You guys at Martiniboys should really update your review of this place.
Kiwe has a great chef now and the food is moderately priced.
What up wiyh all the wrong info
AC's Rating: 4 Stars |
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the ONLY reason as why I head to Kiwe on the regular is for 2 reasons:
Joe R (the bartender / manager) and Vinny L. (the DJ on occasion)
these 2 people make Kiwe, hands down.
Real people !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anonymous's Rating: Stars |
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I went there in the summer to celebrate a friend's move into the neighborhood. After some time while the hostesses were figuring out what do to with us, we were seated on the patio. After 25 minutes and still no server in sight, we left our menus on the table and walked out. I don't think anyone working there noticed or cared even though the place was empty except for one other group. Way to win over potential repeat customers.
Brandy's Review's Rating: Stars |
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I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE KiWe! The place is beautiful and the service is excellent. The food is great, I went for my birthday and had the pleasure of dinning outside, great atmosphere. I will continue to eat here, infact I am going there tonight and i can't wait. YUM YUM!
Jennifer Risi's Rating: 4 Stars |
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It's not bad, but I certainly wouldn't recommend it to anyone. The waitresses were all very pleasant and friendly, which was definitely a plus. The food was kind of whatever... the chops were delicious but the pineapple shrimp wasn't good at all. We shared lobster ravioli as a main, again.. something just a little off about the recipe. The peanut butter cheesecake dessert was good and the martinis were well-made.
I was under the impression that a DJ came in and shook things up after dinner but we were there until 11 and the music was low and still 'chillout.'
It wasn't a bad experience but there's better places you could go in the area for the money.
I.S.'s Rating: 3 Stars |
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very good place to eat. great people to meet.I love the place.
Martiniboys should update your review
Jay's Rating: 4 Stars |
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I've been about 5 times for dinner (obviously enjoyed it as I kept coming back), but had a terrible dinner there last week.
Tuna with baby bok choy came without any greens (and when asked if this was right was told 'yes') - ?
Were asked way too often if we wanted more cocktails - obvious attempt to up-sell was obnoxious. (although front of house bartender was great)
creme brule was frozen in the middle
Usually love the place but after last week would re-consider coming back.
QT's Rating: 3 Stars |
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After reading some of the past reviews, I decided to try KiWe out for myself! I was there for dinner last Thursday with some friends and I must say I was very impressed with service and the food too!!
I live in the area and Im very happy to have a place like Kiwe in the neighbourhood! Look forward to spending a lot more nights there!
Bill's Rating: 4 Stars |
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One word for KiWe= Horrible. We had a dinner planned for 10 of our friends to celebrate her birthday. When we arrived the hostess told us that 75% of our party would have to be there before we would be seated... the place was completely empty, when I asked why she mummbled that it was policy and she would check to see if its okay?!?!
But the worse was the food and the pathetic service. Four (2 steaks and 2 pastas) out of 10 of the dishes we ordered were cold when served and we had to send them back. The waiter brought back one pasta and it had half as much in it then the one the server took away. Our friend figured it was probably reheated from another table! It was sent back and the new plate of pasta was not cooked- terrible. After the pasta incident the manager came out and was argueing with my friend to explain exactly why he didn't like the pasta.. he said it wasn't cooked so the manager promised he wouldn't be charged for a dish he didn;t eat.
By that time everyone at our table was eating each other dishes as we were starving waiting for our dishes to come back.
So when we go the $720 bill it included the pasta that was not supposed to be charged plus a compulsory 20% tip for the server. I talked to the server to point out we had been charged for the pasta and that there was no way we were going to pay a $120 tip on a bill of $600 of terrible food. He consisted to complain that we were "punishing" him for a bad cook, it wasn't his fault the kitchen was "having a bad night". So I told him I would talk to the manager to get compensated by a reduciton in the meal costs vs. tip and he didn't want me to talk to the manager. So I told him we would not leave a 20% tip.
I wished I had read others comments on this site before I booked that restuarant!... cold fold seems to be on the nightly menu!!
In the end we purposely gave 15% tip (that was already more than deserved). He told us that next time we would come he would give us some freebies!?!? Next time... I don't think so.
He was nervous when we passed him credit cards to cover most of the bill and he keep on asking where is the cash... We were still collecting that among our friends so we told him to atleast process the cards and he was really impatient.. what did he think that 10 professionals would sneak out without paying?
So the 10 of us were getting ready to go. The lowest thing he did was run to me before I left and asked me if I knew how much tip we left. I said yes, we left 15% tip vs. 20%... he proceeded to say I can't beleive you took it out on me... I was shocked that he even had the nerve to approach me let alone try to make me feel guilty b/c he didn't get his full $120 tip!
No one deserves to go out to a so called "nice, high quality" restaurant with great friends and be treated with disrespect. I have never experienced this before.
Paula's Rating: 1 Stars |
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Unprofessional. I made a reservation at KiWe weeks in advance for my birthday dinner with 15 close friends. Called KiWe the day before to confirm my reservation after reading several poor reviews on Martini Boys only to find out that they were holding a private party that night and my dinner party could not be accomodated. Not only did they not have the decency to call to let me know in advance, I was left scrambling for a venue the night before and notifying guests, some of who were coming from out of town.
I give 1 star for the fact that the manager actually returned my call and attempted to feed me an empty apology.
A big thank you to BRANT HOUSE for making my evening for me and my guests a memorable one.
Nicole S.'s Rating: 1 Stars |
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Holy! I was at Kiwe for drinks last Friday and we were served some hors d'oeuvres that were fantastic. We went for dinner the following night. I had the tuna and my friend had the lamb shank. Both were amazing.
Good job.
Mike's Rating: 3 Stars |
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We had a party of 25 people. They called the day before our reservation to let us know that it was a set menu (no choice) and that we had to leave by 9:30 (no choice). Unfortunately, it was too late to find another venue. The waitress (who I believe was the Assistant Manager!) was rude and the food was adequate at best - definitely not worth the money. They wouldn't sit us until 75 percent of the party was there and after dinner (which came out to a lot of money after drinks and tip were factored in), they refused to get coffee for people because they told us we had to leave!
Tricia's Rating: 2 Stars |
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Well what to say this place is nice although listening to house music blaring when eating is not good.The sever erica was fun it was the food that was disgusting it is not fit to eat!The chef chris strakker should get his head out his ass and start tasting what is being served.Lets start with the tuna tartare boring presentation those crackers are terrible the shortribs too much salt and butter I thought we ordered beef not a pound of butter and salt.Oh yes the main course the penne pasta I sure the line cooks cooked it properly it just tasted like
shit!Then the ahi tuna the tuna for sure had been frozen and thats when the flavor left the green onion bad choice rice tasted like chicken terrible this is what you get for 30 dollars!The food here is worse then a t.v diner.The desert menu is boring time to hire the right people to do the job boys if you want to stay around your competing against Sur Lee and Mark Tuet
Kiwe Kitchen's Rating: 1 Stars |
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My friend organized this group dinner to Kiwe for a friend that was visiting out of town. I like to know what I am heading into and the reviews basically said the food wasn't hot and the service was worse. IT WAS!!!! The atmosphere was nice except the bathrooms were not labelled and I could never back my chair up on the floor.
Our serve John G. was a nightmare and kept blaming his mistakes on the kitchen. Sorry dude you were serving a bunch of HAFA grads (failed to mention that to him) so we know he is full of it. He rang in our orders all together so our apps and mains game at the same time, after an aready hour long wait to order. Not good. Then he tried to force us to take them all at the same time. Not going to happen. He saw how annoyed my one freind was and tried to offer us free desserts. Sorry but we won't have room for dessert. He should of comped our apps or offered us a free $11 glass of wine to help ease the pain. He took my meal away me from even though I said I wanted to eat it because I was starving at this point. He said they would make fresh plates for our mains. Well when I got my $15 burger back there was less fries on the plate when it first arrived at my table and my burger had clearly been sitting under a heat lamp for half an hour. My one friend had her app arrive very late too. Our drinks were slow to arrive. In fact when I ordered my beer to go with my burger it was basically finished because it took so long to get back to me and he didn't bother to ask if I wanted another.John G. refused to do seperate checks becuase I think then he could not apply the undeserved 18% group gratuity fee. HE DID NOT DESERVE A PENNY OF IT. So some of us had credit cards that we clearly wrote out how to run through. He came back 10 minues later and said he didn't run the cards because there was not enough cash. Hello, just run the cards, we will top up the cash. So when we left it was now over 3 hours later and none too impressed. The food was okay. A little pricey, especially the drinks. I get annoyed at restaurants who think they are New York. If you make New York $ then you afford New York prices. We don't in Toronto.
Lucinda's Rating: 1 Stars |
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Horrible!!!!! Slow Service, Food (raw chicken in the middle of the meal), Paying the bill (literally took an hour!)
LA's Rating: 1 Stars |
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With all the hype around this 'chic' restaurant, I just had to try it. WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT! Not only was the food medicore, the service was terrible! We tried to cancel a burger as quickly as we had ordered it - our server came back 25 minutes later to tell us that it was almost done and we'd have to pay for it any way. The food was nothing to write home about. Once the server told us about the burger and we expressed our disappointment, he quickly disappeared and avoided our table for the remainder of our stay. Not only were we left with mixed feelings about the food..we also had nothing to wash it down with! With all of the fantastic places to go in the city, try somewhere else. The back room is loud and difficult to hear conversations - all completely over-rated. The crowd is about as mediocre as the food - nothing to write home about. Save your money and spend it down the street at Lee or better yet, go to Blowfish.
Danielle's Rating: 2 Stars |
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The food here was mediocre against the backdrop of the number of far better restaurants in Toronto. That being said, the service was far below mediocre. In a city where competition is fierce amongst good/great Toronto restaurant, KiWe is a total failure. Rude, slow and unapologetic service is unacceptable when it is easy for diners to cross the street or go next door. No substance and all form does not make for success.
Leigh's Rating: 2 Stars |
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Limited menu. Questionable food combinations. Adequate service. Small place but nicely decorated however, the front room reminds me of a waiting room as opposed to a bar. The dining room felt like a glorified cafeteria.
MIKA112's Rating: 2 Stars |
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I love both personalities of this space, the more casual (and less expensive) front room which doesn't take reservations and the slightly more formal dining in the back room.
First and foremost, the service sets this restaurant apart. Oh yeah, the food! Ok, I actually think KiWe's food is generally and consistently very good, with some great dishes. Wine list is excellent. I like KiWe because of the genreral experience here, not necessarily any particular dish.
Rachel E's Rating: 2 Stars |
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Food was mediocre. Service was so slow that we were late for a birthday party. Although, I really enjoyed the hummus with the warm bread. The best part of the experience was the ambience and decor not sure if they can stand the test of time.
Anna's Rating: 2 Stars |
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Working in the food service industry for 8 years makes me quite a hard patron to please when I dine out and even more so after frequenting so many of the cities restaurants over the past 15 years. I have been to KiWe at least 7-10 times for various dining & various events. In all my experiences I have been extremely satisfied with the food, service & ambiance. Occasionally, I may have waited a few moments for a server, but that's no different than going to any other busy restaurant any day of the week, what counts is that when the service was given was it as good as it could have been? Absolutely. Chef Aldo introduced himself to us one evening and brought us a dish to sample, necessary, definitely not, does that signify one cares about the consumers opinion, absolutely. If I had to say if would I go back, I would honestly say yes, and that I look forward to keeping KiWe on my regular route of venues I frequent. Great Job guys, and don't worry about the negative commentary, you can't satisfy everyone, just make sure you satisfy the right people ;)
An Educated Patron's Rating: 4 Stars |
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Overall a great place. I met the chef and felt very welcome by his warm and gracious manner. The waitstaff is however not well trained and even a bit rude. This seems to be typical for the area.
Peter G's Rating: 2 Stars |
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I have been to KiWe twice since the opening with my fiance and I must say I was very impressed on both occasions. Great looking place, the food was incredible and on both visits our servers were on the ball. I understand the battles and headaches with a newly opened restaurant and in my opinion KiWe is doing a mighty fine job. Cant wait for the summer to sit on the patio!!
Nick's Rating: 4 Stars |
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I too must echo all of the negative comments made. Having been a server in several higher end downtown restaurants while in university, I can only say the service is dreadful. Even though I would never operate a business this way, I can fully understand that sloppy management can sometimes mean that service is slow or some items are not available. That real knock on the service can be understood by reading the comments of "attentive waiter". The bitterness towards the customer is unbelievable and the arrogance is stunning. The food quality is mediocre at best and there are far too many good restaurants downtown to waste your time in this place.
Mike's Rating: 1 Stars |
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Terrible Terrible service!!!! after being seated we proceeded to, wait and wait and wait until FINALLY 25 minutes later our clueless server decides to stroll by our table. Without an apology, or even a good "excuse" as to why we had to wait so long for anyone to notice us sitting there!!! We waited 20 minutes longer for our drinks so in total we were there for 45 minutes and haven't even ordered appetizers yet!! so we decided ask for our bill (which took another 10 minutes) and spend our money elsewhere!!! VERY POOR SERVICE.... I guess the rumors are true "the service at kiwe sucks"! and our party of 6 would never go back!
John's Rating: 1 Stars |
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Don't waste your time. Nice looking place but that's about it. Very inexperienced staff, especially the hostess and the bar staff. Food is so so nothing special.
Richard's Rating: 1 Stars |
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Definitely a nice looking spot. Very good decor ( from what I could see from the entrance)! As soon as we walked in, the hostesses were trying to decide who would be the one to walk up to us to seat us! Wait any longer and we would've sat ourselves. Then asked for dinner seating and were looked at weirdly by the cooks (guess they weren't in the mood to cook at about 10:30pm). Might try it again, but hopefully the next time we could at least be treated a little more warmly!!
J's Rating: 1 Stars |
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Definite potential to be a great spot(jealous are we), but I would never go back(im a home body). The good was over priced and sub optimal(i read the thesaurus to). The service was terrible(but im a perfectionist) and the manager doesn't seem to care(oh..im blind by the way). Our orders were all wrong(then i woke up) and most of the things we wanted were not available(oh I thought we were at McDonalds again). Save your money(I Work for ING).
The AttentiveWaiter's Rating: 4 Stars |
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Definite potential to be a great spot, but I would never go back. The good was over priced and sub optimal. The service was terrible and the manager doesn't seem to care. Our orders were all wrong and most of the things we wanted were not available. Save your money.
Tough Critic's Rating: 1 Stars |
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As someone who has frequented many a restaurant in the downtown core, I found KiWe to be a breath of fresh air. Very reasonably priced, outstanding service (the waiter literally checked on us 5 or 6 times throughout the night to ensure we were happy with our meal), and top-notch food (I especially recommend the seafood platter and beef tenderloin). It's become all-to-easy to found oneself feeling ripped-off after a night on the town, having little to show for spending a ton of money. KiWe accomplishes exactly what it was meant to do...function as an inviting restaurant for young people/couples who are simply looking to have a good meal, good wine, and enough money left over to pay back the good people at OSAP.
Bebeto's Rating: 4 Stars |
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My friend and I tried KiWe last Friday. Every wine we requested was not available and the waiter didn't help with suggestions of alternates. My friend and I started to read the menu (which is severly lacking in options...just like their wine), and I noticed that my menu had "Mediterranean" spelled wrong (it was so wrong I can't even remember how it was spelled...but something like "Mediteranian"). We then realized that we each had different menus and some of the items that were on my menu were not on hers. We decided to cut our meal short (just had drinks) and go to a more reliable restaurant in the area (Tutti Matti).
Disappointed's Rating: 1 Stars |
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Ate there last Thursday with my girlfriend. Upon arriving without a reservation, we were told that the only seating available was at the bar. I would have no complaints with that, if half of the back room did not remain empty for the rest of the night. The hummus was a great appetizer, and the seafood platter was really good...just make sure your server knows the difference between east and west coast oysters when explaining them to you. The rib (not sure of exact name) came in several pieces, a few of which were to die for and a few which were nothing special. My biggest complaint was the tuna tartare (I order it practically every time I see it on the menu, and have never been as disappointed), which tasted really fishy. Upon mentioning this to our server, we were told that that is the way tuna tartare tastes sometimes. First of all, that is not true, and second of all, instead of disagreeing with your customers, a better option would be to strike the uneaten and complained about item from their bill. For dessert, I recommend the lemon and raspberry tart.
Overall, not a terrible experience...the design and atmosphere were inviting, however, for the same price, much better food can be had at Lee around the corner on King.
Johnny's Rating: 2 Stars |
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Just replying to gourmands review. It is now obvious that you stretch the truth. 2 burgers were brought to your table in error of our busboy which was promptly removed. Appologies to you for such a brief horrid experience(not half your party had burgers, half your party showed up leaving you with a half empty table and less business for KIWE. the restaurnat was not 3/4 empty just your apparent friends were nowhere to be seen .Not to mention being an hour late ,forcing the next resevation to wait. Sorry you did not enjoy the linguini as much as your canned food from home. You have unique sense of taste of your own.
A brief encounter with a wrong order and the world falls apart for you, oh and we are still wating on the 2 wines we are out of not half the wines(cheapest on the menu no doubt) We welcome the second chance we deserve.See you soon
The AttentiveWaiter's Rating: 4 Stars |
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I've posted this on another website, and though I am sensitive to the growing pains a new restaurant experiences, that's what trial service periods are for! On top of that, a new restaurant on King West needs to hit the ground running, because one bad experience will put people off for good. Anyways, here goes:
We went there last night (the 28th) and had a terrible experience all around. Half the wine wasn't in stock, the food was nothing special (spaghetti and Ragu-quality sauce for $16, linguine bathed in lemon juice for $18) and the service was horrendous (half our table was served burgers, and then had them taken away after a conference of no less than five servers concluded that they had been served to the wrong table in a 3/4 empty restaurant; not to mention missing cutlery and plates).
After a complaint to the manager, only one bottle of wine was comped. Too bad some of us ordered something different by the glass.
Will definitely not be returning!
Gourmand's Rating: 1 Stars |
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I have now been to KiWe 3 times and eaten there twice in the 2 weeks it has been open....The design & decor is perfect for the neighbourhood, confortable enough that you can spend your whole night there if you're beyond the clubs. The service was impeccable each time. The food has been great each time I have eaten there, and even through the first weeks where they are still working out the kinks. My Nonna (Italian for Grandmother FYI) who is a chef & from Rome, also ate there and was completely impressed - that to me says it all!
Alessandra's Rating: 4 Stars |
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What the HELL is "unpeccable"? As in "service was unpeccable". Jeeze, Louise.
That's my input. I was looking for info on Canlis in Seattle and also Crave in Vancouver (where I live).
I think he/she means "impeccable". Or, maybe he meant to say "unpeckable". Not sure. Yikes.
Sharon's Rating: 1 Stars |
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I think everybody should give this place a break,,,,anybody who has worked in the hospitality industry knows it takes a good couple of weeks to get the ball rolling in the right direction. These guys know what there doing, they all have incredible experience in the resto/lounge/nightclub industry. I think the food was perfect, simple and valuable; the rigatoni is great and the seafood platter is fresh and tasty.....I would definatly go back, its also a great place to have a glass of wine or martini!!!!!
I'll Never Tell's Rating: 4 Stars |
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I visited KiwE after I read the review on Friday. being a King st. local I was excited about a new spot to venture off to.
They just opened so a few of the things werent up to par, but all in all a good meal (the dips were fabulous) and the tuna tartare was great! Give them a break people, theyve been open for 5 days!!!!!
It seems like a good place to hang out with the girls... looking forward to making this a regular hang out.
best of luck.
Mary's Rating: 3 Stars |
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I am a local from the King West neighborhood. And after I read the
review on Friday afternoon I was excited to go and check it out
The design is really cool, and we felt comfortable as soon as we walked in.
The staff was very friendly, but they are a little disorganized which
is expected and understood considering its only been a week. We had the burger and the Spagghetini as recommended on the review, and we enjoyed all of it.
There are a few glitches but those are to be expected in week one of
business. My boyfriend owns a restaurant as well and we are sensitive
to the trial and error process. We think this place is great and we are excited about a new cool place to hang out at close to home, that’s not so over the top!!!
Jessica's Rating: 3 Stars |
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The food at KiWe was amazing.
The steak, the tuna tartare... everything that we had (and we ordered everything) was amazing.
Definitely one of Toronto's best restaurants and to think it's only been open a week.
Chelle_y Belly's Rating: 4 Stars |
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Was there last night - service was unpeccable. Our waiter, who also doubles as Nelly Furtado's stylist, was all over all night. Definite recommendation for a pre-King west evening of dance.
Leo's Rating: 4 Stars |
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the food was a little better than deplorable. That is probably the best thing I can say. Servers were curt and rude. Things took forever!!!!!!!! When they did come they were over cooked, under cooked and just plain wrong. Good luck. Did I mention that the prices for this food are just, how do I say it.........STUPID!!!!
Jenn's Rating: 1 Stars |
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I was invited for the oportunity to visit KIWE. THe design of the place is incredible. The staff were extremely attentive to our needs. The place has benn open for a week so i can give them margin for error on intial service, as the staff are who need to to get up to speed on what has been created here. I to tried the linguine, it was tangy but I was open to the chefs interpretation that he prepared and was content. Some people should just cook for themselves if they are so good.
GLENN's Rating: 4 Stars |
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Bad, bad, bad... Where do I start? Maybe with the service. We told the waiters we were looking to eat quickly.. so we waited 40 minutes to order our main course. When finally 3 out of 4 mains arrived one of us got somebody else's order. The 4th meal took another 10 minutes to arrive. The water glasses weren't re-filled even once and although we ordered a second bottle of wine it never arrived - but we got charged for it! The food was a dissapointment. A plater to share was overpriced with basic nibbles and tiny portions. The mains were uninspiring - linguini was as bad as they come - stuck together into a starch ball and the only thing you could taste was lemon! I don't believe a qualified chef was anywhere near this meal! We compained but got no appology or discount. I know the place is new, but come on!!!
Dora's Rating: 1 Stars |
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The food was great the atmosphere brought back memories from the late 50's early 60's. WHAT ELSE CAN I SAY, I'M VITO'S MOM AND MIGHTY PROUD OF IT. BEST WISHES AND GOD BLESS.
Clara Tomasicchio's Rating: 4 Stars |
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MBO Toronto :: User Reviews
