Henry‘s Restaurant [Toronto] - wine bar with lovely food

DrJohn · February 10, 2024, 2:43am

My wife and I have a simple rule: I am not allowed to try a restaurant without her that she wants to try. However the reverse doesn’t hold; she can try restaurants without me that I want to try. So she went with a friend to try Henry’s, a newish wine bar that is Michelin-recommended. She liked it enough that she returned, this time with me in tow.

On a Friday night, it is a bustling and fairly loud space. There is a small high table at the front that takes you a bit away from the crowd, but does subject you to the chill of the nearby front door. Our waitstaff was friendly, well-informed about the wines and food, and generally attentive. The wine selection by the glass had a nice variety, including some higher end options. The food ranged from fancy comfort food to more refined options.

Wines:

2021 Anthill Farms, Peugh vineyard - nice Russian River chardonnay, pleasantly oaky but very fruity and peachy as well.
2022 Alzinger, Ried hochstrasser, Federspiel, Wachau, gruner veltliner - lovely green apple and blossom, some minerality.
2019 Dominio de Bibei, Godello and Albariño, lapola, Ribeira Sacra - gently oaked and nutty and mineral.
2021 Dominio de Bibei, Mencia blend, Lacima, Ribeira Sacra - delightfully cherry, with almost no tannins and then raspberry at the end.

The smaller dishes are really quite small, closer to single bites. We tried Bubba’s hot fried chicken with mojo verde, pickled shallots, and lime to squeeze, pickled shallots - excellent frying, moist dark meat, tangy sauce with a nice kick.

Shrimp toast in sesame crust, lemongrass aïoli, hot mustard - supple coldwater shrimp, encased in buttery but not too big toast, complemented by a fragrant aioli.

Salt Spring mussels and clams in tom kha, mushrooms, activated charcoal, and 4 pillowy milk buns - a wonderful rich and complex broth and the milk buns were decadent, but 6 shellfish total seemed a bit miserly for $24.

Tostada, snow crab, persimmon, Oaxacan salsa, watermelon radish, various baby greens, and lime - sweet crab nicely balanced with a variety of textures and flavour angles.

Roasted delicata squash, apricot chimichurri, labneh dollops, pepitas, tarragon mojo verde, chunks of red pepper - one of the better dishes of the night, with subtle complexities.

Crown ravioli, polenta, king oyster, Parmesan, hazelnut, and mushroom sauce - loved by my wife; I thought good, but a little one-note.

Grilled steelhead trout, fregola (pasta like pearl couscous), lime gel, butter sauce, salsify chips - skin crisped, flesh raw and delicate in the middle, redolent with lime, a great dish.

Dessert wine:
2021 Straw Wine Mullineux, South Africa, chenin blanc, raisinated on straw - lovely, lots of honey notes.

Spiced carrot cake, pecan praline, sour cream ice cream, bourbon caramel sauce - both the ice cream and sauce had lots of tang, nicely balancing the sweetness of the cake and pecans.

S’mores: maple marshmallow, dark chocolate creme mousseline and German chocolate buttercream, housemade graham cracker - back to fancy fun for the finish.

Estufarian · February 10, 2024, 7:41pm

I was there on Wednesday!
This was my 4th visit (it’s been open much longer than you suggest) with two successes, one OK and one “could do better”.
This time, I was tempted by their ‘special’ wine half price Wednesdays and strongly recommend that strategy as it applies to all the wines on the list (we also had the Anthill Farms Chardonnay).
The appetizers/small bites were top-notch (we also had the hot fried chicken; the shrimp toast and the snow crab tostada; plus the ‘duck liver ice cream cone’).

The mains were marred by being served a bit cooler than we expected (warm, rather than hot) although flavours were good - they did partially discount the bill to compensate. The picanha steak suffered most as the sauce partially ‘set’, but the lamb rogan gosh held its temperature better.
The smores were a fun finish.
Henry’s now back on our rotation - but sadly they don’t list the wines on their website. Our favourite (previously) was the Arnot-Roberts wines (from California) - but they weren’t in evidence last Wednesday (although the Henry’s owner is also the Ontario Agent for Arnot Roberts).

And as it’s the same menu on Wednesdays - that’s the night I’ll attend, as long as the 1/2 price offer continues.

DrJohn · February 10, 2024, 8:01pm

Ah, you are right. I see it was open at least since 2022. We only noticed it last year.

Good to know about Wednesdays.

Josefa · October 14, 2025, 4:10pm

Hi. I’m visiting from Spain next week. Is Henry’s still a good place? I’m staying close by and have been looking for a place that does good wines by the glass as well as interesting food.

Estufarian · October 14, 2025, 5:24pm

Recently, I’ve found the menu ‘less interesting’ and they have also moved towards ‘family dining’ (shared main dishes) - which isn’t my favourite style. Although their wine list is excellent, the by-the-glass selection didn’t thrill me as much (and I haven’t been this summer, so don’t know the current status). Instead, I’ve been going to Ngogo (maybe a 10 minute walk from Henry’s) where I take my own wine (BYOB - Ngogo’s wine list is rudimentary) for a cheaper meal and lower corkage than Henry’s.
If wine by the glass is ‘more’ important, then my choice ‘within a reasonable distance’ would be Archive Wine Bar (Dundas West) excellent wines but food is ‘very secondary’!

Also (25 min walk from Henry’s) is Martine’s Wine Bar - food is better than Archive, but I prefer the wine list at Archive.

Another recommendation is Bar Isabel (despite its name, a restaurant NOT a Bar). Good food and a fair selection of (mostly Spanish) wines by the glass. The same ownership also runs Bar Raval, which I stopped attending because of lack of seating (I don’t choose to ‘stand and eat’), although both wines and food were good. It’s essentially round the corner from Martine’s (mentioned above), so you could check out both at the same time (no res at Raval; can reserve at Martine’s).

[ Edited to add this link
https://starwinelist.com/toronto

I know nothing about this list (could be a paid advertisement) but it does have an interactive location map. It seems to lack any description of the actual wines! ]

Phoenikia · October 14, 2025, 5:28pm

I am annoyed that Bar Raval now doesn’t open until the afternoon. It currently opens at 1 pm daily. It opened at 8 am for the first year or 2 that it was in business. It opened around 11 am from 2018ish until early in 2025.

I have visited Bar Raval around 15 times since it opened.

It was really nice when it was half empty and pretty quiet at breakfast in the early days, and at lunch up until early in 2025. The space inside was beautiful and serene in the morning. They also served nice coffee and sandwiches.

I guess the current business plan is to keep it packed like boquerones for a limited amount of time. I call this the Emmer model of business.

Bar Raval continues to make a lot of money from the drinks they sell in the evening.

I don’t see why Bar Raval can’t keep their restaurant open from 11 am to 2 am, at least 4 days a week if not the whole week.

…
I agree that the food is good at Martine’s.

Vinotecca Pompette is another wine bar with food located nearby. I have not tried the food. Bar Pompette has some light snacks, too.

On Dundas West, I like Viaggio, which is more of a restaurant than a wine bar. It’s a bottle shop that has some food available.

…
When I was doing a perogy crawl with a friend on Roncy last year, we chatted with some people who really liked a wine bar a few blocks south of Café Polonez . I have not been. I will find the place.

While it doesn’t have the same level of food or atmosphere as Martine’s, I enjoy the Portuguese sandwiches and custard tarts at Garrafeira Bottle Shop on College Street

Josefa · October 14, 2025, 6:24pm

Thanks to the recent commenters: I appreciate it. However, I’m British and live in Spain so I really don’t want Spanish, French or Portuguese! Although they do look good. I’m after good wine and contemporary Canadian or North American food in a casual place. I only have three nights and two are already booked. Henry’s appeals to me but I have read a few reviews that made me wonder if it’s still good. We are older travellers but we still like buzzy places! Thanks again for taking the time; I will check out Martine’s.

Phoenikia · October 14, 2025, 6:38pm

Union has what I would consider contemporary Canadian bistro food made with local ingredients and wine by the glass.

Toronto has a large Portuguese and Italian population, and the area around Henry’s is near Little Portugal. Martine’s is in Little Italy. Bossanova, while serving mostly Italian wines, is in Little Poland (Roncesvalles )

In terms of Ontario Anglo Food, it isn’t served at too many wine bars. The wine bars in Canada tend to serve French, Italian, Spanish or Portuguese influenced foods, not the stuff the descendants of puritanical British Loyalists or devout French Canadians were eating 75 years ago.

Toronto is very multicultural as a city, and there is not a lot of demand for traditional or historic Canadian food at upscale wine bars.

There is currently more demand for French, Italian, and Spanish food.

…

We did have a few places serving modern takes on traditional Franco Ontarian, French Canadian, and Anglo Ontarian foods a few years ago, but most have closed.

@Estufarian , @DrJohn , and others , have you seen a Chicken Pot Pie , Tourtiere, Canadian-style shepherd’s pie, or something involving peameal bacon, on any menus that also have good wine by the glass?

I haven’t been looking for that sort of thing , not sure a place like that currently exists in Toronto, with Bannock and Globe Earth long closed.

Canoe might have a few modern takes on traditionally Canadian foods and offer some Canadian wines by the glass. Of course, it isn’t a cozy place or a wine bar like Henry’s or Martine’s.

Union is influenced by French bistro food but it’s also pretty Canadian .

…

Antler Kitchen Bar might be the best bet for things that are found in Canada and not in Spain. I have not eaten there.

Josefa · October 14, 2025, 7:44pm

Thanks. I appreciate all the tips and will check them out.

Estufarian · October 14, 2025, 9:08pm

Attempting to summarize the categories:

Good selection of wines by the glass: vast majority are European wines. If food, the vast majority are ‘tapas’ and strongly Spanish influenced (with some Italian)

Good food and wines: most are Bottles (not by the glass)

Non-European wines: relatively few – and where they exist, serve mainly cocktails.

If there are any exceptions not yet mentioned they may not be local to your neighbourhood!

Not mentioned so far (and may not be easily reached from your location).

Rasa is good and they have a sister place called Sara that’s not too far (I haven’t been to Sara).

Loopline Wine Bar (food is ‘acceptable’, but nibbles not mains). In theory has good Canadian wines, but typically only have a rotating ‘half-dozen by the Glass’.

Grape Witches (another tapas place)

And one that’s ‘on my list to try’ but haven’t yet been:

And/ore (only 5 minutes from Henry’s) – I’m speculating the ‘upstairs’ place will be more suitable.

And a little background:

US wines are ‘banned’ in Ontario (response to tariffs) so you’re potentially looking at availability of South America; Australia/New Zealand; South Africa, Canadian (with a sprinkling of Eastern European). Availability of South American is ‘very limited’ – those places usually serve Spanish. The only South African I attended is ‘long gone’. ‘Many’ Canadian serve ‘cheap only’ (I did have good at both Rasa and Loopline, but limited selection). Australian – difficult to find ‘interesting’ lists. I used to go to Peter’s Pantry (Australian sommelier – now departed) which closed and was replaced by Neverland – a wine bar, but I can’t find any actual food menu (although the space is part of Peter Pan Bistro (next door)).

honkman · October 14, 2025, 9:30pm

I am pretty sure they have made a cost analysis and obviously they don’t make enough money during the extra hours to justify the costs (salary etc)

Phoenikia · October 14, 2025, 9:51pm

I realise that.

Bar Raval is part of a local and trendy restaurant group that is making a killing.

The same group owns Martine’s and Bar Isabel, also mentioned in this thread.

https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-at-martines-wine-bar-a-nostalgic-farm-to-table-restaurant-from-the-bar-raval-team/

There are almost no upscale restaurants that are currently serving lunch outside Yorkville and the Financial District.

Before I moved into the neighbourhood where Bar Raval is located, I was often travelling 6 miles to Bar Raval, for their breakfast or brunch.

I get that it’s their business model. The vibe at Bar Raval is very different in the evening when it’s packed with people under 39 who are drinking a lot, compared to vibe when the old daytime crowd, which was a more mixed demographic in terms of age, used to visit.

Phoenikia · October 14, 2025, 10:07pm

some other thoughts here:

I would avoid Gia, which is mentioned in the interview. The food doesn’t taste very good.

honkman · October 14, 2025, 10:14pm

As you wrote yourself “ It was really nice when it was half empty and pretty quiet at breakfast in the early days, and at lunch up…” - a restaurant which is open and half empty isn’t something which will help the restaurant to survive. And I also don’t see why other restaurants from the same restaurant group should subsidize another restaurant, that would be a really bad business decision. So, I don’t think it is their business model to not open during lunch and breakfast (because that is the best business model for any restaurant if they can get enough customers)

Josefa · October 14, 2025, 10:21pm

Interesting article, thank you.

Phoenikia · October 14, 2025, 10:42pm

over the past 6 years, after I became immune-compromised which is why I continue to avoid crowded restaurants,
Bar Raval was an upscale restaurant that I patronized during the day, where I felt comfortable and welcome.

I understand why they shortened their hours.

I’m not saying they should have to stay open to accomodate clients like me.

I am saying I miss their old hours. I am also saying the vibe when their restaurant is packed at night is not my cup of tea.

For upscale breakfasts in Toronto, I don’t think any currently have a Spanish vibe. Most upscale breakfasts that are currently open during the week are inside hotels.

DrJohn · October 15, 2025, 1:03am

I second Canoe as an option, for a focus on Canadian ingredients, wines, and the occasional nod to a Canadian classic.

Actinolite is another great place focusing on local and often foraged ingredients.

Antler is a good suggestion., although I haven’t been in years.

Since the demise of Bannock, I don’t know of a place you can sit down for tourtiere, poutine, pickerel, and butter tarts.

Give Canadian wines a chance. Ontario does some fine dry Rieslings, lighter Chardonnay, Pinot Noirs, and sparkling wines. Look for Pearl Morissette, Tawse, Leaning Post, and others. We have good local beers also.

Josefa · October 15, 2025, 6:03am

We love Canadian wines! We are doing a tour on one of our three days to Tawse, Megalomaniac and Domaine Clos Jourdan . i’ll check out everything everyone is recommending.

Phoenikia · October 15, 2025, 11:40am

season Six on Ossington is a farm to table restaurant, which has 2 Ontario wines listed on their site.

I have not been.

It describes itself as California French, but it looks like Toronto bistro food to me

caviartothegeneral · October 15, 2025, 1:48pm

A bit of a trip from your location - I like the selection of wines by the glass at Grey Gardens. I also like the food - perhaps not identifiably “contemporary Canadian” but eclectic in influence - and I like the relaxed atmosphere and personable service.

Regular HO poster @DrJohn has an excellent series of posts about this restaurant: https://www.hungryonion.org/t/grey-gardens-always-a-dependable-place-for-great-food-and-wine-toronto/34359