I had a pretty rough dinner at Allen's earlier this week. I had the fish and chips, which was one very small and overcooked (so totally dried out) piece of halibut, and some thick and flavorless fries - very underwhelming for $25. I also had a completely botched old fashioned. It was made with ice machine ice, so it kind of looked and tasted like I'd ordered a fountain coke at McDonald's and then left it in my car for an hour. If you don't have the right ice to do a proper old fashioned, don't serve them. Very unimpressed.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 2
Marcel Gelinas
Stopped in before a concert at the Music Hall and the place was as busy as it gets! Great service and environment! Nice drinks available and delicious apps.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Wings
Sheneil Shirley
Ollie!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hamburger
Mohammad Khoshghalb, CPA, CGA
Good food and service. We went on the American Thanksgiving and even though the place was packed they still accommodated us.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Calamari
A C
Went on a Tuesday night and was disappointed considering the price and reputation of this place. Both the kitchen and the bar were “backed up” resulting in super slow service. It didn’t help that our waiter was inattentive. Food was was overpriced. 20$ burger that comes with no cheese or fries or anything. I would not go back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 1
Colton Batraks
I’ve heard about this restaurant all my life but never officially checked it out until yesterday. The atmosphere and service is definitely top notch. Their beer, burger, and wings were exceptional!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hamburger, Chicken Wings
Katie Taylor
We were on a waitlist for a restaurant down the road and since it was cold we decided to pop into Allen’s for a drink while we wait . So glad we did . We looked at the menu and I saw the special was ahí tuna , so I was sold! We asked if they had a table and even though it was packed they accommodated us. Granted it was in a corner in front of the kitchen , but that’s fine with us . I loved the wine they suggested and as I had hoped the ahí was delish. My husband loves traditional pub food so that’s what he ordered and loved it. Great spot for a casual meal with high end service .
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Andrew Parronchi
I came for dinner alone prior to a show at Danforth. The environment is warm and inviting. A true supper club and a lost art. Allen’s has managed to combine Irish Pub culture with fine dining, while not leaving you desiring anything from either. A perfect combination.
The interior is beautiful. The service is perfect.It was full, rustling and bustling with a late night environment, at only 6pm.
My beer was crisp and delicious, my lamb chops and champ felt like Irish perfection.
Thank you for a wonderful night Allen’s!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ryan Desroches
My first time there this evening after hearing nothing but good things.. Right away the service was incredible, the Guinness was perfect and the food took my breathe away….
I had always been wanting to come here - after learning legendary Canadian band - Lunch at Allen's was named after it. Finally, after 20 plus years I made a visit and it did not disappoint. The Maitre D - Karl - was fantastic. So helpful and kind. Despite it being a very busy Saturday night, he incredibly was able to get us a table of 4. The menu had a nice variety of items and I opted for the liver which was delicious. My friend, who use to frequent this restaurant many years ago - had the Black bean soup and he remarked it was as fantastic today as it was many years ago. Deb our server was great too - very attentive and accommodating with the concern we had over a food allergy. I highly recommend this establishment - it will not disappoint.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
White Buffalo
After seeing/hearing so many rave about this Danforth institution for so long, I decided to finally stop in and give it ago, hopes naturally high. While the service and atmosphere were perfect- truly could not ask for more-, the reason I was there-- the food-- could not have fallen more short, nor underwhelmed more. Not sure whether this was an isolated instance or representative of how it always, but the chowder bordered on inedible for me due to how vastly under-cooked all the veggies inside were... I mean, they were pretty much "raw", the potatoes especially hard as a rock; not very appealing in the context of a chowder. I was shocked by this, to be honest. And while the broth had decent enough flavour, it was to thin/watery for my preference. At least the fish was decently cooked- hard to mess that up. Then arrived the highly-acclaimed burger, which simply could not have underwhelmed more if it tried. Perhaps nowadays that smash burgers are all the rage, people see the fatness of the Allen's burger as a welcome departure from that new norm, but... where is the flavour, man? This thing had absolutely *no* flavour/seasoning to it, and while the beef is decent enough quality, it's not quite 45-day dry-aged prime, which is to say, I wouldn't rely solely on the beef to do all the heavy lifting. The butter chicken was fine enough, though you'll find about 100 better ones elsewhere- the rice which accompanied it was tragic. The crab-stuffed mushrooms, about the saddest-looking and most uninspired app I've had in recent memory. Parsnip soup, which I stole just a spoonful of, similarly forgettable. The highlight for me, hands down, was the amazing thick-cut fries. I would genuinely travel back just for two helpings of those and a pint of Guinness. The fries are stellar, and a real throwback which I crave. Next time, I'll be sure to go heavy on the salt (seems under-seasoning is a common theme here) and give a dash of malt vinegar- truly stupendous chips... a bloody simple thing, yet not done anywhere else quite like this anymore. Again, service + atmosphere, both stellar- it's not their fault. Especially disgruntled considering it's really not the best value proposition in general, but especially when considering what you get for your dollars- I was remarkably underwhelmed (except for those amazing fries). Sorry.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Chris Antonsen
A little overwhelmed by the group waiting to be seated until we realized they did not have a reservation. Reso was for 8:15 we were seated at our table at 8:16. Service - amazing!!! Food the same. We had the lamb pot pie and lamb shank delicious!!! Thank you for a great evening and amazing food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Victor Corzato
Allen's has been a local staple on the danforth for so many years. Consisted great bar experience with a fantastic whiskey collection. However, I was disappointed with the food at my last visit...wondering if ownership change has impacted quality...
I had a pretty rough dinner at Allen's earlier this week. I had the fish and chips, which was one very small and overcooked (so totally dried out) piece of halibut, and some thick and flavorless fries - very underwhelming for $25. I also had a completely botched old fashioned. It was made with ice machine ice, so it kind of looked and tasted like I'd ordered a fountain coke at McDonald's and then left it in my car for an hour. If you don't have the right ice to do a proper old fashioned, don't serve them. Very unimpressed.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 2
Stopped in before a concert at the Music Hall and the place was as busy as it gets! Great service and environment! Nice drinks available and delicious apps.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Wings
Ollie!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hamburger
Good food and service. We went on the American Thanksgiving and even though the place was packed they still accommodated us.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Calamari
Went on a Tuesday night and was disappointed considering the price and reputation of this place. Both the kitchen and the bar were “backed up” resulting in super slow service. It didn’t help that our waiter was inattentive. Food was was overpriced. 20$ burger that comes with no cheese or fries or anything. I would not go back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 1
I’ve heard about this restaurant all my life but never officially checked it out until yesterday. The atmosphere and service is definitely top notch. Their beer, burger, and wings were exceptional!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hamburger, Chicken Wings
We were on a waitlist for a restaurant down the road and since it was cold we decided to pop into Allen’s for a drink while we wait . So glad we did . We looked at the menu and I saw the special was ahí tuna , so I was sold! We asked if they had a table and even though it was packed they accommodated us. Granted it was in a corner in front of the kitchen , but that’s fine with us . I loved the wine they suggested and as I had hoped the ahí was delish. My husband loves traditional pub food so that’s what he ordered and loved it. Great spot for a casual meal with high end service .
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
I came for dinner alone prior to a show at Danforth. The environment is warm and inviting. A true supper club and a lost art. Allen’s has managed to combine Irish Pub culture with fine dining, while not leaving you desiring anything from either. A perfect combination.
The interior is beautiful. The service is perfect.It was full, rustling and bustling with a late night environment, at only 6pm.
My beer was crisp and delicious, my lamb chops and champ felt like Irish perfection.
Thank you for a wonderful night Allen’s!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My first time there this evening after hearing nothing but good things.. Right away the service was incredible, the Guinness was perfect and the food took my breathe away….
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Dublin Lamb Shank, Mashed Potatoes
Stopped in for a bite before a concert at the Danforth. Had the burger, daughter had the chowder, both top notch!
In fact, I’m a bit of a burger snob and the burger at Allen’s was top 5! Tasted like someone ground a beef tenderloin and put it on a bun…soooo good.
Staff friendly and attentive even with them being extremely busy.
Would recommend to anyone in the area to check out.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Chowder, Hamburger
Restaurantji Recommends
Classic spot for some delicious food.
I had always been wanting to come here - after learning legendary Canadian band - Lunch at Allen's was named after it. Finally, after 20 plus years I made a visit and it did not disappoint. The Maitre D - Karl - was fantastic. So helpful and kind. Despite it being a very busy Saturday night, he incredibly was able to get us a table of 4. The menu had a nice variety of items and I opted for the liver which was delicious. My friend, who use to frequent this restaurant many years ago - had the Black bean soup and he remarked it was as fantastic today as it was many years ago. Deb our server was great too - very attentive and accommodating with the concern we had over a food allergy. I highly recommend this establishment - it will not disappoint.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
After seeing/hearing so many rave about this Danforth institution for so long, I decided to finally stop in and give it ago, hopes naturally high. While the service and atmosphere were perfect- truly could not ask for more-, the reason I was there-- the food-- could not have fallen more short, nor underwhelmed more. Not sure whether this was an isolated instance or representative of how it always, but the chowder bordered on inedible for me due to how vastly under-cooked all the veggies inside were... I mean, they were pretty much "raw", the potatoes especially hard as a rock; not very appealing in the context of a chowder. I was shocked by this, to be honest. And while the broth had decent enough flavour, it was to thin/watery for my preference. At least the fish was decently cooked- hard to mess that up.
Then arrived the highly-acclaimed burger, which simply could not have underwhelmed more if it tried. Perhaps nowadays that smash burgers are all the rage, people see the fatness of the Allen's burger as a welcome departure from that new norm, but... where is the flavour, man? This thing had absolutely *no* flavour/seasoning to it, and while the beef is decent enough quality, it's not quite 45-day dry-aged prime, which is to say, I wouldn't rely solely on the beef to do all the heavy lifting.
The butter chicken was fine enough, though you'll find about 100 better ones elsewhere- the rice which accompanied it was tragic.
The crab-stuffed mushrooms, about the saddest-looking and most uninspired app I've had in recent memory.
Parsnip soup, which I stole just a spoonful of, similarly forgettable.
The highlight for me, hands down, was the amazing thick-cut fries. I would genuinely travel back just for two helpings of those and a pint of Guinness. The fries are stellar, and a real throwback which I crave. Next time, I'll be sure to go heavy on the salt (seems under-seasoning is a common theme here) and give a dash of malt vinegar- truly stupendous chips... a bloody simple thing, yet not done anywhere else quite like this anymore.
Again, service + atmosphere, both stellar- it's not their fault.
Especially disgruntled considering it's really not the best value proposition in general, but especially when considering what you get for your dollars- I was remarkably underwhelmed (except for those amazing fries). Sorry.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
A little overwhelmed by the group waiting to be seated until we realized they did not have a reservation. Reso was for 8:15 we were seated at our table at 8:16. Service - amazing!!! Food the same. We had the lamb pot pie and lamb shank delicious!!! Thank you for a great evening and amazing food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Allen's has been a local staple on the danforth for so many years. Consisted great bar experience with a fantastic whiskey collection. However, I was disappointed with the food at my last visit...wondering if ownership change has impacted quality...
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
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