Reviews - Core
Reviews summary
Core has quickly established itself as a beloved neighborhood restaurant, offering a delightful blend of culinary creativity and exceptional service. Guests appreciate the attentive staff and warm atmosphere, enhanced by the restaurant's chic decor featuring exposed brick and local artwork. The menu features delicious, innovative dishes, though some patrons note that portion sizes may be on the smaller side. Regular specials, such as a $1 oyster happy hour and half-priced wine nights, add to the appeal. With a commitment to using seasonal ingredients, Core promises a memorable dining experience for both date nights and family outings.
Was Kayley Feest at Core a mag?
the eating is banging on amazing, the service is friendly and appealing as well as flashing fast. and the cry pairings rose every dish and each dish was even more stunning with the weeps. fun and fantastic experience View all feedback.
What Kayley Feest dislikes about Core:
Attentive waitress, flexible to our needs. Beautiful room, appreciated the exposed brick and artwork. Noise level high , most likely due to brick walls and concrete flooring Food delicious however portions small for our appetites View all feedback.
Reviews from various users
Last update : 04.04.2026
Expensive for what you get but the food and service was good.
Core never disappoints. It definitely is one of our favourite go-to’s for a girls night out. Food is consistently great, service the same. Love this place.
We're west-enders, so whenever we have any business or affair to attend in the city's east end, we take pleasure in trying out a new restaurant. This time, we tried Core as their menus looked quite interesting. It was a weekend night, so the restaurant was busy, but the atmosphere was relaxed, warm and welcoming. We were seated in a relatively cramped island table for 2 which, to be honest, we didn't care too much but the chairs were comfortable and table itself was not too small like some restaurants have. The server was personable, friendly, quick and attentive. We chose several appetizer dishes plus one main dish to share between us. The service was paced perfectly; we enjoyed our dinner conversation and the noise level was relatively low. A cocktail was a generous size and not too sugary, even though it was a fairly sweet one. The food was simply EXQUISITE! Every dish was aesthetic. Cooked to perfection with a flare. We particularly enjoyed our octopus dish. It was absolutely to-die-for!!! The maitre d' was very agreeable and took time to explain how the kitchen was run. She seems to genuinely care about our dining experience, which we would definitely give a 5-star rating. We both wished this restaurant were in our neighbourhood so that we could dine here more often. Highly recommended.
This is a great place for a nice dinner or date. The staff is amazing and the food is fantastic. Core is our new go to eating establishment.
Last update : 23.01.2024
The chicken at this restaurant is amazing. We tried the rose mozzarella sweet and spicy flavors, and although they were somewhat similar, each had its own unique twist. The chicken stayed wonderfully crispy even after being brought home. I was pleasantly surprised that the kimchi fries also stayed crispy. The service was friendly, and you can't go wrong with Core.
Since the first time I had the Sweet and Spicy fried chicken, I have been ordering regularly through Ubereats. This restaurant has the best Korean Fried Chicken!!
Everything on the menu at Core is amazing. If you're hesitant to order or dine in, don't waste any more time - their food is delicious. The portions are huge, the flavors are incredible, and the Chef and Owner, H, is great. This family-run restaurant stays true to their roots and deserves your support. Core should always be a go-to spot in the East end.
My husband and I were in a rush as we had tickets to see a show. The waitress was very accommodating and did a great job serving us. The food was also very tasty and just right for a light quick and tasty dinner. The restaurant is small and found eating up front by the big windows a bit chilly. Perhaps it was because the weather was starting to get colder and the temperature hadn't regulated yet. I think this would be an excellent take out option.
My favorite Korean chicken restaurant is probably also the least well-known. The unique thing about Korean fried chicken is that you often end up with dry pieces when you order it. However, I have never had that issue when ordering boneless chicken from this place. I highly recommend trying the signature Core chicken with rose sauce - it is amazingly delicious. On top of that, the owner is incredibly friendly and welcoming. Pay a visit here and you won't be disappointed. My only wish is that they had a location uptown!
Last update : 17.06.2023
I ordered Korean fried chicken with hot and spicy sauce and it was so good! It was well roasted and crispy. And the bulgogi kimchi pommes were also so good! It was the first time I bulgogi kimchi fries, but it was so good! The pommes weren't so smart, it was crispy. If you like kimchi, I strongly recommend this court. The staff were nice and friendly. I'd definitely come back here.
Their chicken was small but it was tender and had unique sauce tastes!!! The bibimbap also had a different taste than any other Koran restaurants and they give us rice and sauce in a separate bowl so I had fun mixing all
This was our second time at Core, and we 've had great experiences both times. The food is delicious, well cooked, and priced like a nice Toronto restaurant (about $130 for a three course meal for two, plus cocktails . The service might be a touch slower than we 're used to but it translates to time to enjoy the food and company. Our server last night (Cam? was extremely friendly, attentive, and had great energy. He also gave a perfect beer pairing of an Ontario beer I 'd never heard of before. The three course Trust the Chef option was delicious and worth the money, but be advised that the plates are selected from the existing menu, so it 's less for adventurous eaters and more for those who can 't decide. Overall, we loved the food and ambience at Core and will definitely be back. A great spot for a special date.
This place located in Leslieville is great for a fine dining tasting menu. Or when you just wanna pop in for delicious steak frites. Has a slight Asian influence to their menu. Steak was cooked to perfection. Pork belly was delicious and dessert was served at a high quality. Great service and ambiance. I highly recommend.
I loved sitting by the open window at Core on a summery day. It’s fun people watching, and the atmosphere of the restaurant is classy (with all the right service details), but still laid back and low key coinciding with the Leslieville vibe. We ordered a number of dishes they were all well cooked, well portioned, innovative, beautifully and colourfully presented, and fairly priced. We don’t often order dessert that night, we ordered dessert. Our server was super friendly and full of knowledge as the menu is locally and seasonally sourced. He was just very personable and attentive. I would love to go back.
Last update : 01.05.2023
My husband and I tried out this restaurant because of Winterlicious which is a set menu. I had the Bershire pork entree and my husband had the steak/frites and both dishes were delicious. The ambience is warm and relaxing plus the staff were great. Great place for a date night or a group outing. We found out that there is a $1/oyster happy hour and 1/2 price wine on Thursdays. We'll definitely be back to try out the other menu items!
The core never disappoints. It is definitely one of our favorite Go-to’s for a girl night out. Food is always great, the same service. I love this place.
Attentive waitress, flexible to our needs. Beautiful room, appreciated the exposed brick and artwork. Noise level high , most likely due to brick walls and concrete flooring Food delicious however portions small for our appetites
We are West renderers, so if we have any business or affair to visit at the eastern end of the city, we take pleasure in trying a new restaurant. This time we tried Core as their menus looked quite interesting. It was a weekend night so the restaurant was busy, but the atmosphere was relaxed, warm and welcoming. We sat in a relatively cramped island table for 2, which, to be honest, we were not too interested, but the chairs were comfortable and table itself was not too small as some restaurants have. The server was personal, friendly, fast and attentive. We chose several appetizers and a main dish to share between us. The service was perfectly accelerated; we enjoyed our dinner conversation and the noise level was relatively low. A cocktail was a generous size and not too sweet, although it was a pretty sweet one. The food was simply EXQUISITE! Every dish was aesthetic. Cooked for perfection with a torch. Especially we enjoyed our octopus court. It was absolutely too-the-for!!! The Maitre d' was very pleasant and needed time to explain how the kitchen ran. It really seems to take care of our culinary experience that we would definitely give a 5-star rating. We both wanted this restaurant to be in our neighborhood so we could eat more often here. Very recommended.
Had a great time eith a friend during winterlicious. Service was excellent we had a very nice waiter and the crowd and ambience is excellent. Beet salad was delicious but my pasta main and the cheese platter were just okay. The service makes up for it. Told the waiter I was on medication and asks for a virgin drink and he had the bartender make me something original! I would definitely come back!
