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  5. Little Italy / College St.
Bar Isabel, Toronto, ON
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Bar Isabel

CAN$51 and over
Spanish

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 73 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Good for special occasions
  • Great for fine wines
  • Neighborhood gem
Enjoy an intimate dining experience at Bar Isabel - a cozy restaurant nestled between Toronto's little Italy and little Portugal, where creative Spanish-inspired small plate dishes are served alongside cocktails and an extensive Iberian focused wine list. The restaurant's elegant interior boasts an intriguing blend of soft lighting, curved walls and a beautiful mosaic tile floor.
Managed under the guidance of Maitre d' and Partner Alessandro Pietropaolo, Bar Isabel's menu includes a diverse mix of pintxos, conservas, seafood and meat dishes. Diners rave about the grilled octopus, the bone marrow and the ceviche. For dessert, the Basque cake and sherry cream is a must-try. Bar Isabel is open 5-11pm Sunday through Friday, and 12-11pm Saturday. Accolades include listings in the Michelin Guide, Canada's top 100, and 2013 awarded the best new restaurant in Canada by Enroute Magazine. Bar Isabel accepts reservations for parties of up to 8 guests.

Why they're an Icon

Executive chef: Grant van Gameren

  • Award icon

    MICHELIN Plate

    2022

From the OpenTable editors: A decade into its run, Bar Isabel continues to be a sought-after table thanks to its intimate tavern ambiance and spot-on tapas. Easy-to-share snacks, an excellent drinks program emphasizing Spanish wine and sherry, and buzzy vibes encourage diners to linger and order round after round of Spanish hits.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Fine Dining
  • Price
    CAN$51 and over
  • Cuisines
    Spanish, Basque, Catalan
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Fri, Sun 5:00 pm–11:00 pm Sat 12:00 pm–11:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (416) 532-2222
  • Website
    http://barisabel.com/
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Catering
    We do not offer catering.
  • Private party facilities
    We do not have an event space.
  • Location
    797 College St, Toronto, ON M6G 1C7
  • Award-winning
    1. MICHELIN Plate 2022
  • Neighborhood
    Little Italy / College St.
  • Cross street
    Ossington or Shaw
  • Parking details
    Parking is extremely limited at the moment due to the CafeTO patios.
  • Public transit
    Ossington Bus, College Streetcar.
  • Additional
    Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Wine

Featured in

Experiences

  • NYE 2024 with Bar Isabel

    Dec 31, 2024 only
    Join Bar Isabel for New Year's Eve 2024! We will be offering our regular a la carte menu, as well as features from our library of dishes and wine cellar. Or put yourselves in our hands and try our tasting menu! Please note all of our reservation times are 2 hour time slots, and we are a very small room, so we will not be able to accommodate longer seating times. If you would like to stay for the midnight countdown, please book a time slot after 10pm or later. We are looking forward to celebrating with you again!
    NYE 2024 with Bar Isabel Photo

Menu

View menu on restaurant's website

What 1,955 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7
4.7 based on recent ratings
  • 4.8Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.6Ambience
  • 4.3Value

Noise • Moderate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Bar Isabel offers a "vibrant atmosphere" with exceptional Spanish cuisine and attentive service. Highlights include the "mouthwatering" octopus and Basque cake. Perfect for celebrations, the restaurant is praised for its "outstanding service," though it can be "noisy." Despite the high prices, the experience and flavors are "worth it."

1,955 Reviews

  1. Ian

    Saskatoon

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great experience from the get. Sat at the bar and served by the bartender, Joe. Very personable and navigated me through the menu very well. It was quiet in the restaurant when I got there and half way through the place was packed. The pork secreto was perfect along with the shishitos. Finished the night with the basque cake which is a must. I have been following this restaurant on Instagram since 2013, it’s my first time to Toronto so I had to stop. Cannot wait to get back here!

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  2. Marilyn

    Toronto

    36 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    36 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Bar Isabel is a great vibe. It's crowded noisy and wonderful. The food is unmatched. My dining companions were just in Spain and felt they never left and the food was better! We started with little pepper apps think fresh peas in a pod salted. Then we had a toast bread with gorgeous Spanish prosciutto then croquettes made with bechamel and bits of ham - wow . Then came the octopus melt in your mouth with some creamy sauce. Then we had the most tender pork sliced with a sort of bok choy side and steak cooked to perfection. All small shareable portions so you never felt too full. Then we tried the desserts one a sort of chocolate hazelnut mousse cake the other a vanilla sponge with warm heavy cream. This was heaven. Everyone on this little bar were enjoying their food and company. The wait staff were very professional without being stuffy. All in all this was a gastronomic delight. Should out to Olivia and the team who made our evening fun.

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  3. Carlos

    Toronto

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Was amazing experience, staring with the service and vine advice, I learned and tasted new flavours… we need to go back to discover the other plates of the menu.

    Is this helpful?

  4. Ekaterina

    Vancouver

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    A lot of adventurous flavour palettes and NONE were there to disappoint! Spectacular quality of food and amazing service that makes the night flow seamlessly perfect. PS get the basque cake.

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  5. Kyle

    Central Coast

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Went for our anniversary dinner and it was wonderful. Staff was very helpful and accommodating. And we really enjoyed our dinner and drinks! Highly recommend.

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  6. Billie beth

    New York City

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    10/10 experience, the service was warm and welcoming and I came in as a solo diner and they were able to make smaller portions of different apps so I could try them! The wine was excellent, the food exceeded expectations—that pan con tomate on homemade sourdough had no business blowing me away like that. Get the cake!!!!!!!

    Is this helpful?

  7. Pam

    Toronto

    5 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on November 17, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Hi the place was packed and had a great vibe. Food was really good . Veggies were a titch overpriced but overall really good experience would go back.

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  8. stephen

    Toronto

    8 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on November 14, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    It was great to sit at the bar and try many tasty dishes. Great vibe and excellent service.

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  9. D P

    Toronto

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on November 11, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    I have had pintxos in Bilbao and these are their equal, and are excellent. They really understand the pintxo concept. Pintxos are not tapas. The presentation and flavours are excellent without being precious. We are non-torontonians and did not understand rush hour driving so we were very late to our reservation and had little time to eat. The staff were very accommodating and warmly helpful. The service was extremely attentive without being intrusive. We were surprised at this because instead of a single waiter for our section it was a rotating crew system, which usually does not work very well in our experience. In this case it was the equal of a very good single waiter, because every one of the rotating crew was excellent. The bartender was very knowledgeable and the mixed drink was excellent. We interacted with about 7 staff members in total and we felt like guests not customers in every interaction. Bravo! Vegans will have limited choices (Spanish food leans omnivore), pescatarians and omnivores will be delighted. We will be back.

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  10. Justin

    Toronto

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on November 10, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Amazing time. Great vibe. Incredible food and drink. Thank you

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Bar Isabel is rated 4.7 stars by 1955 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 73 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for Bar Isabel

797 College St, Toronto, ON M6G 1C7

Additional information

  • Award-winning
    1. MICHELIN Plate 2022
  • Cross street
    Ossington or Shaw
  • Neighborhood
    Little Italy / College St.
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Fri, Sun 5:00 pm–11:00 pm Sat 12:00 pm–11:00 pm
  • Price
    CAN$51 and over
  • Cuisines
    Spanish, Basque, Catalan
  • Dining style
    Fine Dining
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    Parking is extremely limited at the moment due to the CafeTO patios.
  • Public transit
    Ossington Bus, College Streetcar.
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Wine
  • Website
    http://barisabel.com/
  • Phone number
    (416) 532-2222
  • Catering
    We do not offer catering.
  • Private party facilities
    We do not have an event space.

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