Atmosphere review insights for Ontario, Canada, Restaurants

1. Phoned to make reservation and inquired about Happy Hour menu and requested reservation for the bar area to use Happy Hour menu- Was seated by hostess and given Happy Hour menus- Was then told -“no we do not have Happy Hour on Saturday” I explained that they took my reservation knowing I wanted this menu, they sat us with the menu and the online menu only stipulated 4-6pm- they should have honoured the menu 2. Asked us if we preferred flat or sparkling water- answered flat. Charged us 3.22 each for flat “distilled water” 3. Charged the designated driver for each club soda- no refills on soda water! Paid $10.50 for 3 small glasses of club soda. 4. Two guests ordered off fresh fish market- $44 for red snapper and served with one potato and some Horta - these guests left still hungry after very small portioned meals. The other two meals ordered were Crispy Halibut and Souvlaki, both on which could have used a few more potatoes. Overall portions are small here. 5. Desserts were $13-$15 and again small portions. 6. Was seated at the bar area for a menu we couldn’t even use- and the entire time we were there was only 2 tables filled so the atmosphere was dull and servers slow. If I had known about the menu not be offered I would have reserved the other side of restaurant that looked more interesting. 7. Be prepared not to see guests on other side of table as the lamp decor too tall and blocked the person at my diagonal of table.

A Satisfying Experience The service was attentive -- I never had to ask for water or tea, which was a nice touch. However, I do wish the ventilation had been a bit better for a more comfortable dining atmosphere. Now, onto the most important part: the food. It reminded me of my grandmother's cooking -- not overly salty, with a perfect balance of aroma, texture, and flavor. I tried several dishes: chicken and abalone stir-fry, fried wild rice with seafood, Chinese broccoli with preserved pork, pumpkin soup with lobster meat, and the standout dish -- sweet and sour seafood soup. You might think sweet and sour soup is nothing special, but this one is on another level. If you're a fan of that flavor profile, don't miss it -- you won't regret it.

A group of friends and I went there and our waiter Mr. John was aggressive from the moment we stepped in. We definitely didn’t fit into the “usual crowd” it seems because the waiter kept implying that we were stupid. He told us we had no more than 2 minutes to read the menu and better be ready when he’s back. In the end instead of saying “we can’t split the bill “ he slammed a sheet of paper and told us to “do the math”. And it was clear most people there were the waiters friend because different waiters kept sitting at different tables and chatting. Very weird. He was just incredibly unprofessional, the atmosphere was uninviting and some wild assumptions were made by the staff. Food was pretty good to be honest but I’ll definitely never go again.

A couple of days ago, we celebrated my daughter’s birthday at Patria and overall it was not a good experience. Patria is considered an Spanish restaurant. Unfortunately, even though it’s a nice decor, it does not reflect the “Spanish gusto” that one would expect. The line of knives hanging from the wall and behind the patrons chairs, is creepy and of poor taste regardless if the knives are real or not. We had a reservation for 5 and when we got there, they had to add a seating to a table right by the front door. Very disorganized. Basically, people walking in right behind us. Never seen anything like it in any other restaurant. After saying we were leaving unless we could get a proper table, we were asked to wait. About 10 minutes later, they had a proper table ready for us. Let’s talk about the food. Number one WELL OVERPRICED. We had a Patria Paella for two… What a great disappointment. If anybody is familiar with a Paella, one would know it’s a bed of very well seasoned rice that includes saffron and a great assortment of spices that gives every bite the amazing burst of flavours that explodes in your mouth. And a great display of different types of meats such as fish, chicken, beef, sausages, lamb, pork. Well at Patria, the Patria Paella doesn’t have any of that. They brought us a large iron pan with a 1/3 of an inch thin layer of burnt and stuck to the pan rice, 6-8 shrimps, some mostly empty muscles and a piece of cod. The sausage was about 3-4 tablespoons of meat sausage, not a real piece of sausage, no chicken, no pork, no lamb. You get the picture. I inquired about the “non paella” served to us and was told that’s how they make it. Pretty sure the chef has never had a real paella as this is not how it is PROPERLY made. He should spend some time in Spain, with Spanish people and learn how to cook Spanish dishes. This restaurant is also clearly not owned by any Spaniard or a person with any Hispanic background. This was confirmed when we asked when told the owner is a white Toronto restaurateur, presumably he’s never even been to Spain. We also ordered the stuffed bone marrow. Nothing to brag about it. A few pieces of shredded meat, burn onions and mushroom and a few slices of bread. The empanadas, had a distinct curry and coriander flavour part of a Merguez empanada and filled with some unidentified meat. The truffle manchego queso with quince appetizer, was a joke. A very thin slice of truffle manchego cheese, 2 smaller than a dice sized cubes of quince and four thick slices of bread. The morcilla appetizer was about 10-12 paper thin slices of morcilla. The croquettes de seta flavour wise were a 5 out of 10. The red and white wine sangrias were very watered down. I understand they don’t want customers to get drunk. Fair enough. But a glass filled with ice, it’s a bit too much. The pink Sherry was ok… A 6 out of 10. On a happy note, our waitress Caitlin was super nice and really worked very hard throughout the evening. Kudos to Caitlin! The so called Flamenco show, it’s an embarrassment for any Pura Sangre Spaniard… The dance, the singing, the outfit, the music. A big minus 10. If you want to call this a Spanish restaurant with a Flamenco show, please make sure, that’s what the customer is getting. Real Spanish food and a truly spectacular Flamenco show. I was a Flamenco dancer and nothing on that show was Flamenco even inspired. The churros, the tres leches cake, the dátiles and the patatas bravas were our night’s savers! Very tasteful! After a $500 bill for a table of five, Patria was a great disappointment. None of us left the place feeling like we just finished having a $500 dinner. The good company and the great celebration of my beautiful daughter’s birthday was memorable and we were able to overlook the food and show’s disappointment. In closing, in my opinion this is a restaurant for people who are unfamiliar with Spanish culture and have never tried real Spanish food. As a Spaniard, I’m truly offended this is promoted as a Spanish restaurant with a Flamenco show. Food: 2/5 | Service: 5/5 | Atmosphere: 4/5

A set menu with family style appetizers not sufficient for the table. Waiters pouring wine excessively without care for amounts. Waiters not asking lead patron if they should open more bottles of wine or water. Bar serving most expensive tequila to a customer who simply asked for a riposado. Staff making us feel unwelcome after we had closed out the tab. It just seemed that the owners took advantage of a large group assuming the payor was not paying attention. I will not be revisiting Carisma again and will be discouraging others from doing so.

A three-course dinner for two with two glasses of wine each was almost $500. The food ranged between very good and average. We also made a reservation for the courtyard and were surprised when we were led through a maze of hallways to the secondary patio, with a less desirable atmosphere. The service was also somewhat disorganized.

The Facebook Asian guy suggesting this place is way off!! Do not believe and Facebook posts about this place!! The interior was 1970s and the food was nothing to brag about! Our server was a Chinese comedian that requested cash for a 5% discount, so they don't pay their taxes for sure!! I would not go back to this place again!!! We were entertaining guests from the US and this place was not what I expected!! This is 4 out of 10 Save your money!!

Review rating: 2.0

Everything was great! An amazing master, very gentle and relaxing! The latrine is short of a trash can and the setting is somewhere in need of repair, but the massage overrides all the drawbacks🙏🏻

Review rating: 4.0

1. Phoned to make reservation and inquired about Happy Hour menu and requested reservation for the bar area to use Happy Hour menu- Was seated by hostess and given Happy Hour menus- Was then told -“no we do not have Happy Hour on Saturday” I explained that they took my reservation knowing I wanted this menu, they sat us with the menu and the online menu only stipulated 4-6pm- they should have honoured the menu 2. Asked us if we preferred flat or sparkling water- answered flat. Charged us 3.22 each for flat “distilled water” 3. Charged the designated driver for each club soda- no refills on soda water! Paid $10.50 for 3 small glasses of club soda. 4. Two guests ordered off fresh fish market- $44 for red snapper and served with one potato and some Horta - these guests left still hungry after very small portioned meals. The other two meals ordered were Crispy Halibut and Souvlaki, both on which could have used a few more potatoes. Overall portions are small here. 5. Desserts were $13-$15 and again small portions. 6. Was seated at the bar area for a menu we couldn’t even use- and the entire time we were there was only 2 tables filled so the atmosphere was dull and servers slow. If I had known about the menu not be offered I would have reserved the other side of restaurant that looked more interesting. 7. Be prepared not to see guests on other side of table as the lamp decor too tall and blocked the person at my diagonal of table.

Signal: 0.0%

A Satisfying Experience The service was attentive -- I never had to ask for water or tea, which was a nice touch. However, I do wish the ventilation had been a bit better for a more comfortable dining atmosphere. Now, onto the most important part: the food. It reminded me of my grandmother's cooking -- not overly salty, with a perfect balance of aroma, texture, and flavor. I tried several dishes: chicken and abalone stir-fry, fried wild rice with seafood, Chinese broccoli with preserved pork, pumpkin soup with lobster meat, and the standout dish -- sweet and sour seafood soup. You might think sweet and sour soup is nothing special, but this one is on another level. If you're a fan of that flavor profile, don't miss it -- you won't regret it.

Signal: 0.0%

A group of friends and I went there and our waiter Mr. John was aggressive from the moment we stepped in. We definitely didn’t fit into the “usual crowd” it seems because the waiter kept implying that we were stupid. He told us we had no more than 2 minutes to read the menu and better be ready when he’s back. In the end instead of saying “we can’t split the bill “ he slammed a sheet of paper and told us to “do the math”. And it was clear most people there were the waiters friend because different waiters kept sitting at different tables and chatting. Very weird. He was just incredibly unprofessional, the atmosphere was uninviting and some wild assumptions were made by the staff. Food was pretty good to be honest but I’ll definitely never go again.

Signal: 0.0%