Was so excited to finally try Bar Prima — it’s been on my list for so long. I should’ve known something was off when we were able to get a last-minute reservation for four on a Sunday night.
We were greeted by our server and things started fine, but once we began ordering food, it went downhill fast. Her passive-aggressive tone and unnecessary side comments about nearly everything we said really set a negative tone for the evening. It got so uncomfortable that all four of us actually wanted to switch servers. When we brought this up to the manager, her response was, “Yeah, we get that a lot about her — that’s just how she talks.” No apology, no acknowledgment, nothing offered to make up for it.
Then came the food issues. We had been waiting for our beef tartare while all the mains had already come out. It was obvious the order had been forgotten. When the manager finally brought it over, she just said, “Sorry for the delay, this one’s on us,” as if it were just running late — but clearly, it hadn’t been put in at all.
When our new server took over, she asked how everything was. I told her the swordfish was extremely bland — the butter sauce had absolutely no flavour. Instead of taking accountability, she said maybe it was because we had “too much going on with other plates.” Really? We actually had to ask to have the swordfish removed from the bill ourselves — it was a $50 dish, and we only had one piece. Service should’ve offered to replace it or comp it without us asking.
The lobster pasta was also way overcooked and soft, but by that point we didn’t even want to keep going back and forth, so we just packed it up for our boyfriends to eat later.
In total, the four of us spent about $500 for bad service and disappointing food. It’s honestly such a shame — I wanted to like this place so much, but the whole experience was just a letdown from start to finish.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Ro
Great atmosphere and service. The lobster main was worth it, the other mains falls short and lacks flavour.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Alyssa Campbell
Dined here for the first time last night and was a bit disappointed. The caprese salad was just ok, pasta was tasty but there are better options in the city for less and the swordfish was terrible: rubbery and over sauced. The atmosphere was nice but, for the price, this was not up to snuff.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 4
YK OY
Scallops 🌊 Lobster pasta🦞 Potato 🥔 Almond cookies 🍪
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brittany
My new favourite restaurant in Toronto.
Stylish, small restaurant and bar. Gorgeous space. Italian, Canadian fare. Exceptional service.
Highly recommend this spot for a date night or sharing dishes with friends, as everything is delicious.
A full vibe this Monday.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Daniel L
My partner went here for our anniversary a few months ago. The decor is beautiful but it is too bad the rest of the experience wasn't. The prices are out of line considering what you get. Our server was courteous and attentive for the first half hour but was basically absent for the rest of the meal. When you are spending $500 for a meal you shouldn't have to pour your own wine. The agnolotti were amazing but I see they have removed it from the menu along with some of the more intricate dishes. It is basically now a pasta restaurant with all the items at a higher price point. I had the lobster diavola which had a couple tablespoons of lobster. The accompanying sauce was watery and mediocre. At almost $60 it was a letdown. The scallops were good and tasty. The small slice of cake we shared was okay but at $20 it was definitely not worth it. If you have an expense account or would like to go for a drink this would be a good option but I wouldn't recommend it for dinner.
I had a really disappointing experience at Bar Prima, especially since it was my birthday☹️We had a reservation for 7:45, but we didn’t even get our drinks until around 8:20. The service was painfully slow, and things only got worse from there.
What really blew my mind was that a couple seated beside us—who arrived an entire hour after we did—ended up getting their food before us. On top of that, the prices were absolutely outrageous for the quality of the experience. Our bill ended up being almost triple theirs, and not even so much as a thank you for visiting after leaving a tip.
Between the poor service, the long waits, and the ridiculous prices, I left feeling more frustrated than celebrated. Definitely not the kind of experience I’d expect, let alone on a special occasion.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 1
Anton Zhivchikov
The food itself was just okay, nothing special - but the prices were extremely inflated for what you actually get. On top of that, the service was terrible. Our server Sai was inattentive, unprofessional, and came across as rude throughout the evening, which really ruined the experience. For the cost, I expected far better food and much better service. Definitely not worth it.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
N M
I came here tonight with my girlfriend for her birthday and unfortunately left very disappointed. Our reservation was at 7:45. After being seated we ordered some cocktails, but we didn’t receive our drinks until around 8:30, and the food service was even slower.
The portions were shockingly small for the price point. For example, the Zeppoles came with only two pieces, and the Wagyu beef was just four small pieces with some sauce on the side. Our server, Jarret, was friendly and made some good recommendations, it didn’t make up for the long waits and the poor value.
The food and drinks themselves were good, but overall the experience felt overpriced and underwhelming. I wouldn’t recommend Bar Prima to anyone, especially for a special occasion like a birthday
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 1
Shelby Goldberg
The best martini and best gluten free gnocchi I’ve ever had—Chef made it fresh to accommodate the amatriciana. I will be coming back to Toronto just to have this meal again. Also shoutout to our waiter who guided us around the menu and didn’t rush us even though we were the last table sat in the place. Not to mention the gorgeous design of this place. Worth every penny and more.
Came to experience elevated Italian food. While prices may be high, the creativity and execution justify the price. Would recommend Bar Prima to anyone looking for fine dining.
The service was highly attentive and thoughtful. The staff worked together to ensure we had a great experience and we did. They made fun drink recommendations, helped us pick from the menu and were around whenever we needed them.
We had the: tomatoes tramezzini, scallops Rockefeller, Caprese, tartare, mezzaluna, alla'matriciana, swordfish, sirloin, potatoe pavé, rapini and we finished with desserts.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alexandra
The service was fantastic and it is a nice place for a birthday or special occasion, since people were also dressed up nicely. The chicken liver pate was the clear stand out, and the scallops were also delicious. The lobster pasta and swordfish were very average, so we felt it was overpriced for what you get.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Jason Lim
Unbelievable restaurant. From the dark vibrant energy to friendly service to the impeccable cuisine. It is one of those restaurants where at first try, you garner trust in what the chefs are trying to do and would return just to try something new. Well done!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
alexa wease
Daniel and Alex were amazing. They free styled drank for us. Was a pleasant part of the experince Were very personalable and knowledable about the menu and spirits. Food and drinks was spectacular. Can't wait to go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
romaree razon
Okay so we got the bread and butter that they serve you before you receive your food. The bread alone was delicious and got us excited for what we ordered. The tomato tramezzini to start was light, crispy with a bit of umami. The parsley aioli on top brought everything together.
For our mains we ordered pastas. My partner got the lobster fra diavola and i ordered the lumache con scampi. The lobster pasta at $54 was unfortunately a let down. While you get three pieces of claw meat, the sauce was watery and did not work well with the flat noodle. It was light, but underwhelming. Lumache con scampi was better, garlicky which I like however the sauce could have been a bit creamier as well. Our potato pave on the side was delicious and THAT sauce was nice and creamy.
We finished off with their tiramisu which you cant go wrong with.
Thank you to our server that night who took care of us after we expressed how we felt about the pastas even though we did finish it all. (We were hungry)
Would I come back to this place??? Maybe for the drinks and the vibes. (Bartenders really do their thing there and the ambiance is beautiful) but for their food… if the pasta sauces were more rich and velvety like the potato pave sauce instead of watery then maybe.
Was so excited to finally try Bar Prima — it’s been on my list for so long. I should’ve known something was off when we were able to get a last-minute reservation for four on a Sunday night.
We were greeted by our server and things started fine, but once we began ordering food, it went downhill fast. Her passive-aggressive tone and unnecessary side comments about nearly everything we said really set a negative tone for the evening. It got so uncomfortable that all four of us actually wanted to switch servers. When we brought this up to the manager, her response was, “Yeah, we get that a lot about her — that’s just how she talks.” No apology, no acknowledgment, nothing offered to make up for it.
Then came the food issues. We had been waiting for our beef tartare while all the mains had already come out. It was obvious the order had been forgotten. When the manager finally brought it over, she just said, “Sorry for the delay, this one’s on us,” as if it were just running late — but clearly, it hadn’t been put in at all.
When our new server took over, she asked how everything was. I told her the swordfish was extremely bland — the butter sauce had absolutely no flavour. Instead of taking accountability, she said maybe it was because we had “too much going on with other plates.” Really? We actually had to ask to have the swordfish removed from the bill ourselves — it was a $50 dish, and we only had one piece. Service should’ve offered to replace it or comp it without us asking.
The lobster pasta was also way overcooked and soft, but by that point we didn’t even want to keep going back and forth, so we just packed it up for our boyfriends to eat later.
In total, the four of us spent about $500 for bad service and disappointing food. It’s honestly such a shame — I wanted to like this place so much, but the whole experience was just a letdown from start to finish.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Great atmosphere and service. The lobster main was worth it, the other mains falls short and lacks flavour.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Dined here for the first time last night and was a bit disappointed. The caprese salad was just ok, pasta was tasty but there are better options in the city for less and the swordfish was terrible: rubbery and over sauced.
The atmosphere was nice but, for the price, this was not up to snuff.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 4
Scallops 🌊
Lobster pasta🦞
Potato 🥔
Almond cookies 🍪
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My new favourite restaurant in Toronto.
Stylish, small restaurant and bar. Gorgeous space. Italian, Canadian fare. Exceptional service.
Recommend:
- Scallops rockafella
- Summer squash cappalletti
- Crostata de mela
Highly recommend this spot for a date night or sharing dishes with friends, as everything is delicious.
A full vibe this Monday.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My partner went here for our anniversary a few months ago. The decor is beautiful but it is too bad the rest of the experience wasn't. The prices are out of line considering what you get. Our server was courteous and attentive for the first half hour but was basically absent for the rest of the meal. When you are spending $500 for a meal you shouldn't have to pour your own wine. The agnolotti were amazing but I see they have removed it from the menu along with some of the more intricate dishes. It is basically now a pasta restaurant with all the items at a higher price point. I had the lobster diavola which had a couple tablespoons of lobster. The accompanying sauce was watery and mediocre. At almost $60 it was a letdown. The scallops were good and tasty. The small slice of cake we shared was okay but at $20 it was definitely not worth it. If you have an expense account or would like to go for a drink this would be a good option but I wouldn't recommend it for dinner.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Lobster Pasta, Scallops Rockefeller
I had a really disappointing experience at Bar Prima, especially since it was my birthday☹️We had a reservation for 7:45, but we didn’t even get our drinks until around 8:20. The service was painfully slow, and things only got worse from there.
What really blew my mind was that a couple seated beside us—who arrived an entire hour after we did—ended up getting their food before us. On top of that, the prices were absolutely outrageous for the quality of the experience. Our bill ended up being almost triple theirs, and not even so much as a thank you for visiting after leaving a tip.
Between the poor service, the long waits, and the ridiculous prices, I left feeling more frustrated than celebrated. Definitely not the kind of experience I’d expect, let alone on a special occasion.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 1
The food itself was just okay, nothing special - but the prices were extremely inflated for what you actually get. On top of that, the service was terrible. Our server Sai was inattentive, unprofessional, and came across as rude throughout the evening, which really ruined the experience. For the cost, I expected far better food and much better service. Definitely not worth it.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
I came here tonight with my girlfriend for her birthday and unfortunately left very disappointed. Our reservation was at 7:45. After being seated we ordered some cocktails, but we didn’t receive our drinks until around 8:30, and the food service was even slower.
The portions were shockingly small for the price point. For example, the Zeppoles came with only two pieces, and the Wagyu beef was just four small pieces with some sauce on the side. Our server, Jarret, was friendly and made some good recommendations, it didn’t make up for the long waits and the poor value.
The food and drinks themselves were good, but overall the experience felt overpriced and underwhelming. I wouldn’t recommend Bar Prima to anyone, especially for a special occasion like a birthday
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 1
The best martini and best gluten free gnocchi I’ve ever had—Chef made it fresh to accommodate the amatriciana. I will be coming back to Toronto just to have this meal again. Also shoutout to our waiter who guided us around the menu and didn’t rush us even though we were the last table sat in the place. Not to mention the gorgeous design of this place.
Worth every penny and more.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Came to experience elevated Italian food. While prices may be high, the creativity and execution justify the price. Would recommend Bar Prima to anyone looking for fine dining.
The service was highly attentive and thoughtful. The staff worked together to ensure we had a great experience and we did. They made fun drink recommendations, helped us pick from the menu and were around whenever we needed them.
We had the: tomatoes tramezzini, scallops Rockefeller, Caprese, tartare, mezzaluna, alla'matriciana, swordfish, sirloin, potatoe pavé, rapini and we finished with desserts.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The service was fantastic and it is a nice place for a birthday or special occasion, since people were also dressed up nicely. The chicken liver pate was the clear stand out, and the scallops were also delicious. The lobster pasta and swordfish were very average, so we felt it was overpriced for what you get.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Unbelievable restaurant. From the dark vibrant energy to friendly service to the impeccable cuisine. It is one of those restaurants where at first try, you garner trust in what the chefs are trying to do and would return just to try something new. Well done!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Daniel and Alex were amazing. They free styled drank for us. Was a pleasant part of the experince Were very personalable and knowledable about the menu and spirits. Food and drinks was spectacular. Can't wait to go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Okay so we got the bread and butter that they serve you before you receive your food. The bread alone was delicious and got us excited for what we ordered. The tomato tramezzini to start was light, crispy with a bit of umami. The parsley aioli on top brought everything together.
For our mains we ordered pastas. My partner got the lobster fra diavola and i ordered the lumache con scampi. The lobster pasta at $54 was unfortunately a let down. While you get three pieces of claw meat, the sauce was watery and did not work well with the flat noodle. It was light, but underwhelming. Lumache con scampi was better, garlicky which I like however the sauce could have been a bit creamier as well. Our potato pave on the side was delicious and THAT sauce was nice and creamy.
We finished off with their tiramisu which you cant go wrong with.
Thank you to our server that night who took care of us after we expressed how we felt about the pastas even though we did finish it all. (We were hungry)
Would I come back to this place??? Maybe for the drinks and the vibes. (Bartenders really do their thing there and the ambiance is beautiful) but for their food… if the pasta sauces were more rich and velvety like the potato pave sauce instead of watery then maybe.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
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