CLOSED: Fressen

CLOSED: Fressen
(33)
18

Closed
Vegan

Vegan

Organic

Vegan and organic restaurant. Reported closed to HappyCow.

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478 Queen St W, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5A1T9
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+1-416-504-5127
fressenrestaurant.com
- Last update on 15 Feb 2013 by Guest
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33 Reviews

First Review by erbavore

Results

fressensational - Edit

Great atmosphere, super friendly/witty staff, delicious food. Best restaurant in Toronto; not a super expansive menu, but super tasty.

Updated from previous review on 2011-05-01

Pros: Candle-lit tables, Fresh, culinary artistry

Cons: tiny bit pricey, not enough non alcoholic beverages, non existant dessert menu

Fressen - Edit

Bottom line, Fressen did not live up to all of the hype. The restaurant was upscale bohemian and the service was spotty. The plantain cakes were unusual but good, and they even had a nice kick to them. Our server recommended two entrees, the spelt linguine and the grilled black bean seitan. The pasta was OK, but the pesto on top of it had an odd flavor - it's possible the base was pecans. My boyfriend absolutely disliked the grilled black bean seitan, and I couldn't agree with him more. His meal was actually terrible and had a strong vinegar taste. The seitan was formed into a sausage and had strange textures and flavors. We spent about $100 there and came away feeling lackluster about our meal. Having said all of that, I probably wouldn't recommend Fressen to any of my friends.

eric

Points +20125

Vegan

15 Sep 2012

Quality food, nice atmosphere - Edit

I was lucky make it here on my Toronto visit. The food was well prepared and presented beautifully. The space is pretty nice and would be a good place to bring a date. Without drinks, and no dessert (too full), the meal came to $55 for two entrees and the 3 cold appetizers, so I couldn't eat here every night. Would be nice though.

Pros: Great food, Nice ambiance

Cons: Little pricy

MarciaM

Points +75

Vegan

20 Jul 2012

Great spot - Edit

Always dine there when in Toronto. Great choices, yummy tastes, happy wait staff.

Pros: Good menu, Nice atmosphere, Good service

Cons: Down stairs to restroom, Parking

katy3

Points +185

Vegan

12 Jul 2012

Best dessert ever! - Edit

The food was delicious and wonderfully presented.

Polenta: nice texture and goes well with the bed of spinach
Grilled black bean seitan: the sausage(?) was okay (a bit on the dry side, but I like my food non-greasy, so didn't mind it), and the sauteed vegetable was really good!
Crusted tofu: the tofu was delicious with a bit of a kick. The non-vegan hubby loved it.

The dessert: it was the best dessert I ever had! The chocolate was not too sweet, had the perfect firmness that was heavenly as it melted in my mouth. The fruits complemented the chocolate and the mousse perfectly. I can't wait to eat it again.

Pros: dessert, ambiance, friendly staff

tfrederick

Points +32

Vegan

13 Jul 2011

Good food - indifferent servers - Edit

This is a nice restaurant, and it would be nicer if the staff wasn't so eager to close up. We made a reservation for 9:30 on a Saturday night. Before arriving we were told that the kitchen closed at 10. Right when we sat down, though, they told us we had to order right away. I asked why there were closing so early, and the server replied, "Well, we'd like to go out tonight, too."

With about 10 tables still eating, another couple walked in at 9:50, and asked if they could order something, and the server said, "No." If this were my restaurant, I'd be pretty upset to find my staff sending business away.

With a bunch of tapas dishes on the table, I asked if we could get a couple more pieces of bread, but the server said, "kitchen closed." Now...I've worked in many restaurants, and I suspect that the server wasn't thinking I wanted her to bake a new loaf of bread for me -- she could easily have sliced some and brought it out. You don't need a chef for that.

Anyway, decent food, but lame service, which makes for a rather mediocre experience overall.

Pros: nice presentation, tasty food

Cons: staff is unpleasant, eager to close, pricey

Sarah P

Points +8529

Vegan

04 Mar 2011

amazing meal - Edit

I ate at Fressen in February with 6 non-vegetarian friend, 3 of which self-identify as carnivores. Everyone raved about their meals and talked about returning as soon as possible for more delicious Fressen food!

We ordered appetizers, salads, entrees, drinks and dessert. The notable appetizers included the tempeh "fish sticks", which the non-vegetarians especially loved, and the white bean (or possibly butter bean) pate that was offered on the tapas menu.

Entrees included a nice selection of at least one tofu, tempeh, seitan, lentil or bean stew, and pasta option. We tried almost one of everything, and everyone loved each item they tasted. Portions were sufficient for a satisfying meal, and items were creatively prepared. I liked the tofu, tempeh and seitan meals the best.

The dessert was a delicious decadent flourless chocolate cake with hazelnut ganache and truffles. The cake was avocado based, and was so amazingly delicious.

People who drank alcohol responded positively about the drinks. The after-dinner espresso was very strong and tasty. The price per person was about $40, but could have easily been reduced by half without drinks and appetizers.

Cheers to Fressen, I highly recommend the restaurant for vegans and non-vegan loved ones.

Pros: delicious, distinctive food, sufficient portions, nice atmosphere

Cons: a tad pricey

kindfood

Points +35

Vegan

19 Feb 2011

Love it!!! - Edit

From one vegan cafe to another vegan restaurant, we love Fressen! The staff, the food, the ambience.....We recommend this restaurant to everyone we know and all end up having a truly fantastic time when they dine there.
I personally love the jicama Salad (appetizer), Spinach Blinis (shared appetizer) and Crusted Tempeh as my entree.
You must try it and enjoy this must-do experience!!
Kelly Childs
Kindfood (Burlington ON)

Pros: Staff, Excellent VEGAN Food, Romantic Ambience

ieatmodestmouse

Points +140

Vegan

27 Nov 2010

not worth going - Edit

my husband and i came here nov 2010. when we walked in, we were treated rudely. we waiting minutes until a waitress who looked like she hadn't washed her hair in months came up and asked if we had a reservation. we said no. she RELUCTANTLY let us sit in an open table. she was unfriendly the entire time we were there.

we ordered the morroccan stew and the crusted tempeh. both were good, but it was also something that i could make at home.

not worth going out to get treated rudely to have something to eat that tastes like something easy to make at home! we didn't even stay for desert because we didn't want to bother.

Pros: decent food

Cons: rude workers, "boring" food

Ohkamp

Points +140

Vegan

30 Jul 2010

Not worth the hype, better options in the city - Edit

For the priciest and some say the best vegan dining in Canada, I've been very disappointed. It is nothing compared to other gourmet vegan dining like Madeleine Bistro in Los Angeles or Candle 79 in New York. The food is just average and I wouldn't say it outshines the likes of moderately priced cafes like Fresh or Live in Toronto unless you're going for the atmosphere. The wait staff has also been rude. If you haven't had the opportunity to experience high end vegan dining before Fressen, I'd say give it a try. I may just have been spoiled and have had higher expectations for such a pricey meal. The brunch was especially disappointing to the four of us who tried it recently.

Pros: Atmosphere

Cons: Price, Doesn't live up to the hype

Allieg

Points +27

Vegan

12 Jul 2010

Fressen was fabulous! - Edit

Today me and my dad went to Fressen for dinner, and I am glad to say that it was fantastic! We got a set of three tapas ($15): a cold zucchini soup, babaganoush with bread, and a beet and mandarin salad. They were all incredible; The spices and herbs used perfectly complemented the main ingredients. For the entree, I got the seitan kabobs with veggies and my dad got the spelt pesto pasta. To be honest, I was jealous of my dad's pasta. I loved my dish as well, but the pasta was exceptional. The dessert (there's only one!) was also delicious. My dad is an omni and he said it was one of the best meals he's ever had - veg or otherwise! I definitely recommend this restaurant to everyone. *I also recommend making a reservation so you can be guaranteed a seat!

Pros: Amazing food, Good prices for the quality, Friendly staff

Cons: It was slow when it got busy

mquito

Points +67

Vegan

22 Jun 2010

Most Amazing Veg Resto Ever!!! - Edit

I'm addicted! The unusual food combos that mix blissfully together is the reason my non-vegetarian boyfriend and I frequent this stop.

Pros: crazy good food, friendly staff, crazy good cesars

jedzen

Points +108

Vegan

31 Mar 2010

Good vegan food - Edit

I went to Fressen with my boyfriend. That was the most expensive vegan dinner i had during my trip in Toronto, but also probably the best.
The two girls serving our table were helpful and quick. When i told one of them their home made bread was amazing, she smiled and came back with a big basket!
We had good wine, good apetizers ( olives, and sweet potato tartelettes )
I ate pastas. They were good but i've had better. I'm a big fan of pastas and cook a lot at home so maybe that's why i'm picky. My boyfriend had the beer battered tofu and it was just perfect, and the plate was beautiful.
I couldnt finish the dessert. It was huge. They only had one choice, which is an avocado-chocolate mousse cake. Tasty, well presented, but rich and hard to eat because we were already full. When we ordered, the girl said : One to share? And we said no, 2, one each. She should have warned us about the size! We didnt knew. Anyway we wrapped them and ate them for breakfast!
We liked the place. We were in jeans and didnt seem to fit around all those 'dressed for the occasion' persons around but we still received great service and enjoyed our evening without problems.
Nice jazz music, lovely decoration.
Will be back if i can.

procrastinasian

Points +273

Vegan

18 Feb 2010

Disappointing brunch - Edit

We had out-of-town guests and wanted to take them out to a special brunch. We'd been to Fressen three years ago but not since, and were expecting a stellar (if expensive) meal. Instead, we got an adequate and expensive meal. The choices, while creative, were not anything that special, and weren't prepared particularly well. Our corn cakes were burned, the potatoes didn't seem quite cooked enough, and a lot of the meal was pretty bland. The waitstaff was rude and unhelpful. We were embarrassed we'd taken our guests there, and wish we'd gone to Live instead.

I'm glad that there's a nice vegan restaurant like this in Toronto, but our last meal there doesn't make me want to go back when I can instead go to places like Fresh, Vegetarian Haven, and Live.

Cons: rude staff, overpriced food, bland

TVB

Points +28

Vegetarian

21 Jan 2010

Great date place! - Edit

I love the atmosphere of this place. At night the lights are dimmed low and there is great music playing softly. Not to mention the food is amazing!!!

I will definitely be back :)

Pros: Great Food, Great Service, Great Atmosphere

Ken4057

Points +1200

Vegan

23 Dec 2009

Used to be great... - Edit

Fressen was THE place to go in Toronto. The brunch was massive and the best deal in town at $9.

Everything has now been scaled back: the brunch plates are now much smaller, the entrees are all gone, replaced by tapas-style dishes that are very expensive and not nearly as satisfying as the main entrees that came before.

The gnocchi is delicious, but scant. The seared gluten is gone - and good riddance, b/c it was bland. The battered tempeh fish are a go, as are any of their salads.

I'll go back sometime, but that original thrill is gone.

VeganJo

Points +188

Vegan

24 Oct 2009

Take a warm coat - Edit

I can't say I enjoyed Fressen that much, mainly because most of the time I was freezing cold. I asked the (helpful) waitress to turn the heating up and it went extremely hot for a while before returning to being cold. So be prepared for eating with your coat on.
The food was pretty good. I loved the sound of the mushroom filo pastry with spinach sauce but found that the top of it was burnt slightly and the bottom soggy as sitting in loads of sauce, so it didn't quite live up to expectations but was quite tasty nonetheless as were the lentil balls. I had a tapas and a starter and found it was enough food for me and not at all expensive either.

Pros: Tasty food, Good service, Pleasant atmosphere

Cons: Felt cold, Soggy/burnt pastry

sullivusb

Points +287

Vegan

23 Aug 2009

Yummy! - Edit

Very gourmet, elegant, well presented food. The food was great and it was nice to eat at a more "gourmet" restaurant than the usual vegetarian Asian places. Highly recommended.

Pros: food was great, dessert was amazing, beautifully presented

Cons: menu is a bit short, restaurant is somewhat small

veganstastebetter

Points +205

Vegan

28 Apr 2009

Whats up Fressen? - Edit

I used to eat at Fressen every trip to toronto, but I have begun to explore other options. A little pricey and apparently the service leaves a lot to be desired. According to these reviews service is the main issue. The food is amazing and the selection is great. I will be back someday soon.

Keith_Thode

Points +712

Vegan

17 Jan 2009

Interesting - Edit

Great and very imaginative food. Somewhat expensive. Very loud music.

World B. Free

Points +84

Vegan

12 Oct 2008

Good but not the BEST. - Edit

Unlike the experience of others, my girlfriend and I actually received pretty good service. Our server was friendly, quick to refill water and our wattress was even flexible with the dessert menu (I wanted a dessert sans alcohol and they only really prepare one dessert a day). The bathroom, however, which has also gotten a lot of attention, is pathetic for a place like this. Out of soap, out of paper towels, etc. (Sorry vegan germaphobes!) The food, three dishes, the rawzagna, tart pizza and asparagus were all GOOD but not GREAT. The modified dessert they made for us was the highlight and despite others gripes about price we managed three plates and a dessert for a pretty reasonable 36 dollars. Drink water people, it is good for you! Hahah. Overall I would rate my experience a 3.8. There are a lot of other vegan places I will be checking out next time I am in Toronto before I am back at Fressen. Oh, and Fressen can you please put some signs out like "seat yourself" or "wait to be seated" as well as "washrooms" instead of just a blank door. Confusing for first time visitors!

Pros: Flexible with dessert, Reasonable Price , Good service

Cons: Bathrooms are disgusting

djmofoword

Points +27

Vegan

21 Aug 2008

worst service ever! - Edit

I went there for a nice meal with my boyfriend last weekend. It was POURING out side and we biked down. We had reservations. The hostess brought up to our table. Before we had sat down or taken off our drenching coats the server had put menus on our table, told us the specials and asked what we want to drink. I knew from then on it would be a fun night ;(

She didnt look at us once, looked cheaking out the rest of the dinning room when taking out order. we didnt have any cutlery and asked 3 times... we had to get if our selves after the 3rd attemps.

The way we were treated wes insane, so bad i was tempted to leave her a penny. but, i know i will go back because the darn porttabella mushroom is so good!!

Pros: food, ceiling

Cons: arrogant, bad service, could use some renos

LegrayDynamic

Points +49

Vegetarian

20 Aug 2008

Tastee Food Horrible Service - Edit

We were in town for the Caribana festival and my brother who is vegan happy cowed this establishment. When we walked in the servers looked nervous to even approach our party ( Not sure if it was because we were the only multiethnic group or maybe because we had dreadlocks) non the less they were not interested serving our party of 6. three of our party were meat eaters two of us were vegetarian, and one of us was vegan. The individuals that were meat eaters were trying out something new for the first time and were treated horribly when they asked questions. What a way to scare them off. we had experienced horrible service over all .
On the bright side if you want to call it that, the food was beautiful and tastee! I will never go there again. Also the server took her own undeserving tip by not bringing our change and waving us off to leave.

Pros: yummy, pretty

Cons: horrible service, horrible servers

vegan.flora

Points +36

Vegan

08 Aug 2008

beautiful - Edit

The most notable thing about the food at Fressen is how pretty it is. Each dish was its own work of art, and I almost felt guilty eating them...so we took pictures of each dish before indulging. Compared to other up-scale vegan food (i.e. Millennium, Green Zebra, Medicine) the flavors weren't especially notable, but the combinations worked well. They offered one dessert which was a rich chocolate terrine with chocolate mousse and fresh fruit. Delicious, but so decadent we couldn't finish it. We also tried the cranberry chocolate martini, which was yummy even though neither of us is a big drinker.
The wall facing the street was open, and the restaurant is decorated in a forest theme with trees painted on the walls, and faux trees coming out of the ground and "growing" into the ceiling. Cool looking place.
Our waitress was very helpful, attentive, and nice. We were seated immediately, and the food arrived extremely quickly. Reviews on this site (and the big SLOW FOOD statement on their website) led us to expect a long, slow meal, but we received the opposite--dishes were often brought before we were ready. This may have been because we were there fairly early, but maybe they're actively trying to speed up service.

Pros: beautiful food, pretty decor, helpful servers

sergeantyeti

Points +82

Vegetarian

27 Jul 2008

Fressen good - Edit

Try the avocado sandwich on grilled bread. Yummy!

philjdomm

Points +945

Vegan

07 Jul 2008

i eat an hang out here - Edit

a lot!

tragedia

Points +43

Vegan

07 Jul 2008

Delicious brunch - Edit

Before visiting Toronto this weekend (I'm from Montreal, Quebec), I did some research here on Happy Cow for veg*n restaurants. I'd read great reviews about Fressen, and even heard positive things about it from a veg waitress at a local coffee shop, especially regarding their weekend brunch. My boyfriend and I headed there yesterday for brunch and were impressed by their rendition of the ubiquitous tofu scramble. Here, if I am not mistaken, they make it with silken tofu instead of regular firm tofu, the former of which definitely makes it taste (and feel) a lot more like real scrambled eggs than the latter. I ordered the vegan French toast, which was unlike any vegan French toast I have prepared at home. This one was covered by an assortment of whole grains and seeds, yet the inside (where the mushy bread was) was sweet and very moist. I liked how each meal was accompanied by fruits and even some vegetables, so that the diner would not be faced with just one thing to eat (the scrambled tofu came with potatoes, salad, one or two pieces of cinnamon-bread-like toast, and fruits. Another plus was when our waitress walked through the restaurant with a rustic basket full of fresh mini-muffins and distributed one to each diner. I appreciated how confident the wait staff was of the food (our waitress, when told by us that we'd heard lots of good things about Fressen, said "You won't be disappointed", and later said, "Aren't you glad you came?" when we expressed how much we liked the food), though my boyfriend did find such expressions to be rather arrogant. Nevertheless, the food was excellent. I have just one complaint: They had no espresso machine, so you're restricted to consuming regular coffee (which probably isn't a problem for most).

Pros: great food, pleasant atmosphere, price

Cons: Watch the stairs to the bathroom!, slight arrogance of wait staff, no espresso machine