La Palette Toronto: Queen West French Restaurant

La Palette Toronto is a French restaurant located on trendy Queen Street West.

It’s ranked as one of the best French restaurants in Toronto, offering classic dishes such as Foie Gras, Steak Frites, Escargot and Confit de Canard.

One weekends La Palette is a popular restaurant on Queen West to indulge in brunch. Enjoy foamy latte’s paired with crispy crepes, Eggs Benedict and Croissant Niçoise.

Rustic French interior design at La Palette Toronto on Queen Street West.

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Step Inside La Palette Toronto

La Palettte Toronto is a popular French bistro concept on Queen Street West.

The front of the restaurant features floor to ceiling windows that overlook the bustling shopping district. Grab a seat at a table here during weekend brunch and it’s a perfect spot for people watching.

Skip into the dining room and you’ll find a long bar overlooking an an open kitchen. The walls are covered in art, posters and photographs that pay homage to old school Paris. Tables draped in Souleiado fabric are complimented by mismatched antique wooden chairs.

The restaurant’s name is borrowed from owner Shamez Amlani’s favourite bar in Paris, which he visited during his travels in the early 1990s.

La Palette Toronto originally opened in Kensington Market. Today, the French restaurants second iteration can be found between Spadina and Bathurst, a short walk from China Town. La Palette 2.0 features high pressed-tin ceilings that can be attributed to the fact that the space was originally used as a horse stable in 1885.

Hop up on a stool and tuck into the bar and you’ll enjoy a French salon vibe. Dapper bartenders mix and muddle French-inspired craft cocktails, utilizing over 150 bottles that rest on the back wall.

La Palette Toronto offers a great wine list for oenophiles, featuring hard to find biodynamic wines with a strong focus on imported French bottles.

La Palette Toronto Menu

The French restaurant’s menu is geared towards mid-market diners, with most entrees priced under $30. La Palette Toronto is not trying to compete with more formal French restaurants in Toronto such as Scaramouche, Cafe Boulud, Alo or Auberge du Pommier.

The menu is mostly focussed on rich and heart French dishes. You’ll find Paris brasserie favourites alongside trademark culinary treasures from the cream and Calvados coast of Normandy. It’s also one of the few restaurants in Toronto proudly serving horse (hat tip to The Black Hoof).

The bar at French restaurant La Palette Toronto on Queen West.

La Palette Toronto Appetizers

Salade Verte: Mixed leaves, fennel, radish, shallot, sunflower seeds, white balsamic dressing
Pâté Grand-Mere: Duck liver pâté en croute with pickles, mustard and crostini
Escargots: Brown butter, garlic, lemon, parsley, hazelnut
Fromage Fondant: Breaded, fried fried triple cream camembert, piquilo pepper purée, confit garlic, oregano
Os à Moelle: Roasted bone marrow, braised beef, brioche, pickled chillies
Moules du jour: Half a pound of steamed organic farmed P.E.I. mussels with miso bonito cream, white wine, scallions and herbs
Les Huitres: Daily selection of market fresh oysters on the half shell with accompaniments
Foie Gras: Pan-seared foie gras, daily sides

La Palette Toronto Entrees

Les Tartares: Beef or Horse, egg yolk, crostini, choice of salad, fries
Le Végéterien: Saffron risotto with preserved wild mushrooms
Poulet: Roasted chicken leg, root vegetable terrine, sundried olives, bird jus
Poisson: Seared farmed Canadian trout, tomato-saffron purée, confit celery and fennel, capers, anchovy garlic buttered rye toast
Confit de Canard: Confit duck leg, mustard demi-glace, white bean cassoulet, house made lamb merguez and pork shoulder
Steak Frites: Canadian prime striploin, seasonal compound butter, demi-glace, Yukon gold frites
Cheval: Horse Tenderloin served rare with frites
Quack ‘n’ Track: Leg of duck confit with horse tenderloin served rare, daily sides
Chasse: Daily game meat special (elk, venison or caribou)

Canard and Clafoutis at La Palette Toronto.

La Palette Toronto Desserts

Gâteau au Carottes: Carrot cake, cream cheese ice cream, walnuts
Crême Brulée: Vanilla, chocolate or berry
Mousse au Chocolat: Chocolate mousse with Unicum, a Hungarian Amaro
Tarte au Citron: Classic lemon tart
Les Fromages: Roquefort with candied cinnamon walnut & strawberry fan, French Marbier with forest berry compôte, English Admiral Port Cheddar with julienned gherkin, and spicy black olive and parsley encrusted chevre roulande served with housemade lavache

La Palette Toronto Brunch

Foie Gras: Pan seared foie gras on warm salad of sour cherries, wild leek and endive with pan jus and foie fried toast
Steak Haché: Hand chopped burger with caramelized onions, cheddar and dijon on house made bun
Croissant Niçoise: Croissant stuffed with roasted vegetables, red pepper, spinach, mushroom, brie and niçoise olive
Eggs Benedict: Hollondaise on ricotta herb biscuits and choice of: Horse tenderloin, Venison tenderloin, Maple smoked Boar tenderloin, Fried Chicken thigh, Bacon or Chanterelles & Spinach
Steak ‘N’ Oeufs: 6 oz AAAA black angus striploin with eggs and hollandaise, served with frites and salad