Lovers & Friends

What is Lovers & Friends? Occupying the former Convenience Restobar space at 1184 Queen Street West, Lovers & Friends is a high-spirited Parkdale dining room and late-night cocktail lounge from operator Dave Walker and chef Seon Harris. The room pairs low lighting, intimate banquettes, and a lively bar with cheeky pop-culture touches—including retro He-Man and She-Ra washrooms—plus an open-air patio.

Lovers & Friends Menu & What to Order Harris turns out an assertive menu of modern Caribbean comfort food, starting strong with a beef steak tartare tossed with Guyanese wiri wiri peppers and roasted pineapple, served with crispy plantain chips for dipping. The citrus chicken delivers charred, succulent meat steeped in bright aromatics, while the braised lamb shank arrives fork-tender in a deeply seasoned pan sauce. Balance the heat with tropical house libations like the fiery Fire-Eyed Boy or a Princess of Power Punch.

Know Before You Go Tables can be reserved via OpenTable, which is advised for Thursday through Saturday evenings before the lights dim and DJs spin the room into late-night mode. Walk-in seats are frequently available earlier in the evening at the bar counter and patio. Street parking on Queen West is tough to come by; hop on the 501 Queen streetcar and get off near Gladstone Avenue.