Against the Grain - Toronto

The restaurant is currently closed for extensive renovations and will reopen with a new name. It is unclear if there has been a change in management.

Against the Grain is located in the Corus building next to the water. You can access the restaurant by walking around to the back of the building facing the lake or through the building with a reception desk at the front. When we arrived as the first dome diners, they needed time to set up by turning on the heaters in the domes. We were given the option to choose our dome, which determined whether we sat on couches or at a table. The domes' coverings do not go all the way down to the frame, allowing some cold air in, so we kept our jackets on and were provided with blankets. The view from the domes is clear during the day, but at night, you can only see the twinkle lights around. The food was enjoyable, with the intense cinnamon-flavored cider and creamy butternut squash soup as appetizers. The seared tuna main dish had Asian flavors at the bottom, with unique ingredients like woodear mushrooms. Unfortunately, the brownie dessert was unavailable, but the strawberry champagne cheesecake was good, while the churros were hard. One unique aspect of this dining experience is that payment is required upfront, including a 20% gratuity. This is understandable as the server has to navigate between the restaurant and patio, as well as in and out of the dome, which can be challenging.

Bro these churros sucked so bad. The dough was gross and something about them just left a really bad aftertaste. We had to send them back and they just brought out burnt churros after that LOL. Highly do not recommend.

Visited here for the first time, but won't be returning. Ignored by the staff so consistently that we ended up leaving before even putting in our order (which was 25 minutes after we arrived). Didn't even get a glass of water in that time. Waitress visited the table beside us 3 times while we sat waiting to order and never even said hello to us or acknowledged in any way that we existed. Considering the prices charged for food and drink here they should improve the standard of their service.

Nice place to have brunch with friends and enjoy the water scenery from the patio. They also have fireplaces at patio. Food and cocktails are good but a little bit pricey.