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GRETA Bar
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Greta Bar is noisy and chaotic, captivatingly animated and just the place for diners tired of the tried and true. With a menu of globally-inspired street food, craft beer, cheery cocktails and dozens of video games all vying for attention, Greta offers action-packed escape for adults hungry for adventure.
The newest outpost of Greta — a chain founded in Calgary, in 2017 — Greta Toronto is larger than its siblings, with room to entertain hundreds of guests across its 12,500 square feet of space. Located in a heritage building, the venue spans two floors, houses multiple bars (including a VIP space), a full kitchen, and more than 50 arcade games, from retro classics to futuristic VR gems. It’s a place designed to welcome couples and small groups as effortlessly as private parties and large corporate teams. It’s also, despite its King West location, a place that’s devoid of pretence: its graffitied walls and bevy of neon signs heralding the team’s gregarious, anti-asshole (seriously) stance.
“Greta is meant to be something for everybody,” explains managing partner, Taylor Iwaasa. “The true brand of it was meant to be inclusive, welcoming to all walks of life. A place for everybody to be able to enjoy themselves.”
It’s up to you whether that means settling in at the bar, spending hours roaming the space, test-driving each and every one of the venue’s games, or hunkering down for a full meal. Though, to be fair, it’s also easy to combine all three of those trajectories, thanks to a menu filled with food and drink one can eat while on the move.
“The whole focus,” says Iwaasa, of the menu, “is global street food. Social, shareable and adventurous.” Though the food at each Greta location differs slightly, based on the chef running the kitchen, everything is designed with peak comfort, flavour, and portability in mind.
“Everything is made from scratch,” adds Iwaasa. “The biggest compliment is when people say, ‘I didn’t expect that.’”
Tuck into Greta Nachos — expertly spread out, instead of mounded, to maximize topping-to-chip distribution — and that just might be your reaction. Grab from the corner, the middle, the edge — whichever way you attack this dish, you’re guaranteed a crunchy mouthful of thick-cut, house-made chip mingled with beans, corn pico, a slew of sauces, guacamole and the salty, punchy zing of feta, jalapeño and pickled onions.
With a cocktail — maybe the mezcal-laced Conejo, the adults only Raspberry Refresher or the sweet, easy-drinking Bourbon Jam — it’s an ideal way to begin the night.
Of course, the bar also pours plenty of wines by the glass, local beers and draft cocktails, including the signature Shaft on Tap. Meant to be chugged (the reason why isn’t entirely clear) the blend of cold brew, espresso, Tito’s Handmade Vodka and coffee liquor is as bracing as it sounds and — you’ve been warned — as caffeinated.
“When we do something, we try to make it different. A Greta version, or just the best,” explains Iwaasa, describing Garlic Parmesan Arancini that are made with orzo, not rice, to give the final dish more body. Heavy on garlic, these bronzed little orbs are also served with whipped Alfredo sauce instead of the more traditional marinara. Rich on rich, these are ideal for sharing.
Another of the team’s share plates, Spicy Ahi Tuna & Crispy Rice is superlatively crispy, with sweet soy, spicy sriracha caviar and savoury furikake punching up every bite.
Though the team serves a few dishes that require cutlery to get through, it’s the handhelds and shareables, like the Birria Grilled Cheese, that get the most love. A joyful mash-up of two furor-inducing food-truck faves, this one boasts a three-cheese blend, a solid layer of slow-cooked beef and a tempting pool of bright and meaty birria broth. Power up your order with dill pickle fries — made by seasoning double-fried potatoes in pickle brine and dill seasoning, then topping them with grana Padano — if you have any sense whatsoever.
“We focus on the food and bar, the entertainment. There’s a very human side to Greta,” says Iwaasa, to the familiar pings and blips, dings and chimes of the venue’s dozens of games.
Between stints on Mario Kart and rounds of Skee-Ball, you’ll find that human side in the staff’s warm welcome, every solidly satisfying dish and precisely mixed drink. Suddenly, adulting doesn’t seem so bad.
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