Inside Aloette: The upscale diner from Chef Patrick Kriss

Aloette is a follow-up from Chef Patrick Kriss’ Alo, the acclaimed tasting menu restaurant that took second place on Canada’s Best New Restaurants list in 2016.

Occupying the ground floor at the same Queen and Spadina address as its third-floor predecessor, the new restaurant channels retro diners of yesteryear with an upscale twist and atypically attentive service.

Daily Hive Staff

The layout featuring a long luncheonette counter furnished with brushed metal stools feels all too familiar, though the finishes are decidedly luxe. Booths lining the windows are upholstered in leather, while brass accents and a curvaceous ceiling give the place a first-class dining car kind of vibe.

Daily Hive Staff

To drink, there’s soda fountain inspired highballs ($12) including fizzy spiked sodas and a frothy Bramble Milkshake laced with gin and flavoured with raspberry and coconut.

Old-school standards dominate the opening menu, teetering between nostalgic and kitschy into bistro territory; oysters ($11), beef tartare with frites ($14/$18), clams casino ($14), and burgundy snails ($14).

Daily Hive Staff

The Iceberg Wedge ($14) is presented as a thick, centre cross-section of a lettuce rather than an actual wedge–it’s a subtle improvement that allows for a generous application of chive cream to soak down in between each leafy layer. Amplifying the crunchiness of this dish; pepitas and puffed cereal while creamy avocado and parmesan cheese add contrasting richness.

Daily Hive Staff

This isn’t the kind of diner that deals in all day breakfasts and open-faced sandwiches –though the cornish hen ($20) served with a fried egg might satisfy cravings for the former, and a charbroiled burger ($18) dressed with a bubbling layer of melted Beaufort cheese will exceed expectations for the latter.

Daily Hive Staff

The namesake fries loaded with sausage gravy, cheddar, and jus is a side dish that’s hard to ignore, though the broccoli or brussel sprouts might actually leave room for dessert; lemon meringue pie or an apple pie sundae.

Aloette

Address: 163 Spadina Avenue, Toronto
Phone: 416-260-3444

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Aloette

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