Rectory Cafe in Toronto

Love this patio! A true must visit for all visitors from outside the city as well as any Torontonian who has never visited.

The best service we've ever experienced at any cafe in Toronto. Treated our 2 dogs like they were humans. Great food, fantastic ambience, best place to be on the hottest day in Toronto! Thank you Ken for your exceptional attention to our party of humans and dogs! The Rectory Cafe on Ward's Island has always been one of our favorite Toronto spots and after our wonderful afternoon yesterday, it most definitely sits at the very top of our restaurant choices. We'll be back again soon. A big thank you from Otis & Oszkar!

The tacos were excellent, but the nachos were awful. The nachos were very overpriced for what tasted like commercial tortilla chips and store-bought salsa. The sangria was incredible, great balance and lots of fresh fruit in the pitcher. The desserts were incredible as well. I highly recommend the parfait.

It's a lovely spot great location but the service was honestly very poor. I'm not sure if they were shortstaffed. I can overlook a few things but when it takes almost 30 minutes to place your order your weight stuff keeps forgetting items and at the end of the bill is a little short snappy I have to say I probably wouldn't repeat. I'm trying to keep an open mind did review because I really like the location but the meal isn't really that great for what you paid for I ordered the pulled pork sandwich was good but deafly not $15. I honestly was a little bit bummed because I expected it to be a lot better. Yes they have Wi-Fi but no one on the patio could connect.

Awesome island restaurant. Friendly staff, great food and delicious beer. The views are awesome too. Make sure to sit on the patio.

Good food and service at reasonable price

Cool vibe and great waterfront view. The music is soo canadian I love it! The only reason why I'm giving five stars is for the bad sangria. We've tried many but this is lacking orange juice and that makes it too lame. The kale salad, the natchos and the gaspacio soup is awesome!

Essentially a small plate dining experience with wonderful outdoor seating and leisurely service

This was our 1st visit since the new ownership/reopening. Overall the food was good, although the portions were small and we miss the old menu. Wait staff were attentive although we miss the ambience of previous ownership and wait staff especially “Trent”. Washrooms were really gross, in need of serious cleaning!We will likely return but hope the next experience will be better.

A very pleasant, shaded outdoor courtyard to sit in for a luncheon. Evan, the server was super! I tried the Halloumi Cheese sandwich...it was absolutely delicious, quite filling and it was served with a side of greens. This could become a new comfort food for me. Paired with soup, I did find it a bit too much for lunch. Next time I will probably stick with the sandwich.

Great atmosphere and nice selection of meals, served by friendly staff. The mussels, nachos, and toffee blondie are AMAZING!!! However, the gazpacho didn't taste authentic -- a bit chunky and spicy (maybe our Catalan tongues are too picky). Overall, definitely a great spot visiting and coming back.

Amazing pizza!

Beautiful setting for summer time (under trees, beside the lake) and sandwiches were amazing. Definitely will try Entre next time. Service was okay but we had to wait very long. They do have a kids menu & high chair, but it wasn't really kids friendly.

One of the loveliest spots on the island. Food and service is excellent and the patio is beautiful.

Rude and resist staff..

What can I say, once we received our starter the waiter did not bother to show up for 45 minutes thereafter. We noticed he visited other tables multiple times within that time frame. We needed more salsa for our nachos and refills for our drinks. However, by the time he showed up the nachos as you would assume in 45 minutes were cold and stale. We did not even bother to get refills or our main course at that point which we were REALY looking forward too. Food however, was great! (Even though we only had half of our starter...) Also, the hostess was very professional and friendly 5/5.

Great view and service all the time. Fantastic island venue

We are a supplier to this establishment and I know some of the staff and management. But honestly, I have sat at the bar as a customer on a few occasions. Each time, I've had something to eat. The burgers are easily the best on the island, and I've tried the burgers at each of the yacht clubs and the marina. None of the other places have burgers that are as tasty. They also feature Steam Whistle tallboy cans at 3 for $11. What a deal! The lake front patio is relaxing and the service is second-to-none. (And yes those are our HDTVs on the patio)

GREAT FOOD AND LOCATION! Located on the Toronto Islands, it's just a boardwalk away! Perfect little place for a pint and some very tasty food. Great atmosphere and staff!

New management for this restaurant. The place itself is really great with a very nice yard, lots of shade and stays cool even on hot days. The quality of the food however, was way below expectations even given the reasonable price. It was more an assembly of ingredients rather than cooking. The portions were also small and not filling. The rice in the poke bowl was overcooked. The ravioli were undercooked. The kitchen was also slow: 40mn of wait for a salad and even more for some menu items that didn’t arrive at the same time.I would be okay going there for a drink to enjoy the place, but definitely not to eat.

Great patio and very good food.

The food is amazing. We were expecting good food, but it surpassed our expectations! Their fall menu is comfort food, but far better than you've ever had before! Great service and friendly staff.

The aroma of this place was unreal. Unfortunately we didn’t eat off the menu, we stopped by for drinks only. but every time the runners went by with food I would turn to look because it smelled really good. the waiter was super friendly and their outdoor patio is cute.

An awesome retreat to head to on a summer Sunday. The staff is really friendly and the Sangria is fantastic.

Visited today and absolutely loved this little place. Staff very friendly and helpful, incredible food, recommend the nachos and chocolate and walnut cake. Would love to come back when we visit the city again.

The outdoor patio is really lovely, and that's what drew me to it. It is treed, so there is shade if you need it and umbrella tables for all. The food is healthy Bistro fare and slow roasting seems to be a specialty. Pulled pork sandwich, pulled chicken or pork tacos are delicious. Inside, the rectory has been renovated with live edge tables, a great looking bar and is nicely appointed with local art.

We went to this place because we got tired, hungry and wanted a break.The staff were hard to differentiate but was not a big problem. The location is amazing, it has a nice vibe to it, full of greens and it is right beside the path from wards Island to Centre Island.If you’re looking into nice walking or running adventure, it is good to go to wards island and walk your way to the centre island.The food was ok, not exceptional, it was also a bit overpriced for what you get, meaning that for the same price you get better food than here, but remember this place is on an island and in a isolated place.Overall it was a good place to just sit down relax and drink or eat something, while enjoying the nice view.If you like this review please click “like” to the thumbs up button :), thanks

They recently opened their outdoor patio with Phase 2 COVID-19 restrictions Beautiful view, friendly attentive staff snd eclectic menu.The only sit down restaurant open on the Toronto Islands July 2020.

Cook is great, but service is horrible. We waited for our take out order for 1 hour.

Toronto island is one of those places I should go more often. It's like a getaway from the city without going anywhere and part of that feeling is generated by places like the rectory.Located by the water this place has the feel of being at some rich friend of a friends backyard party. The attitude here is laid back, perhaps too laid back for Toronto proper but it suits the island. Still I haven't mentioned the food. I had the burger which is of the smashed variety which I like but being a neurotically picky eater I was disappointed to find onions in with the ground meat. Also note no fries here only potato chips. Maybe that contributed to that backyard BBQ feel but it's hard not to miss french fries when eating a cheese burger. I will say the people I was with all enjoyed their meals but for me the setting was what made this place worth it for me.

My husband and I had a wonderful lunch last weekend. Service was a little slow but it was really busy and we weren't in a rush so it didn't matter. Sun with mottled shade from the beautiful trees, great music, cold beer, and I had the chicken sammie, which was spectacular!

edamame and juice were nice service not so

Outstanding views on the outdoor eating patio. The Slam Burger is very tasty. But the real star here is the nachos. Phenomenal and very shareable.Be aware that the extras are extra expense. Even the soft drinks aren't refillable. But the view is so worth it.

Delicious food, great service, reasonable prices. Best restaurant/bar on the island. Must visit!

The nicest place to eat on the island. They don't rip you off despite this. The patio is shady and perfect on a hot day. Lots of vegetarian options.

İt's a great place with a nice outside seating but the food is horrible. Water tastes like beer and food is burned. When you complain about it they claim that many people like burnt food. Also overpriced for the quality.

Had a great experience at the rectory, the burger was amazing and staff was very welcoming. The burger I had was a great size and tasted delicious, almost felt like home in Texas. Please don't be afraid to hang and grab a bite to eat here, the people are awesome and Jessica was a cool waitress who knew pleanty about the island.

Beautiful cafe next to the lake with breathtaking view. Well maintained area. Wishing a place like this would never close. Please come visit them and hopefully keep them alive. This is a rare gem place you will never find in city of Toronto. Thanks Rectory Cafe for wonderful service you provide!

Such a nice place for this restaurant. You can sit inside or out. Outer area has more space and is easy to access if you are walking through the lake trails. The food was fantastic and the service is great as well. Walk around the island and if want a peaceful place with good pricing compared to everything else there, then this is the place for you. Thanks to the staff for making it a great environment and kitchen staff for making their dishes look great. If I can give one suggestion to the owners it would be either get rid of the chips that you put on most of your dishes or make them fresher and tastier. That’s all.

Thank you so much to Ken at the Rectory Cafe for making our special day unforgettable! We could not have found a more perfect venue, from the food to the setting. The dinner was absolutely delicious and the dessert was out of this world! Ken went above and beyond to make this a special night for us, and we could not be more grateful for his kindness.

Nice place on the island with big patio around back

The Rectory was a great base camp for exploring the islands on a chilly 2° October day. Nice and warm with great desserts, a lovely staff, and a nice atmosphere too. No drink menu so be sure to say what you want or ask for recommendations. They're a very helpful bunch with a great attitude. Also be sure to try out their special homemade caramel Blondie and their three meat chili. Mouthwatering!

We used to love this restaurant mainly because of the beautiful setting. It seems to have changed a lot under the new management. Half way through our dinner the big umbrella crashed down on the table and dumped our drinks all over my dress and sandals. I was soaking wet and sticky, and I also hurt my arm when the umbrella fell. We explained to the manager that they need to anchor the umbrellas under the tables because people could be seriously injured. He acted pretty unapologetic and didn't seem to really care.

Nice place to have a meal and few drinks on the Toronto Island. The patio is huge and shady. Even when it's hot feels very agreeable. Food is good and price is fair, many options of drinks as well. Worth a visit if you are strolling around the island.

A laid back place with laid back staff. A decelerated part of Toronto with tourist prices and selections. Get in the mood, grab a drink and enjoy the calm and scenery.

Service was terrible. Staff were not friendly. We were served by Jessica. Food overprice. So sad I come to visit Toronto as a foreign and I get this kind of service. Jessica needs to improve a lot. Probably, it was not her day. Atmosphere was nice, great patio outside.

What Gem of a place we walked on the board walk and the sun was out a beautiful hot day and found this place. Parched we ordered cold drinks staff where running around serving customers very busy place we had the nachos as a snack very very nice The Burgers looked amazing as well The view from the patio is great I would recommend this place

Huge decline from 2016, service was very slow. Plastic cups because they run out of the glasses?? Over 40 minutes wait from ordering, for a salad that was pre made. Burgers were overwhelmed by the cocktail sauce. If the kitchen can't keep up with 300 seating why are there so many seatings? Real poor management.

Nice restaurant food was ok service not great but wanted to support the island businesses

I was so happy to near the reopened Rectory Cafe was open until 11pm. However, I was not happy to find out that they only offer nacho chips after 9pm. If they are going to stay open late, then please offer late night snacks and dessert. Some people do need something to eat with a drink. I want to give this place a try for dinner. The menu, however, looks more pub fare centre, and more expensive than the previous ownership.