Maison Selby Toronto: French Bistro & Bar on Sherbourne

Maison Selby is a French bistro and bar on Sherbourne Street in Toronto.

The French restaurant is located between Toronto’s Yorkville and Church & Wellesley neighbourhoods.

Maison Selby features an outdoor patio, vintage bar, whimsical dining room and secret speakeasy. The menu offers classic French bistro dishes and brunch on weekends.

History of Maison Selby

Estia Toronto is brought to you by the celebrated culinary team at Oliver & Bonacini, who also run Auberge du Pommier, Bannock, Canoe, Canteen, Jump, Luma, Lena, O&B Cafe Grill, R&D and Malaparte.

The elegant French bistro on Sherbourne Street opened in April 2019 as an all-day dining restaurant and bar. The French restaurant is located in Toronto’s historic 136-year-old C.H. Gooderham House on Sherbourne, just south of Bloor.

First owned by the Gooderham family, the mansion on Sherbourne Street has played home to many notable Toronto institutions, from the prestigious Branksome Hall to The Selby Hotel — best known for hosting Ernest Hemingway during his brief career as a foreign correspondent at the Toronto Star. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, the mansion was the site of Boots, one of Toronto’s best gay dance clubs.

The restored mansion turned fine dining restaurant brings a long-awaited, elevated dining scene to Sherbourne Street.

Maison Selby Restaurant

Originally designed by architect David Roberts Jr., Maison Selby’s exterior features redbrick cladding, cross-gable roof, dormer windows and brick chimneys.

Step inside and you’ll find the home’s original fireplaces, cornice mouldings, stained glass and 12-foot ceilings. The interiors were imagined by Solid Design Creative, who focussed on celebrating the age of the building while infusing it with a chic contemporary vibe.

Skip through the bar and dining room at Maison Selby and you’ll find a mix of vintage and modern light fixtures, as well as jewel-toned accents, rich velvets and antique brass. Hand-painted landscape murals and custom-designed wallpapers help differentiate each of the home’s four rooms.

Maison Selby offers seating for 95 indoors and maximum of 22 seated and 30 in a reception format for private events. During the warmer months of the year, Maison Selby opens up its 32-seat garden patio, which wraps around the southeast corner of the building.

Maison Selby Bar

With an impressive list of 35 hand-crafted cocktails, Maison Selby’s bar program offers classic tipples alongside more creative creations. The bar menu also offers six beers on tap and a balanced selection of wines by the glass.

Daily drink specials, half-priced wine nights and buck-a-shuck offerings provide the perfect excuse to stop by for an after-work sip and nibble.

Drink Specials

• Bonne Nuit Bubbles: half-priced bottles of bubbles from 10pm Thursday to Saturday
• Buck-a-Shuck: $1 oysters every Thursday and Sunday with the purchase of a bottle of wine
• Ooh la l’Heure Happy Hour: $6 Lost Craft beer, Maison Selby Wit beer and bar rail, $8 glasses of wine on tap, and a selection of $10 cocktails every day from 2pm to 6pm, and 9pm to close Sunday-Wednesday
• Bubbly Brunch: $8 mimosas
• Wine Wednesdays: half-priced select bottles of wine from 5pm

Maison Selby Cocktails

If it’s your first time experiencing Maison Selby, start your visit by hopping up on a stool at the vintage bar. It’s a perfect perch for people watching, as mixologists sling craft cocktails and pop champagne bottles with ease.

For those living in nearby Rosedale, Yorkville, Cabbagetown and The Village, Maison Selby’s bar and restaurant offers one of the most romantic date nights in Toronto.

• Cry Baby: st. remy brandy, tio pepe sherry, english breakfast tea syrup, dale degroff’s pimento bitters
• Monaco Gigolo: campari, dolin sweet vermouth, maison selby wit
• Highways Fly By: j&b rare scotch, coconut-infused havana club rum, cointreau, pineapple gomme syrup, angostura bitters
• Classic Negroni: dillon’s gin, campari, dolin sweet vermouth
• French 75: maison selby gin, bubbles, lemon, simple syrup
• Hemingway Daiquiri: el dorado rum, luxardo maraschino, lime, simple syrup, grapefruit
• Old Fashioned: jim beam bourbon, angostura bitters, orange pith, sugar cube
• Selby Mule: jaral de berrio mezcal, olmeca altos plata tequila, raspberry pepper syrup, lime, ginger beer, mint
• Fortunes on a String: aperol, amaro nonino, dolin dry vermouth, bubbles, lemon, grapefruit syrup, egg white, peychaud’s bitters

Maison Selby Menu

Maison Selby’s culinary vision is driven by O&B Corporate Executive Chef Anthony Walsh and District Executive Chef John Horne. Maison Selby’s menus are inspired by the French bistro and café genre, with many dishes integrating classic European techniques.

“We want Maison Selby to become the neighbourhood go-to for your early morning espresso and croissant fix, late night cocktails and oysters, and everything in between,” said Executive Chef John Horne.

Wag your finger down the Maison Selby menu and you’ll find Chef Horne sources seasonal produce from Ontario’s own Tamarack Farms and 100km Farms.

So it’s your first time at Maison Selby and you’re spoilt for choice on what to order and can’t make a decision? Chef Horne suggests sampling the restaurant’s signature dishes: French Onion Soup, French Onion Beef Chuck Burger, and Coq au Vin.

If you’re in a celebratory mood or simply hungry as a hawk, we suggest ordering Maison Selby’s Chef’s choice five course tasting menu at $65 per person.

If you’ve got a penchant for fancy French holidays, Maison Selby in Toronto will have you floating back to Paris, Versailles, Normandy, Lyon, Provence and Annecy.

Hors D’Oeuvres

If your’e dining for two we’d suggest ordering 2-3 hors d’oeuvres to share at the table. Since many of the restaurant’s entrees are heavier, we’d suggest forking through a salad so you don’t fill up too quickly.

If you’re meeting for a romantic date, we’d suggest ordering glasses of champagne or a cocktail paired with beef tartare or a charcuterie board.

• Cheese Pain au Lait: garlic and herb butter, maison pickles
• Escarole Salad: walnuts, dijon mustard dressing
• Caesar Salad: olives, emmental, croissant crouton
• Duck Liver Pate: shallot marmalade, gherkins, toast
• Escargots de Bourgogne: almonds, garlic, herbs
• Smoked Salmon Plate: sauce gribiche, watercress
• Half Dozen Oysters: pineapple mignonette, horseradish
• French Onion Soup: gruyere, baguette, parsley
• Salt Cod Brandade: radishes, potato crisps
• Seared Foie Gras: celeriac, rhubarb compote, brioche
• Beef Tartare: traditional garnishes, grilled baguette
• Biff’s Charcuterie: cooked and cured meats, remoulade
• Sturgeon Caviar: buckwheat blinis, egg, creme fraiche

Entrees

Maison Selby’s menu offers a roster of classic French bistro dishes. Seafood fans will love the poached salmon and mussels. Meat lovers are spoilt for choice with an epic burger, roast lamb chop, steak frites and coq au vin stealing the show. Vegetarians and vegans can find happiness over a bowl of fresh tagliatelle or herbaceous ratatouille.

• French Onion Beef Chuck Burger: gruyere, dijonnaise, frites
• Fresh Tagliatelle: shaved black truffle, cepes, truffle sauce
• Poached Organic Salmon: wilted spinach, sorrel cream
• Provencal Ratatouille: tomato concasse, olive tapenade, basil
• Pan-Fried Sole Meuniere: frites, haricots verts
• Mussels & Frites: pernod cream sauce
• Roast Lamb Chop: ratatouille, saffron couscous
• Coq au Vin: bacon lardons, mushrooms, pommes puree, red wine jus
• Boeuf Bourguignon: pommes puree, crispy onions
• Pork Chop: choucroute, turned potatoes
• Steak Frites: haricots verts, red wine glace, sauce vierge (flat iron, filet or tournedos rossini)

Maison Selby Brunch

Never before has anyone in Toronto muttered the words, “let’s meet on Sherbourne Street for brunch.” Maison Selby has changed the game, offering those in St. James Town an elegant breakfast menu on weekends.

Speciality brunch cocktails at Maison Selby include classic Canadian Caesar, Mimosa, Vanilla Cold Tea and Pineapple Mule. Your best bet for brunch satisfaction is sweet pain perdu, healthy tuna nicoise salad or hearty steak & eggs.

• Pain Perdu: caramelized bananas, chocolate sauce
• Eggs Hemingway: poached eggs, smoked salmon, spinach, croissant, sauce bearnaise
• The Full Selby: bacon, sausage, two fried eggs, mushrooms, grilled tomato, herbes de provence, brioche
• Bacon, Broccoli & Emmental Quiche: mixed greens, champagne vinaigrette
• Tuna Nicoise Salad: quail egg, anchovy, haricots verts, tomato
• Chia Seed Pudding: seasonal fresh fruit
• ALT Sandwich: avocado, lettuce, tomato, mayo, frites
• Beef Tartare: traditional garnishes, grilled baguette
• French Onion Beef Chuck Burger: gruyere, dijonnaise, frites
• Crepe: ham, emmental, two fried eggs
• Steak & Eggs: flat iron, herbes de provence, fried eggs

Desserts

Sweet fans should be sure to leave room to graze over the Maison Selby dessert menu. The restaurant’s pastry chef puts out some of Maison Selby’s most memorable flavour combinations. Enjoy a traditional Parisian dessert course such as creme brûlée, lemon tart or French cheese plate.

• Classic Creme Brûlée
• Chocolate Hazelnut Layered Cake
• Lemon Tart: charred meringue, frozen raspberries
• Sticky Toffee Pudding: creme fraiche ice cream
• Imported French Cheese: honey, fruit, toast

Secret Speakeasy

Maison Selby’s basement plays home to a secret speakeasy, Sous Sol. The underground speakeasy on Sherbourne Street offers an intimate cocktail bar featuring Parisian-inspired snacks and a curated list of $10 craft cocktails.

The posh, dimly lit hideaway is well-suited for adventurous first dates, post-dinner nightcaps and private celebrations. On weekends, croon to soulful vinyl that spins on an old record player until the wee hours of the morning.