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American
The Joneses
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Bringing mid-century modern Americana to downtown Toronto, The Joneses is one of the latest restaurant ventures from leading restaurant and event group, Oliver & Bonacini Hospitality.
O&B currently has more than 30 restaurants and event venues across Canada—including ventures in Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, Calgary, and Halifax—and the hospitality giant continues to expand its presence across the country with more restaurants and food halls opening in 2024.
The Joneses opened on November 17, 2023, marking the beginning of this series of expansions, and it is truly a special place.
Located centrally at 33 Yonge St., at the corner of Yonge St. and Wellington St. E in the space formerly occupied by Drake’s Pick 6ix restaurant, The Joneses is a mid-century modern, American inspired restaurant with a steakhouse vibe. Retro charm and an old-meets-new menu nod to nostalgia here, amidst a sprawling yet cozy space. You’re in good company at The Joneses—your well-to-do neighbours that know how to host an exceptional dinner party.
Overall, The Joneses is an accessible restaurant with elevated dishes for everyone to enjoy, from Detroit-style pizza to premium steaks and pressed sushi, to inspired cocktails and classic, decadent desserts, underscored by playfulness and comfort.
The restaurant’s can’t-miss façade is stamped with “The Joneses” in a bright, big, and bold retro font, welcoming guests with allure and enthusiasm. Step inside and you will find a warm, expansive interior with a bar, dining room, and lounge, three private spaces that are available for booking, and there is a large patio that will open in the spring.
O&B worked with Solid Design Creative to bring the quintessential, mid-century modern aesthetic to life in the interior design of The Joneses with its rich leathers and woods; mix of tall cruiser tables, low tables with squishy chairs, and couches and booths; marble-topped bar; and fun, warm colour palettes with pops of greenery. The magic is in the details here, such as playful lamps, old-school tiles, artworks on digital screens, and dried floral accents.
A featured trophy case with tchotchkes and croquet mallets adorns part of one wall, a magazine rack with old copies of MAD and Teen Beat magazines decorates a window in one nook, and yard sticks line the bar, lending to a retro, schoolhouse vibe.
Now, for the food and drinks!
General Manager Bryer Lees developed the cocktail list at The Joneses, which consists of signature cocktails and American classic cocktails. While wine, beer, and cider are also available, the cocktails are distinctive, with pleasing twists on many classics, and original drinks that steal the show.
The Taylor infuses Romeo’s Gin X Pink with Lillet Blanc and verbena for a classic gin martini style drink. Bartender Marvin Frialda notes that this drink is presented at your table with a spritz of verbena extract (made by Lees herself) and a garnish of lemon twist. Floral and citrus notes come through this strong, chilled drink.
The Lychee Martini is a popular order at The Joneses. This gorgeous, velvety drink is made with Empress 1908 Gin, lychee, lemon, and egg white, and topped with pea flowers for texture and colour. Frialda walks us through the detailed process that includes multiple kinds of shakes to get the right dilution for this martini: a wet shake with ice, a dry shake, and most importantly, an aggressive shake for the lighter purple foam layer on top.
O&B District Executive Chef Andrew Piccinin helms the culinary side of The Joneses as the opening chef. He oversees a handful of O&B restaurants, including Jump, Leña, and the Bayview Village properties, and he has been with the company since 2006.
“We’re doing our best to make this the most comfortable, nicest spot with hip music and tunes in the evenings. We’ve got a DJ on Friday and Saturday nights, and we’d love for people to come and give us a try,” says Piccinin.
The menu at The Joneses was a collaborative effort between Piccnin and District Executive Chef John Horne, who also oversees his own culinary portfolio of O&B venues.
“We aimed to keep the menu American, and recognizably so, with some retro bits that Canadians can recognize,” says Piccinin. “We aimed to cast as wide a net as possible to the neighbourhood—for Bay Street lunches, private events, folks coming in for game nights, people attending shows, and all sorts.”
Guests will certainly find their fair share of nostalgic, childhood-inspired items on the menu, with elevated new takes on old favourites, like the Foie Gras PB & J, and the Mac & Cheese with cheddar curds, cream cheese, and frico.
So, let’s dig in.
First up, the Warm Cheese Bread comes out steaming and is best eaten hot. The chefs roll the pain au lait like a cinnamon roll, lace it with garlic butter, confit garlic, and cheddar, and finish with more garlic and cheese, including parmesan and Grana Padano. This is truly the savoury Cinnabon of the menu.
The Big M Beef Tartare is reminiscent of a Big Mac, complete with its own special “mac” sauce in the tartare itself and on the side. The beef tartare patty also contains pickles, onions, and toasted sesame, it’s heaped with shredded iceberg lettuce on top for a refreshing crunch and served with crispy sesame bread on the side. Overall, this beef tartare may be one of the best in the city, and definitely the most addictive.
A classic, throwback neighbourhood party appetizer, the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail comes with five large Argentinian red shrimps served with cognac mayo and lemon, garnished with seaweed, and presented in a glass chalice.
These buttermilk tempura battered onion rings come with a scrumptious, smoky mustard mayo. They are a crispy delight as a side or as an appetizer.
The Truffle Mushroom Pizza is one of four Detroit-style pizzas on the menu. It is loaded with cheese including Monterey Jack and mozzarella, with extra parmesan on top; layered with wild and tame mushrooms including king oysters, creminis, and oyster mushrooms; and smeared with truffled cream.
“Looking at Americana style food in general, we landed on Detroit-style pizza as what I think is an underrepresented regional style in Toronto, and a personal favourite of mine,” notes Piccinin.
Though it is one of the lighter pizzas on the menu, the Truffle Mushroom Pizza is still decadent, and worth the indulgence.
Steaks at The Joneses are special—they are USDA Prime, and you can also get them surfed’n’turfed, with half a pound of broiled jumbo garlic shrimp. Pictured above is a gorgeous 14-ounce rib eye with cognac peppercorn sauce. This steak was perfectly cooked, juicy, tender, and flavourful.
The Hawaiian Salmon Poke Bowl contains a large portion of king salmon, and includes avocado, grilled pineapple glazed with brown sugar, sticky rice, ponzu, nori, edamame, pickled daikon, cilantro, and shoots. This multi-faceted poke bowl is fresh, well-sauced, and sure to kick a poke craving.
Burgers and crinkle-cut fries are necessary on any retro-style menu, and the All-Dressed Smash Burger is topped with two dry-aged Prime patties, which are a 70/30 blend with a melted, aged white cheddar; and served with beef fat fries with an all-dressed seasoning, reminiscent of Ruffles All Dressed Chips.
The burger is also loaded with iceberg lettuce, onion, pickles, cheddar cheese, and smoky mustard mayo. Notably, the fluffy and perfect burger buns are sourced from Thuet Bakery.
If you have never tried the classic O&B recipe carrot cake, this is your sign to get the carrot cake at The Joneses. Originally created by late founder Peter Oliver several decades ago, this carrot cake crops up on many O&B menus and fits in perfectly at the new restaurant. It’s a moist, smooth slice that’s not too sweet, with candied walnuts—there is no messing around with this already iconic carrot cake here.
Finally, this elevated chocolate cake is reminiscent of a McCain cake—it’s creamy, indulgent, and uses high-quality chocolate, which all makes for a crushable dessert.
The Joneses is home to DJ nights on Friday and Saturday evenings from 9 p.m. onwards with drink specials, happy hour Monday to Friday from 2:30 to 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. to close, and Saturday from 9 p.m. to close, and a game day prime rib special every Leafs’ and Raptors’ home game. The Joneses also hosts cool parties in line with relevant events, such as a recent tailgate party for American Thanksgiving.
The Joneses is open for lunch Monday to Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and dinner Monday to Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. The bar is open Monday to Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Thursday and Friday from 11:30 a.m. to close and Saturday from 5 p.m. to close.
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