where jess ate

Located by King and Bathurst, you’ll find EFS (@efs_toronto) which features a 3,000 square foot rooftop patio. It’s the perfect place to go after work and forget all your worries.

While EFS, short for “Everything’s For Sale” is located on King street, it has a nice secluded feel to it as you can’t see or hear the hustle-bustle and frustrating traffic of King West.

The gorgeous patio, which has capacity for up to 300 guests, features a large bar down one wall of the space while the other three edges are lined with cabanas – a great way to beat the heat if you come on a sweltering day.

On Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays between 5pm and 10pm and Sundays from noon to 5pm, the patio offers a food and cocktail menu which largely caters to the after-work crowd. Those who only want to come by for a late night drink can drop by after 10pm where the patio will be open for drinks until 3am (Wednesdays to Saturdays).

My friends and I dropped by after work for some food and drinks. Upon seating ourselves at a cabana (first-come, first serve), we ordered some Sangria ($13/glass; $35/pitcher) which in my mind, is the perfect summer drink.

While EFS offers a white version and a red version, today, they were offering a mixed version. It was light, fruity and refreshing – everything you want sangria to be. It definitely hit the spot.

Food-wise, they offer “Plates” for $15 each consisting of one BBQ portion (two types of sausage, grilled salmon, a burger or veggie burger) and two sides (several salads to choose from or fries). At first glance, their menu items may seem like your typical bar fare but if you take a closer look at the descriptions, you’ll notice that these dishes have a twist to them. I wouldn’t expect any less given that their menu was created by The Food Dudes (@TheFoodDudesTO).

One of the BBQ items we chose was the Spicy Italian Sausage – with cheddar, tomato concasse, shredded iceberg lettuce, smoked tomato ketchup, mustard aioli, tempura bits. A little bit of cheese, some smokiness from the ketchup, a bit of a kick from the mustard aioli and crunch from the tempura bits – they really know how to dress up a boring ol’ sausage!

With the sausage plate, we ordered some Hand Cut Fries – with roasted garlic aioli and Israeli Couscous Salad – with a basil puree, cucumbers, caramelized onions, baby tomatoes, peppers, crunchy peas, crumbled goat cheese, pea shoots and crispy onions.

The fries were addictive, especially when dipped in the garlic aioli. While the fries were good, the winning side was the Israeli couscous salad. Sometimes I worry when there are too many ingredients in a dish but this salad was a definite hit. It was a really great combination of ingredients from the crunchy cucumbers, sweet caramelized onions and creamy goat cheese. The flavours all married together perfectly and the result was a great accompaniment to our summer cocktails.

The other BBQ item we ordered was the Prime Beef Burger – with aged cheddar, bacon, tomato, lettuce, chipotle aioli on a soft bun. Let’s be honest, food at the majority of these drinking establishments usually isn’t great so I was very pleasantly surprised by EFS’ burger.

It was a really tasty burger with a juicy patty topped with melted cheese and bacon strips. And that chipotle aioli…it really went a long way. It had me licking my fingers (I have no shame!).

To accompany the burger, we ordered another side of fries and the Hearts of Romaine Salad – with jalapeno caesar vinaigrette, double smoked bacon, candied tomato, shaved grana padano and croutons. I almost skipped over this salad since the title didn’t sound too enticing. I’m so glad I did a double take since this was a wonderful twist on the traditional Caesar salad. I loved the bit of kick from the jalapeno vinaigrette and the sweetness from the candied tomatoes. Definitely not your average Caesar salad!

Now, back to the drinks…our next round of cocktails was the Mojito – Captain Morgan white run, Aperol, fresh mint, lime juice, simple syrup & sparkling water ($13/glass, $35/pitcher).

Last up, was a round of Negroni Sbagliato – Campari, sweet vermouth & prosecco ($13/glass, $$35/pitcher).

For something a little different, come check out EFS – summer cocktails and great food to pair with them on one of the city’s newest rooftop patio destinations!

At a glance:
• EFS, short for “Everything’s for Sale”
• 3,000sq ft rooftop patio located at King and Bathurst
• Same owners as the nearby Bloke & 4th
• Offering a food and cocktail menu from Wednesday to Friday (5pm to 10pm) and Sundays (noon to 5pm); drinks are served Wednesdays to Saturdays until 3am
• Food menu which consists of classics with a twist ($15/plate for one BBQ item + 2 sides)
• Hookah’s are available for $50 for set up + 1 flavour

*A portion of this meal was complimentary. The opinions in the post are my own.*