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Alice
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Named for a beloved storybook character, Alice is bright and breezy, with a laidback atmosphere complementing its something-for-everyone menu. Divided between a sun-soaked patio, a main dining room and upper lounge, it offers three different experiences for curious guests to explore.
For co-owners Afif Khan and Matthew Haddon, Alice is a natural next step. Having opened two dispensaries — named Wonderland, naturally — the duo dreamed of moving into the restaurant space.
At Alice, that dream comes to life in a modern spot that’s as mellow as it is uncomplicated. Working with Stacey Cohen Design, the team created a restaurant that’s moody upstairs and sunny below, thanks to lashings of white paint, plenty of gold accessories and disco balls. On the back patio, the restaurant’s hidden gem, sorbet-coloured tiles and a profusion of cacti transport guests somewhere with year-round warmth. “It’s like a Palm Springs, California vibe when you’re there,” says Haddon. “We don’t want you to feel like you’re in Toronto.”
Throughout, the goal seems to be simply to give guests everything they want. “The menu had to have broad appeal. It’s a combination of things we enjoy,” affirms Haddon. Everything is made, adds Khan, with top-quality ingredients. To that end, diners will find espresso martinis and heaving bowls of pasta. There are fried appetizers, burgers, tacos and the wealth of international ingredients such a varied menu demands. Does the team also offer deals at happy hour and stay open on Sundays to feed diners’ serious brunch habit? You bet.
Though trends are fickle, the city’s thirst for espresso martinis sees no sign of being slaked. At Alice, the team offers two takes — the 818 Espresso Martini and an ancho-licked version. With more of a delayed suggestion of heat than actual fire, house salted caramel syrup and coffee liqueur, the latter is a striking riff that’s best suited to post-dinner sipping.
A better spot to begin? The Alice Cocktail is a fruity and fresh kick off to any meal. Made with Spirit of York DISTL Pink Gin, cactus pear syrup and St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, it’s a drink that ties into the desert theme and can easily slake any heat-induced thirst.
Just as light, with aquavit, sage shrub and a serious dose of lemon, the Sage and Sour is another wise choice to cut through the spice, richness and fried goodness found in many of the menu’s starters.
Plump and fresh, Burrata sits atop fat slices of heirloom tomatoes for a stunner of a summer salad. Dressed simply in basil oil, the dish has Mother Nature to thank for much of its success.
Beef Tartare, meanwhile, boasts classic seasoning, with accompanying tortilla chips subbing in for more common toast triangles.
A fan favourite, chef Oscar Diaz's Street Corn Ribs are a messy option best eaten — like their meaty counterparts — with your hands. Slicked in sriracha aioli, a dusting of Parmesan and Tajín kissing every kernel, this is the snack responsible for staining countless napkins, night after night.
From a list of pastas promised to change with the seasons and the owners’ moods, Rigatoni Alla Vodka is a solid choice that’s saucy and savoury and spicier than usual. Velvety and rich, thanks to a generous glug of heavy cream, this one just might make the all-star team.
People-pleasing handhelds range from Vegan Tacos to a Japanese Kobe Burger that’s so beefy your plant-based friends may want to look away as you dig in. Loaded with a double dose of cheese, Alice sauce and all the essentials, the six-ounce patty satisfies the carnal need for sloppy, solid sustenance you can clutch with both hands. It also provides a pillowy, absorbent bed for a deluge of martinis, espresso or otherwise.
For all the groups dead-ending at Alice, the team’s larger plates, including a Tomahawk Platter for two (probably three?), offer a sampling of the kitchen's greatest hits. With a sizeable Caesar, mozzarella sticks, corn ribs, fries, chimichurri and marinara encircling a 28-ounce slab of meat and bone, this order is a riot of comfort foods.
Getting through it is such a task, you’d best approach it armed with a bottle from the team’s wine list. A “work in progress,” according to Haddon, the list is peppered with wines — red, white, bubbly, orange — that the team loves. “We do have some really good independents but then we also have, like, the most popular wines,” he adds, pointing out Australian Screaming Betty Vermentino alongside enduringly adored, Mionetto Prosecco, by the glass and bottle.
At Alice, the mood is carefree, the food is familiar and there’s very little to hamper a good time. If the Mad Hatter's tea party had felt more like this, Alice herself definitely would have lingered longer.
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