Flock has a new location on Harbord Street, and rather than the fast food takeout counter format at the Adelaide and Peter original location (review here), this space is a sit down restaurant with an expanded menu and bar. It’s now open in the space that was formerly THR & Co., owned by one of my favourite chefs, Cory Vitiello, who I originally met at one of my favourite Toronto restaurants of all-time, The Harbord Room.
Whether you’re looking for a fast take-out option, or a dine-in spot that’s both kid-friendly and cool, Flock is an awesmazing choice because they use fresh ingredients, they are open to customizing or substituting their menu items to accommodate allergies or dietary choices or restrictions, and their food is simple and seriously good. Their chickens are naturally raised without hormones or antibiotics, and even though it seems like their focus is on their chicken dinners and sandwiches they do vegetables extremely well with dishes like their hearty protein-packed salads, soups and sides.
I recommend ordering a whole bunch of dishes for your table to share, otherwise you’ll end up just wanting to try what everyone else has on their plate. I highly recommend the Pulled Chicken Sandwich, a classic from the original Flock location, although I did eat it extremely quickly, so I cannot accurately describe the flavour in every bite. My father ordered the fried chicken sandwich, not something we would normally indulge in, and it was good, but I would choose the condiment-packed Pulled Chicken Sandwich every time. My brother ordered a full chicken, and who were we to argue with this hungry 8-year-old? Spoiler: he did not eat the entire thing, and decided that a half would be a perfect dinner, but it meant more to eat for my dad and I. We also loved the beets, brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes that we ordered with the chicken. My mother loved her big bowl of Lentil Soup, because it was spicy and topped with sunflower seeds for a little texture. My sister, who loves the salads at both locations, enjoyed and finished every bite of the large-sized Boho Flock with marinated kale slaw, red quinoa, cherry tomato, roasted and raw beets, dried currants, pumpkin seeds, carrots, pomegranate and sweet peppers all tossed in a beet, basil, and orange vinaigrette. You can tell just by what’s in that one salad (and there are many on their menu to choose from), that they take their vegetables seriously, and can feed vegetarians and vegans happily.
It says across the bottom of their bar, “Delicious food that’s pretty good for you”, and I think that’s a fair claim and totally true.
