The Carbon Bar Toronto: Brunch

The Carbon Bar (Brunch): Toronto, Ontario

Name: The Carbon Bar
Address: 99 Queen St E, Toronto, ON M5C 1S1 Canada
Website: Website
Instagram: @thecarbonbar
Wifi: No
Tender: Debit,  Credit, Cash
Neighbourhood: Corktown, Toronto
Type: Barbecue/Southern

The Carbon Bar is located in Toronto’s Corktown neighborhood at the corner of Queen Street East and Church Street. The interior is spacious seating easily between 100-150 people. Exposed brick, expansive marble bar, and sleek banquette seating give the space a casual but chic feel.

The Carbon Bar: Interior
The Carbon Bar: Interior
Known for their BBQ and Bourbon in the evenings it’s the first time brunch is being offered and a quick glance to the menu shows that the Southern flair extends to the new weekend offering as well.
We start with the Mezcal & Lime Cured Salmon ($18 CDN + tax). A St. Urbain Montreal style bagel is served alongside the cured salmon with aji crema, smoked tomato, friseé , pickled red onion, and crispy capers. A side of cream cheese can be added for an additional $2. It’s a beautiful dish and certainly flavorful but I do find the flavors are subdued when eaten with the bagel and cream cheese. I think it would be best to lose the bagel and cream cheese and just eat it on it’s own or perhaps replace the bagel with simple pieces of crisp crostini.
The Carbon Bar: Mezcal & Lime Cured Salmon
The Carbon Bar: Mezcal & Lime Cured Salmon
True to Southern style brunch a Chicken ‘N’ Waffles ($17 CDN + tax) is offered on the menu.  Buttermilk fried chicken is served with a citrus crema,  and a chili + honey + garlic sauce. Truthfully, there’s not a lot of places in Toronto that can do Fried chicken and waffles well so I’m pleasantly surprised at how much I ended up enjoying this dish. The chicken is incredibly juicy and fried well and the chili honey garlic sauce adds subtle sweetness that doesn’t overpower the rest of the dish like a typical maple syrup might.
The Carbon Bar: Chicken 'N' Waffles
The Carbon Bar: Chicken ‘N’ Waffles
Next we try the Bacon Cheeseburger ($19 CDN + tax). It’s served with boston lettuce, house smoked bacon, American cheese, dill pickle, burnt onion mayo, and a side of fries. It’s juicy and tender and everything you expect of a good burger although being brunch it would be nice to see the option to add an egg on top. I do also think the fries could have been seasoned a little more.
The Carbon Bar: Bacon Cheeseburger
The Carbon Bar: Bacon Cheeseburger
Various sides or Fixin’s are also on offer and of the choices we try out the High Rise Biscuit ($6 CDN + tax) and the Smashed & Fried Potatoes ($8 CDN + tax).
The High Rise Biscuit is served with sausage gravy and topped with chopped scallions. The gravy is rich and flavorful and the biscuit does well to soak up all the juiciness of the sausage laced within.
The Smashed and fried potatoes are fried and tossed with kimchi, parmesan, and green onions. The potatoes are fried well and the kimchi is a nice twist to the dish that adds just the right amount of bite and flavor.
The Carbon Bar: Mile High Biscuit + Smashed & Fried Potatoes
The Carbon Bar: Mile High Biscuit + Smashed & Fried Potatoes

The Carbon Bar offers an expansive menu that covers a wide range of items. Most would be hard pressed to not be able to find at least a few options they would want to sample. Vegetarian and healthy options are also available and a prix fixe brunch option which gives you the choice of coffee or tea, an in-house baked pastry, a main dish, and a chocolate bourbon skull for only $25 offers an exceptional value. For those that can’t bear to not have their famous BBQ a Texas BBQ Platter is also available during brunch offers for $29 per person and offers a sampling of St. Louis cut pork ribs, USDA prime beef brisket, turkey breast, jalapeno & cheddar sausage, pickles, and coleslaw.

A well thought out menu paired with a beautiful interior makes The Carbon a much welcomed addition to Toronto’s East end.

 

 

 

Disclaimer: This post was not sponsored, however the meal/items were complimentary. All opinions expressed are my own. All menu offerings and prices are accurate as of time of posting. Please refer to restaurant/shop for most up to date information.

*All images are copyrighted Allons.Y Styling & Photography. Please do not use or re-post without written consent and provide credit where applicable

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