous y sommes passés pendant le festival dit winterlicious. Déçus quand même: soupe tiède, tartelettes au poireaux avec pâte moulée de supermarché, salade mesclun qu’on aurait pu acheter n’importe où sans valeur ajoutée. Dommage, le lieu est sympa et le personnel aussi mais c’est cher payé pour ce qu’on a.