ten

“What a wonderful discovery this hidden gem is. No sign out front, its like a « for those who know » location which already makes it fun before you even step through the front door. Charming decor. This is a unique restaurant that seats ten, and serves you ten different in-season and locally-sourced vegetarian courses, each one a surprise and delivered and explained by the chef who prepared it. Often that chef is the owner of the restaurant himself, as was our experience last night! Open for seven years now, it is an uncommon fine dining experience that is both fancy and laid-back. The music is quiet, and the staff are not stressed and rushed. They had time to answer our questions and be sincerely friendly rather than affording a quick platitude or pleasantry. There is a sommelier to help you with your wine choice if you don’t sign up for the « automatic wine pairing » option. The decor is bright enough to enlarge the tiny space but also dim enough to be quaint and calming. At the end of your meal, you receive a copy of the menu of the artful and delectable plates you just enjoyed. In short, as predictable as it might be to say, Ten Restaurant is a ten out of ten experience.”

“Possibly the nicest restaurant in the entire city. I didn’t really know what to expect when the plans were made, I knew it was a prix fixe veggie menu but I was blown away the entire night. Every course was immense, the flavours were insane and the chefs plating everything in front of you was so cool. The service was beyond phenomenal. Every time you got up to use the restroom, the toilet paper was folded nicely and every time you returned to your seat, your napkin was folded nicely for you again. We decided to go with the wine pairings too, and they were all delicious as well. 10 courses, I believe there are 10 seats as well. Such a world class experience.”

“What an incredibly special and overall amazing experience. To say dinner was delicious would be an understatement: it honestly rivalled the tasting course my husband and I did at Eleven Madison Park. It’s hard to pick a favourite dish, but the gnocchi, the squash and their focaccia sourdough will live rent free in my brain forever. And, with all due respect to a previous review, the top prize goes to the Maitake mushroom dish: it was next level. My husband finished his so quickly and tried to take some off my plate and I had to fend him off with my fork. They had fantastic cocktails, wine, and non-alc wine options as well. The service was authentic and the perfect level of attentive. Overall a very, very special and absolutely delicious dinner, different from anything we’ve had in Toronto. Cannot recommend enough!”

“What a wonderful experience. It was my first time here to this small ten seater restaurant as per the name. From start to finish we spent about 2.5 hours, because we had a lovely time talking to the other guests and to the chefs has such a creative mind bringing vegetables to the forefront, and WOW, did each and every dish have so much flavour, I never thought vegetables could taste that good.”

“Dining at Ten for our anniversary was, for the most part, a carefully composed experience. The first seven courses of the tasting menu demonstrated precision, restraint, and confidence, with each dish building quietly on the last, showcasing technique without theatrics. For a while, it felt like the kind of meal that justifies Michelin attention. And then came the eighth course: a maitake mushroom so aggressively BURNT that it overwhelmed not only the plate, but the entire evening. I appreciate “char” as a concept. I welcome bitterness, smoke, and even confrontation as long it’s intentional and balanced. This was not that. This was acrid, carbonized, and lingering in a way that erased the memory of everything that came before it. The irony of a tasting menu is that one misstep doesn’t exist in isolation; it reframes the whole narrative. Unfortunately, this dish became the lasting impression. More disappointing than the mushroom itself was the response. When we raised our concerns, the server dismissed them and told us that the mushroom was "supposed to be charred,” without any hint of apology or curiosity or reflection. At this level, that kind of indifference is out of place. For $155 a head, the phrase "burnt food" and "fine dining" should not exist in the same sentence, yet we were made to feel like this was intentional and by design. The final courses arrived, competent and well-executed, but the damage was done. Ten is clearly capable of excellence, and much of the menu proves it. But when a single course can undo an otherwise beautiful progression, and feedback is met without engagement, it raises questions about consistency and care. I left remembering so little about the brilliance of the first seven courses because I was desperately trying to forget the bad taste left in my mouth.”