We’ll see you in there.
Connect to customize your food & drink discovery.
By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
General Public
If you like this, you’ll also like:
That General Public is so at odds with its plain-Jane environs is an intentional detail that just adds to the restaurant’s substantial appeal. Sure, the street has its charms but turn General Public’s oversized brass doorknob and you’ll feel like Lucy stepping into Narnia — both bewildered by the scene before you and thrilled at the find. A new offering from Jen Agg and her crackerjack team, General Public is part English pub and part American brasserie with so many nods to other beloved Agg spots it feels, to fans, like coming home.
“We’ve been watching Geary for a very long time,” says Agg, of General Public’s home. “We’ve always wanted to do something sort of north. Everything’s very concentrated down in the west end, restaurant-wise.”
Geary not only gave Agg and her team freedom to spread to a new area of the city, but it also provided the footprint they craved to bring their new vision to life. “The next restaurant was going to be bigger. That was always the plan.”
“All of my restaurants are real restaurants and feel like real restaurants but this just sort of feels like a restaurant restaurant,” laughs Agg. “Grey Gardens has 70 seats, this is about 100, something like that. … It seems not that different but it really, really is.”
Spread across two floors, General Public (which Agg owns with business partners David Grieg, James Santon and Jake Skakun) offers diners a choice of areas to inhabit: there’s the Musso-and-Frank-inspired-bar, with proper barstools and a vivid microecosystem; there are snug moss-green booths, for two or more; upstairs, rattan-backed chairs call to mind a mid-century modern aesthetic, with crystal chandeliers, flamingo murals and an abundance of ferns landing diners in a granny-approved, coral-washed Florida fiesta.
“It’s everything’s gone green meets ‘80s cocaine frenzy,” says Agg, of the look. “I struggled with how to connect them,” she adds, of the distinct décor schemes. “The two keys to it working are the way the ceiling is painted. … And the forest green metal railing going all the way up. And the plants,” she offers, confirming a third unifying element. Throughout, there are classic Agg touches, from the leaded glass and vintage lighting to wall sconces, wallpaper, and more.
Overall, the effect is English hunting swagger meets Peaches n’ Cream Barbie in a romance that, one can only presume, culminates over generous pours of Bordeaux and quivering morsels of medium-rare ribeye.
But before the ribeye, should come drinks from the thoughtful list created by beverage director, David Grieg. A list that covers all the must-haves — from tart and fruity to boozy, spicy, et al. – it’s also peppered with subtle UK connections.
A classic available in two formats (shotgun and double barrel), the glacial Shotgun Martini is a smooth, plush, gin-based pour with a whisper of nutty sweetness from Macvin de Jura fortified wine.
One of the team’s pre-fabricated options, Italia is a bitter, bubbly blend of Campari, hibiscus, sweet vermouth and raspberry soda.
Its cumin and allspice nodding to the curry houses of Brick Lane (where Grieg once owned a location of All Stars Lanes), Werewolf also alludes to a Porn Star Martini and a Lion’s Tail cocktail, with passionfruit, bourbon, peanut and lemon.
Visit General Public during Happy Hour (Wednesday to Sunday, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.) and side any and all with the GP Burger, a petite powerhouse designed by Agg and executive chef, James Santon. “The breakfast sandwich and the burger, arguably the simplest things on the menu, were some of the most complicated to make great,” she explains. With a pudgy patty of well-marbled beef, a fluid slick of savoury cheese sauce, onions and the unmistakable tang of sweet Branston Pickle, it’s a deeply satisfying combo well worth every second of trial and error.
Pop in for lunch or dinner, and find a menu that jumps from midday Masala Poached Eggs and Fish & Chips to hedonistic Seafood Towers and a Half Rack of Lamb crusted in a verdant hodgepodge of herbs.
A menu Agg describes as “pub meets steakhouse but with a strong sprinkling of the Black Hoof,” it also includes dishes like the Fried Pig’s Head Terrine and the Surf and Turf, with lobster and sweetbreads.
“You could imagine seeing the tuna-melt-inspired crudo on the Hoof’s last menu in 2018,” says Agg. “It wouldn’t be that crazy. That part is the most fun for me.” A dish inspired by Le Swan’s cherished Tuna Melt, General Public’s Bluefin Carpaccio invites pickled onions and cheddar crisps to mingle with diaphanous slices of tuna in a dish that’s intriguing and creative, unusual but delicious.
“It’s got elements of a tuna melt except in very different forms,” says Agg. “Clearly it’s not canned tuna, it’s fresh tuna. The cheese is crispy, not melted. The mayonnaise is drizzled and the pickled shallots and the lovage is sort of in place of celery. It’s so weird and good.”
Seasoned with a surfeit of spices, Curried Lamb Tartare pops with warm notes, its poppadom vehicle adding necessary crunch to every rich bite.
Exclusive to dinnertime, Cumberland Sausage and New York Strip are larger plates that satisfy diners yearning for pub grub and those leaning into the restaurant’s steakhouse angle.
Served with a velvety puddle of mash and pool of onion jus, the sausage is a classic charmer that’s homey and comforting, with the rich flavour of spiced pork.
Simply grilled, topped with welcome globs of bright sorrel verde, the team’s most approachable red meat option is best accompanied by something from wine director Jake Skakun’s extensive list.
“It’s very unusual for a restaurant to open with a 300-bottle list,” explains Agg. “We really planned it out well to make it come to life in that way and to be able to open with this huge list.”
One of the planet’s extremely rare Masters of Wine, Skakun’s expertise is impossible to overstate. “He has these great wine lists at all of our restaurants,” gushes Agg. At General Public, Skakun has shaped a “post-natural” list that jumps from Canada to Europe, with brief stops in Australia, and holds a range of styles, from the timeless to the less familiar.
Of the post-natural label, Agg offers, “it doesn’t mean we don’t have natural wines or wines that we would call low-intervention… but we’re not focusing on that in a dogmatic way because there is so much out there in the wide world of wine.” Burgundy, she concludes, “is always going to be king.”
To cap off a splendid time, pastry chef Gabi Araujo’s Banofee Pie is a sophisticated version of a perennially popular British sweet. “ I have a pastry chef,” exclaims Agg. “I love that the pastries here are real pastries. … Pastry chefs are pastry chefs for a reason. It’s really, really nice to have one.” One bite of the graham crust, fresh bananas, buttery caramel, and swirl of dark chocolate ganache and you’ll undoubtedly agree.
At General Public, nobody is overtly trying to impress. That they inevitably will owes to their collective wisdom, innate flair and fundamental need to do what they do. A sibling to a number of beloved Toronto spots, General Public is a bigger, shinier version of what Jen Agg and her team do best, with a menu of new dishes ready to wow. Informed diners will recognize the connections while new guests will simply embrace what has always worked. Every one of them will know that they’ve stumbled upon something bloody brilliant.
Recommended For You
