Aera - (Near Toronto, ON)

3 /5 Alyssa P: Came here on a Sunday for a brunch party. The party itself was amazing. Great time. However the food it’s left to be desired. Nothing really stood out. Was displayed nicely definitely Instagram worthy. It’s just sad that nothing made me crave it to come back. The client service is great though honestly everyone there is accommodating nice and overall helped to make the experience a great time. Most likely will come back for another brunch party.

4 /5 Marta Swiecki: We visited Aera for Winterlicious, and it was our first time dining there. Overall, it’s a beautiful restaurant with a great atmosphere and excellent staff. The Winterlicious menu was well thought out and delicious, especially for the price point. While the drinks are on the pricier side, they were very good and well thought out. Our server was truly exceptional, attentive, professional, and very respectful of our space. He took great care of us while still allowing us to enjoy our conversation, which we really appreciated. The views are absolutely stunning, with clear, unobstructed sights of the CN Tower and Rogers Centre, definitely a highlight of the experience. That said, the reservation turnover process left a bit of a sour note. While we completely understand the need to keep to reservation times, the manner in which guests are encouraged to leave felt rushed and slightly uncomfortable, especially when we were already close to finishing. This was not the server’s fault at all, he kindly gave us a heads-up, but the overall approach felt unnecessary given the level of dining and the amount spent. The hosts at the front were polite and accommodating, however, there is a certain way of transitioning guests that can feel more gracious and less transactional. All in all, Aera is a lovely restaurant with great food, incredible views, and outstanding service. A more refined and gentle approach to reservation turnover would truly elevate the overall experience.

4 /5 Allan Wong: Situated at the top of the Well, Aera offers a commanding view of Toronto through the endless number of windows. The restaurant itself is well decorated and almost every seat is designed for maximum viewing pleasure. Oddly, we chose to sit in the elevated middle "podium" in the middle of the restaurant away from the windows. That vantage point offered us the pleasure of seeing the restaurant as a whole including the open kitchen. The service was excellent. The wait staff was friendly, attentive and efficient. Five stars. The cocktails were delicately and intricately prepared. They were a pleasure to consume. The food, while very well prepared, was not uniformly spectacular. Most of the dishes were of high quality, but there were some misses. The yard stick I used to judge this restaurant is admittedly elastic. If a mom and pop restaurant served us the same food, I would have enthusiastically endorsed the restaurant with a five-star rating. However, at the price point of this restaurant, the food has to be truly spectacular to earn five stars. The sashimi was very good. Fresh and well put together. The dumplings were savoury but not memorable. The truffle fries were a guilty pleasure. The tuna steak was excellent and I particularly liked the wrapped cabbage side dish. I found it to be intriguing both in taste and texture. Unfortunately, the stuffed chicken was dry even though it was well seasoned. The ceviche was a little disappointing for its lack of acidic punch. The ceviche tasted more like a wetter version of sashimi. The three desserts we ordered were pleasing, with the toffee being the stand out. The staff was super accommodating in preparing our hit beverages that evening. It was a very enjoyable evening made possible by a superb wait staff. I will bring clients to this restaurant any time.

5 /5 adonis palomo: We went for dinner on February 14th and tried their special Valentine’s menu, and overall it was a really nice experience. Even though it was a set menu, there were still a few options to choose from, which we liked. Everything we ordered tasted great, the portions were good, and the quality of the food was definitely there. The service was very friendly and made us feel welcome the whole time, and the cocktails were also really good. The only small thing we noticed was that the music was a bit loud, and for a special occasion like Valentine’s Day it might have been nicer with something softer or more romantic. Other than that, everything went smoothly and we had a great time. We’d definitely like to come back and try more dishes.

5 /5 DALYA TASLI: Our server Randy gave us some of the best service I’ve experienced at a restaurant and made our night! We came with my family and honestly all loved it. The portions were bigger than we expected and the specialty cocktails were very well made. My sister and I shared the sablefish and it’s basically a miso cod similar to Kasa Moto it was really good. The rigatoni pasta was amazing. My parents were going to share the sea bream but our waiter let us know that it is only one fish butterfly style and may not be enough for 2 and it was very yummy but my mom got through most of it on her own. It does come with its own side of brussel sprouts which were also very good and makes the portion bigger, but good to note it probably won’t fill 2 people. The ribeye was very good, only comes with a little bit of greens so be sure to get a side if you like pairing the steak with something. We got the potato casserole with it and it was so so good I could’ve ordered another. The apps were also delicious and well sized. The atmosphere was beautiful even though it was a foggy night we still enjoyed the view. There are a lot of people taking pics and the entrance is a great spot to get some nice pics without having the flash go off near the tables where people are eating. They don’t validate parking but have a detailed step by step how to find the restaurant guide on Google with pictures which was helpful. Overall we really enjoyed and will be back to try the brunch