i was hoping to find some true deep house music to compliment the environment and critique as per the martiniboys autor, Don Ellis.
seriously lacking in this self proclaimed "cosmoplitan" city...
Anonymous's Rating: Stars |
 |
Our first impression was good - nice decor and ambiance. Our table was great - the seats were very comfortable and we had a nice street view. The service was good but was very VERY slow. The drinks were way too expensive for the portions received. The menu was limited and the food quality was pedestrian. Due to the slow service we decided to opt out of dessert. Overall, it did not meet our expectations and we will not likely return.
Zil's Rating: 2 Stars |
|
Gotta love this restaurant. I take people here as a sort of a in-town-for-the-weekend attraction. Kultura has a serious vibe and it's all hip. A total culture shock, but fun nonetheless.
Crank Sutherland's Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Christina, it's not that bad. Maybe you just hit a bad night - I am there at least once a month, and have never had a bad night.
Jan Ian's Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Absolutely atrocious service. We were seated at the bar, never got served, left without anyone noticing and it was not that busy!
Christina's Rating: 1 Stars |
|
Kultura bartneders make the best martinis I have ever had. Really nice atmosphere, but still relaxing. Its one of my favorite places in the city.
Tina Harrison's Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Very trendy and localers love this place. But it actually has some great food and isn't all talk. Walls are lined with antique mirrors and there are tons of great tables in great locations. However, you'll probably want to set on the window seats in the front. These are perfectly lounge areas to grab one of their awesome mixed drinks and people watch on your cushions.
Brent Fowler's Rating: 4 Stars |
|
I know that Kultura for the past 7 months or so has been at the receiving end of horrible reviews. The negative press was justified - the kitchen staff were unprofessional, lacking in vision, the wait staff were unprofessional, as were the managers. This is all a thing of the past, as everyone from top to bottom have been replaced. The menu has changed and greatly improved, the lounge downstairs has been renovated, giving it a new look and feel, the wait staff are fantastic and attentive. In fact, Kultura has become the place it was when it first opened - refreshing, excellent food, sexy, and an overall fantastic place to eat/drink in the city. I say this as a loyal customer who has personally experienced both the good and the bad at the restaurant. I can honestly say that Kultura has redeemed itself FINALLY!!!
Nakita's Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Absolutely love Kultura for dinner or drinks.
We always have had a great time, the food is delicious and the staff is courteous. We hosted a large party on their 3rd floor and it was a hit, people are still talking about it today and it all stems back to the great location, food and service.
Highly recommend Kultura to anyone in the city!
Vivian's Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Attended a cocktail party on the dusty congested third floorof this building owned by what is obviosly a restauranteur who thinks only about the dollar and is so full of him /herself that the coustomer does not matter.The waiters walked pass a toilet to bring food to the floor what a disgrace.
Val Greene's Rating: 1 Stars |
|
I have been a few times to Kultura in the past and always had a nice experience.
As the person in charge of selecting for a relatively large group (8), I decided once more to go to Kultura. Based on feedbacks on this site, I almost changed my mind (bad experiences seemed to be a recurring theme). Once more, I had a very enjoyeable evening. The waiter was good and the manager excellent. The whole team really enjoyed the place and the food. They never rushed us or pushed towards the most expensive items on the menu as some restaurant do.
A few observations:
1- We went for dinner during the week. Week-ends night might generate a different experience.
2- We had a very good waiter but based on my experience they had some challenges in the past with wait staff.
3- I would recommend to talk to the manager (I believe his name is Kevin) if you have any issues - he will address those.
Philippe's Rating: 4 Stars |
|
This is the worst restaurant in Toronto! They obviously have not considered that what matters in a restaurant experience is not just the decor but the quality of the food and service which both bombed. The nightmare occured last night, when we went to Kultura looking to celebrate a special occasion. The wine was being opened and the cork was extremely dry and was starting to break into pieces. The waiter said he would bring another bottle, when what he did is just bring an "opened" bottle back. That was teh beginning of the road to hell. WE begu with a few expensive "tapas" that were a let down: Starting with the grilled shrimp swimming in a banana puree - battle of flavours. The Sirloin was full or nerves and fat - quite a nauseating experience in your mouth at $22! - I even had to return the chewed piece to my napkin! And when we thought we would be served a dessert - we waited for 40 minutes and finally we were irate. My boyfriend had planned a surprise in the dessert that NEVER CAME. to say the least as long as I am in this city no one I know should set foot on this restaurant. Kultura has no soul, no essence, no culture.
The worst is when the manager bring in a cheap sparkling wine as a symbol of piece - drink this cheap crap and forget about it - it was like pouring salt on a wound.
Rebecca's Rating: 1 Stars |
|
We had a relatively nice dining experience but left with a very bad taste in our mouths. We (two couples) went in fully aware of what the bill would be. However, immediately upon signing the bill we were asked to leave! After dropping over $400 in just two hours we were basically kicked out! Actually it was suggested we move to the bar but no offer of anything to for our accommodation. My friend even inquired about a free drink and received a flat NO! We knew there was a second seating and we by no means lingering. We ordered 10 items from the main menu. The first 6-8 items came to the table way too quickly. We were overwhelmed with plates and plates were being removed before were finished. Then there was a very long gap before the last two arrived. If we were sitting longer than they wanted it was because they couldn’t get their timing right on the food delivery. Their haste to make another pot of cash from our table was downright RUDE and their treatment of us was TOTALLY OFFENSIVE!
Rob's Rating: 1 Stars |
|
What a let down! When you're paying top dollar you should be getting the best. The food portions are terribly disappointing. I went to Kultura when it first opened and was somewhat impressed but since then, the quality of the food has been on the slippery slope. Also, the wine list is not that impressive and the markup on low priced LCBO wines is ridiculous. Was there one Friday night with 2 girlfriends - some nibbles and cocktails and 2 bottles of wine - $245 - we realized the next day when we took a look at the bill, the shooters the waiter so graciously offered us were actually charged to our bill! Who sends people shooters and charges them to their bill? Although the service is good, the rest of the place leaves much to be desired. I've also seen better eye candy elsewhere - hopefully they can clean up their act soon and bring back the quality they started with. It is a really cool spot, gorgeous dining room but that's about it. This place is terribly average.
Sassysister's Rating: 2 Stars |
|
First, the good news. The waiter and host were wonderful and the food tasted great. HOWEVER, all of that was for nothing. I should have known something was up when the waiter announced prior to our order that "Kultura has reduced the portions of the entrees so that you can share them..." He didn't just really say that, did he? And he wasn't kidding: the portions were so small, that you could snort them up your nose; inhaling Kultura's culinary air would give you more calories and a greater feeling of being stomachly satisfied. Fish and chips? 4-5 tiny bite-size pieces akin to those finger-party foods you can buy box-frozen at Loblaws--all for the 'low' price of 15 dollars. A glass of average Niagra Falls pinot noir--13 dollars. Come on...I don't mind paying fine dining prices, but I expect a fine dining atmosphere and not to be STARVING when I leave. This oxy-moron of an establishment has the vibe of College and Queen Street Lounge bars which don't merit such prices...funky music too, but unfortunatley blaring so loudly in the dining area that a) you can't hear what the person across from you is saying, and b) you get a fantastic headache in that you were already starving...get the picture?
To conclude, if you like opening your wallet to have it plundered for no apparent good reason, don't understand the value of money, or simply like proximity to Toronto Raptor's players...by all means, have fun...
Octavian's Rating: 1 Stars |
|
I know this place has been getting a bit of a bad rap later but not from me! The food was very good, not fantastic, but very good. the place has the look and feel of something from new york or san fran. very chill looking and the music was good too(not all night unfortunately) I think the DJ either left(i hope) or showed up(even worse). Lastly the service was great. our server was Mark (or matt) and he was hilarious! such a breath of fresh air to not have some pretentious college dropout serving my dinner. Mark was so relaxed and fun. We were enjoying the food and lots of wine(great little list, by the way)and he had us laughing the whole time. when did dining out become stiff and boring? we asked and thats when he said he was an actor...surprise. we weren't pretending, we had a GREAT TIME.
Steve Tasker's Rating: 3 Stars |
|
this is the worst place ever. it was like going into a vortex of hosts that had no idea what was going on. had a res for 9:00, at 11:30 we left because we had not been seated. and no one knew what was going on. even if you can find someone that actually works there to speak with. don't go here there are other places that respect people that are going to send money.
Victoria's Rating: 1 Stars |
|
Last night we went there - and my friends got food poisoning - likely from the tuna tartar (as I didn't eat it). Likely won't be returning because of this.
TS's Rating: 1 Stars |
|
We had our company holiday party here and it was awesome! We had the third floor to ourselves which was perfect, the food was fantastic and we were all really really happy. The white tuna sashimi, the lobster ravioli and the beef were the best items.
Mandi's Rating: 4 Stars |
|
I don't even know where to Begin!!! I had a horrible experience at Kultura.
Myself and a group of about 9 dined at Kultura in November. First of all our reservation was for 9:00 and we were not seated until 10:30!!!!!
In hindsight i don't know why we stayed. I was just curious to see what all the hype was about surrounding Kultura. Now i know it's just Hype.
Anyway here it goes!! We drank at the bar on empty stomaches for an hour and a half, Some waiter kept scowling at us b/c there were so many of us at the bar...literally scowling b/c he had to walk through a crowded bar...bizzare??? THE BATHROOMS(all of them) RAN OUT OF HAND TOWELS, can you imagine not having towels in the bathroom of a restaurant(ew dirty)!!!
Then when they finally came to seat us they sat us at the wrong table!! We had requested the Mafia table...and apparently some 80 year old guidos were still sitting at the Mafia table...eventhough we made our request two weeks in advance.
My friend called to send a few bottles of wine to the table and he was put on hold for a long time.
Then to make matters worse they tried to screw us over on the bill by adding extras to the bill!! The bill was outrageous which i wouldn't mind if had actually enjoyed the meal and the service.
Oh i guess i should talk about the food...well i was so overwhelmed by the horrible service that i can't even remember the food...enough said.
I will never go back..the experience has almost turned me off of trendy restaurants.
My suggestion is Mistura(amazing food and service) and if you want something trendy but still amazing food and service try Blowfish.
But never KULTSHITTA, what a waste of beautiful decor!!!
Nikole's Rating: 1 Stars |
|
I've been to Kultura more than 5 times and I absolutely love it!! It's definitely a sexy New York vibe! The food is amazing, and this place isn't meant to be serving big-ass portions, that isn't the essence of social dining, why come to a cool spot to eat like a pig? It's very classy!!
Cool Girl's Rating: 4 Stars |
|
My husband and I made a reservation here recently. When we showed up we waited by the host table for 15 minutes and no one came by to seat us. Gave up and left.
Sara's Rating: 1 Stars |
|
Just eat before your go there, the portions are to small. My Ravioli was served in a dish the size of and ash tray and I think I had 4 small ravioli.
I would go back but just for drinks, the music was great but that was only for half of the night until the DJ changed.
I like the atmosphere and the crowd was great...
Like I said just dont eat there.
Nicole's Rating: 2 Stars |
|
I don't get it!?
I hear so much about Kultura, Kultura, Kultura.
To sum it up! Mediocre Food that is way overpriced. The presentation is Psuedo-silly! Too little plate for too little food. The dishes we had were very pedestrian; nothing of "high-end" quality. SE Asian dishes are not at all authentic on the palate. I think Roger reads to many cookbooks - Sorry! The place is beautiful but not worth the 3-4 star reviews. Come on T.O get a palate for crying out loud!
David's Rating: 2 Stars |
|
The service here is AWFUL!
A group of 9 of us stopped in on a Friday night for drinks and were lucky enough to get a seat in the lounge. However, it took 20 minutes for someone to finally take our drink order and then the waiter never came back. Ever.
We ended up leaving and no one seemed to care.
Not that this pretentious club needs our money but they lost out on a huge tab.
Never going back again.
Is there a lower rating than 1?
AJ's Rating: 1 Stars |
|
Had dinner at Kultura in September, the day Joanne Kates's review in the Globe was published. She loved it, and I totally agreed. Food was fabulous - I loved EVERY dish we tried, and in particular, the Jamaican chicken risotto and the tofu. Rain did it first, but Kultura is executing the social dining/fusion food trend very well (much better than Doku 15).
Service was fine, although not perfect. They did not have the wine we ordered but readily substituted another more expensive wine for the same price. It was VERY slow to get our pre-dinner drinks. Suggests management might need to make adjustments on their bar service.
Liked the decor and music, except that there is something about the tables or banquettes that make it seem like your table mates across from you are very far away?
Overall, I would strongly recommend this place. Makes for a great night out with your friends.
Stephanie's Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Roger is the best chef in T.O.
He knows food like no other. I have followed his every move.
When he leaves a restaurant, the food suffers.
The appetizer like portions allow you to try every delectable dish.
And they are all delectable!
I recommend this to all discerning diners.
Cathie's Rating: 4 Stars |
|
Great space - good wine list - tasty food - good service - ridiculous price to portion ratio - I spent a lot of money and left hungry. Have dinner before you go.
Hendricks's Rating: 2 Stars |
|
I went to Kultura several weeks ago and was utterly appalled at the terrible staff and service. I ordered a gin and tonic and had to clarify my order with a waitress twice. By the time I got my drink it was 30 minutes later.
While the decor is very well done the banquettes downstairs in the bar area are uncomfortable and not very private. Too many people, not enough seating.
I would not go back.
Jane's Rating: 1 Stars |
|
Uber cool restaurant, with a Vegas high life feel. Certain to become the place to be seen. Fantastic interior decoration. Perhaps one of the coolest looking restaurants in Toronto. Only downfall is that the plates are far too expensive for the price, as they are way too small. Food is complex, but good. Service is attentive. Certainly a place to try for a night out on the town.
Steven's Rating: 3 Stars |
|
MBO Toronto :: User Reviews
