Regulars
Regulars wants to be Toronto’s modern-day Cheers. This starts with a handshake and being asked your name by every staff member you meet, so don’t go here if you want to remain anonymous.
Like Figures, a previous Marzouk brothers venture, it’s all about the interior in this space formerly home to Blowfish.
A gallery of neon and pop art collides with mismatched chandeliers and live plants along one wall, with a marquee above the bar that changes according to the whims of staff (ex. Your wifey is a regular).
Bar snacks are $6 across the board and put slight twists on workaday drinking food, such as thin but starchy cassava chips in place of plain potato, served with a scratch dip that’s a fair imitation of grocery-store onion dip.
Truffle poppers are pretty much your average jalapeno popper stuffed with cheese and served with lemon and herb sour cream, the truffle flavour relatively subtle.
Deep fried mac n cheese fingers are hefty and heavily crusted, but the textures actually work well together, the noodles inside staying nicely intact.
The avocado bruschetta is a thick puree of avocado on top of a thin rice cracker with a sprinkling of togarashi. There's nothing "bruschetta-like" about it but I enjoy the rich little bites anyway.
Chicharon I know affectionately as pork rinds, the airy and fatty road trip favourite and a crunchy complement to drinks.
A pound of wings ($15) is given a chipotle lime dry rub that blackens slightly around the edges and served with three sauces: standard BBQ, sweet and refreshing mango, and seriously hot scotch bonnet.
I can’t deny that the Regulars burger ($19) seems inspired by the Burger’s Priest’s classic Priest burger, a patty with a deep-fried cheese-stuffed mushroom on top, which is what this is.
Don’t even try to get the prime rib patty, herbivore patty, candied bacon, tomato jam and pickles all in one bite. It’s impossible unless some majorly messy smashing is involved. The shoestring fries it comes with are like McDonald’s fries with a twist, skinny and salty with a little extra kick in the seasoning.
Teriyaki salmon soba ($19) can be found in the salad section though it’s more of a light noodle dish. Starchy noodles are tossed with ginger and soy marinated veggies, edamame and a white miso vinaigrette, topped with a salmon filet and wakame salad.
Cocktails are all $15, and you can get you a drink that can do both with beer sangria made with Brickworks cider, cointreau, cinnamon, citrus, apple and stone fruit.
There’s bi-weekly live music, a DJ most nights of the week, and a patio wrapping around the side of the building.
Hector Vasquez