Valentina’s

Five of us decided to give a chance to this place for the amazing patio.
Drinks were very tasty and well done.
I really recommend their tamarind margaritas they just recently put them on the menu.
Food was yummy and not overpriced.
We definitely will come back for more drinks and friendly service. u

The food looks amazing, but we didn’t get to try any. It took us 15 minutes to see the only menu they had. We ordered within 1 minute. There was one couple ahead of us.
1 hour later we didn’t even have or guac and chips. So like nearly every other table, we left.
It’s too bad, because the food did look good. They’re under new ownership in 2015 and they seem really disorganized.
Maybe sometime in the future I’ll give this place another shot and edit my review, but until then it’s one star.

Been here a few times with mixed results.
Let’s start with the good. The patio is very nice. Very chill on a hot summer day to have a drink over there.
Seating inside is awkward. No clue how they will make money with that seating arrangement in the winter.
Food is mediocre. Last time we went there our enchiladas were bland and cold in the centre. We were both starving and ate them anyway. Afterward we told our server the meal wasn’t up to expectations. As we ate everything, we weren’t expecting a free meal. However, by letting him know how bad the food was, we presented him with an opportunity to give us a reason to come back. Reduce the bill, free drink… whatever. Show that you care. Nope… nothing. «Sorry, I will tell the chef»
When we went to the front to pay our bill, the chef was right there. My gf speaks Spanish and informed the chef of our mediocre meal (as the server hadn’t told him).
Instead of applying any customer service skills he started chatting up my gf. Telling her she should come back and he’ll cook her the best meal she’s ever had. LOL!
We are still laughing about this!
We will remember this place for the wrong reasons. Which is unfortunate as it could be a very nice little place.
When you are building your reputation (as you are new) while having no customer service skills, you have no chance of survival.

Yussss! This is a great little nook in the neighbourhood. Went to celebrate a friend’s bday and found the staff to be some of the coolest ppl. They patiently waited for our tardy party to arrive. I’ll admit I was certainly one of these late arrivals but not the last, ha! I had heard abt the bottomless chips and they did not disappoint. I enjoyed pulled pork tacos, fish tacos, and drank that dos equis (sp?) from the draught. We didn’t get to enjoy the patio, which looks soooo inviting (it was too cold out) but I look fwd to coming back soon. And I mean before summer, ya’ll :-D

Valentinas Valentinas, why or why did I bookmark you?
This tiny little place that nevertheless has a small patio in the summer is hidden amidst Kensington market. Although it is a lovely little cantina décor-​wise, food-​wise it is nothing spectacular. In fact most potions were tiny and not even shareable, guacamole was gone in three chips and wasn’t worth reordering. There are places around the same area that make better tacos and better guaca. I still think it’s cute, just not that cute.

We wandered Kensington looking for a patio on a lazy Friday afternoon but the usual fare just wasn’t cutting it. Ronnie’s was smoked with smokers, Last Temptation is overly-​shaded and there is just something bizarre about drinking at KOS. Enter Lady V.
$ 4 Sol bottles and delicious lime margaritas and bottomless chips with two salsas. You just can’t go wrong with margs, patios and friends. People seemed pleased with the fish tacos, but I didn’t indulge. A sunny afternoon digressed into an evening with live music and great friends. Thank you, Valentina. You have a near perfect patio.
PAW POINTS: We had our flat-​faced furry friend Mr. Cooper with us and they were really sweet about us letting him hang on the patio.

Great patio, great service, great (inexpensive) pints, great food — the only thing that stops me from giving this a 5-​star rating is the portion sizes, which are small.
If something’s a main, i shouldn’t feel hungry enough to want to order an app to feel like I’ve eaten enough. Even with the totally delicious, house-​made chips and sauces (guac and a nice spicy salsa), I was hungry enough to need an app in addition to my totally delicious .
The pescado frito was delicious, but I think I would have needed four, not two, to feel full.
In contrast, at Seven Lives, three tacos are a meal that leaves me satisfied; it’s not that I’m looking for an all-​you-​gorge-​yourself-​on deal.
Overall, lovely place, but I’m not sure that I’ll go back frequently.

I ate here mid-​May with a friend. We had a good time and thought the food was not bad. Service was not good — the kind where you have to search for and flag down your server when you need a refill of water — but we weren’t in a hurry.
When we were about to leave, I saw a bartender pouring tequila shots. He overfilled them, so he used a straw and his finger to lift out the extra liquid. He put the straw in his mouth, sucked out the tequila, then put the straw back into the shot and repeated the process. Ew ew ew. He basically double dipped in someone’s shot. Then I watched him carry the shots to a table of guests. Gross.
Several hours after eating here, I became terribly sick and ended up in the hospital for 4 days with gastro problems. I certainly can’t prove it was from Valentina’s, but after what I saw with the bartender, it sure made sense to me. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone.

It’s fine, but the tacos were pretty standard (and no picante sauce options to add flavour). A few years ago, when Toronto wasn’t so up on its tacos, these would have been considered great, but against La Carnita? Seven Lives? Nah. Brought to you by the same brain trust as Kos across the street, it’s more geared to the student than the discerning foodie (or hipster, for that matter). Beer selection is trying for authentic Mexican (read: you aren’t going to find anything local or interesting), and the sangria is okay (much better at Torito around the corner). Safe food, and it’s only amazing thing is they still have the fabulous patio from its former owners, The Bellevue.

I spent a hot, lazy Sunday summer afternoon on the patio here, and had a great time.
$ 5.50 for a pint of Dos Equis lager is muy bueno, and they kept us well hydrated with slick tequila bottle-​cum-​water vessels. Felt pimp. The patio is relatively unchanged from its days as the Bellevue — space is tight, and don’t be surprised if you’re rejigged to maximize occupancy.
The best part of the meal for me and my dining betches were the appetizers: Alambre (similar to a make-​your-​own fajita), and the ceviche were hits, but what knocked it out of the park were the friggin TORTILLA chips. My god, I could have spent the entire meal just drinking beer and eating those chips. They come with two great salsas, but ordering the guac and pico de gallo will serve you well (note: these two dips also accompany the Alambre — getting nuts over here).
The «mains» weren’t as successful. Two taco orders: pastor and poblanos were underwhelming, as were the enchiladas. While they may be more «authentic» of a taco than what Seven Lives serves (closer to El Trompo-​style), the flavour just wasn’t there and I wish I had hot sauce or lime to spice it up (which I did — we had so many salsas on the table I went to town). I found the texture of the enchilada to be a bit unpleasant.
Efficient and friendly service.

Bar sympa situé en plein coeur de Kensington, terrasse agréable cependant ils ferment le patio à 23h pour respecter les règles de voisinage.
/​/​Nice bar restaurant located in the heart of Kensignton Market. Nice patio but they do close it at 11pm for neighborhood regulations.

The way I review it is if you are better value for money in all criteria, then you have 5 star. If you are value for money but good — 4 stars, if you are A-​OK then A-​OK.
Good mexican food but being from Texas, I know where the holes were.
This place is a OK or a little less value for the money had a Great ambiance, good Service except they picked up our plates too early (I am getting increasingly pissed off that people do this), Great décor. Good food.
We had the vegetarian enchiladas and the ceviche. Both were good but the portions were tiny. I would have needed to order a third dish to feel full which would have taken the tab to $ 15 – 20 per person on food. Not a lot but then TO has plenty of options.
The tacos are served in pairs. Another thing I dont like as it doenst allow you try variety.
They have a $ 5 margarita special on Monday which I may be back for. Otherwise, I dont think the food alone would bring me back unless the menu gets revised. TO has too many choices especially in Kensington Market.

2.5÷5 — today was a completely fabulous day and we really wanted to try this place out mostly due to the patio. First off, the patio is pretty great. Love the view of Nassau and the residential. BUT, it was very disorganized when it came to getting a spot on that great patio. We had to wait and then people went ahead of us even though we were waiting. And it was kind of frustrating.
Once we made it on to the patio the service was really efficient. As for the food — it really didn’t blow my mind but it was okay. We had guac and chips and salsa — fresh, yummy. The chips were good. My boyfriend had the chicken enchiladas and they were small and there was some cartilage. I had a tostada with beef and it was quite yummy although the meat was cold which surprised me since the beans were warm.
Overall, it is a cute location, with a good patio and drinks. But, I would not go for an entrée again. I found the food to be overpriced for what it was (app/​2 entrees/​2 drinks) $ 50 for lunch. The food was fresh but it wasn’t overly exciting and the portions were small for the price.
I will probably be back but I’ll just get drinks, enjoy the patio and grab some chips and salsa.