Our Faves

Mod Martinis

Rated this place:

This resto-lounge is a great date spot on the bustling Ossington strip between Dundas and Queen. With its retro-chic ambience (picture Austin Powers’ jumbo jet filled with hipsters), Watusi offers a creative and lengthy drink list priced at $10/cocktail including tax. My dirty vodka martini was generously salty and very much enjoyed against a backdrop of retro art, rainbow-coloured windows and vintage lighting.

• Favourite thing(s) at this place:
• martinis
• Ossington bar

Retro lounge fits in on hot Ossington strip

Rated this place:

...Watusi is back -- but this time, in bar form. Restaurant owners Jill Dickson and Darryl Fine (Shanghai Cowgirl and The Bovine) and Alan Thomson (Sotto Voce) have teamed up and turned this old karaoke bar into a '60s-inspired cocktail lounge.

With the hot Ossington strip’s influx of foodie destinations and a handful of vintage shops, a retro resto-lounge fits like a pair of kid gloves. It’s a well-designed space that’s all chic and no kitsch, which can be a good or a bad thing. Cool greys, vintage lights, leatherette bar stools and earth-toned wall panels give it a slick Mad Men vibe (despite the florescent green and orange front window). But, unlike the neighbouring Dakota Tavern that often tricks patrons into thinking it’s been there for decades, there’s no question this is a modern spot...See Full Post

Watusi lags a bit behind the neighbours

Rated this place:

If you don't feel like waiting for a table at one of the strip's more established eateries, you could do worse than Watusi. The banquettes are supremely comfortable, though the tables are too small to hold multiple shared dishes. The lighting is dim, though it could be dimmer, the better to hide the pop art collages on the wall.

Chef Andy Kristoff has one sleeve full of dependable tricks. But when he tries to pull magic from the second sleeve, it is a flop... See Full Post