The Rectory Café

Sat out on the patio for a pitcher of Amsterdam brew with another guy on a Saturday afternoon. Fantastic viewpoint and with the shade it’s a great place to cool off, just minutes from the beach.

You can’t beat the location or ambience. The large patio, surrounded by trees and overlooking the lake, is perfect.
The rest was a bit disappointing. Service was okay but made us feel like a bit of an inconvenience. The food is fine, but nothing to write home (or Unilocal) about. Prices are higher than the food deserves.
I was particularly disappointed with my $ 20 chickpea green chili dish, which came out as a tiny portion of chili on the side of an enormous pile of white rice. It’s a chickpea and lentil dish, it costs you almost nothing, and you’re charging high-​end prices, so why are you skimping on the portions?
The patio is nice enough that I might come back for drinks or coffee, but I wouldn’t return for a meal.

Very badly disorganized. Called Rectory today, confirmed what time they were closing. We Arrived today at 3:45pm knowing the kitchen closes in 45 minutes, first massively nice day at the island this year, we got in a line for a table. We were 8^th person in line. Servers told us to be patient they were cleaning tables (plenty looked available). We waited 30 minutes in line before someone actually told the whole line that they were shutting the whole kitchen down at 4:30pm and basically they would only serve 4 more people at the front of the line, they literally didn’t want to seat people who had waited in line for 30 minutes beside the fact the kitchen was open for a while!!! Why could no staff member have told us that while they say us waiting in line for so long? Eventually like 20 people were in line. shutting down early they turned away a ton of people. I go to Toronto Islands all time and have never ate at the Rectory but have heard such bad reviews of bad, slow service and ridiculously overpriced food and well… now I get it to. Won’t bother trying to go back.

OK this is the spot when you are visiting the Island. Don’t bother with all the other places, choose a time (Mid afternoon) on a warm day. Sit out the back on the patio, enjoy a selection of wine or beer. Then hit the menu. Such a great setting, great food and really is the gem on the island.

Super chill spot on the island. Just a ferry ride away from downtown. Very cute setup, it’s a good change of pace.
Staff are really friendly too! (they get more friendly, the more you drink the spiked coffee :)

Competition for good food on the island: zilch
Incentive to serve good food: very low
Quality of food: high, even compared to restaurants on the «mainland»
I often do bike trips or long distance runs around the island and on one balmy summer day my friend and I came across this lovely restaurant.
The Rectory Café probably claims titles for the most picturesque patio in all of Toronto. Tables are situated in the garden where you dine under the shade of tall trees, chirping birds and surprisingly non-​aggressive squirrels. The trees make the whole restaurant seem like it’s in a middle of a dome made by Mother nature. If you are facing the entrance, you get an extraordinary view of the south side on Lake Ontario.
As a die-​hard pescatore linguini fan, I actually really liked the dish they served. I’m happy to say I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of food. Espresso was great and so was the salad. You could taste the freshness of their food and I think they did a spectacular job with the seasoning.
The one downside of this restaurant is that it’s kind of hard to find. It’s located on the very South side of Toronto Island, abutting Ward’s Island and the Disc Golf Course. You might have to ask some locals for directions.
Interesting fact about the Rectory Café. In the 1960s, the Metropolitan Toronto government started demolishing island homes to protect residents from the periodic waves. The Rectory House is one of only TWO surviving houses on the west of the island.
If you have a chance, check out the stucco house that is now used as the kitchen. Presumably, the engineer employed the same principles in building seawalls to build the house in response to the flooding.
Would highly recommend this place if you are on the island!

Perfect spot for a relaxing dinner and walk. Came here with partner and dog. Dog friendly patio made this the perfect choice. The special appetizer were shrimp tacos which were so good we ended up ordering another. Service is a bit slow but it had an island feel which for us was perfect. When our waiter was there, he was charming and great to talk with around food choices and recommendations on the island. Wine selection more limited but some good choices. Not cheap but reasonable for what you get and the environment. Perfect beginning to a quiet evening walk in the island park.

I’m willing to admit that I didn’t have high expectations going in, because the Rectory Café doesn’t have much competition out there on the islands. If you don’t want to eat dripping fast food while top 40 blares in the background, then it’s the RC. But I was surprised. On two counts.
1) the chef has put together a limited but agreeable menu that has something for everyone, and the kitchen cares enough to present this food in its best and most appetizing arrangements. I would describe the food as unexciting, but pleasing.
But then again, maybe I would have enjoyed it more if my dining hadn’t been spoiled by…
2) the worst service I have ever encountered. Our server resentfully greeted us from behind mirrored sunglasses and was annoyed by a question about the brisket burger («look, do you know what brisket is? — sigh — It’s just your basic hamburger»),. She then took our order and sent someone else out to deliver food we hadn’t ordered. She told us, on her way past the table, that she had punched in the wrong meals and we would need to wait. No apology. Twenty minutes later when my friend asked if we could have some bread, she said «it’s only a few more minutes,» again, without stopping and without apology. Another ten minutes passes. Note here that others are getting what we ordered, so I assume she didn’t care to tell the kitchen we were waiting for an order she screwed up. Finally she brings out the meal with a «here it is» and walks away. And proceeds to avoid being near our table until we are finished.
Mistakes happen. I dined out a few weeks ago at a place where the server forgot to bring us things and made an error in the order. He came over to tell us of his error and apologize. The moment we met our server at the RC, I commented to my friend that she seemed quite terse for someone working in a tourist location. I didn’t guess it was going to go from terse to hostile. Maybe she’s been banished to that island as some kind of sentence.
The other servers seemed better. They at least got food to the table and made eye contact. I have no doubt that other diners enjoyed their meals far more.

The food was fantastic. Everything cooked to the right level, greens crisp, steak rare and juicy. Wine choices orchestrated by my server perfect. Only issue orchestration.
Not far off, but the incredible calamari only got joined by the wine as an afterthought. My server warned me about a kitchen overloaded.
It wasn’t bad at any level. It is a place that promises and even delivers in a disconnected way on that promise.
This is a quibble. If you’re coming here do not hesitate. There are nits to be picked, and this seems to me to be a place that pays attention.
And my server was straightforward and honest about what was going on. She helped me with my menu choices. Perfect. She picked thé wine. Perfect.
Only plaint was the orchestration. Not horrible but a minute sideways from a great experience.
Well worth coming here. I will come back.

The food was excellent and so was the outside atmosphere and the service was VG.
Oh and the desserts.yummy.

I visited the Toronto islands with a group of friends and had lunch in the restaurant after a long walk. We called ahead halfway there to ask for a table in the shade and when we arrived, the table for nine was all set up. We were thankful for the shady patio on a hot day.
The server, Jessica, was cheerful and responsive, making our visit a real pleasure.
She anticipated some of our requests for hot water with lemon and had these ready before we even asked. We shared sandwiches and she anticipated our need for extra plates.
We had calamari and the pulled pork sandwich. Both were very good. The pecan tart (almost big enough for four) was the best I’d tasted in a long time — not too sweet with lots of pecan. Overall, quality was very good but the service made it exceptional. I’d make it a destination next time I visit the islands.

The service was great today. The setting is so beautiful .
We had drinks and a yummy chocolate cake.
Prices are pretty good considering the island location and the fact everything has to transported.
Will definitely be returning.

Stumbled upon this delightful little gem on a trip to the Toronto Islands. We were there with my son and his girlfriend visiting from Los Angeles. Our lunch on the patio under the huge trees overlooking the lake was the highlight of the day.
The service was cheerful and friendly. We were seated immediately and had a hard time choosing what we wanted from the menu. A couple of the dishes that looked interesting to try were the Tandoori pulled chicken sandwich or the maple glazed salmon.
In the end I had the Rectory House Salad. I was intrigued by the vanilla vinaigrette and was not disappointed. It was amazing and matched beautifully with the shaved fennel, mandarin segments and candied pecans. Refreshing and so summery. And reasonably priced at $ 11 for a generous portion. I sipped a Tipsy Arnold Palmer, one of the fun cocktails on the list consisting of bourbon, iced tea and lemonade. Perfect for the summer.
The Rectory Café is open all year but they do not accept reservations on weekends and holidays between 12:30 pm and 4:30 pm. The dining room is charming but the patio is glorious. A nice place to linger on our beautiful island. Take the Wards Island Ferry across. Worth the trip!

Lived in Toronto my entire life, been to the island so many times and never knew this place existed.
An amazing patio with and awesome view of the lake and Leslie Street Spit.
Very nice menu with a good selection of food and an interesting drink menu.
I had the arugula salad with feta, tomato and sprouts. Was a very good salad.
Others in our group had the tandoori chicken sandwich and the pulled pork sandwich, all thoroughly enjoyed.
I would definitely come back and would make a special trip just to eat here
Tell everyone about this hidden gem.

As the first restaurant I ate at in Toronto, I am so impressed! Even though I did somewhat forget the name of my meal, it was penne with a spicy pomodoro sauce with grilled chorizo. It was surely delicious and enjoyable, maybe a tad too spicy, but it was delicious! The service was great, and the outdoor patio is so nice and enjoyable. Definitely go on a cool and perfect day to enjoy eating outside, it is surely beautiful!

We sat on the patio on a nice sunny day, and the setting could not have been prettier. The food was pretty good. Salumi platter was pretty descent. So was butter chicken. Burger was a bit dry. The prices are somewhat on the high side, which is somewhat expected, considering that you’re on a island. Service was very good.

Horrible service, we left without our lunch because it came cold and when it was returned to us the server made some cheeky ‘reheated, yummy sandwich over here?’
GTFO

What a wonderful place to eat when on the Islands! Shared a few small plates and beers with my comrades.
Grilled squid — yes, yes, YES! If you’ve never ventured outside of the typical fried version, I urge you to try it grilled. Rectory Café did not disappoint — nice char and cut concertina-​style so the smoke penetrates the inside of the squid’s body. YUM.
A fantastic soup of the day (veggies and garbanzos!) was my meal and we also split a cheese dip with olives and pita — I felt so Mediterranean!
Sadly, I did not go for any of the awesome-​sounding sandwiches or main dishes (was holding out for dinner plans which would begin not too long after this meal); I surely will leave room for those items next time.
Can’t be beat — highly recommended.

I went here last week with a friend to celebrate my birthday, which was the week before. We both ordered the special salad: mixed greens wrapped in slender slices of field cucumber, with warm goat cheese encrusted with cashews and shrimp on the side.
We also ordered the hummus platter, no pictures for that one. Sorry everyone. It came with warm triangled flatbreads, olives, a lemon wedge and the hummus, which looked handmade because of the chunks of chickpeas in it. The hummus was okay.
Their patio is wonderful, nice and big and spacious. Perfect for dinning solo, or paired, or with any other amount of people. The price is a bit high, but you pay for location and this location is atypical from your standard patio.
The service was good, friendly. I overheard the server say the exact same thing to the table next to us, which is okay. No judgment, I get how repetitive working in the service industry is, it made me smile.
I’d go back but for dessert next time.

Well, I am debating between 2 or 3 stars. I guess I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and give 3 stars since I visited only once.
We visited the Island in winter and the Rectory Café was the only option if you wanted to eat anything. Since we were spending most of the day there, we did not have any other choice.
The place is charming, in an old house, a short walk from the ferry and with a patio that would be a good option when the weather is warm. Considering that it was the only place opened on the Island, I expected a wait, but no, plenty of room. Well, when I looked at the menu and noticed the fairly expensive prices (for sandwiches and soups, basic fare), I got part of the answer. After having lunch at the Rectory, I understood why people had brought their picnics with them. Our overly priced bland soup seemed like it was coming straight out of a can, the coffee was fairly tasteless, but the bill quite spicy.
Just bring your lunch with your if you visit the island in winter.