the 3 speed

three speed used to be my go-to place over the summer, but  i've since stopped coming by. the backyard patio was a lovely draw during the warm weather, so i kept coming back, but each time i left, i wound up commiserating with my dining partner about one thing or another and eventually, we realized that each time, the service wasn't so great.

the food was pretty good and their bean and cheese dip was amazing, but we found that the severs tended toward being rude each time we were there. one time, i was eating there with my parents, and my dad asked what the specials were. rather than listing any of them, the waitress replied: "it's on the board" and refused to elaborate. great! but my father has very poor vision, so he can't read anything unless it's in a huge font and right in front of him. so he was asking for a few reasons: first, he probably didn't see the board; second, even if he had seen it, he couldn't read it; and third, it's fairly common to inquire about the specials from the servers.

another time i was in and wanted a mojito and asked if they were able to make one. i usuallyfindthat bartenders either can't/ don't make one for one of two reasons: 1) keeping fresh mint in stock is often tricky, and 2) it's labourious, so they don't want to and just say they are out of mint. so, i'm usually ok to order something else if they tell me "no"; you never know until you ask. but the server seemed to scoff a little at my request. i understand that some folks think there are "good" and "bad" drinks to order, but there's no need for the attitude, and honestly, i don't care. i like mojitos.

in general, i alsofindthat it can be tricky to flag down a server, so even if we do get served (with/ without attitude), following up to place more orders can be difficult.

honestly, i really enjoyed coming here in the past, but the repeatedly poor service means that i'm branching out and looking for new places. even though i dig the food and the backyard patio, i'm not interested in patronizing a business if the servers continue to be rude to me, my family, and friends.

4 stars - it wasn't that long ago that bloordale was a strip of toronto that felt neglected. in fact, most people may feel like its still neglected, but looking around, it's evident that there are signs of improvement. that's where three speed comes in. located unseemingly near pauline on bloor street west, they definitely took a risk opening up in this somewhat seedy toronto neighbourhood. but regardless the risk, it seems to have worked for them. packed nightly with 20-something hipsters, it's difficult to get a seat if you show up past 8 or 9 o'clock, but don't let any of that stop you. as far as 'blansdowne' goes, bar-wise there just isn't much that competes with it. three speed is brought about by the same people that started the communist's daughter , and they also have some affiliation with the dakota , so you can expect the same sorta crowd and atmosphere-and dare i say pretentiousness-that you'd expect to see in any of those spots. if you canfindthe dam place that is… thre

fantastic brunch!. we often go to 3 speed for a beer and a quick dinner. it is close to our home and they are friendly to ppl with kids in the early part of the evening. we've never been disappointed.

but the brunch ... wow.

husband and i stumbled down the street tofind3 speed open for brunch, one morning. first of all, it was open at 10 a.m. which seems to be hard tofindfor a good brunch place.

next, we were amazed by the menu. i ordered an eggs benny variation -- instead of a muffin, the egg was served on a fish cake made of local smoked whitefish. it was sinfully delicious. i don't know if i can replicate this food experience again.

husband had a salami, egg and cheese sandwich that rivaled something from caplanskys (well, except the meat and cheese being on the same plate thing). together with a bodum of decaf, we had the best brunch together, ever.