Ossington's garden patio gem — Foxley's enclosed garden patio behind the restaurant is one of Toronto's most romantic outdoor dining spaces: lush greenery, string lights, Tom Thai's Southeast Asian-influenced small plates, and the kind of Ossington energy that makes dinner feel like a neighbourhood party. Reserve ahead.
Neighbourhood: Ossington · Address: 207 Ossington Ave, Toronto, ON · Hours: Mon–Thu 5:00 – 10:30 PM | Fri–Sat 5:00 – 11:00 PM | Sun: Closed · Price Range: $$ · Phone: (416) 534-8520 · Editorial status: Not yet verified
Foxley's back patio is a leafy, candle-lit spot perfect for intimate dinners, with inventive small plates from chef Tom Thai that are meant for sharing. The atmosphere feels effortlessly cool, attracting a lively crowd but never getting too loud.
Unlike many Ossington patios, Foxley's outdoor garden is fully enclosed and genuinely feels private, tucked away from street noise. The food is very focused: Southeast Asian flavours paired with globally-inspired ingredients, and the menu constantly evolves with the seasons. The staff are equally great at guiding you through wine pairings or recommending off-menu specials.
The back garden patio is one of Toronto's most prized dining assets — the hidden outdoor spaces tucked behind restaurants in the city's row-house neighbourhoods that provide a quiet, green, garden-atmosphere dining experience absent from any visible streetscape. In the context of a Thai kitchen that understands its ingredient traditions (fish sauce, lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime, fresh chili, and the aromatics that can't be approximated with dried substitutes), the back garden patio converts dinner into something more contemplative than a table by the window achieves.
Thai cooking's fundamental flavour balance — the combination of sour, sweet, salty, spicy, and umami that the Thai culinary tradition manages with conscious calibration — is best experienced when the diner is relaxed enough to pay attention. A back garden in summer, with natural light and ambient garden sounds, is that environment. The spring rolls (nem cuon if fresh, chả giò if fried — both forms, properly made) demonstrate the kitchen's commitment to freshness; good spring rolls require assembly with fresh herbs (mint, cilantro, Thai basil) that don't exist in frozen form.
The curry is where a Thai kitchen's preparation depth shows — proper Thai curry requires a freshly made paste (galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime zest, dried chilis, shallots, garlic, coriander root, and shrimp paste pounded together in a mortar) that is cooked in coconut cream before the remaining coconut milk is added. A curry made from commercial paste is recognizable by its flat, uniform heat and its lack of the citrus and galangal aromatics that fresh paste provides. The daily special reflects what the kitchen is confident cooking, not what the tourist market expects.
The spring roll wrapper technique (for fresh rolls) requires rice paper that's been hydrated to exactly the right pliability — too dry and it tears on assembly; too wet and it sticks to itself. The herb freshness inside the spring roll is the single best indicator of how the kitchen handles its raw ingredients.
Freshly made Thai curry paste (galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime zest, dried chilis, shrimp paste, pounded in a mortar) has bright citrus aromatics and complex spice depth that commercial paste doesn't achieve. The aromatics volatile compounds in lemongrass and galangal degrade quickly — fresh paste provides flavours that packaged paste cannot.
Specify 'garden patio' or 'back garden' when making your reservation — call rather than booking online where possible, as reservation systems often don't allow specific area requests. The garden is typically the most sought-after seating in summer, so booking 1-2 weeks ahead and specifying this preference at booking gives the best chance.
Fresh spring rolls (nem cuon) use rice paper wrappers filled with rice noodles, shrimp or protein, fresh herbs, and vegetables — not cooked, served room temperature with dipping sauce. Fried spring rolls (chả giò) use the same filling in a pastry wrapper, deep-fried until crisp. Both are legitimate; fresh spring rolls demonstrate herbs quality, fried spring rolls demonstrate frying technique.
Ask the server to describe the daily special and what prompted it (what's fresh, what the kitchen is doing today). If the server can answer this specifically, the kitchen is genuinely engaged with its daily specials. If the answer is generic, the special may not be special. Order it anyway — it's usually the kitchen's most practiced dish.
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