Carman's Club

I am so sad they are closed :( Four of us have been going to Carman's twice a year for at least 5 years. If I could only eat one more piece of steak in my life, it would be a Carman's steak. I used to order the Torontonian and the flavour was incredible! The other couple we go with introduced us to the place because his parents had been going to Carman's for almost 40 years. Only once was my steak not cooked as I would have enjoyed. You are likely to have at least one bad experience at a restaurant because it is impossible to create a perfect experience for every customer every time. I am sorry to see other people didn't enjoy the place. I am truly upset that Carman's is closed. The cottage cheese, garlic bread, pickles and olives served in advance were tasty and meant I did not need to order an appetizer. The service was always very good. The atmosphere was cozy and old style, but made the place charming.
I am back here on restaurantica trying find a new place to go with our friends for our birthday celebrations, but I can't find anything that seems to compare to our Carman's :( We have tried Black Angus in Etobicoke, but the steaks were missing the flavour of the spices from Carman's. Barberian's was just ok, and some items are overpriced. Guess we have lost a treasure. We enjoyed the times we had and wish Carman and his family well in their retirement.

Where on earth did these other people eat??? Our experience at Carman's was a train wreck from start to finish, though I'm certain a saran wrapped egg salad sandwich from a via club car would have provided more satisfaction than anything that came out of Carman's kitchen. The ambiance ranges from desperate dark 1970's suburbs rec room to outright cluttered junk. The food was horrid, to say the least, and 3 out of our 4 dinners were sent back to the kitchen. I love the "steak house" genre but this dump doesn't have it close. You can't charge $65 for beef tenderloin on a wooden board, after you've tossed it in a blend of salted char just because it was preceded by dill pickles, olives, cottage cheese and a baked potato. For those not taken with this collage of culinary smudge, there is a strange cheez-a-doodle filo wrap that tastes of "feet", and the world famous garlic bread that we all spit up in unison like 8 yr old's reacting to a 1rst piece of liver. There is nothing about Carman's that could entice even the most daring visitor. Toronto has some of the best steak houses in North America and this isn't one of them. If you're looking for good steak, Hy's or Harbour top the list, but Carman's doesn't fit in that category. If you're looking to waste good money on bad food and even worse service and decor, you've found your haunt. Make sure to introduce yourself to the creepy old man who may in fact be carman, or at the least his remains. There's nothing like formaldehyde and sagging skin while you're sucking on a delectable dill pickle. Once you leave Carman's you do start to wonder what it must have been like, when it was in its heyday. The pictures on the wall boast celebrity visits from some of Hollywood's classic elite. Except the photos are all black and white and you're instantly reminded that the last time Carman's served up a plate of edible food, color hadn't been invented. These celebrities are long dead...and you'll wish you were too, if you venture into this bad b movie

WILL DEFINETLY BE VISITING AGAIN!!!!!
BEST STEAK HOUSE IN THE CITY!!!
GREAT SERVICE!!!!
My family and I have been eating here for years and have never left with anything but complete satisfaction!!!
The owner is very nice, as well as all the other staff!!!
More restaurants should be this consistent.

The steak at this place is pretty good, however I would not say that it is better than say, Harbor 60 or Morton's. Also they do not offer much choice in their menu as far as, for example, sides or desserts go. The service was solid, the decor inside is definitely unique although it seems a bit old.

I think this place offers a great deal for somebody who loves steak - for around $50 you get a complete dinner including dessert.

However if you would like to have a better atmosphere and more menu items, I recommend a place such as Harbor 60 (though it is more expensive).

Bad service...they took over 15 minutes to bring our per-order drinks! The wine and corkscrew in it, the salad was cold and seemed like it was leftover from the day before.

My filet mignon was half decent, but I've had much better elsewhere for less $$$$$.

To top it all off the Owner seemed weird and "out of it" as my date had stated. He was creepy and tried to hit on her (what would a 24 year old woman want from such an old man?)

I will NEVER be back!

The Wife and I have eaten here at least 30 times in the past 12 years, always fantastic. To the previous reviewer who complained about the burnt bread, the garlic bread is supposed to have that burnt crispy edge to it. And if you want french fries, go to McDonalds... Tip - forget sour cream for your potato, go for the tzatziki!

Just great! We returned, after our last visit 31 years ago. Very attentive, professional service (you don't get that too many places nowadays); beautiful, huge steaks cooked perfectly; delicious salad and garlicky starters and great coffee and dessert! What's not to like?????

3 out of the 4 garlic bread pieces where burnt.

My wife wanted a small fillet but all that was available was an 8 oz.

She also asked for french fries but was told they did not serve this dish.

My steak looked like a burnt offering although it was rare inside (I had specified medium rare.

The dessert was very hard although it was supposed to be some kind of chocolate cake.

Although the previous reviews I had read had been very positive for this restaurant, our experience was such that we would not consider going back or recommending it.

lots of good food at a good price

Excellent USDA Prime steaks in a cool, low key location in Toronto. The service is excellent and the food is without fault. Steaks and Lobster were excellent. The all inclusive meals are an excellent concept as well.
Would go back in a heartbeat!