[Restaurant Opening] Cool vibe at Captain’s Boil, Little Italy

Website: http://www.thecaptainsboil.com/littleitaly/, Facebook:// thecaptainsboillittleitaly
Address: 671 College St., Toronto, ON
Date attended: August and Sept 2016

*Disclosure: The restaurant is owned by my relatives and I helped with inviting guests for the media event. I was not asked by the owners to write a post. The meal was complimentary but all views expressed in the post are my own.

The Captain’s Boil is Toronto’s first seafood boil restaurant, and they are expanding rapidly. The Little Italy location is their 5th location and the franchise plans to open several more restaurants in the GTA, as well as Montreal and Vancouver (see the locations on The Captain’s Boil website). The College St. location has a lively atmosphere that is fitting with the neighbourhood vibes with a wicked decor. 

The restaurant has has one floor with a combination of booths and tables, and a large bar. The ceiling resembles the hull of a ship with exposed frames that represent the skeleton (rib) of the boat.

Having been to another Captain’s Boil location prior to this restaurant opening (read my review of the Bayview and Eglinton Ave. location), I was able to have a comparison point. The food at The Little Italy location was consistently delicious to my first experience, where the seafood was cooked to perfection (not overcooked or undercooked).

Prior to their grand opening on September 2nd, 2016, Captain’s Boil Little Italy hosted a media event where top IGers and food/lifestyle bloggers were able to enjoy a seafood meal or should I say “feast”, while learning about features unique to this location. The restaurant remained opened during the event, and the restaurant was completely packed on a Tuesday evening. Owners, Amy and Marlon made the time to ensure that we were taken care of, while greeting their other customers.

What we ate at the event:

The featured drinks of the evening were the Belgian Moon Ale, Brickworks Ciderhouse Queen Street 501 and the Ruffino Lumina Pinot Grigio. I tried all 3 and enjoyed the pairing with the seafood.

We started off with Golden Mantle Oysters from B.C. They were the best oysters I have ever eaten, as they were meaty, full flavoured with a sweet melon finish.

For our main, we shared the Cajun fries, Cajun seafood fried rice and the chicken sizzling plate. Each of us, were able to choose 1 to 2 seafood boils. I had the king crab legs with the Captain’s Boil sauce (a mix of Cajun, lemon pepper and the garlic sauce) in medium heat, and the clams in the Cajun sauce. My foodie friends and I were able to share our seafood, so I had a chance to try the crawfish as well. I added the crunchy lotus roots and okra to one of my boils, and totally recommend it.

We had a chance to see for ourselves how fresh the seafood was. The servers brought out live crawfish for us to look at…although some of us ended up playing with them and even naming them! There is a lot of work in getting the meat from crawfish but the sweet meat that you get afterwards makes it worthwhile.

The Captain’s Boil’s lunch deal is incredible! The chicken sizzling plate with seafood that we tried is only $8.95 at lunch.

Looking around the other tables, I know that everyone was stuffed. There was SO much food!

So what makes Captain’s Boil Little Italy location unique?

• Well, my family owns it and they rock!  Say hi to Amy and Marlon when you come by. Chances are, you will see my cousin and uncle who also work there.
• It is in the heart of Little Italy! Come by when bar hopping, to watch sports, or before you have dessert in the neighbourhood.
• The lighting inside is semi-dim in the evening with a nice glow which adds to the cool atmosphere (not the uncomfortable bright fluorescent lighting).
• There is pumping music all day and night.
• The oysters are sooo delicious! Trust me, you will love it!
• Seafood such as the lobster, dungeness crab and crawfish come in fresh (live) which adds to the quality and taste of the seafood.
• They are fully licenced offering beer, cider and wine.
• A patio is coming soon!

Also, until September 18th, 2016, get 10% off all food orders. Now, that’s a deal!

Currently nominated in Now Magazine 2016 Reader`s Choice Poll for Best Seafood Restaurant. Vote for Captain’s Boil for a chance to win $200 Grand Prize Feast http://www.thecaptainsboil.com/voteforthecaptain.html

Thank you again to Captain’s Boil Little Italy for the feast and congratulations on the opening! Come check them out and follow them on their Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/thecaptainsboillittleitaly for updated specials.