Incredible experience across the board. Atmosphere, service, and food were outstanding and memorable. Thank you for the delicious hospitality Ayla. Will be back and recommending to friends.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A.J.
I was pleasantly surprised by this place and it has already landed in my head as one of my new favourite spots in the city. It’s a cozy room that feels like a quiet escape from the street above. The pitched ceiling gives it a cottage-like warmth, and the overall vibe is comfortable and unpretentious.
Service stood out. The servers were attentive without hovering, checked in often, genuinely cared about the experience, and knew the menu well. They were also offering a special cocktail with part of the proceeds going toward relief for the recent fire in Hong Kong, which I appreciated. That sense of community came through, and the whole experience felt like a local window into a broader culture, with the chef clearly bringing their travels and experience to the table.
We went with the tasting menu and found it to be a satisfying amount of food. I left comfortably full. The chrysanthemum caesar was great. As someone who’s usually averse to veggies, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It’s a generous portion, but very shareable for two people and easy to eat. The balance of bitterness, salt, and umami worked well with the miso, pecorino, and sesame. The prawn toast okonomiyaki was a great appetizer too, crunchy and familiar in flavour but presented in a fun, different way. The dumplings had a nice chew to the dough and were flavourful. The drunken sablefish was cooked well and paired nicely with the brown butter sauce. The char siu was tender, glazed, and sweet with lots of depth. Dessert ended on a good note with the HK style egg custard, not overly sweet and I liked the pomelo and sago.
Overall, it was a great experience, and I’m looking forward to coming back to try more of the menu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michael Mc
Had the most lovely evening in Ayla: staff were ridiculously friendly, food was extremely delicious and innovative, and had a great chat with the chefs at the end of the night. Extremely well looked-after
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jesse Begg
Friendly staff, amazing food. A must stop on Dundas for food lovers. Thanks again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Avner Levin
This restaurant shines because of its talented two chefs. It is always wonderful and a good sign to see the chef confident enough to serve their food to their guests in person. All the dishes are inventive and excellent. We recommend the Caesar salad (generous portion), char siu (of course) and the risotto. Desert (egg custard) was exceptional, don't miss it! The room is beautiful and the service friendly. Definitely one of the better spots in Toronto right now, especially at this price-point.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
S G
The food was absolutely amazing, we had the mushrooms, dumplings and shrimp toast. The risotto with oxtail and the drunken sablefish were equally delicious too. We got a yummy complimentary dessert to finish off the meal. The service was great and the staff were super knowledgeable and friendly. Will definitely go back again!
Sunny D
Excellent.. this world needs owners/ chefs like these!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amina Mohamed
Poor service, the servers were not helpful and rude and made no effort to engage in customer service especially since it was my friends birthday and we had a table of 8. I’m assuming because gratuity was included they didn’t feel the need to do their job. I’m extremely disappointed especially given the amount we spent and the how important the night was.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
Yeon Yun
From the moment you step inside, you feel like you’ve been transported straight to Hong Kong. The entrance alone makes you forget you’re in Toronto — it’s such a unique and immersive experience. I ordered the lychee cocktail, and it was far better than I expected — absolutely delicious! Each dish that came out paired beautifully with the drinks. It was such a wonderful experience to enjoy the vibrant Hong Kong atmosphere and unique flavors right here in Toronto.
Nothing special. Over priced - tiny portions - weak food that you will forget about almost immediately after leaving. Drinks are typical Toronto mini cocktails in the 20-25$ range. Wine list is minuscule and uneventful. I cannot remember any of the 8 things we ordered but looking back at my receipt, prawn toast was some sort of deep fried shrimp taquito thing, a Caesar salad that I cannot remember being good or bad, char siu that was super salty and dry, beef tartare which was good but small, mushrooms of some kind on a plate - to me, they were more like slabs of tender rubber bands, dessert…. Well, we actually laughed about when it was brought to the table by the overly earnest wait person. It was blobs of gelatin in a sweetened milk sauce…. It was about the size of a side of ketchup and had absolutely no discernible flavour. Look, this is a fail for dinner. If you want a place to go and chit chat over a cocktail and graze on textures and temperatures, it’s cute and they probably will have a table available.
Had a lovely evening at Ayla! Service and atmosphere was delightful. The steak tartare and char siu iberico pork were fantastic. My only comment about the food would be that the mackerel with pork dumplings are a bit of an odd combo, mackerel being a bit fishier than a standard shrimp and pork dumpling but props to them for trying something different. Would definitely recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Riffat S
I’ve tried a lot of Turkish places and this is hands-down the best one! We ordered a platter for two but was enough for two adults and two kids. The food was flavourful, fresh and remained absolutely hot due to the dish it was served in. The kunafe was absolutely decadent - perfectly flaky and crispy. Loved it! The servers Bilge and Deniz were absolutely wonderful. Very welcoming and polite. Bilge helped with the menu as there was an overwhelming selection. The place is very clean, including the bathrooms. Amazing experience and would definitely come back!
Jamyang Tenzin
The prettiest restaurant!! Loved the mushroom dish and the risotto!!
Recommend their lychee drink!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sophia Tieu
The dishes here were impeccable. Every component of each dish was well thought out and it was a great experience. We got the typhoon shelter mushrooms, prawn toast okonomiyaki, and iberico pork char siu. The dishes are all shareable, thus, on the smaller side, however, it was a great tasting experience to share with friends. The service was lovely, and environment felt very welcoming. I would definitely visit again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A E
Highway robbery!! If you think you’re getting Cantonese food & traditional portions, you’ll be sorry. Smaller than the smallest tapas! For $35. we got 4 slices of CharSui bbq pork (delicious but $9. per 4” slice???!!)!?! $11. for one 2” prawn wrapped in toast! $36. for 1 filet of sablefish (3” x 3”). We love Chinese mushrooms but have never had rubbery mushrooms at an Asian restaurant! The risotto was odd — Italian but with oxtail Chinese style like a beef congee. We are so disgusted that we “fell for” their recommendation to order one of each item on their menu. Dumb. Buyer beware. And the Caesar Salad using sesame Dressing & Parmesan cheese was inedible— they used mixed greens that were unbearably bitter (chrysanthemum, arugula & watercress). It probably would’ve been fine if mixed with a sweeter dressing or added sweet fruit bits? The one mango dessert was the size of 3 tablespoons for $12.! Really!!! Ambience would’ve been good but was ruined by staff leaving the patio door to the outdoor terrace open during 40°C heat wave! I specifically checked to make sure the restaurant had Air Conditioning & yes they said they did. But what was the point if she left the patio door wide open resulting in the AC shutting down & everyone inside sweltering in the heat? Don’t go here. Go to Pearl Harbourfront or Lee Restaurant or Mineral Fusion instead for better gourmet dining, larger potions at the same price point ! Also the music was so loud it was tough to make conversation. The seats were solid wood, no cushions as tho’ they don’t want clients to be too comfortable & linger for too long! They only had 1 co-ed washroom so clients had to lineup to use it! Awful experience overall. $366. for 3 people. & we were not stuffed. Our wallets are still stinging from this experience & we are very accustomed to paying lots for gourmet meals (eg. $180./person @ Miku or $100./person @ Mineral for their Fixed Price Menu excluding alcohol!) Listen to the other honest review below. Don’t bother going here
Incredible experience across the board. Atmosphere, service, and food were outstanding and memorable. Thank you for the delicious hospitality Ayla. Will be back and recommending to friends.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I was pleasantly surprised by this place and it has already landed in my head as one of my new favourite spots in the city. It’s a cozy room that feels like a quiet escape from the street above. The pitched ceiling gives it a cottage-like warmth, and the overall vibe is comfortable and unpretentious.
Service stood out. The servers were attentive without hovering, checked in often, genuinely cared about the experience, and knew the menu well. They were also offering a special cocktail with part of the proceeds going toward relief for the recent fire in Hong Kong, which I appreciated. That sense of community came through, and the whole experience felt like a local window into a broader culture, with the chef clearly bringing their travels and experience to the table.
We went with the tasting menu and found it to be a satisfying amount of food. I left comfortably full. The chrysanthemum caesar was great. As someone who’s usually averse to veggies, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It’s a generous portion, but very shareable for two people and easy to eat. The balance of bitterness, salt, and umami worked well with the miso, pecorino, and sesame. The prawn toast okonomiyaki was a great appetizer too, crunchy and familiar in flavour but presented in a fun, different way. The dumplings had a nice chew to the dough and were flavourful. The drunken sablefish was cooked well and paired nicely with the brown butter sauce. The char siu was tender, glazed, and sweet with lots of depth. Dessert ended on a good note with the HK style egg custard, not overly sweet and I liked the pomelo and sago.
Overall, it was a great experience, and I’m looking forward to coming back to try more of the menu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Had the most lovely evening in Ayla: staff were ridiculously friendly, food was extremely delicious and innovative, and had a great chat with the chefs at the end of the night. Extremely well looked-after
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Friendly staff, amazing food. A must stop on Dundas for food lovers. Thanks again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This restaurant shines because of its talented two chefs. It is always wonderful and a good sign to see the chef confident enough to serve their food to their guests in person. All the dishes are inventive and excellent. We recommend the Caesar salad (generous portion), char siu (of course) and the risotto. Desert (egg custard) was exceptional, don't miss it! The room is beautiful and the service friendly. Definitely one of the better spots in Toronto right now, especially at this price-point.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food was absolutely amazing, we had the mushrooms, dumplings and shrimp toast. The risotto with oxtail and the drunken sablefish were equally delicious too. We got a yummy complimentary dessert to finish off the meal. The service was great and the staff were super knowledgeable and friendly. Will definitely go back again!
Excellent.. this world needs owners/ chefs like these!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Poor service, the servers were not helpful and rude and made no effort to engage in customer service especially since it was my friends birthday and we had a table of 8. I’m assuming because gratuity was included they didn’t feel the need to do their job. I’m extremely disappointed especially given the amount we spent and the how important the night was.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
From the moment you step inside, you feel like you’ve been transported straight to Hong Kong. The entrance alone makes you forget you’re in Toronto — it’s such a unique and immersive experience. I ordered the lychee cocktail, and it was far better than I expected — absolutely delicious! Each dish that came out paired beautifully with the drinks. It was such a wonderful experience to enjoy the vibrant Hong Kong atmosphere and unique flavors right here in Toronto.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Steak Tartare, Perfect, Prawn Toast Okonomiyaki, Tuna, Mentaiko Tarama, Cha Chaan Teng Risotto, Beef Tartare, Iberico Pork Char Siu, Iberico Char Siu
Nothing special. Over priced - tiny portions - weak food that you will forget about almost immediately after leaving.
Drinks are typical Toronto mini cocktails in the 20-25$ range. Wine list is minuscule and uneventful. I cannot remember any of the 8 things we ordered but looking back at my receipt, prawn toast was some sort of deep fried shrimp taquito thing, a Caesar salad that I cannot remember being good or bad, char siu that was super salty and dry, beef tartare which was good but small, mushrooms of some kind on a plate - to me, they were more like slabs of tender rubber bands, dessert…. Well, we actually laughed about when it was brought to the table by the overly earnest wait person. It was blobs of gelatin in a sweetened milk sauce…. It was about the size of a side of ketchup and had absolutely no discernible flavour.
Look, this is a fail for dinner. If you want a place to go and chit chat over a cocktail and graze on textures and temperatures, it’s cute and they probably will have a table available.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
Had a lovely evening at Ayla! Service and atmosphere was delightful. The steak tartare and char siu iberico pork were fantastic. My only comment about the food would be that the mackerel with pork dumplings are a bit of an odd combo, mackerel being a bit fishier than a standard shrimp and pork dumpling but props to them for trying something different. Would definitely recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
I’ve tried a lot of Turkish places and this is hands-down the best one! We ordered a platter for two but was enough for two adults and two kids. The food was flavourful, fresh and remained absolutely hot due to the dish it was served in. The kunafe was absolutely decadent - perfectly flaky and crispy. Loved it! The servers Bilge and Deniz were absolutely wonderful. Very welcoming and polite. Bilge helped with the menu as there was an overwhelming selection. The place is very clean, including the bathrooms. Amazing experience and would definitely come back!
The prettiest restaurant!! Loved the mushroom dish and the risotto!!
Recommend their lychee drink!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The dishes here were impeccable. Every component of each dish was well thought out and it was a great experience. We got the typhoon shelter mushrooms, prawn toast okonomiyaki, and iberico pork char siu. The dishes are all shareable, thus, on the smaller side, however, it was a great tasting experience to share with friends. The service was lovely, and environment felt very welcoming. I would definitely visit again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Highway robbery!! If you think you’re getting Cantonese food & traditional portions, you’ll be sorry. Smaller than the smallest tapas! For $35. we got 4 slices of CharSui bbq pork (delicious but $9. per 4” slice???!!)!?! $11. for one 2” prawn wrapped in toast! $36. for 1 filet of sablefish (3” x 3”). We love Chinese mushrooms but have never had rubbery mushrooms at an Asian restaurant! The risotto was odd — Italian but with oxtail Chinese style like a beef congee.
We are so disgusted that we “fell for” their recommendation to order one of each item on their menu. Dumb. Buyer beware. And the Caesar Salad using sesame Dressing & Parmesan cheese was inedible— they used mixed greens that were unbearably bitter (chrysanthemum, arugula & watercress). It probably would’ve been fine if mixed with a sweeter dressing or added sweet fruit bits? The one mango dessert was the size of 3 tablespoons for $12.! Really!!! Ambience would’ve been good but was ruined by staff leaving the patio door to the outdoor terrace open during 40°C heat wave! I specifically checked to make sure the restaurant had Air Conditioning & yes they said they did. But what was the point if she left the patio door wide open resulting in the AC shutting down & everyone inside sweltering in the heat? Don’t go here. Go to Pearl Harbourfront or Lee Restaurant or Mineral Fusion instead for better gourmet dining, larger potions at the same price point ! Also the music was so loud it was tough to make conversation. The seats were solid wood, no cushions as tho’ they don’t want clients to be too comfortable & linger for too long! They only had 1 co-ed washroom so clients had to lineup to use it! Awful experience overall. $366. for 3 people. & we were not stuffed. Our wallets are still stinging from this experience & we are very accustomed to paying lots for gourmet meals (eg. $180./person @ Miku or $100./person @ Mineral for their Fixed Price Menu excluding alcohol!) Listen to the other honest review below. Don’t bother going here
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
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