Overall this was a good experience. I would say that nothing tasted bad. I ordered the garlic rice, lumpia, short ribs and roasted pork belly. Short ribs were tender but the taste was not out of this world for the price of 4 pieces for $15. Roasted pork belly I would say was the star of the show as it was very tender. Staff was friendly however there was a bit of a wait (around 15 mins) for someone to actually take our order. Moreover there was also a bit of a wait when I had to pay as our server came back after 10mins with the card machine. Overall this is a 3/5 experience as I love supporting filipino businesses but as an honest review it was a good experience, but nothing special.
The team at Bar’kada consistently blow us away with their absolutely phenomenal service, fresh menu, and immaculate vibes!!! Thank you to Jordan, Riva, Maria, Simon, and Rachel for making Bar’kada so welcoming with every visit ?
Have been meaning to try this place for a while and walked in on a Sunday evening. Fortunately they had space for two. The team was very welcoming as soon as we walked in. It is a cozy restaurant, so I do recommend making reservations [we were lucky]. We ordered shishito peppers, oysters, Lola's lumpia, Garlic fried rice and Pork belly lettuce wraps. Each item was delicious and my favourite was the pork belly wraps. The menu is designed to be family style and shared. As a snacky connoisseur who loves to try everything on the menu, portion sizes were perfect for me. I didn't get to try the mains, but I would recommend if you are coming in starvin marvin or with a bigger group, you may need to double up on items, ask your server for guidance. OHH! Their cocktails were tasty and well-balanced and I am obsessed with their names. I tried the Manila Monarch, and my buddy did the "Smoked" Bourbon Cider, both winners in my books, need to come back and try "Tita Baby".Overall experience:- Spent about $130 for two- Loved the ambiance and music- Staff was attentive-Photos below include the oysters, lumpia, Manila Monarch and peppers. [Got excited and went in on the Garlic rice and lettuce wraps]- Will return and looking forward to trying out their brunch.
If you are looking for a traditional Filipino resto-bar, go somewhere else. Don’t go there and expect to find your Filipino comfort food that taste like your mother’s recipe. But if you are adventurous enough, go for it. Go to Bar’kada if you would like to be surprised. Go there if you want something out of the ordinary. Bar’kada’s menu is a reinvention of the Filipino food with a twist. Reading through the menu, I had a feeling that their main target market is non-Filipinos which makes business sense because of its location. Take a look at the menu board on the sidewalk and you are left wondering whether or not you are entering a Filipino joint. I myself got lost in deciphering what I was ordering from the menu. Reading the names and descriptions were so foreign to me that we opted for the more obvious items such as Lumpia (which by the way is one of the best I have ever had both in taste and presentation in all of Toronto). I tried to order Arroz Caldo to keep it authentic but it was not available for Sunday brunch. I have aversion to uncooked shells so I skipped the oysters. The crispy chicken bites was superb (although I had to wipe off the sauce as the kiddos dare not experiment with their palate). The pork belly wrap was a subject of discussion as we were not sure about the lettuce wrap (yeap, it’s not how a “sisig” is eaten back home). I would have probably enjoyed it if there was a little more than just pork belly in the sisig. One observation with the wait staff is their product knowledge which I believe needs improvement. For example, we asked what “Gang-Gang” is, no one can really explain what it is. Any guesses as to what would this Filipino food be? I would have not really guessed it until I read the description. This is something the kiddos would have probably enjoyed if it was available. Perhaps some other time . . . By the way, it is pricey - it’s in Queen West after all.
What a vibe! My partner and I enjoyed our date night so much. Sitting by the kitchen bar was the BEST choice. They had Red Horse menu, and took me straight back home to the motherland. The food menu was also fantastic for fusion lovers. I'm not a fan of Filipino food outside of the home setting but zero complaints here. The food was divine. Cindy took care of us too! She was such a blast, thanks for making our night. I'll come back for dinner and drinks with my barkadas soon when she's working :)PS. try the Ube Creme Brulee
The staff are super friendly!Went for Brunch with family and had the ube French toast. it was the best French toast I've ever had. We also enjoyed the longo moco.
Loved the heated patio, it’s really warm & cozy enough that you can take off your jacket and just relax, if you are cold you can ask for a blanket which I found to be really thoughtful! As the name implies this is a great place for intimate gatherings as the tables are small and close together, perfect for sharing food. Loved everything we ate, the food & drinks came out pretty quickly for what was an extremely busy night for them. My only complaint is that we weren’t looked after too much, we had empty water glasses often, I suggest they give tables a bottle of water as well. Drinks are also pretty pricey for what I found to be underwhelming in their aesthetic.
I liked the Lumpia and the sylvanna. I found out they weren't made there so I ordered the longo moco. Being a fan of longonisa I was disappointed when it wasn't caramelized but looked boiled. The adobo gravy had also no flavor at all. Their coffee needs work too because it was watered down. You need to ask for cutlery at least 2 times to get a set as I never got one for dessert. Also for the people who get triggered, the cooks don't wear masks when they cook your food.
Great place and great vibes for Filipino brunch! Highly recommend the Pork Sando, the new Ube French toast, and the Yema Silvana from Tito Parley’s. Will be back to try the rest of the menu :)
Our group of 7 went to Bar'kada for my friend's 30th birthday, and we all agreed that it was one of our favourite dining and drinking experiences we've had in a long time! The VIP table was beautiful, the DJ was playing amazing music from multiple genres, and the food was outstanding! You can tell that the chef or chefs know exactly what they're doing with this Filipino-inspired menu. Everything was fresh and flavourful. The drinks were perfectly crafted and different than standard drink menus. Our server, Simon, was so pleasant and attentive, and all the other servers who helped our table were kind as well. We're definitely going back!