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Founder Restaurant & Cocktail Bar, Toronto, ON

Founder Restaurant & Cocktail Bar

4.6
4.6
94 Reviews
CAN$31 to CAN$50
Global, International
Top Tags:
Founder is a contemporary bistro serving globally-inspired dishes and award-winning cocktails.

We opened Founder in June 2018 and quickly became known for our expertly crafted cocktails (voted Best Cocktail Bar by NOW Toronto) and globally-inspired dishes. Today, with an expanded food program and the same award-winning cocktails, we’re proud to serve our community in the heart of Toronto’s Little Portugal.

Owner and Head Chef Kendall Collingridge is one of Toronto’s under-celebrated culinary experts, having spent over a decade planting his roots all across Toronto’s rich food scene (Hooked, Spirithouse, Buca, Crush Wine Bar). Famous for his Green Curry Fried Chicken, Chef Kendall brings into every dish an eclectic mix of flavours that crosses borders and cultures. There’s a reason we say it’s the most Toronto menu you’ll ever taste.

Make a reservation

2 people
10:30 PM
Booked 18 times today
Experiences are available.

Additional information

  • Dining style

    Casual Dining

  • Cuisines

    Global, International, Tapas / Small Plates, Cocktail Bar

  • Hours of operation

    Tue–Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–12:00 am Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–2:00 am

  • Phone number

    (647) 348-1282

  • Website

    https://foundertoronto.com/

  • Payment options

    AMEX, MasterCard, Visa

  • Dress code

    Smart Casual

  • Executive chef

    Kendall Collingridge

  • Private party facilities

    In the spirit of bringing people together, we'd be honoured to host your next gathering at Founder. We support full and partial private bookings to accommodate the needs of your event and specially curated menus to suit the tastes of your guests. Email us at events@foundertoronto.com to get started.

  • Location

    1282 Dundas St W Toronto, ON M6J 1X7

  • Neighborhood

    Ossington

  • Cross street

    Dundas and Dovercourt

  • Parking details

    Green P 5 minute walk away on Dovercourt, first street north of Dundas.

  • Public transit

    Dundas and Dovercourt (NE/SW sides)

  • Additional

    Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Takeout, Wine

Experiences

  • Sunday Prix Fixe

    Multiple dates available
    Join Founder Sunday evenings for a special Five-Course Prix Fixe menu* - featuring house favourite dishes and rotating specials! Served family style | $48 per person. We're also pleased to offer a $10 classic cocktails all evening, including: Old Fashioneds, Negronis, Rye Manhattans, Margaritas, Daiquiris, & Espresso Martinis. *Menu selection posted weekly on Wednesday afternoon.

  • Half-Priced Wine Wednesdays

    Multiple dates available
    Join Founder Wednesday evenings for half-priced bottles, all evening long! Includes the entire list of rotating house labels, alongside our famous international bistro menu and craft cocktails.

What 94 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
  • 4.4Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.6Ambience
  • 4.1Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

  • Toronto

    Global, International

Sort by

Filters

  1. G

    Glutenfreefoodie

    Salt Lake City

    7 reviews

    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    It was great for a birthday celebration. Beautiful space and great staff! Would certainly come back.
  2. PD

    PatriceD

    Toronto

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 6 days ago

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Amzing cocktails. The 6th fingered man was amazing and so was the one my girlfriend took but I can't recall the name. The food was also excellent, worth every dollar. And we got served by the amazing Ash who was funny, quick and gave us great great recommendations.
  3. M

    Michelle

    London

    4 reviews

    4.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on June 23, 2022

    overall4food5service5ambience4
    The food was mind-blowing and the service was excellent. The music was a bit loud so had to speak loud to have a conversation but I will come back to eat that green curry fried chicken ANY DAY!
  4. SC

    SCting

    Toronto

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on June 23, 2022

    overall4food3service4ambience4
    Fabulous Cocktail with strong base. Variety of choices.
  5. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Toronto

    6 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on June 16, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great location, bartender was great! Even made a couple of his own experimental drinks. Would definitely come back
  6. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Toronto

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on June 16, 2022

    overall3food2service4ambience4
    Service and ambience is nice, but I would definitely go here to enjoy the drinks over the shareables.
  7. B

    Beninho

    Toronto

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on June 15, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Food was incredible. Great ambience. All round great experience.
  8. M

    Mayyyy

    Toronto

    10 reviews

    5.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on June 11, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    The food was so damn good omg, cannot recommend enough. Truly beautiful ambience, vibes and loved this so much
  9. IF

    ItayF

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on June 10, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Very interesting dishes- every single dish was amazing
  10. N

    Nikki

    New York Area

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on June 5, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Good food, amazing cocktails in a beautiful space.
  11. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on May 27, 2022

    overall4food3service4ambience2
    Tapas style resto. Patatas bravas, fried chicken and Cornish hen good to order. Lamb ribs stay away, the sauce/seasoning on it is way too much that it's inedible. For 28$ 4 tiny pieces of ribs is definitely not worth it
  12. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Toronto

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on May 14, 2022

    overall3food3service2ambience3
    Service was ok. Food was decent. It was quite loud.
  13. GE

    GabyE

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on May 11, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Everything was absolute amazing: the service, the food, the drinks.
  14. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Toronto

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on May 8, 2022

    overall3food4service5ambience5
    Everything was fantastic apart from the long wait times for food to arrive. Would be great to get all dishes at once, however they came out one by one with 20 minute gaps. The service was great. We were taken care of by Nik who was a sweetie. Very apologetic for the long wait times of food. Was super knowledgeable of the menu and helped make recommendations. Cool little spot for date night if your not hungry.
  15. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Toronto

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on May 7, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Our server was great! Didn’t catch his name but was very sweet and personable! Definitely will be back ❤️
  16. P

    Puneet

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on May 1, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Lamb ribs and green curry chicken were really good. Drinks were fine.
  17. B

    Bobbyd

    Toronto

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on April 30, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    Great food, great service will definitely be back and recommend to others.
  18. AM

    AlexandreM

    Toronto

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on April 24, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Fusion food was delicious. The service was excellent! Definitely will come again
  19. PS

    PatriciaS

    Toronto

    18 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    18 reviews

    Dined on April 23, 2022

    overall4food4service5ambience4
    Food and service were excellent!
  20. LG

    LobsterGeoff

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on April 18, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Fantastic meal, great service. Very chill room. Can't wait to be back!
  21. C

    Ckayyy

    New York Area

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on April 9, 2022

    overall2food3service2ambience3
    Felt like they were rushing us out - reminded of us about the 2 hr seating limit multiple times and also sat us in a corner by the kitchen when I requested a booth
  22. AF

    AlisonF

    Toronto

    7 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined on March 30, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    We loved it - the food, the service, the amazing server who guided us through the options and ensured we had a great experience. The cocktail was great. we really feel like this was a 5/5 for an evening out. thank you! Alison & Graham
  23. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Toronto

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on March 27, 2022

    overall5food4service4ambience4
    Sunday Prix Fixe menu was nice, and the service was excellent as they adapted one of the dishes based on an allergy. The food was good and the cocktails were nice, without being exceptional. Overall it was a very nice eve I g and we’ll likely come back again
  24. m

    msbee77

    Toronto

    11 reviews

    5.0

    11 reviews

    Dined on March 27, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Fantastic experience! The bar tenders and servers are awesome and super accommodating. The chef was incredible about modifications due to food allergies. Food and drinks of the highest quality and so delicious. Thank you!
  25. A

    Angie

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on March 26, 2022

    overall4food5service4ambience5
    Was great in general. One issue is that we had multiple servers come to our table throughout the meal who gave us conflicting information so we ended up ordering differently than we would’ve wanted. Some of my friends ended up leaving hungry because the reservation after us had arrived.
  26. CE

    CristianaE

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on March 26, 2022

    overall1food2service1ambience5
    Was really hoping to have an enjoyable experience, however the service here was absolutely horrible, and surprisingly the rudest service came from the manager. We had a reservation at 830, and after slow service to get our drinks and first plate, we were being told by 930 that we would need to leave asap because there was a time limit on our seating and there was another reservation. We weren’t even provided an option of moving tables, nor were we ever told there was a time limit on our dining, and to mention, no one else in the restaurant had this time limit. We could only order one plate, because as the manager rudely pointed out, our other options “would take too long to make”. I completely understand that some restaurants have a time limit on seating, but it was legitimately only our table that had this limit and we were never told of any limit until we tried to order food. In addition to this, on our way out of the restaurant, this same manager purposely came rushing past us, almost hitting us, as we were walking out the door. Overall a very hostile environment that we won’t be returning to
  27. SM

    StephanieM

    Toronto

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on March 19, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great food and atmosphere! We ate at the bar which was fun! The curry chicken was the absolute star dish!!
  28. M

    Marcella

    Toronto

    5 reviews

    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on March 17, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Bartender was excellent!
  29. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Toronto

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on March 16, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    My beautiful boyfriend and I thoroughly enjoyed not only the experience but the fantastic dishes. The creativity in the dish combined with the impeccable service made this one of the best week day experiences out for me.
  30. h

    hungryjenn

    Toronto

    21 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    21 reviews

    Dined on March 5, 2022

    overall4food4service4ambience5
    Great meal with friends at founder. Food and cocktails were great -both on menu and ones we asked for custom. Service lovely too.
  31. m

    muiza

    Toronto

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 13, 2022

    overall4food5service3ambience4
    Cocktails were the best part. Seating is limited and not the best. food is really good but menu is limited
  32. F

    Foodiemon

    Toronto

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 12, 2022

    overall3food1service4ambience5
    Food was average and overpriced. Cocktails were bomb and ambience was great.
  33. CD

    CDann

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 12, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Amazing vibes for dinner or post dinner drinks! Cocktails are tasty and the food is incredible. They take staples that you know and love and make them even better! Will be going back for sure!
  34. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 12, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Ash was awesome, had really great reco’s and treated us very well. The ambiance is very cool and the bartender killed it! Definitely coming back soon
  35. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Toronto

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 11, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    New date spot! Aside from the ambience, the food was so unique and flavourful. The gnocchi was one a kind. Also, I don’t know what was in that espresso martini but definitely the best one I’ve had in the city. Thank you to the server that night she was so sweet I love it!
  36. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Toronto

    2 reviews

    1.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on February 10, 2022

    overall1food2service1ambience2
    If I could give this place 0 stars I would. The service the entire night was awful. We were there for over 2 hrs and not once did our waitress refill our water. The bartender finally noticed that our table had no water and replaced the jug for us. When we asked our waitress for the bill, we sat there for over 20 minutes and finally realized that she had forgotten. I understand if the restaurant was busy but this was a quiet Wednesday night when there were only 3 parties in the restaurant. We ordered the steak tartare which came with rice chips that were so soggy they stuck to the roof of our mouth and were inedible. When we asked for a replacement, something we could actually eat the tartare with, we were charged $8!!!! for a few tiny pieces of bread. The waitress also never asked how our food was. The only redeeming quality of this place were the cocktails.
  37. MB

    MichaelB

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 9, 2022

    overall5food5service4ambience5
    There's a lovely ambiance here, great cocktails, and small but delicious plates of food
  38. WW

    WinW

    Toronto

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 9, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    The sauce is very special and delicious🥂🥂 exquisite
  39. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Toronto

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 4, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    This was a great tasting menu where the 4 course meal (missing the salmon dish that i dove into before i realized i forgot to take a pic) was paired with different local beers from Kensington brewery.
  40. S

    Stella

    Toronto

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 4, 2021

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Amazing everything! We were all impressed at the level of complexity in the flavours for all of the food and drinks! Bravo!

Safety precautions

  • Cleaning & sanitizing

    • Surfaces sanitized between seatings
    • Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
    • Sealed or wrapped utensils used
    • Common areas deep-cleaned daily

  • Physical distancing

    • Limited number of seated diners
    • Distancing maintained in common areas
    • Extra space between tables

  • Protective equipment

    • Waitstaff wear masks
    • Diners must wear masks unless eating or drinking

  • Screening

    • Sick staff prohibited in the workplace

FAQs

Founder Restaurant & Cocktail Bar offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (647) 348-1282.

Founder Restaurant & Cocktail Bar is rated 4.6 stars by 94 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
10:30 PM
Booked 18 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for Founder Restaurant & Cocktail Bar

1282 Dundas St W Toronto, ON M6J 1X7

Additional information

  • Cross street

    Dundas and Dovercourt

  • Neighborhood

    Ossington

  • Hours of operation

    Tue–Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–12:00 am Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–2:00 am

  • Cuisines

    Global, International, Tapas / Small Plates, Cocktail Bar

  • Dining style

    Casual Dining

  • Dress code

    Smart Casual

  • Parking details

    Green P 5 minute walk away on Dovercourt, first street north of Dundas.

  • Public transit

    Dundas and Dovercourt (NE/SW sides)

  • Payment options

    AMEX, MasterCard, Visa

  • Executive chef

    Kendall Collingridge

  • Additional

    Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Takeout, Wine

  • Website

    https://foundertoronto.com/

  • Phone number

    (647) 348-1282

  • Private party facilities

    In the spirit of bringing people together, we'd be honoured to host your next gathering at Founder. We support full and partial private bookings to accommodate the needs of your event and specially curated menus to suit the tastes of your guests. Email us at events@foundertoronto.com to get started.

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