Quetzal Toronto

The aroma of wood smoke immediately sets a tone when you step inside. The space itself is amazing, like a modern interpretation of Mexican adobe, feeling incredibly cozy, warm, and welcoming. It makes you feel like you're somewhere else. While the space is well-ventilated, that scent of the coals combined with the aesthetic creates an immersive experience. The restaurant's layout is anchored by a beautiful open kitchen and bar running the full length of the dining area, allowing you to watch the culinary staff. When we mentioned our intention to share, the front of house seamlessly paced our selection of dishes into courses. The portions were generous, and the timing was flawless. We never felt rushed and the courses came with a brief pause in between. We started with the tuna and ceviche appetizers, followed by a second course of the squid and asparagus. For the main course, we had the whole sea bream and the coal-roasted sweet potato, with warm corn tortillas, which we used to build tacos. While every single dish featured a richness and variety of flavors, the sea bream and that sweet potato were the absolute standouts of the night. We finished the evening by sharing the spiced Mexican chocolate and the tres leches cake. The drinks were just as impressive, with a lineup of cocktails that were inventive and beautifully prepared - the Piolin and No Heather were standouts. It felt as though every minor detail or passing remark we made was treated as an opportunity to go above and beyondb by the front staff. That level of care and thorough attention to detail made us feel entirely looked after, and it elevated what was a truly exceptional dining experience from start to finish.

This bespoke menu provides shareable helpings of top notch Mexican Asian fusion with select ingredients. Served by a professional staff in a cozy atmosphere with soft jazz and just the right lighting. We highly recommend the chef's table so you can watch the food being prepared. The chefs were helpful and described what they were working on if asked. If you are on a date night a table might be better. 4 Michelin stars 2022 through 2025 are well deserved. Each dish was a complex melange of flavors. Highly recommend the sea bream, sweet potato and empanada, but literally everything was amazing.

Had a nice experience here. Most of the dishes we really liked. The ceviche was good. The squid was cooked perfectly but, personal taste, we didn't like the peanut sauce with it. The bone marrow was superb, but keep in mind there's only about 2 tablespoons worth of actual marrow. The sauce on it was delicious and the shrimp was very good. The pork cracking dish was excellent. Cocktail was ok. Had the Mexican chocolate for dessert which was delicious. The service was very good. While we enjoyed our meal here, it's very pricey for smaller portions (not obnoxiously tiny like in sone higher end restaurants) and we left not full, but close. I would recommend trying it, but we won't go back because we had everything we wanted to try on the menu (the other items didn't really interest us). Food good but very pricey for what you get, but to be expected at a higher end place in Toronto.

I visited Quetzal today with a friend to celebrate my birthday. Reservations were somewhat difficult to secure, so we opted for bar seating. It ended up being a great choice. The seats were extremely comfortable, the interior is beautiful, and the bartender was friendly, knowledgeable, and provided excellent recommendations throughout the evening. We ordered the Sikil Pak, Mushroom & Shishito, Welsh Bros. Asparagus, Bone Marrow & Wild Argentinian Shrimp, and the 8oz Prime Hanger. The standout dish was undoubtedly the Bone Marrow, which had incredible flavour and a beautifully caramelized crust. The asparagus was also exceptionally flavourful. The steak was cooked perfectly to temperature, but I found it lacked flavour and dimension compared to the other dishes. It felt a little flat overall. For dessert, I highly recommend the Spiced Mexican Chocolate. The mousse was smooth, light, and full of depth, pairing perfectly with the sponge toffee, passion fruit, and mamey. It was not overly sweet and was the perfect ending to the meal. The Tres Leches Cake was good, although a little sweeter than my preference. I appreciated that our server offered half portions of both desserts so I could sample each one for my birthday. It is also worth noting that Quetzal offers several halal friendly options, including both lamb dishes, two steak dishes, and the tartare. Other dietary restrictions can be accommodated, although advance notice may be helpful. I was unable to order the Whole Sea Bream because it is marinated in grapefruit, which I cannot consume due to medication interactions. I would happily return. Quetzal is one of the better restaurants I have visited in Toronto and is certainly worthy of a place in the Michelin Guide. While I am less convinced that it reaches the same level as some Michelin starred restaurants I have enjoyed elsewhere, particularly after living in California and experiencing a great deal of Mexican cuisine south of the border, it still offers a very enjoyable dining experience with excellent service and several standout dishes. One final note for those with scent sensitivities, the restaurant can be quite smoky due to the open fire cooking, although I stopped noticing it once the food arrived. Overall, an excellent birthday dinner with thoughtful service, a beautiful space, and several memorable dishes that make Quetzal well worth a visit.