The Guild

I showed up this morning at 11:30am for brunch (because the website said it was open for brunch on the weekends at 10am, and the reviews I saw on Unilocal indicated that people have indeed been here for brunch), and it was closed! No signs on the door, no information about being closed on the website, no information about being closed on the outgoing voicemail message, and no return phone call.
In other words, absolutely no effort any kind was made to inform potential customers of being closed.
Since that part of Dundas West isn’t exactly crawling with options (unless you want to wait an hour) it was extremely inconvenient trying to find someplace else quickly. Unimpressed.

I discovered the Guild when a gentleman friend suggested we go there for brunch. This was our first date due to schedules etc.
I’ve walked past this place dozens of times thinking the name was the address like some of the «cool bars» but it’s actually The Guild. I was pleasantly surprised to see how spacious the place was, given the trend is to have tiny bars/​restos with minimal seating. We sat down and ordered some hot beverages.
The americano was definitely not the best one I’ve ever had. No amount of cream/​sugar could mask a poorly pulled shot. Plus they serve it in a teeny bowl like glass that is impossible to drink from without spilling the first sip.
Knowing that coffee is usually not a strong point at most brunch places we ordered our food off a pretty small menu.
I got the bacon and eggs and so did my companion. The service was a bit slow, there’s only one chef in the kitchen. So we waited a while and kept chatting away. Our food came and the portion is deceptively small looking which was disappointing initially. Then as I got half way through my meal I realized how much food there actually was. Not to mention how delicious it was. Let me take a second to call out the sous vide poached eggs that were perfect. The incredible potato and goat cheese croquette. The house smoked bacon which was huge. We skipped the sausages. Only negative is the salad which is mostly cabbage is slimy and not ideal.
Next thing we realized we had been sitting there for 3 hours chatting away. The space was comfortable and the perfect level of noise. I walked away in a daze from one of the best first dates I’ve ever been on.
This definitely warranted a return visit and another friend and I tried to go there when it opened at right at 10am. We waited outside for about 15 minutes only to have someone finally come over and say that they were opening at 11 instead. So we decided not to wait.
A few weeks ago I made another return visit to The Guild. It was delicious, I didn’t skip the sausages this time and they were these great little patties that almost overshadowed the bacon which was sadly overcooked. My dining companion got the salmon scramble which looked excellent. I also found that the service was lacking.
Today I went for a 3^rd (4^th?) time. I got the salmon scramble which was plated differently then I remembered. Not bad I just expected the eggs and smoked salmon to be scrambled together. The eggs were kinda gross and disappointing but the rest of the meal was excellent. A bit pricey at $ 15. Plus the americano was not great (as I expected but you know… coffee)
I really want to like this place more but there are a few deltas that need to be fixed. I generally run into at least one person I know so I know it’s still popular amongst the hipster brunch types. I’m going to give dinner a try one of these days.
This place is a 3.5÷4.

I’ve been here for brunch about four times in the past few months and each of my visits has been phenomenal.
The service is excellent. Once, they ran out of an ingredient the waiter ran to the corner store, no questions asked. The service is always attentive and able to make great recommendations.
The food is unique. Although they serve traditional style dishes (e.g., bacon and eggs) but all of them have a unique twist that make them special. I’ve always been impressed.
My last thumbs up is that they take reservations. Take note other restaurants…

Best brunch I’ve had in years! I had the chorizo and eggs and my husband had the traditional breakfast. Everything was fresh and flavourful. The décor was very charming and the service staff was attentive and friendly.
Honestly, we were headed to the Federal and stopped here on a whim. So glad we did! Food this fresh and at such a reasonable price is a rare gem. I would highly recommend it!

CLOSED — There is now a Thai restaurant at this address:
Very cool venue, very friendly staff. The menu is not at all vegetarian friendly (and definitely not vegan friendly) but seems like you’ll do just fine here as a meat eater. The addition of a few veg items without dairy would be a nice improvement.
I’d go here for an after work drink. They have nice wines and bourbon drinks, so that works for me.

A friend and I saw The Guild on the BlogTo brunch list and decided to check it out. We arrived at 9:50 and the restaurant didn’t open until 10, but our server asked if we wanted coffee and let us in shortly after, coffee ready at our table! The restaurant had quite a few tables, a bar area overlooking Dundas St and cute décor.
We shared both of the brunch specials which were recommended by our server… a brie and lobster omelette and braised beef pancakes which would have been too rich to eat a full plate of, but half of each was perfect. There was a mix up in the kitchen so our food took a while, but coffee was on the house and we got free apple fitters while we waited for the food which were delicious! Overall the food was great and the service was amazing. Such friendly staff who were quick to make up for the delayed food. Would definitely recommend giving The Guild a try!

I just came across The Guild today and decided to check it out. They were able to easily accommodate a last minute reservation. The Guild is a medium size restaurant and has a basic but trendy décor.
The woman who welcomed and served us was really pleasant and helpful. I had a few questions about the entrée options and she was able to provide some real advice and recommendations.
I had oysters to start. They are $ 2 per shuck which is pretty good. They get their oysters daily fresh from oyster boy. Tonight they were east coast oysters from NB and they were pretty tasty, albeit on the small side. But not bad for $ 2.
For my main, I had the lobster capinelli. The pasta was home made on location and they had fairly large chucks of real (not canned) lobster.
My friend had the grilled mushrooms (which was delicious) and the trout. Both were extremely flavourful. For desert he had the curry apple fritters which were not bad at all.
All in all I have to say I was impressed with this meal and enjoyed the overall experience.
The price was a little high but overall reasonable in my mind with a couple of drinks each. I believe out total after tax was around $ 115.
Worth a try if you’re in area

Charcuterie plate needs a bit more for the price and the old fashioned was a bit sweet for my liking. Otherwise the house made chorizo was good and the pork shoulder was cooked perfectly tender.

stumbled upon a new gem in the Portuguese area, the GUILD with it’s contemporary, chic, candle lot, and metallic ceilings is worth the trip, if you’re in the area. This place has only been opened for little over a month, and it definitely looks the part in the urban chic neighborhood. We decided to come out for a quick bite before heading off, with an order of a pickled asparagus wrapped in ham. Secondly followed by a fish croquette. Both were very satisfying, and were delightful. Its always nice to see culinary creativity is still out there! will definitely be back for a second time to get a better feel for this place. So far so good!

I was really excited to come here for brunch. The menu looked great, I had great company, and I didn’t have to wait for a table ! Parking was a bit cumbersome, that was it.
Started off with the beignet. The 3 beignets look huge, but it’s just airy, not the doughy kind. The chocolate sorbet was light. It was nice. I still think it was missing the raspberry preserves that would have made it taste so much better. I wouldn’t order it again. Once is enough. I rather get the sorbets its own.
My friend ordered the foie gras French toast. Generous portion. Messy looking. He devoured it. The skinny girl beside our table took half of it home. He enjoyed it, but of course not like Norma’s in NYC.
I had the butter poached lobster with caviar, benny on blini. Lobster were over-​cooked! Their hollandaise sauce had a nice hint of lemon in there. It didn’t come altogether for me though. They drenched it too much with the hollandaise sauce.
Coffee was meh.
Our server was nice but a bit overly enthusiastic. He would come at all the wrong times to check on us and the food. We either haven’t had a chance to take a bite or we were just eating and he would come and we can’t talk with our mouths full. it just got a bit too much at the end. He meant well.
I had to come and try it out. Just not a fan at the moment even though everything sounded delicious. I should try their regular pork belly and eggs, something more traditional. Other wise, I think I would stick with Saving Grace, Federal, and raw bar for now.

This new neighbourhood gem has a promising future from my first visit! An absolutely beautiful space, the Guild is bigger than your average Dundas West haunt with a long gorgeous exposed brick wall, painstakingly crafted ceiling, lovely mirrors, thoughtful table presentations of mossy flowers in jars — a nice twist on the typical flower on the table. Chairs are upholstered with coffee sacks, tables are wooden and warm as is most of the room.
A good number of tables with a few communal ones as well, this place was bustling on my first visit on Easter Sunday afternoon for brunch. While there was an over-​abundance of plaid, beards and funky glasses, don’t be swayed by the hipster crowd, what matters here is the food and the food is GREAT. I’d say upscale without being frou-​frou — that’s a technical term…
I had one of the most delicious lunch meals I’ve ever had eating out as a vegetarian and I barely know what it was!!! It was a beet pasta with a pesto and red & yellow pepper purée. I am not doing it justice in the description it was a 10 out of 10 for me! My bf had a pork lardon poached egg dish over rice crispies or something like that which he enjoyed but it did leave him hungry after. I think some of the other dishes may have presented him with more food so it might have been a bad order on his part. But he said the food was delicious all the same. Coffee was also a hit, flavourful and the perfect temperature. Not a ton of vegetarian friendly options but the menu is small and I hope, revolving so I can go back and try new things.
I can’t wait to go back for dinner.
If you’re looking for a diner with typical brunch fare, this isn’t it. If you want thoughtful food, carefully selected ingredients and a beautiful locale with a price tag to match — this is it.

For having just opened about a week ago, they’re running a pretty good show.
Went here for Sunday brunch and everything was just right. First of all we were able to make reservations for brunch, which I believe is a rare thing in Toronto. The hostess was friendly and inviting. It was the right amount of busy. The Guild has a bright and eclectic interior with fresh white tulips in vases and mason jar terrariums placed throughout the tables. You can see right into the kitchen at the back, I like to see what the chef is up to!
We ordered a couple cocktails to start which were twists on a mimosa. They had cute names like «A Dundas Morning». The food itself is excellent. I had gnocchi with boar, a cream sauce and sautéed greens. Piping hot as it should be when it arrived. Perfect portion size. Everything cooked just right (gnocchi can be tough to get right, but they did it!) and the boar was tender and moist. My friend had a traditional breakfast, with unique elements like sous vide poached eggs sitting in little Yorkshire puddings, thick cut maple dipped bacon and a goat cheese yam gratin. The service was great too.
All in all, I was impressed by the décor, service and especially the food! I’m definitely coming back to try their dinner menu!