Moxie’s Grill & Bar

The environment at these location is cool with mild music, I was little disappointed with the food i was expecting to be good but it was okie. The Service of waitresses were good and cooperative. The most disappointing thing about these location is that i have waited the most to order my drink. Usually they take your drinks order withing 5 to 7 minutes at other Moxie’s Location while here i almost waited 12 to 14 minutes and no one showed up. I was expecting them to show little early. Overall it was okie not a fan of these location.

Went with a party of 5 on NYE. Each one of us had a complaint about the food. Fries weren’t cooked properly. Asked for no tomatoes and still got tomatoes. They have dirty cutlery and bent forks. Wouldn’t recommend this location unless you want to check out some model waitresses.

Pretty good atmosphere, great service, friendly staff. Food was average, but it is to be expected at a chain restaurant.

I’m not a fan of Moxie’s or any corporate chain type restaurants, but my friend organized her birthday dinner here so have to grin and bear it.
We were a group of 15 people with a reservation for 7:15pm. Some of us were on time and when we arrived to the restaurant, the hostess took us to our table only to discover there was a group already occupied there. She didn’t realize this and said to wait as the group would be finished soon, then left us to wait near the table like a couple of idiots.
The group that was occupying the table had a patron whom appeared to have just gotten her food (perhaps she was late) while the rest of her party looked as though they’ve finished their dinner awhile ago. We waited for about 10 minutes before someone told us to go to the front and wait there while they prepare a table for us. It was maybe another 10 – 15 minute wait.
I’m (not) sorry Moxie’s, but you knew a group of 15 people were coming. Most restaurants would know that a large group was coming and BE PREPARED for it.
While we were charge an automatic 18% gratuity, the saving grace was the above average service, which of course, Moxie’s isn’t known for.

I usually like Moxies, but was very disappointed tonight when our group of four went for dinner. We were seated quickly, but our server didn’t show up until ten minutes after we were seated. Our one drink (besides water) took half and hour to get to the table, and the waitress seemed to forget to ask if we wanted anything besides water. Our group had beef dips (mediocre, had minimal cheese and mushrooms and the au jus had to be sent back to be warmed up), a chicken quesadilla (very salty and average), and pork tacos (dry and blah.) One of us asked for lime wedges to try to spruce up the tacos, and the waitress brought them out in her hands, and placed them on the plate. She could have at least used a dish or glass instead of carrying them in her hands.
For the price, I’d be hesitant to return to this Moxies, or probably any other. You can get far better food for less money.

Have been to this location a couple times, and a few things stand out:
1. The waitresses are all models. Finding flaws is next to impossible
2. The location is great
3. They have a well stocked bar
4. The food is just ok. Which is probably why they have the ridiculously hot waitresses!
All humor aside, it’s immediately recognizable why Moxies has gotten slammed for their hiring practices and for hiring the women they do, but the formula works. It’s a busy, catchy atmosphere and the service is good.
As far as the food goes, as I said it’s not great, it’s not terrible. I ordered a burger the first time and flatbread pizza the next, and I’d give preference to the burger. The pizza was kind of boring and light on toppings, but still good. Kudos to the second waitress who, on a dead Saturday at lunch time, was attentive and friendly and didn’t keep our table wanting for anything.
Worth the trip. And not just for the models

I’m pretty surprised at all the low ratings. Then again, chain restaurants probably don’t do very well in downtown Toronto.
Came to this Moxies location for a Paint Nite event. The décor is great, very similar to other restaurants downtown. Definitely didn’t feel like any other Moxies I’ve been to.
I can’t say much about the food and drinks, as I used to work at a different location… and we only ate nachos and wine. But the ambience itself was great. Lots of seating available with 2 huge bars and televisions surrounding the place.
Would return if I’m in the area to try out some new menu items.

Do not eat here unless you like frozen, boxed food, or just like crappy overpriced food (sorry if I offended). The service is so slow and watching the waitresses makes me even more annoyed. No one came over and asked how things were, we had to each time flag her down. I don’t understand why a chain restaurant can’t run as smooth as say Terroni (any location) and Gusto; just to name a few. There was 12 of us and we ordered:
Calamari (2 orders) — over cooked first off and there were so many small bits they were just gross since over cooked and tiny. There is a BT which stands for moxie’s executive chef — brandon thordarson draws on his international training & his love of world cuisine to fuel his passion for fresh contemporary dishes. Moxie’s need to get there staff in check because this is a JOKE!
haddock with lemon quinoa | sautéed kale leaves, edamame beans & fresh herb chimichurri — Again there was a BT beside this dish. Gross! The fish didn’t taste fresh at all and over cooked. I had no clue where this chimichurri was on the dish. I love chimichurri too but didn’t see any. The whole dish was a flop really. The lemon part was a small slice of lemon on the side I guess for me to squeeze on the dish. LOL!
Nachos — double cheese nachos — those weren’t good either. I think there should of been layers of cheese.
dry ribs — tasted like dry deep fried jerky
grilled fish tacos — fish was not fresh or even portion in each taco. Also the lettuce slaw (if thats what they call it) was not fresh tasting either. I also didn’t taste any of the valentina hot sauce because it was more mayo based. They were gross.
Wild mushroom pizza — was ok thank goodness.
sirloin with compound prawn & lobster butter | 7 oz cab® sirloin with chorizo, baby potato & corn hash with chimichurri — was ok but still poorly executed. Steak wasn’t that great so good thing there was that butter on top. Again where was the chimichurri?!
Burger — was good finally something good!
Stay away from chain restaurants in my opinion. This city has so many other opinions that are way better than Moxie’s, Jack Astors, etc.

Dined with a relatively large group on a Monday night, the host was very friendly and took our orders very quickly. However it literally took an hour for all of our food to arrive.
Our dishes were alright, but definitely not worth it for the price.

I’ve witnessed two horrible incidences at this location. This first incident happened about 4 weeks ago. My coworker ordered a vegetarian lettuce wraps, except her meal was served chicken. She didn’t realize it was chicken until a couple of bites into her meal. They did act quickly to fix the problem, but honestly this problem should never have happened in the first place. The second incident occurred just this past Monday, when a friend ordered the open steak sandwich. She realized after a bite or two that the chef had forgot to remove cardboard from the bread and so she was eating the cardboard. That was also really unacceptable — even though they attempted to make both mistakes right, it shows a bigger and more systemic problem in the restaurant.

Drinks were great. However as a vegan I got a kale and quinoa salad (without the chicken) and was charged the full price of 20! Pretty high for just a salad. Besides that great location and friendly staff

HORRIBLE SERVICE.
yes that deserved the capitals.
came here WITH a reservation for 13 during lunch time, waited 15 minutes to get my water and than another 40 minutes for my food. Never once did the waitress refill my water, let alone ask me if I wanted anything else, INCLUDING dessert.
the meals were dropped off and the next thing I knew we were paying our bill to go back to work, with an 18% gratuity. I understand with large parties that it is standard to the bill, however it felt like Shannon knew she was getting the tip so we got LESS THAN the minimum service.
Truly disappointed with my experience.

We came here for a birthday dinner on a Saturday night at 9pm. We were the only table in the restaurant, really odd for a Saturday night. They forgot to take an order for one of the people in our party. The food took over an hour to come. Worst service I’ve experienced at a Moxie’s, especially with the restaurant being empty. Won’t be back.

I came here on a Thursday afternoon for lunch. The place was super busy, but somehow we were lucky to grab a table in the back. The service here was pretty good, and our waitress was very friendly. I ordered the lobster and shrimp linguine and I thought it was pretty good, the shrimps were pretty large.
It was super loud since it was so busy, so it made it difficult to carry on the conversation — just something to keep in mind.

Went with a large office group yesterday for lunch. First being a vegetarian, there are hardly any choices available. Moxies calls itself ultimate «premium» casual dining experience.
My experience was no where close. I contemplated ordering a past dish that my colleague next to me ordered but minus the meat. But went with the only vegetarian meal on the menus that I could see — a Veggie Burger and fries. Another colleague also ordered the same dish but without the goat cheese that comes with it. The servers mixed up our order and I knew they mixed up but was not in a mood to send it back, because the other colleague had already started the meal.
Now the quality of the burger — I expected the burger to be premium — but it was not even close. I have had veggie burgers just about everywhere Licks, Hero, Harveys, Burger King, etc. Trust me the the burgers at Harveys beats Moxies hands down. For $ 14+ for a burger and fries, in my opinion was a waste.
The restaurant was busy but not packed. The refill on my drink came in at least 15 minutes after requesting it. BTW, there was a mandatory 18% gratuity included in the bill!
And I am glad that I did not order the pasta dish — in my colleagues opinion it wasn’t good and yes they err’ed her order as well.
Had Nachos as an appetizer as well and quantity was just not good enough even for two! And the nachos were served with a dip on the side — Not my idea of a good nachos

I had supper with my friends tonight. We met at Moxie’s.
Franca ordered haddock with lemon quinoa with sautéed kale leaves, edamame beans and fresh herb chimichurri … she said it was excellent.
Liz ordered a pizza and she said it was okay.
Deb and I ordered the red Thai curry bowl (chicken and stir-​fried vegetables over jasmine rice + curry-​buttered naan bread). We both got our naan plain and I got mine without veggies. It was good.
Jordan was our server and she took good care of us.

I went for a casual business lunch last week. The first thing we noticed was how loud the music was, not conducive to having a conversation. I wouldn’t mind that volume level at all if it were after work hours, but not necessarily when you plan a lunch meeting and have to yell even at the waitress so she can actually hear your order.
Service could have been better.
I ordered the chicken parmesan sandwich with prosciutto, it was delicous! Asked for a side of sweet potato fries, overall I was stuffed by the end. I was really happy with the food but hope they actually consider the volume of their music.
There are so many offices nearby people will likely want to go for lunch to actually talk, so make it easier for them to have a conversation!
Lastly… most waitresses were barely dressed, good thing to think about depending on who you are going with!

Went for dinner and drinks with friends.
Food was absolutely disgusting!!! I work in the industry and have reasonable expectations, but it was just plain awful.
Drinks were good, so not complains on that.
The worst part was that it is filled with half naked waitresses that flirt with older corporate man. .so degrading.
We felt extremely uncomfortable by looking at client GRABBING & RUBBING waitress lower back and… other parts, while she seemed quite pleased with it.
Overall feel of a cheap strip bar and not a restaurant downtown.

Fair to middling bar/​resto. I ordered the haddock which was seared and sitting atop spinach and mashed potatoes. I enjoyed the food however became very ill a few hours after I ate. I suspect it may have been the mashed potatoes. Décor of this place is very nice – dimly lit, creative wine bottle display and your standard flat panel tv’s. Our server Brad was EXCELLENT very patient and helpful. It gets packed quickly after 5pm but when I left around 8:30 I could see several empty tables. Street signage could be better.

My wife and I didn’t set out to visit this Moxie’s location on the night that it opened, but we were walking by after attending a TIFF screening, so we figured we’d give it a shot.
I’m most familiar with Moxie’s Highway 7 location, which I’ve found to be above average. In terms of all the «upscale casual» restaurants, I still like Joey more, but Moxie’s is probably my second favourite as it’s still light years ahead of most of the Milestones-​type places and I like it a bit better than earls.
I would give this restaurant a solid 3 stars. The food will never be phenomenal here, but it was all pretty good. We had the kimchi, Korean BBQ flat bread as an app. The meat and kimchi were very good, but the actual «flat bread» was just white pizza dough. I had the prosciutto pizza as a main, and I liked that a bit more. Nothing mind-​blowing, and the portion size was on the small side, but I enjoyed it.
The restaurant itself is nice, with massive stone walls and high ceilings, but it pretty much looks just like a Joey or an earls. The location is pretty great though — I’m so glad to see more restaurants open along University Avenue, which was a dead zone for so long. With other restaurants on the way, like the Cactus Club Café that is going to open at First Canadian Place, the financial district is becoming a mecca for huge lounge-​ey chain restaurants. Being on the lower part of University also means that it’s deceptively close to the Rogers Centre, and it’s always good to find another place to dine and drink before or after watching the Jays or another event.
One complaint is that the only beer they have on tap is their house beer, which isn’t bad, but I prefer it when there’s a greater selection on tap.
Where this restaurant really shines is the service. Our server was fabulous and talked to us for quite a while.
Because it was the first night, every single staff person asked us if we needed anything, which got to be a bit much, but I do give Moxie’s credit for really caring about service. That’s one thing that’s always stood out when visiting this chain.