Hard Rock Cafe.

american... In most major cities and tourist spots in the world, there is always a Hard Rock Cafe to be found. Here in Toronto, it's no different as we have a Hard Rock Cafe that sits right at Dundas Square and overlooks the always busy downtown spot. Honestly though, I have never been to Hard Rock Cafe before this recent visit. My buddy, Tien, was leaving for the states for school, so we decided to go out for a night at the CNE casino and a little drinking before he left Toronto (good luck in the states man!).We headed over to Hard Rock Cafe at about 11:30 PM on a Saturday night and were quickly informed that last call for food and alcohol was at 12 AM and that they close at 1:00 AM (seemed pretty early to close for a Saturday night, and maybe that explained the emptiness of this place). As for food, we decided to share their Jumbo Combo of Appetizers ($19.95 + tax/tip). This was pretty good as it included Santa Fe Spring Rolls (they were served in some kind of Greek salad and it actually tasted really good when using the salad like a dip). The platter also came with Hickory-Smoked Chicken Wings, Onion Rings, Potato Skins and Chicken Tenders. The Jumbo Combo was pretty good as it came with a bunch of different sauces for dipping as well (tangy bbq sauce, blue cheese dip, sour cream and something else). We also asked for some extra sauce, which they didn't charge us extra for. Between the 4 of us, we split this Jumbo Combo and also a Grilled Hawaiian Chicken Dinner ($17.95 + tax/tip). This was a huge disappointment! Not only was it pricey for a small half chicken, but the chicken was really dry! They made up a little for it with the mash potatoes and gravy though. The gravy was thick and dark, looking almost like chocolate sauce, but tasted awesome!
We also got some drinks, which varied in quality and price. Sophia, Tien, Nancy and I split a pitcher of Sangria ($30.99 + tax/tip). This was very fruity in flavour and pretty light, perfect for a summer night out for some light drinking. Nancy also decided to get a Sex on the Beach, which ended up being really watered down. In addition to this we also got a couple of beers (~$5/ bottle of budweiser).

This being my first time at Hard Rock Cafe, I was pretty disappointed with the quality of food and drinks here. It is a pricey place, but that is understandable considering the brand name that Hard Rock Cafe carries and the prime location they have at Dundas Square. It is a nice place though, and it has an outside patio that overlooks Dundas Square. Inside, they also have plenty of rock and sports memorabilia, which is pretty cool. Unfortunately, the combination of their varying food quality, high prices and early close time led to this sub par review.

Hard Rock Cafe
279 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON, M5B 1N8
416-362-3636