Canis Restaurant

One of the most memorable dining experience in Toronto, worth trying even if you are a local. We booked the counter seat and had the special experience of seeing every dish being assembled in front of us. Every dish was thoughtfully designed and delicately put together for presentation. The ingredients were creatively fused together with an outstanding flavor for almost every dish. Small bits of many dishes (10+) kept the pallets intrigued. We left feeling enough but not stuffed.

Laid back, casual atmosphere, tasting menu-only type restaurant on Queen West. Food here is a bit more experimental, not as refined or balanced as some other tasters I've experienced. Fully enjoyed about 60% of dishes presented while 40% were not as well executed. For starters, the duck parfait with grape jelly was a little weird. Raw seafood courses had a pond water after taste. Best parts were the halibut, dry aged pork tenderloin and duck breast and terrine dish. Absolutely amazing flavours. Surprisingly the duck heart was delicious. Rhubarb dessert was too sour/tart and tangy. The brown butter cake was delicious but still a bit tart from the black apple and sour from sour cream. Would've enjoyed a drizzle of honey on top to tie it all in. At the end of the meal, I was satisfying full, not to the point where it hurts, which is nice. Other wise, if you wanna splurge and you're feeling adventurous I would definitely give Canis a try.

Overall a good meal but some of the dishes were underwhelming (e.g. just cucumbers in a beef broth, and an overally sour/tart red fruits" dessert) but the bread

Fantastic beautiful presentation but I wasn’t a fan of everything. 60% of the meal was really tasty and flavourful but 40% was a miss for me. I didn’t care much for the dessert. Service was just ok I didn’t find the service to be as attentive as my other experiences with other restaurants of the same caliber.

Beautiful minimalistic decor. Great food! Had their tasting menu and wine pairing which was quite good. Food was delicious and we'll prepared and presented with attention to detail. Good quantity so you won't leave hungry; quite the opposite.Would have given it 5 stars except for a bit of an issue with our first course where the wait staff cleared the course before we had eaten it. It was actually untouched when they took it away without asking. It was an honest mistake as the waiter stated he wasn't paying attention and I had to chase him down into the kitchen to ask for the plate back as we hadn't eaten any of it. Otherwise service was good.

WHAT TO TRY?!The duck!! When you're making reservations, make sure you reserve on a day when they're making duck! People were telling me to wait for it and go on the days when they make duck and boy were they right on! The duck was definitely worth it!The difference between the menus are 6 and 8 course meal. Only the 8 course meal offers the duck though! There's no a la carte and the description for the prix fix menu is very simple and straightforward.The dishes were placed very simply on the plates and each course offers a uniqueness to the flavor combinations that I haven't seen before. It's different and the flavor combinations make you wonder on how many ways chef can combine flavors and ingredients.Right from the first course to the last, I was amazed by the unique flavors from each dish that were highlighted in the way the dishes were made. Not found anywhere else, Canis offers a daring and extraordinary way of combining ingredients not seen anywhere else.My favorite dish would have been the duck. Nicely sliced, aged 3-4 weeks and cooked right at the texture where the meat is just about cooked. Duck meat was tender and juicy, and crispy on the outside.The desserts were also really good. Yogurt sorbet tasted light and inviting for more. And the chocolate mousse had a unique combination of sunflower seeds to mix in the taste of chocolate with the seeds.LAST TIP?!I suggest if you're coming in as a couple to opt to sit by the kitchen. It's like the chef's table over there and hopefully you can learn a trip or two! Always call in and confirm if they have the duck made during the week you're near the restaurant. Either duck or lamb...so be smart about which main course you want!!

Food is interesting and fun. Some of the dishes are better than others. Love the squid ink dish. That was probably my favorite of the night. Chicken liver was pretty and beef tarte was interesting as well. Though The duck and beef could be better. The beef was a bit disappointing. There’s nothing special about the beef. I love the philosophy of the restaurant, but I think there are still room to improve the tasting menu.For whatever reason, it was so cold in the dining room that I had to put on my scarf then my jacket in the end. And I had to drink some hot beverage to keep myself warm.

The food was very good! The service was excellent and the staff was very friendly. We did the 7 course tasting menu with the duck as the main course. All the dishes were delicious but I especially enjoyed the scallops and the tuna. Dessert was amazing too!

We came here for the 8-course tasting menu and it was brilliant from start to finish! Excellent job on wine pairing and clever ways of using and pairing ingredients made every bite a delight. The flavours of all the dishes here are familiar yet unique. Awesome job on the plating as well.For a restaurant that is ranked #15 in the top 100 Canada's best restaurants (as of 2018), reservation was relatively easy to come by. Having dined at other top" establishments before