The Arbor, casual sister restaurant to The Acorn, opened quietly for friends and family over the weekend. Word is they’re taking today and tomorrow off but should be good to open to the public on Wednesday, November 23rd. (We most recently previewed the almost completed eatery at 3941 Main Street last month when they snuck a private service in for a memorable Here There gig.) We got together with a couple of friends and checked it out on Saturday night, sampling as much of the menu as we could.

You can read our first backgrounder on the restaurant here, but to recap the basics: it’s long-time Acorn executive chef Robert Clarke creating familiar comfort foods that are 100% plant-based, everything from mac ‘n cheese and Margherita flatbreads to french fries and fajitas. The tagline they’re going with is “real food for comfort”, which feels entirely appropriate given their local and sustainable sourcing. In charge are former Farmer’s Apprentice frontman Paul McCloskey, who has designed a tidy little wine and cider list, and the two Acorn partners, Shira Blustein and Scott Lewis. They’re open for both lunch and dinner, with the former being counter service and the latter being sit-down. It is my understanding that just about every item on the menu can be made vegan, gluten-free or both. A brisk take-out trade is expected.

I don’t want to get too deep into the food we tried because it was a dry-run, but I liked everything I tried. Here are a few things to look out for come opening day: their richly flavoured Spaghetti with “Neatballs” and almond parmesan; the signature, highly photogenic Arburger (my favourite thing, as it sends crystal clear and convincing fast food signals to the brain); the totally on-point onion rings; the crispy broccoli “popcorn”; and the smoothly decadent chocolate coconut parfait. I’ve included the opening menu in the images below, which should give you an idea as to price point and concept. We’ll have more on The Arbor soon!

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