I don't think I have ever been as disappointed in a restaurant as I was (and so was my wife and our 2 friends) as when we went to Barberian's a couple of weeks ago. Dinner before going to see Hamilton at Mirvish. My wife...and I both had the baked halibut. How do you screw that up? You overcook it so that it is tough and dry. Ah, you say "why do you have fish at a steak house?" Because the steak prices were ridiculous! As was the price for the wine and the fish!. Our friends did have steak and neither were happy with their meal. This has to be an "expense account" restaurant, or one of those places to see and be seen. Because I can't imagine anyone going for the food. Service was good though. At $411.00 for 4 people (including one grossly overpriced bottle of wine), this was an expensive and overrated ode to the past glory of the Toronto steak house world. So many better options, including the Thai restaurant across the road.More

I've been going to Barberian's since the mid 1970s. When I was called to the bar in 1976 we had a celebratory dinner here. Whenever my wife & I visit Toronto, we return here on our night of arrival (it's open late) for a delicious...steak/prime rib meal. This Valentine's Day the place was packed, so our meals came somewhat slower than usual (not inordinately so); the waiter took it upon himself to buy us a round of drinks due to the delay, a nice touch.More

I use Barberian's Steak spice whenever I barbecue. I was last there in 1989 and I remember that night as one of the epicurean delights of my younger life. I was so looking forward to going back. Should have left it a memory! Overall this...was no longer a top end steak house like Gibby's or Magnans in Montreal. It was not even competition for the Texas Roadhouse, Longhorn, or Keg chains. Everyone in our party was so disappointed. The garlic bread was super. The pickled vegetables were great if you like pickles. Everything else was substandard. One of our party had the soup. He said it was OK. 2 had the Caesar salad. Although it was easily enough to share. With no croutons, no Parmesan, and no bacon bits it was just romaine with a lackluster dressing. I had the jumbo shrimp cocktail. Yes the 3 shrimp (for $34) were huge, but somewhat dense, and with a tiny amount of seafood sauce (which was very tasty to be fair) in a dishette so small I couldn't dip the shrimp in it. The wine list was extremely extensive, and extremely expensive. We had a pleasant Argentinian Malbec which was good, but at $80 a bottle, it should be! That was about the least expensive on the menu. For entrees, I had the 16 oz rib steak. My wife the 9 oz Fillet, and our guests the Halibut fish special. Nobody finished their food. My wife's steak was overcooked on one side and under on the other. It was dry. She left 3/4 of it (or about $40 worth). Our guests said their fish was very dry and overcooked - they left 1/4. My steak was essentially tasteless and in some areas so thin that it was almost steak frites. The baked potatoes were undercooked, and the sour cream, feta cheese and simulated bacon bits seemed incredibly bland. The cappucinos were good. There are so many fine restaurants in Toronto where over $100 per person would have bought a feast. Oh well, next timeMore

Had visited this restaurant once before in the late 80's ... was impressed then even more so now. We celebrate our 50th anniversary here and it could not have been a better choice for dinner. The food was exceptional ... a steak ordered medium rare...appeared exactly so ... well done also perfect. Wine choice was from the "house wine list" ... (left the Chateau Margot$ in the cellar}. If you go ask to see the wine cellar ... amazing! I could not end this review without mentioning the attentive service we received from our waiter, Roger. Many thanks for making this a truly memorable occasion.More

What can I say, everything was wonderful. The toasty buns and pickled veggies to start were awesome, the french onion soup and escargot were delicious and the steak was so tender that u could cut it easily with a butter knife. The prices are high...so it's definitely a special occasion thing for most of us, but what a special occasion it was!!More

Definitely not what we were expecting. Just when we were ready to give this place another try , it turns out nothing has changed. In fact , it got worse ! The steak is not AAA and the sides, well....you can get much better in...the frozen food isles of a local grocery store.More

A large group of us came here for our yearly Christmas party. Our group of 8 got a private room that worked out wonderful for us. The food was excellent although a little pricey we all enjoyed skipped dessert because were more interested in boozing...it up. I would go back on a date with someone special.More