Grey Gardens
Restaurant · Kensington-Chinatown
199 Augusta Ave, Toronto, ON M5T 2L4, Canada
Highlights
Seafood-heavy menu of small plates & mains, extensive wine list.
Seafood-heavy menu of small plates & mains, extensive wine list.
"Grey Gardens lives up to its bohemian-luxe address in Kensington Market; it's just vintage enough without feeling dowdy. Part wine bar and part restaurant, Grey Gardens has small snacks, medium, and full-sized plates. There's an emphasis on seafood here, with standouts including sweet shrimp with compressed watermelon radishes. But don't leave without trying the dry-aged Peking-style duck breast, which is served on homemade sauerkraut and duck fried rice. The real joy here is the wine list, which is stocked with everything from hard-to-find and private-order bottles to biodynamic selections, organic Burgundies, and orange wines. Luckily for neophytes, the menu offers easy-to-understand tasting notes. Pop in for a glass of rare Sauternes and a snack after work (no reservations required), or come with a friend to linger over dinner in the back dining room (reservations only)." - Todd Plummer
"Everyone is drawn to restaurateur Jen Agg's hip, boisterous venue, which manages both style and substance with confident charm. An excellent wine list is paired with a small, mercurial menu that punches above its weight class, where ostensibly simple, unassuming dishes turn out to be heavy hitters. Raw items like oysters and crudos are commendably fresh, and the house-made pastas are real showstoppers. Take as an example hearty spaghetti twirled with a mackerel-based twist on XO sauce, lifted with fermented chili puree and crunchy potato crumbs: beguilingly complex, indulgent and umami-packed. The menu might only offer a duo of desserts, but they’re just as inspired as the rest—in other words, not to be missed." - Michelin Inspector
"Jen Agg's hip, boisterous venue manages both style and substance with confident charm. An excellent wine list is paired with a small, mercurial menu that punches above its weight class, where ostensibly simple, unassuming dishes turn out to be heavy hitters. Raw items like oysters and crudos are commendably fresh, and the house-made pastas are real showstoppers." - The MICHELIN Guide
"Restaurateur Jen Agg first made her mark on the Toronto food scenewitha little joint calledthe Black Hoof, visited by Anthony Bourdain and an endless parade of chefs. The latest addition to her empire is Grey Gardens, located in the midst of the city’s hippie enclave. The fruits of herpartnership with chef Mitch Bates, under whose watch New York City's Momofuku Ko earned two Michelin stars, have kept the customers streamingin the door. Expect a beautiful room awash in grays and pastels and extraordinarily pretty dishes, too, like a sea bass entrée taken to the next level with a smattering of perfect green-apple stars."
"Restaurateur Jen Agg first made her mark on the Toronto food scenewitha little joint calledthe Black Hoof, visited by Anthony Bourdain and an endless parade of chefs. The latest addition to her empire is Grey Gardens, located in the midst of the city’s hippie enclave. The fruits of herpartnership with chef Mitch Bates, under whose watch New York City's Momofuku Ko earned two Michelin stars, have kept the customers streamingin the door. Expect a beautiful room awash in grays and pastels and extraordinarily pretty dishes, too, like a sea bass entrée taken to the next level with a smattering of perfect green-apple stars."
