M. Wells

"When we moved in across the street, I figured that a restaurant right next to an enormous high rise would probably just coast off convenience and churn out OK but basically uninteresting food. I was wrong! Having eaten here about half a dozen times, I think the concise description is that M. Wells is a restaurant run by a couple that loves running a restaurant. Looking at food, the menu changes slowly enough to revisit favorites but quickly enough that there are probably new dishes between visits. The cooking behind it seems to come from a place of real curiosity about how food can be delicious and interesting, with more attention paid to old techniques than new ones, and mercifully little of the stuffy pride that sometimes entails. It has the feeling of humans trying to do things they think are good and cool, with not much strategizing beyond that. Having eaten around the area for a couple of years, I think it is "the best restaurant", whatever that means. We recently had multi-course dinner for two here and got out for just over $50 per person after tip (no drinks), which I think is extremely reasonable for what we got. Beyond the food, I appreciate how much random community stuff they do: they provide food/drinks/music/etc for both the annual neighborhood block party and marathon, and they also host classes and markets throughout the year. They apparently have live music now too. Overall, it seems like the sort of place that would be great for a couple of years and then close because the people running it optimized for being good instead of profitable ... except it has somehow stayed open for over a decade. I hope they keep going. P.S.: the annual meat pies are great."

"We loved this place! It has a cool, kind of artsy, casual atmosphere. Good music but quiet enough to really talk and enjoy your company. I got the smoked meat ravioli and my boyfriend got the duck. Both were amazing! Even the fries were good -my boyfriend said they were the best he's ever had. Portion sizes are just right. Save room for the coconut cake to finish!"

"We had an amazing reception from super friendly Sarah, the co-owner and chef’s wife. She gave me an insight on the restaurant’s history. I loved the eclectic decor of the place that back in a day used to be a garage. Parts of the ceiling are decoupaged with antique wall paper, custom woodwork and art deco antique light fixtures, theatrical style curtain cover the walls in the newer part of the restaurant. In the main room there is plenty of space between the tables unlike most of the eateries where it feels like people dine on top of each other. Menu: very nice wine list with libations from all over the planet list catered to any budget. My oysters, foie gras, duck and rhubarb pie were sooo good. All these was washed down with well chilled Cremant de Bordeaux. Next time I am trying at least three of their cocktails which sounded delicious. All desserts are super fresh and made on premises."

"My family, friends, and I enjoyed their prefix menu which was really helpful in getting us all fed. They took great care of us all night and we had a wonderful dinner here. I really enjoyed the steak, the main cod cobbler, and the poutine dishes. I was also a fan of the milk punch cocktail."

"Amazing food, amazing service, cool decor. The service was amazing! Our waiter was so lovely and I could tell he was passionate about the food. And the FOOD. We had French onion soup, buttermilk salad and shared the bavette steak. Do not pass this place up! It’s incredible!"