The County Cocktail and Snack Bar

I love the Queen West location, so was very disappointed with the horrible service on the other side of town. Seriously rude servers — only 1 of 3 acknowledged we existed, and the one who did had the most astonishing attitude problem. Won’t be coming back (which is a shame, because the cocktails are delicious!).

Had a good brunch here at at the County. Since this location isn’t marked well, you really need to look for it. I drove by this place twice before I finally saw it. I can foresee parking at this location would be difficult so give yourself some time.
This place is a small intimate location to grab a meal with some close friends to catch up. Since it’s small it can get crowded very quickly. The ambiance is western saloon, nicely decorated and well lit and the staff were friendly and accommodating!
The food was good but the portion sizes are small so if you’re a big eater its likely you won’t be full. I had the pulled pork benny which was great! The pulled pork was delicious and the eggs were perfectly poached, I would recommend this dish for sure!
All and all I would come back here for another brunch.

Ok so I’ve given this place four chances now. I am done. The food is over priced and a crappy rendition of trendy. My friend and I ordered pulled pork bennies and honestly got less than a full mouth full of pulled pork on our plates and the waitress flat out REFUSED to order my eggs on the slightly well done poached side (I’ve never been refused this EVER anywhere)
Drinks took almost as long as our food, wait staff is stuffy and arrogant.
Too many good places in this town to waste my time and money here.

I hate to give such a terrible review because I live in Riverside and I am all about supporting the local businesses, but this place needs to know (if you are reading) that your food is absolutely horrible. The chicken thigh sandwich barely has any meat and the meat that is in there tastes gross. It looks undercooked, yes I know it is cooked sous-​vide, but it is still undercooked. The eggs benny are nasty and the prices for each of these are $ 14. Also, they put peanuts in their salad… why not walnuts? Is it because peanuts are cheap and you put them out with your beers for clients?
It is cute and cozy inside, but PLEASE improve your menu. I so desperately wanted to like this place, but can’t say that I do.

Sunny Saturdays on Queen East with mom. Browsing the Toronto Flower market, sharing feels in the warmth, strolling down by the river… and then the hunger hits. The Baker broads need some brunch!
Prohibition looked promising, but it was such a nice day and we wanted a brighter atmosphere to match our moods. Bonjour Brioche and Lady Marmalade had the usual lineups and so we rejected these prospects. There were a few other options that we flirted with before settling on the Riverside version of the County General. It looked warm and inviting.
This was the highlight for me:
French Toast Fried Chicken, Maple Syrup, Buttermilk Ranch 14
What came first, the chicken or the egg? They both arrived together in perfect harmony inside of my mouth.
Sweet, salt, fat, crisp, wow.
The chicken tasted like it was battered in crispy kettle chips and the meat was tender inside. I created perfect savoury and sweet bites of bird dipped into a creamy and chive-​filled sauce, paired with eggy toast and caramelized syrup and sometimes a bit of slaw to cut the richness.
I’m not sure what some people are saying about portion sizes (along with some other random complaints). This is a rich dish and it is perfectly portioned. It got to the point where I felt like I was overeating before it was finished and I wasn’t hungry until much later that evening around 9:30 –10 pm.
My mom also enjoyed her dish and we went against grain by sipping on Americanos instead of brunch libations. We had an attentive and friendly server — the type to check and see how our first bites were after dropping off our plates a couple of minutes earlier.
Nice ‘lil feast on the east, County General Riverside.
Bonus: Although I typically fancy the darker ones, there is an undeniably cute young blondie working the bar.

4.5 Actual rating
I finally had a chance to come here for a meal. Already I was impressed as they were willing to take a reservation on a Saturday night at 8 pm. Excellent! We arrived and I have to say that I enjoyed the atmosphere; it was nicely lit and cozy. Yes I could have done without the classic rock playing in the background, but it was subdued enough volume wise that I could tune it out.
After discussing various dishes with the server, we opted to begin with the chicken fried octopus and a single oyster for me. The oyster was $ 3 which may be a bit on the pricey side, but I can’t say I regretted it. The dap of kimchi on it was brilliant and I loved it. Wished I had about 8 more! The chicken fried octopus wasn’t as tasty in my opinion, and I only had two small bites of it then passed on it. For a main, we ordered the pork stew for two. I thought the stew was well seasoned, the pork was tender, I enjoyed the potatoes and the cashews in it, and it was a healthy sized portion for two. My only criticism is I ate a chunk of fat thinking it was a potato. Yuck. Maybe the pork could be trimmed up a little more carefully. I wasn’t a huge fan of the fried flat bread that accompanied the dish and would have liked more of the rice instead. The chutney’s flavor wasn’t as balanced as it could be, but the raita was good. All in all, a very satisfying sharing dish on a cold January night. Having said that, both tables beside us were having the chicken for two and it looks so damn good! I will have to go back!!!
On a final note, the service was great. They were welcoming, informative, and very efficient.

Great bar, great vibe, excellent food. The chicken for two was tremendous, as was the burger and the «bites» starters.
A nice, smallish/​intimate space with a few larger tables, a number of attractive couples rubbing up on each other at the bar, and some older folks who were just there for the food. Décor is comfortable and on trend.

had the eggs Benny for breakfast $ 14 which didn’t include toast. A side of 2 pieces of toast was $ 2 extra. The eggs turned into an egg soup once I break the yoke. In fact I needed a straw to deal with this eggy soup. It was awful and was the worse eggs Benny I’ve ever had. In one word it was YUCK !!

I went here with my girlfriend on a weekend for a late brunch. Considering there were very few people inside I found the service to be slow. Not awful but slow. We both ordered the chicken thigh sandwiches. I found this sandwich to be nothing special — less chicken than you might think and also a little dry. It was not terrible but definitely overpriced. As a side I had the option of salad, soup, of kettle style chips. Now I really like kettle style chips when done correctly — that wonderful texture of soft and crunchy together, with a bit of seasoning. These chips were all crunchy, which is not altogether too terrible, but they were also way over seasoned, which definitely took away from the experience in a big way for me. It came with a side of yogurt which was mild and good. It’s just unfortunate that I needed to dip the chips in the yogurt to negate the stinging of the over seasoning.

The worst brunch I’ve had in my life of brunches. My friend and I ordered the benny and it was a deconstructed benny — eggs, hollandaise, smoked salmon and kale all individually plopped on my plate. It was like a stew of gelatinous liquids oozing all over. The biscuits meant to house the abomination of brunch, were so tiny they only absorbed ¹⁄₂₀^th of my egg yolk. It was revolting. My friend and I could not finish our meals.
In fact, it was so gross that I felt sick all day every time the idea of it popped into my mind.
They get ²⁄₅ because the side dish of tater tots and brussel sprouts were quite good.

Once you buy a deep fryer it becomes possible to start throwing random things into it just to see how they turn out.
It doesn’t matter what those things are. They can be pieces of chicken, octopus, vegetables, carpet lint… they all turn out looking and tasting the same way.
In this case, it’s a very good thing that the deep fryer at County Cocktail keeps on working it’s magic. Should that machine fail, the restaurant is doomed.
We’ve tried a large portion of the menu here. Every time so far we’ve been unimpressed.
But we keep coming back.
Why? The atmosphere of the room always seems like it will be nice from the outside looking in. And we always end up convinced that the next time it will be better.
What can I say? We suckas.
It’s on the pricey side for what it is. And you always leave wishing it could live up to the excellent wallpaper.
This past time, we had an assortment of deep fried grizzle, served with a side of vinegar soaked apples that apparently had something to do with Thailand. It was like spraying alternating windex bottles full of grease and vinegar directly into our open heads.
The waitress sold us on the idea of dessert, saying that their pastry chef had concocted something superb. She returned with what appeared to be a chocolate bar with lucky charms for nougat. Can’t knock this. It was awesome.
The interesting homemade sodapop cocktail combinations really make up for the poor beer selection. That being said, the real secret of life is that you can always tell the quality of a bar based solely on their beer offerings. It’s like the lowest common denominator of the food and beverage industry. It’s never wrong.
When that fails, there’s always the deep fryer.

Had a really good meal here Sept ³⁰⁄₂₀₁₄.
Everything we ordered was really tasty. Had the octopus chicken, the devilled egg, the Steak Tartare, Jalapeño Corn Bread, Thai Apple Slaw, Falafel Sandwich (was good, but probably the least enjoyed item due to the Falafels being quite crispy)
We saw quite a few people order the chicken for 2 and it seemed like a lot of chicken and it looked really good. Next time going to try that.
It’s loud… very loud. Surprisingly loud for a small place… sitting at the bar I couldn’t hear the person next to me talk in a normal volume.
That being said, everything was really good… and the place was clean — staff were great albeit a bit overworked. They only had the bartender and another person serving the whole place which was quite busy for a Tuesday.
I’ll definitely be back and would definitely recommend this place to friends.
It’s also pretty expensive… total for 2 with 2 beers and one glass of wine came to $ 120 with tip.

I had been meaning to try the County Cocktail and Snack Bar since its opening, but somehow never got around to it, despite me always appreciating their quirky anecdotes and facts which are written daily on their outside blackboard.
Came for a late brunch and was pleased to see that this place serves brunch till four pm on weekends — at least an hour later than many competitors. Yay!
As I love both pulled-​pork and croque madames, choosing their ”pulled pork croque madame” sandwich was a no-​brainer for me! I was really excited to try it out, but unfortunately the combination of pulled pork, fried egg, BBQ sauce and mornay was better on paper than it was in reality.
The combination of all the flavours just felt like an assault on my mouth. The pulled pork, which was marinaded in the BBQ sauce, was overkill sweet. The combination of that with the mornay sauce overpowered everything else — even the fried egg (my favourite part!!!) I’m sure some people would appreciate the mix of ingredients, but for me it just clashed really badly. Too much going on.
It was also a small portion for $ 12.
On the plus side, the service was very welcoming and friendly.
The ambience, décor, and loud music was about as hipster as I’ve ever experienced. Again, like the food — this will be a plus for some and a minus for others. But it definitely wasn’t for me.
I feel like I’m being generous in awarding this place 3 stars. I did really want to like it! :(

For me, this place is the definition of Toronto hipster. Feel free to argue with me, but if you’re looking for a very manicured rustic atmosphere, with a somewhat pricey menu that’s been very carefully developed by the chefs, this is the place.
The cocktail menu appears deceptively sweet, but many of the items are on the dry side. So don’t let that stop you from ordering a fancy sounding drink for fear of having your teeth caramelized.
If you’re looking for a huge meal, this isn’t the place for you. The portions are small, but fairly rich. So whether you feel filled up at the end of the night depends on how filled up you get by rich and intense foods. Especially if you end your meal with one of their intense desserts. Most notably, The King, which includes a large cinnamon bun on top of peanut butter and bananas, drizzled with a caramel and bacon sauce.
Personally I haven’t fallen in love with this place. But that has nothing to do with quality/​care put into the food and drinks (which was superb), but rather my own preferences. However I think it deserves a high ranking for the quality of food, consistency in friendly service. But I’m not sure portion vs cost is completely reasonable.

«I’m taking you out tonight for your belated birthday dinner, KP, where do you want to go?» my friend asked me, as though the sky was the limit. For me, ever since I was little girl, birthdays and a bucket of KFC go together like Rob Ford and a crack pipe. I missed my Colonel fix this year because my b-​day fell on Mother’s Day and my daughter thought a bucket was «too tacky» so I COOKED MY OWN FRIGGIN CHICKEN. I roasted it with lemon and garlic and it was delicious but! was there any finger licking? No, no there was not.
Laura is a gadabout in the east hoods and knows her shit, like some of you elite Unilocalers. She suggested The County in Riverside. She mumbled the word «hipster» at some point but said they had an amazing cocktail menu and so yes.
Saturday night in Riverside: We got there early (before 7) and got in without reservations, although I am normally a bar sitter, we got a table and then watched the place fill up. Date night and double date night, holy Noah’s Ark, I didn’t know people were still coupling up. There goes my theory of the evolution of the human race turning back into amoebas. Oh well.
THE VERY HOT AUSTRALIAN WAITER WAS VERY HOT.
Perusing the menu, Laura suggested a bunch of stuff to share, as all the appetizers are very delicious. She had been there before and was all jonesing on the steak tartare, but when mine eyes have seen the glory of the buttermilk fried chicken platter, I was all like «LAURA WE NEED TO HAVE THIS!»
We ordered two cocktails. Mine was Black Betty (tequila, blackberries, lemon, more stuff $ 14) and in all earnestness, I have never met a drink I didn’t like, so yum and Laura gave me a sip of hers, Johnny Feel Fine (rum, pineapple, lime, mint, more stuff) and I had a bit of drink envy… double yum.
We had two appetizers: Chick pea fries… I know, WEIRD! What could that possibly look like? It was ground up chick peas shaped into finger sized french fries and served with salsa verde. Surprisingly delish.
We also had duck spring rolls with hoisin sauce and ginger slaw. Oh wow. There were only 3 on the platter and we were 2, I had no idea how that would play out but Laura gave me the third one! I devoured it with glee.
Just as a head’s up: There is a lot of cilantro going on in this restaurant. I know it’s one of those things you either love or hate, and there is even science backing up the haters so I won’t pull a stink eye on you like I do with people with «gluten insensitivity.» I am in the love group but if it tastes like soap to you, most of it is in garnish form so you can ask to leave it out.
Then came the FRIED CHICKEN! The very hot Australian waiter placed a sheet of paper on our table and dumped the chicken pieces out in a pile and shook on some Texas mop sauce on top and some sprigs of cilantro (!) and gave us some homemade sauces and dips with 4 biscuits and slaw. I saw some other Unilocal review comparing this to KFC (without actually having eaten it) and $ 40 for «just fried chicken» was steep. Just. Fried. Chicken. I get emotional over fried chicken. Fried chicken is my religion. I actually make a pretty mean fried chicken based on the Stockyards recipe but it is a little labour intensive and you have to worry about oil temperature and keeping everything even. I love to try other places and get variety. My dirty secret is that I still love KFC but only when I’m slumming it up. Like in a mall food court where calories don’t actually count.
The chicken here is cut up in small pieces, some have the bones and some don’t…me like bone to suck. The buttermilk biscuits were awesome, they tasted almost cheesy, maybe they had cheddar? In spite of all the sauces, I liked the chicken plain the best but Laura created a mixture of ranch and home-​made tabasco that was her dipping jam. We washed it down with a Beau’s IPA tall boy as we tried to pace ourselves. But I kept eating more pieces, hoping to find bone inside, sometimes hit, sometimes miss. THERE WAS A LOT OF FOOD THERE. We both slipped into a coma at some point and woke up to the very hot Australian waiter wrapping up the remaining 3 pieces which Laura let me have.
We both thought we would never eat or drink again. We needed to walk home (to Jones for Laura, Coxwell for me) and by the time we got to Pape, a cleansing ale was in order so we ducked into a pub for a pint. The next morning I unwrapped the chicken pieces like it was Christmas and I had them for breakfast. One of them had a bone! I’ve been sucking on it all morning.

The younger sister of the original location of the County General on Queen West, The County Cocktail and Snack Bar is a very welcome addition to the Leslieville neighborhood. I came here with my boyfriend and a friend for a quite delicious meal accompanied by cocktails. Read carefully, as this review will contain a few tips for eating here :)
The DRINKS: The COCKTAIL program here is pretty strong. Some very interesting drinks are popping up on the menu. I particularly liked the Molasses Rum Sour ($ 13) which is very well executed with that beautiful mix of dark flavors with citrus and the texture of the egg white. The other drinks were all good, but whoever is designing the cocktail program has a sweet tooth, as all the cocktails are on the sweeter side of my preference.
We didn’t try any wines, but the BEER list is quite underwhelming with nothing but Muskoka in bottles ($ 6-​$ 10). Nothing on tap.
The FOOD: Everything we ordered was almost completely outstandingly prepared and executed with an amazing balance and depth of flavor. I have nothing but high praise for what we ate (I’m choosing my words carefully).
—The Beef Cheek on a Steamed bun ($ 4) has really an excellent flavor. It’s precisely one bite though… well maybe 2 or 3 if you chew like a lady.
—The County 6 oz burger ($ 15) had an amazing flavor from the strong dijon condiment and the house made pickles. Juicy and well-​cooked. It came with a side of a purple carrot and ginger soup that was out of this world. My boyfriend couldn’t stop talking about how good it was. They were also happy with their chicken thigh sandwiches ($ 14).
What I do NOT recommend is the platters. The table adjacent to ours ordered the Fried Chicken Platter ($ 40!!!). The presentation by the server was neat, but the size is about what you’d get for $ 7 at KFC… and come on folks, it’s just fried chicken. Crazy over-​priced. The same with the Seafood Platter ($ 55!!!). The size of the seafood platter was utterly unimpressive for the price with exactly 4 oysters and some fried stuff on the platter. For that price, I expect half a lobster at least. The diners next to us were pretty unimpressed as well and most of their platters went uneaten. The rest of the menu is pricey, but the platters are priced at simply an unacceptable price point. Value is pretty bad, and my boyfriend joked (or maybe he was serious) that he would have to grab something at McDonald’s on the way home.
The SERVICE was friendly and reasonably efficient. The cocktail delivery process is pretty slow. I had noticed the other reviews about problems with the ordering process and indeed it happened to us. We ordered the duck spring rolls as an appetizer; however, they never came. Our server handled the error absolutely perfectly with grace. As an apology for forgetting to order it, she brought over a round of amaro montenegro on the rocks on her. Such a classy way to handle a mistake and all was forgiven… something that was reflected in our generous tip. Sometimes when something goes wrong, how a restaurant handles it says more about them than when things go normally. Kudos there.
OVERALL, I was really torn between 4 and 5 stars. Everything we actually ate was 5 stars, but our choices were pretty limited by the obscene pricing of the platters. The drink program is 4 stars, with the poor beer selection really weighing it down. Service was very good with one mistake that was handled in a very classy way. I’ll be back, but it won’t be immediately, because I feel like I’m limited to choosing among the 3 sandwiches for a main.
A final TIP: This place isn’t huge and it’s popular. Even though the website is not clear on it, they DO take reservations. Make one if you want to eat here on a weekend.

We were here last night for dinner. This is a pretty cool place to go. Since I’m currently alcohol free, there are mocktails and a number of housemade beverages (like home made root beed, yum!). They also had a substantial list of cocktails and wines for those able to drink alcohol at the moment.
We tried their special of the evening which were deviled eggs (they were really really good), and I tried a cheese puff, this was totally worth getting too.
The chicken thigh sandwich with kale salad was also great. My DC had the steak tar tar which looked delish, and the thai salad.
Everything was really tasty, and service was good, our service Kylie was really nice and knew alot about the menu and was able to make great recommendations. Definitely worth the visit!

It’s hard to criticize friendly owners who clearly try so hard, but this place needs a little work to get up to par. I came here with a group and things seemed to start well — the Caesar I ordered wasn’t on the menu but it was still great, albeit sans celery. I asked for server recommendations on what to order based on my level of hunger and preferences, but it turned out that I didn’t order nearly enough. The food here is very pricey in spite of the «down home» country vibe.
The prices and teeny-​tiny portions seem more aligned with the Bay Street crowd when you consider how much you have to order to make it a proper meal. Surely they could easily serve larger portions of some things — bread, for example — without breaking the bank?! The food presentation was inconsistent — some dishes arrived with garnish and some without, even for duplicate menu items. When the portions are this tiny you notice those details because the garnish IS a substantial part of the dish. I left feeling cold and hungry because I sat near the drafty window and after a couple of hours it just seemed silly to keep waiting for orders to come out and have to order more food yet again. I would consider coming here again but maybe not for a meal — drinks and «bites» perhaps?! The staff were trying hard so they have that going for them.

I’m a big fan of the County General’s Queen West location.
The fried chicken sandwich is all kinds of deep-​fried awesome.
When I heard that there was a spin-​off eatery in Leslieville, I had to check it out!
Only open for two weeks, the place was busy on a Wednesday night.
This place takes reservations which is great!
For cocktails, they have a menu with their house cocktails, rum, and bourbon.
I had the County Drive Inn with lime cream soda and Maker’s Mark bourbon. ($ 12) It was pretty and pink and not as sweet tasting as I thought it would be, considering the girly colour!
As for the food, the portions are small and a bit on the pricey side.
We were told that the food would be pushed out quickly, but this was not the case with our group of 8 people.
The menu is categorized into bites, small plates, entrees, and share platters.
The bites are exactly that, a bite.
The share plates are small appetizers and are very small. Perhaps they should be renamed to «bigger bites».
The share platters can be ordered with pork, seafood, and quail.
For bites I ordered the following items:
The jalapeño corn bread with sweet potato jam ($ 3)
This was my favourite bite. The jam was super delicious.
Oysters ($ 3)
The oysters were good and they are served already garnished.
Beef Cheek Mushroom Marmalade, Steamed Bun ($ 4)
This was like a little sandwich instead of a steamed bun.
It was not bad but not very memorable and not like the steamed but I had at County General at all.
My appetizer was the confit Arctic Char with cucumber relish and pretzel crostini ($ 14)
This dish was maybe three bites of fish and it very, very small for the price.
They must have pulled the char from the smallest ocean ever.
The fish was fresh, but you really needed the sea salt.
After ordering these items, I was still seriously hungry.
This is a snack bar and indeed, the food is snack sized.
I should have gone with my initial idea of ordering the fried chicken sandwich!
Overall, I have to say the service here is outstanding. Everyone was great and accommodating!
However, the food was prepared very slowly.
Also, some of the dishes were missing items that were forgotten by the kitchen staff.
But this place is new, so I’m sure that they will work out the kinks.
I would return to give this restaurant a second go!

Another week, another «farmhouse chic» establishment opens somewhere in the Tdot. This time, one shows up literally right up my block. From the makers of the West Queen’s County General, comes East Queen’s County Cocktail (County General Riverside), taking up residence in the eminent corner building space last occupied by the Canadian Pie Company.
Will it become a new neighbourhood haunt for me? I dunno. But what I do know is the hipster-​y vibe and excess of reclaimed wood aesthetics here shouldn’t be mistaken for their great overly friendly sense of hospitality, and the decent food and available drinks. I enjoyed the sandwiches and tasty soup in the couple times I have stopped by since opening day. The menu isn’t exhaustive, but much of it can be on the steep end of the bill (though their lunches all come with a decent dose of a side). But they come out of the kitchen fast!
The woody décor, especially the ceiling pieces, is pretty without being overdone or kitsch. There isn’t a lot of seating, though the side patio ought to get some much-​needed love when the weather gets warmer. But hey, the County is open every day for breakfast through dinner, adding to what has become in recent years Riverside’s noticeably growing (if not gentrifying) dining and bar scene. Sigh.
{TTC: any Queen streetcar to Boulton Ave.}