The Libertine

Very cool, dimly lit, cozy faux speakeasy. Cocktails are on point and priced appropriately though perhaps a dollar or two on the high end. Service is fantastic! Friendly and fast and happy to recommend their favorites. The one major fail that entirely destroys the faux speakeasy vibe is the music! A dj playing really old mainstream hip hop and R&B? Seriously? I don’t know how this even fits in here ever, at all, period. Something loungy like jazz or even deep house would fit the bill. 4 stars for the bar and minus one for the awful dj.

*The Libertine is now under a new management team and their menu have been renovated under the new chef. Staff was extremely nice and accommodate us throughout the night. The food at the Libertine was delicious and unique, and overall, a very chill and friendly vibe where you can come in for a drink and just talk.
I admit, getting here was tricky as there were no signs around. If you are planning to come here, look for the fluorescent Taro Cards & Palm Reading sign… a bit mysterious (and amusing) but it really adds to their «speakeasy» vibe. Apparently the story behind that sign was that there used (or maybe still there) to be a lady who did palm reading/​tarot cards next to the bar’s entrance.
*Their drinks are a bit on the stronger side, however they are good and say hi to the handsome and friendly bartender Matt when you are there!
*Mac n Cheese Balls:
Deep fried Mac n Cheese balls?! These were super duper delicious with the gooey and flavorful mac & cheese packed tight inside the ball. The outside was crispy and the chipotle Sriracha sauce provided just a hint of spice, and that rich cheese sauce? Yummmmmm.
*Charcuterie Board — Prosciutto Cotto, Guanciale, Capicollo, Spicy Sopressata, Parmigiano, marinated mushrooms, fried kale, crostini with tomato and rosemary jam:
To be honest, I’m not a fan of kale but uhhh I’m hooked! These kale chips were lightly salted and not greasy, I can easily eat a whole bowl of this. Everything on this board were tasty but I must mention, that homemade tomato jam was the highlight on that board! It had a perfect balance of sweet and savoury and intense tomato flavor. The chef should bottled up this jam and sell in the bar, seriously!
*Pork & Potato Slaw — Soy ginger lime vinaigrette, house smoked pork, potato skin chips, bbq chips, pickled ginger, green onion, avocado crema:
On my initial bites, I didn’t enjoy the slaws much as I got huge chunks of pickled ginger, just like the ones you would find in sushi restaurants. However I realized it was my fault for not mixing up the contents well enough, so use those chopsticks and keep mixing! The pulled pork was delicious, however I wish there was more potato chips and slaws for that nice crunch. Overall it was an okay dish as I felt there were too much flavors clashing with each other.
*Falafel Blinis — Chickpea blini, cinnamon date jam, house falafel, pickled beats and radish, bitter melon candy, fennel cumin tahini
The falafel blinis was my least favourite dish, as I found the falafel to be a bit too dry and I couldn’t really taste the different layer of flavors.
*Gnocchi Poutine — fried gnocchi, root veg gravy, cheddar and parmigiano blend, green onion and fried shallots:
This dish was a different take on the classic poutine and I really enjoyed it. The gnocchi was pillowy-​soft and stuffed with a cheesy cheddar and parmigiano blend. Again, a bit more sauce would have been nice, however a really nice dish and the fried shallots added some texture to the it.
*oreo cream dessert from Junked Food Co:
There were layers of cream and oreo, however I felt there was too much cream and too sweet, so a lot of people were unable to finish it
*Whisky Sour:
The cocktail was HEAVENLY by the way, I think I just found my new favourite cocktail! It tasted like a lemon drop candy with a dash of sweetness LOL: D.

Decent spot for a big group. Lots of space early in the night to get around, but around midnight it gets really packed. Bartnernders are really nice but definitely don’t know how to ring orders in properly. Two friends of ours got their bill and it was way way less than t should have been.
Food is really bad. But that’s expected at a place like this.

ZERO stars if that were possible. We went here for a friends birthday at 11pm and waited in the cold weather for 1 hour with only about 10 people ahead of us while we watched people pay off the sleaze-​bag bouncer to get into this awful place. We ended up leaving and going to another bar downtown where it was packed but we didn’t wait a second in line.
Avoid avoid avoid is my only recommendation.

So I waited in line for 45 minutes to get in for a birthday party on. Saturday night at 10:30pm. I’m writing this review from my taxi to anther bar because the line LITERALLY did not move. The people at the front of the line didn’t get let in for 30 minutes and we said screw it.
So here I am in a cab writing this review on another bar. The bouncer let a ton of people in after they paid him off. He literally took people to his Range Rover (I wonder how he afforded that) and something went down. He’d walk them back to the door and then he’d let them in.
AVOID this bar at all costs unless you have money to pay for the bouncers gas money for his Range Rover or you want to show up at 8PM.

I’d like to let everyone know that I was accused of smuggling alcohol into Libertine tonight and, as a 33 year old woman, my coat was withheld as I tried to exit 4 hours after entrance. I came directly from a restaurant before entering Libertine, obviously I find it disgusting and pathetic to randomly accuse patrons of this. I hope you all know of the REAL way they chose to treat their patrons.

I read about The Libertine on blogto and thought it sounded like a cool spot. The write-​up appealed to my friends as well and we paid a visit on Friday, November 14. First impressions: the location of the bar, indicated by a fluorescent sign out front promising tarot card readings, added to the speakeasy charm. The look is completed when you see a tarot reading booth at the bottom of the stairs. A door at the bottom of the stairs opens onto a cool space with a carnival-​esque sort of décor.
At first glance the place showed promise, unfortunately, it proved to be all style and no substance. We were greeted warmly by an owner/​manager who told us they had just reopened their kitchen and were in the process of drawing up a new cocktail menu and encouraged us order whatever we wanted from the bar. I wanted a bourbon-​based cocktail, my boyfriend ordered an old fashioned and he encouraged my other friend to order a French 75.
About 5 minutes later, a waitress approached to inform us that they didn’t have bourbon and were out of the ingredients to make a French 75, but said we could still order an old fashioned… For the uninitiated, the old fashioned is a bourbon based drink, so how, exactly, she intended to prepare said drink in the absence of bourbon, remains a mystery to me.
So my friend who had been encouraged to order a French 75 inquired about the wine selection. She was informed that they only had one red wine available and it was described as «sweet», she didn’t seem to know what variety of wine it was. My friend settled for a pinot grigio, the only type of white they had.
I got a gin and tonic and my other friend ordered a manhattan, which was almost certainly not made with rye as we discovered upon tasting it.
The new menu. A catastrophic failure. A small plates ordeal with involved descriptions and far too many ingredients. My friend and I both ordered the Almond Mac and Cheese. My boyfriend ordered beef cheek, having never tried it before, it piqued his interest. And lastly, my friend ordered a serving of the pork and shrimp meatballs.
The mac and cheese was inedible. Probably because it didn’t have any CHEESE. That’s right, mac and cheese, without cheese. Quite literally, the dish tasted like overcooked boiled noodles and nothing else. The beef cheek was cloyingly sweet and mysteriously wet. The meatballs were decent but the shrimp was completely overpowered by the flavour of the Korean bbq sauce and the pork, making it seem like a needless addition to the dish.
Throughout the evening, we had two servers who didn’t seem to be communicating very effectively. When one of the servers came to take away our dishes and saw that two of us hadn’t had more than two bites of our mac and cheese she asked, «It wasn’t good?» to which we replied, «No, it really wasn’t.» She followed up by saying, «Yes, another customer mentioned that too, I’ll tell the chef.» In spite of this, both orders of the dish appeared on our bill.
We paid her and promptly retreated to find shelter in a better bar. When we were leaving The Libertine the other server approached to thank us for our patience and asked us to come again when they were better organized.
As we were nearing Ossington, we heard someone call out to us and turned around to find the server who had thanks us for our patience when we left, she accused, «You didn’t pay your bill!» to which we replied «YES WE DID!» and she said, «To who?!» and we said, «The blonde girl!» With that she turned tail and returned to the bar.
The perfect conclusion to the comedy of errors that was our experience at The Libertine. Truly, the worst dining experience I have ever had. Worse even than the time I got a violent bout of food poisoning from steak tartare just before meeting my boyfriend’s family for the first time.

First of all, this is a bar — not an astrology business (although a psychic is available for readings next door). You will not know how to get inside unless someone shows you because there is no signage or indication that any bar exists. Their business strategy is clearly to be «cool» and «unidentified», relying on word-​of-​mouth.
I was very unimpressed by the level of service which consisted of my friend and I seating ourselves at a booth and then being ignored until we inquired about getting a menu. Notably, the larger table of 6 next to us was seated after us and served immediately. Hmmmm. Strike one. The server only became polite when it came down to paying the bill and she couldn’t find us (we were dancing). She lacked basic knowledge about the gin available for our martinis and ended up recommending one that she claimed was British but was actually from BC. It was not good. Strike two. Overall, this place seems to be going for a classy speakeasy-​type vibe but definitely misses the mark on both the class and knowledge of cocktails.
Despite these flaws, the DJ was good and the space turns into a dance party at some point around midnight. The bar is spacious with high ceilings and has a retro industrial chic (?) vibe. I would only return if I were in the neighborhood. Won’t be going out of my way to come back otherwise.

I was introduced to this place by my friends who own a bar in parkdale. I was told that the food was good even though the place looks more like a lounge than a restaurant. It was my bday and I didn’t mind since I wanted to celebrate. The food was good especially the oysters which were appetizing. The service was great and the bill was pretty good for a group of 10. I believe it was around 300 – 350. I would recommend this place.

Dundas West has a certain comfort level where there are places to go to have fun, especially if you know where to go. The Libertine is one of those places. A quiet stretch of Dundas, a low-​key entrance with a staircase leading to a large door, and a basement room reminding me of someone’s rec room. The bar is fully stocked and quite gorgeous. I dropped by at midnight after work, so most were there to see their friends play in some local bands, something I enjoy seeing. There was no elevated stage, just a space at the back of the room. It seemed like a nice combination of a high octane bar, and a low key stage where it was more of a DIY performance rather than a production. This is a typical Toronto venue, the kind that come and go, and hopefully this one can find its niche and enjoy the ride.

As you make your way down an uncrowned street you notice a gentleman standing in front of a psychic palm reader shop with a clicker in his hand. You know something’s up so you walk up to him and open the door.
As you make your way down the stairs you see a woman getting her tarot cards reads to your left, and to your right a door. Open it.
Welcome to libertine, crazy drink concoctions (I recommend anything with rum, scotch & egg whites). The crowd fills up by 12 so make sure you get there early, as the beautiful blonde girls named Katie quickly get taken by dapper gentlemen.

We were stuck searching for last minute dinner options for a group of five on Saturday night. We were able to book a table here on the fly… now I know why. Location is in the basement (down a flight of stairs) and half full for dinner. It took fifteen minutes before anyone even came to our table to greet us and take our drink order. The food was mediocre and the wait for our food was just too long, particularly for a place not full and serving small plates. I can overlook a seemingly long wait for food when the entrée ends up delicious, but more importantly, when the servers take the initiative to explain or apologize (e.g. large parties dining). We got an apology only after calling over the server. We ordered plates of oysters, seafood plate, short ribs (5 pieces per plate), fried tofu, fried chicken (3 pieces per order). We left just when the venue was transitioning into a club spot with dj.

Awful place. Was busy and the host told us to grab one of the empty seats at the bar. Bartender comes over to us and says the seats we’re in are reserved for her friends. Walked out. Garbage nightmare. Lost our business. Too bad for them…

Friendly staff, I recommend the fried chicken wraps– they’re excellent.

Came here on a Friday night. It’s got a great underground feel with really comfy booths. The night started with Smoke and Mirrors… a tasty drink with bacon marmalade! Here for a birthday party and we essentially ordered everything on the menu to share. The pasta fritta was to die for… the poached prAns with soy bean and avacado was so refreshing and the hanger steak with bone marrow was cooked just right. All the dishes are really original with an interesting mix of ingredients. The menu has gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options which was perfect to suit every ones needs. I’m not a fan of Brussel sprouts but this dish was made with bacon and apple cider. I think this is my new favourite hangout. Totally awesome chill vibe.

Checked out The Libertine on a Friday night and it was packed. Drinks list was a little short, but my off-​menu order was well received and well prepared by the skilled bartender.
Wait staff was attentive, personal and quick.
Food was strongly reminiscent of comforting flavour a while the innovation expressed in the dishes was indicative of an ongoing evolution in the menu. The few times that I’ve been here, the menu has changed often and denotes that they’re in tune with their clientele’s feedback and preferences.
Ingredients were fresh and varied. Care and attention was paid to our service throughout and my entire party was both impressed and enticed by the experience.
Will definitely return.

Amazing food, fantastic atmosphere, unique drinks, hot staff, great music, comfy booths, classy dishware, eclectic clientele, cool chandelier, spin wheel… I’ll be back :)

We walked in here last night because I cannot resist a crowd that includes 5 female dancers in silver sequinned unitards and nude tights.
I can’t! Don’t know how to.
The décor was a little Homesense (boo) and the crowd was really across the board. Seemed pretty awkward and weird at first (we had no table, it’s the huge bottle-​service style leather booths and small high tops so you can’t just ‘grab a seat’ unless you want to basically sit inside a jacuzzi of leather. BUT THEN dancers just started performing all over the bar and dancers there to support started joining, and everything just got really real.
Conclusion: IMPROMPTU COORDINATED DANCE ROUTINES + Drinks + Sparkle=STARS

The unmarked basement location and handwritten drink list say «classy speakeasy-​type bar.» The Bacardi shakers, dirty countertops and awful cocktails say «crappy wannabe bar.» Seriously, I had three drinks here and none of them was any good, and the pool of water/​alcohol on the bar in front of us was never mopped up.
Can’t speak for the food but I won’t be coming back anyways.
Note to owners: Please visit Cocktail Bar or Barchef in Toronto, or PDT, Angel’s Share, Weather Up and Raine’s Law Room in New York for good examples of serious cocktail bars. They don’t cut corners.

I wanted to like this place, I really did…
I live in the neighbourhood and like checking out new hotspots. and I also love food. Good food, that is.
This place is unmarked, no sign. I did know to look for the psychic reading neon sign and to walk down to the basement. Cool factor? Whatever.
It was a Friday night and the place was empty. We had reservations for a surprise party but our table wasn’t ready. Really? You know it’s a surprise party, there’s no one here, how could you not be ready?
Ok, no prob, we sat by the bar, waiting for the rest of our party.
We were informed that our table will be joined with the party next to us. Why? Because one table seats 8 and we were a party of 10. And if they separated our table, they’d lose seats on the next table. We gently suggested to separate the table of 8 and add a chair on both ends, which would seat 10. Anddddd it also added extra seats to other tables. Simple & effective, right?
Wellll, the hostess didn’t like that. She was snobby, borderline rude. Put up her hand at us and said: «Yes, I heard you, thank you for your suggestion». My jaw dropped and my blood started to boil. You did NOT just give us attitude???
From there on, the experience got worse. We ordered everything on the menu which is tapas style. However, we didn’t order tapas to share. Each person ordered specific dishes for themselves. When the food arrived, it was auctioned off: «Ok, who’s got this».etc.personal pet peeve.
Drinks are $ 13. I had Oda May Brown and Shirley something — decent.
The server never explained the dishes and the menu lists ingredients only thus you can end up surprised with the execution if you’re expecting something else.
Prawn is essentially some sort of off raw preparation, not exactly cevice since there wasn’t any hint of citrus… This was not described in the menu. I loooove cevice, however, this was not good, flavourless, slightly slimy.
Salmon was ok, also raw/​sashimi style — again, not described on the menu.
Steak was flavourful but nothing special, although one of the better dishes.
Chicken is deep fried, served with lettuce wraps, carrots and slaw — 4 pieces to be wrapped into little bundles. No description on the menu. It tasted ok, slaw was watery, carrots flavourless. Chicken was crispy and juicy, however the batter tasted distinctly of dusted flour…
Chocolate panna cotta was essentially chocolate mousse with a thin layer of panna cotta on top and some brittle. I enjoyed it but wished for more panna cotta.
A bunch of us had to ask for our dishes a few times, as the server didn’t notice that dishes were missing.
We were served by everyone who worked there which didn’t make for a smooth delivery. It felt very disorganized, a little hectic. Dishes were passed around, sent back. One of the owners had brought out the food a few times, never saw him crack a smile once. yes it got busy but you’re running a restaurant, this is expected.
Aside from the bartender, everyone felt a little cold, too cool for us…
Our cheques were messed up but that’s my fault as I originally said it’d be one cheque.
They add 18% automatic gratuity on parties of _​_​_​. We were not advised ahead of time and certainly not when the cheques were dropped off. We don’t mind but be courteous and let the party know in advance.
There is a psychic in the hallway (apparently, not part of the restaurant yet their website clearly shows the psychic sign — this struck me as odd). There’s no sign up sheet or anything that would let you know when your turn is up. Basically, unless you’re meandering there when the person’s reading is finished, you’ll never get your turn. The psychic/​tarot card reader was also rather unfriendly.
WHAT’S WITH THIS PLACE???
Food was bland, not well executed. Staff was aloof and cold.
The décor is nice but you’re in the basement and you can’t escape that feeling…
Overall, our food loving party was not impressed, would not return or recommend this place.
«Richard B.‘s» review commenting on how he hates people who review places the first week it opens: I wish I could say it was the first week when we went there. It had been open for well over a month. Do your math before you start saying negative things about other people’s reviews. In fact, why comment on others’ reviews in the first place???
Difference of opinions, experiences, thoughts, etc. anything goes. Please respect.