Banu

i cannot say enough about this place. A couple of my Iranian friends took me there the other night for my birthday and it was great! The meats were amazing and the atmosphere was a lot of fun. The owner kept sending rounds of shots to every one (I think it was one of the staff members birthdays also). I highly recommend this place and i will be back

What was supposed to be a pleasant night out for me, my family and friends, and the last night of my holidays in Canada, turned instead into a nightmare of an experience thanks to the lack of manners and right out rude and sarcastic behavior by staff and management at Banu.

As an events and conference organizer for a large multi-national company and an avid traveler I have the opportunity of experiencing the best and sometimes the worst of what the culinary world has to offer; from quaint traditional establishments such as Banu to Michelin star restaurants around the world.

After reading the reviews on the restaurant (which I now believe were planted by the owners of Banu) I expected nothing but a warm and welcoming atmosphere that could introduce me to a unique part of Iranian past and culture. However, from the moment I entered the restaurant I was bombarded with what can only be described as orders: You must sit here, you may not move, the billing must be done like this, you must order now or you may experience long delays in receiving your main course etc- and this all before I even received my appetizer!

I understand that every establishment has its way of working and that depending on its staffing situation / billing requirements it may need to process orders and do billing in a specific way, but that does not mean that the customer should be inconvenienced in such a manner.

After what can only be described as an OK meal and poor service (items missing in our mazzeh plates, hostess that literally bumped into our faces while serving etc) we received our bills. At this stage my company and I noticed several hidden costs for items such as extra bread or pistachios. Now, I mention this not because I am averse to paying 3 $ for a handful of nuts but we were simply not made aware that items such as this, that in other establishments you receive as something to nibble on while you wait, were served at a cost. Had it been mentioned at any point it would not have been a problem.

I think the final straw for me was the error in the actual billing. I requested that my bill was split 50-50 onto two credit cards. What I received was 100-50 distribution on two cards. Had I not noticed this, it would have cost me valuable time upon my return to Europe trying to fix this problem. Again, these things can happen- the distinguishing point is how you deal with them as an establishment!

When I went to the hostess to alert her to the mistake I also implied that the least the establishment could do was to offer complimentary tea. Now, I don’t even like tea- the point is I was expecting something to remedy the disappointment we experienced up to that point. Instead, all I heard was a loud and sarcastic laugh by the person behind the counter at the grill. How uncalled for, unacceptable and irritating…

As we were exiting I asked the person laughing, whether she was the manager of the venue, to which she replied ‘I am the owner’. When I inquired about a method of feedback on the restaurant she proceeded to tell me, in an unfriendly and confrontational manner, that I could tell her directly. Now how I provide feedback is up to me isn’t it? Or can patrons of Banu only provide feedback as it suits ‘the owner’?

‘The owner’ created a very hostile atmosphere in her approach towards a customer not satisfied by the service in her establishment. Suffice to say she raised her voice in her own restaurant and proceeded to yell at me with a knife in her hand, calling me ‘tacky’ and telling me and my company to ‘get out’.

I think this behavior is not only unacceptable but petty and does not belong in North American culture!

Accepting constructive feedback and proper customer service are the pillars in a service industry- especially in North America. Yelling at your customers, even if you think they are in the wrong, will not do you any favors, particularly during a global economic crisis

I strongly suggest that ‘the owner’ of Banu is kept away from customers until she is educated on the art of customer care.

Cozy trendy place on Queen W. Friendly environment. Seats are not very comfortable and space is limited just like a typical bar&grill in downtown. Has some eastern touch into it. Shishas served are satisfactory. Food is ok nothing typical, purely eastern stuff. I probably had better Persian kebob before, but the bread was spectacular. small menu, not a lotta choices in appetizers. Waitresses are mostly students, not professional but friendly. Maybe not the best place to toss a bill, but it's worth a try.

Excellent food, service, ambience. Excellent quality for the price and unique atmosphere. Went there for the first time and will go back again and again and again. I like good food and am ready to pay premium for premium qulaity, no doubt. Its an atmosphere that I''d be proud to take my non-Persian friends to and show authencity combined with class.

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I can't make this stuff up. Sadly, it's true, and probably one of the worst restaurant experiences I've ever had.

A bunch of us went to Banu. We knew the food is ridiculously expensive, but we thought it would be worthwhile. Oh how wrong were we! A friend of mine asked for a diet coke with his order. The coke didn't arrive, and after 20 minutes my friend asked the waitress what happened to the coke. Another 5 minutes passed only for the waitress to come back and say that they're out of diet coke. My friend, very politely but firmly, then said why it took them so long to tell him they don't have diet coke? And in minutes, the 2nd waitress came to the table, pulled a chair and sat down, with a regular coke in her hands and looked at my friend and told him that diet coke is bad for him, why would he want diet coke? After some complaining by us, the waitress lost it and said this is not a restaurant in china town, she can kick all of us out if she wants to!!! What the hell???

To make it worse, I think those waitresses are the owners (sisters actually ... one of them is just horrid and plain arrogant)!!! Unbelievable.

Service aside, the food isn't anything special... but prices are waaaaaaay too high, just because it's a "trendy" place.

Horrible experience. Avoid the place and save yourself some stress.

The service and the food were faboulos! I recommend this place this place to anyone who appreciate the small details in things.

I'll give them this - their food was okay. What was not okay was making us wait 2+ hours to get our food. We arrived and placed orders before 9:00 PM and did not receive meals until just after 11:00 PM. When we complained to one of the owners, we were faced with complete attitute and disregarded. Nothing was comped on the bill, we ended up with a $270 tab which they were kind enough to add 15% gratuity to... I highly recommend you do not go through this experience. As a paying customer, I have never been so poorly treated by any type of food establishment - McDonald's treats their patrons better!! Beware - management lacks consideration and does not realize that the customer should always be treated with dignity & respect, especially when they are in the right.

Great Food... Great Ambiance... Great Music...