Intimate diner for excellent food and cocktails. The ambiance is dark but with colorful dim lighting at the right spots. The beef cheeks were especially good. Great spot for dates or small groups.

Can’t say enough good things about Founder. Cocktails are fabulous but the dark horse is the food - Chef Kendall is very talented and his dishes are not only super tasty, but he incorporates interesting twists into them as well. If you are a foodie this is the place to check out in the west-end For more great eats around Toronto, check out my feed @instantonium on Instagram

The most surprising thing about this place was how empty it was! Unfortunately, that affected the lively atmosphere we were looking for but I’d still recommend giving it a try. We ordered a few apps for the table and they were all very good, but nothing exceptional or memorable. The decor is really nice and I loved the look in there. I’d like to give it another try sometime but it’s not at the top of my list. Overall, Founder was good but not something that stands out in a city filled with good restaurants and bars.

It was our first visit to Founder restaurant & cocktail bar, and it was excellent. The service was fantastic and the food was delicious. The crab rolls and green curry fried chicken were probably the highlights. The cocktails were fabulous as well. We hope to visit again soon! Definitely worth checking out if you're looking for a unique dining experience in the Dundas West area.

One of our absolute favourite restaurants in the city. The food is fantastic and the cocktails are in a league of their own. A perfect spot to go for a special occasion or when you want a guaranteed great night. We were served by Ash, who was attentive and gave us great and honest recommendations for food and drink. Excited to come back soon!

Nice chic but cozy restaurant, a bit on the quiet side but we didn't mind it. We can actually chat. Food tasted great but a bit smaller portions but it's ok. Drinks were Great too and creative. Worth a visit I think.

Very accommodating cocktail bar and restaurant. Arrived just as the kitchen was closing and they allowed us to order quickly and was served exceptionally fast. Beautiful, simple and elegant interior - would be perfect for a private party. Bartender (who’s name I didn’t get) was so friendly and open to chat! Loved this spot for a night cap!

Liked this place for their cocktails. They were complex and well balanced. I wish they have more fruity options on the cocktail menu. Food was good and service was excellent. Loved the ambience as well. Would definitely recommend to try atleast once.

It is an absolute gem of a cocktail bar in the city. The ambience is subtle and relaxing. Daniel is an amazing mixologist. The cocktails are tasty and he was attentive and great with elaborating on the drinks in the menu which makes it a special experience. I absolutely loved their well crafted classics: Negroni and Rye Manhattan. We’ll be back!

What a gem of a place! Jason was our mixologist and delivered some dazzling cocktails that took the palate on a journey of complex layers that paired amazingly well with their food! I will certainly be back!

Came here for cocktails. The servers were not lying when they said that the drink I ordered was going to be spirit forward! Wanted my drink to have a more cocktail taste, but all I really tasted was gin. Overall, place has a cute vibe, nice servers, and the bites were good. Would like to give it 3.5🌟 but I can’t on this app.

From the moment we walked into Founder to the end of our dinner, it was a complete experience. Everything from our server, the decor, the presentation of the food and the taste was AMAZING. On Sunday’s you have the Prix Fixe menu and some A la carte items which for three people, the Prix Fixe plus three items from the A la carte was more than enough. Our eyes were just bigger than our stomach’s.

Came here with 2 other girlfriends for cocktails after dinner one day but ended up ordering their Beef Tartare and Corn Ribs! The Beef Tartare was wowwwww amazing and a generous portion! Their cocktails were really good too and the server was knowledgeable about all the drinks on the menu and gave great recommendations 👍 Can't wait to come back for a dinner one day!

Drinks are great! Food is delicious, green curry chicken is crispy and juicy. Catfish skewer is my favourite. Decor is beautiful. Ceilings are beautiful. Can't wait for the Grand opening! Gonna be a new hot spot for sure.

This restaurant is a hidden gem. I had the best spicy margarita I've had in awhile. There are so many great plates to order and we weren't sure what we wanted and in what order and the waitress made great recommendations to help us create our menu. Beautiful ambience and finally a place that isn't blasting music! I'll be back soon for another cocktail.

I received a private dining experience due to a company sponsored dinner so this review may seem more biased. I didn't have to pay for my food or drinks so this will effect the review. 💵 : $0 (but I think it would have been $120 for the chef experience + 2 drinks) 🍽️ : chef experience + whiskey sour + a drink where I requested for something sweet 💛 : loved everything. The wait staff was super accomodating to our table as one of the ladies was GF, dairy free and was allergic to eggs 💔 : wish I knew what the second drink was called but nothing bad otherwise - the food was spectacular, little small if you're sharing it with 4 people. Might be better with 2 - the tapioca pudding was a miss with a couple of people in my group (the tapioca was not a fan favourite) - atmosphere is lovely but it's in a sketchier part of Toronto - highly recommend the fried dessert towards the end of the night I'd come back here again only if someone picked up my entire tab

This place is the definition of being a flavour punch bag!!!!! Each dish we ordered was as good as it could be, perfectly seasoned meat each time and boy, did the dessert blow us away!!!! The drinks were phenomenal and Angus, our server and barkeep, made sure the service was impeccable as well! Cannot wait to be back to try the rest of their offerings! Such a hidden gem!

Fabulous food & exquisite cocktails. The bartender/cocktail menu curator Ben, was amazing at mixing us up surprise cocktails based on our preferences (even non-alc options). He was a pleasure to learn from and he has a great assortment of Amaro liquors. I’d highly recommend the chefs choice tasting menu if it is available when you visit - everything was delicious!

The Food, the service and the atmosphere were all top notch at the Founder. My wife and I went to celebrate our wedding anniversary at the Founder and we were so glad that we chose this restaurant. The fried chicken in green curry which was their special on the day was just incredibly delicious. We ended up ordering another round of it. We also enjoyed the oysters and short rib, my wife had some sparkling wine and I tried their mescal old fashioned which was a very well made and well balanced cocktail. Our server was exceptional too, he gave us our space, but also knew to be there when we needed something. All in all it was a splendid experience at the Founder. Highly recommended!!!

Went with a party of 8 and tried almost everything on the menu. It was all excellent : the mushroom fresh rolls, Brussels sprouts, beef rib and tasty take on fried chicken real stood out. The sauce for the gnocchi tasted home made. Great take on arugula salad with the addition of fennel. Loved all of it. Space was very “New York.” I would recommend and will go back. Thank you chef.

Lets begin with the cool space and nice atmosphere when you walk in. The staff is very nice and accommodating. With our party we had a bit of everything in our group. The drinks and cocktails were very good and was the highlight of the night. They had a great presentation and taste. For dinner we ordered half the menu to see what was going on. The oysters were excellent and tasty. Best dish of the night. The lobster roll was off the hook but there were 2 tiny bites and seriously not worth the $30 The gnocchi was incredible and very filling, one of the best dishes. Octopus was another miss with the small piece very chewy at one end and burnt on the other. The lamb ribs were half fat and again not happy with that. The shishito peppers were very good and was a crowd pleaser. The steak tartare was also very good and was my favorite dish of the night. At the end the night out was $150 a person and not even a meal. The quality for the most part was good, some missed dishes, service was good. I would only come here for the cocktails at best. Not sure if it was a night off but I had higher hopes based on previous posting. Maybe its the new winter menu?

First time dining at this establishment. The drinks were good. The food was good. The chef/owner came out to explain the dishes and was friendly. However, the server was drunk on the job. She chose not to write our orders down and ended up messing up our orders. She also told us the Spanish wine we ordered was from Oregon. We ended up getting charged for the extra item that we didn't order, and got a complimentary dessert instead.

Cute cozy restaurant/bar with ambience:) love the interior. Would recommend for first date night (where you are really NOT there to eat) and girl night out for a drinks. Food on the other hand ….. it’s really meh. Got the Sunday Prix Fixe menu, only thing I liked was the gnocchi. Maybe get other dishes ?

Great bar with good vibes. Their snack/food list looked great too. I only got to try the green curry fried chicken, but it was delish

Delicious snacks, amazing cocktails. The service was a bit slow cuz there were only two people on a busy Saturday night, one bartender and one server but everything was great.

Really amazing cocktail selection. Very creative drink menu and everything was wildly delicious. Ordered the crab rolls (highly recommended), the green curry chicken (highly recommneded) and the ceviche (not my favourite). The ceviche was good, just not much to it so there was no burst of flavour when compared to the other plates we ordered. Will definitely come back to continue exploring their cocktail menu.

Love the food here. Everything tasted so good. I'm still craving the fried chicken because it was amazing!! Drinks were awesome as well. Will definitely be going back!

ADAM!❤ you're a superstar!!! Amazing customer service ! thank you so much ❤ Food was delicious and drinks are fantastic !!

🧿

Good food but pricey considering quantity

Loved the plants that separate each table on the patio, creating an earthy ambiance. The cocktails were spectacular! Favourite of the night was called "Revenge of the revenge." Presentation of food and drinks were on point. We had the scallop ceviche and octopus. Our server Ash was super professional and knowledgable. Had such a great time. We can't wait to return.