rijsttafel (happening next: nov. 24)

Our popular monthly rijsttafel (rice table) features an array of Indonesian dishes that accompany a heaping bowl of nasi goreng (fried rice). Pre-pandemic, we used to pack almost 30 people in our place at long tables to share the rijsttafel family-style. ... Sadly, that still isn't as appealing these days and we just do separate seatings. But it’s still a fun feast! A full rijsttafel ($70 per person) includes all 10 dishes alongside snacks, condiments, rice and, sometimes, a surprise dessert! But we now also offer a pared down rijsttafel ($45 per person) where you choose five dishes (with up to three from the meat option) for those who are feeling a little less hungry! Reservations are a must, so if you’d like to book a table, email us!

stroopwafel sunday (happening next: nov. 10)

Before we opened Borrel, we visited a stroopwafel press manufacturing company near Rotterdam. After a tutorial on how it worked, it’s safe to say that we were hooked on the idea of serving up fresh stroopwafels one day at Borrel and my parents graciously bought us a stroopwafel press as a gift. ... It only took until the lockdown for us to finally have the time to get it up and running! But now that we’ve mastered the dough and syrup making as well as the intricate cutting on the waffles, we serve up freshly made jumbo stroopwafels from our front patio (weather permitting) once a month! Serving them from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., we also open for Dutch-inspired brunch specials those days as well as regular service. Stroopwafels are now becoming much easier to find in Toronto, with even some convenience stores stocking them. But nothing compares to a warm freshly made stroopwafel that almost melts in your mouth!

metal monday (happening next: nov. 18)

Music is important to us at Borrel. And you may have noticed that 99% of the music you hear at our place comes from our record player. Of course, there are certain records in our collection that just don’t make for appropriate dinner music. So, with alliteration leading the way as always, we came up with Metal Monday! One Monday a month, we crank the stereo to 11 and blast some heavy tunes! After more than two years, it’s become a really great event, with metal fans coming together to listen to some music, have some drinks (including discounted $6.66 pints of Catapult!) and cheap snacks. We try to mix it up with bring-your-own-vinyl nights, guest DJs and focuses on different genres within the metal world.

movie of the month monday (happening next: nov. 11)

Our love of watching movies in a bar comes from Sunday nights at our old local bar Hitch. They would screen movies every Sunday night from 8 p.m. onward. Bartender Mike Reynolds (now carrying on the tradition at his bar Farside) really turned the weekly event into something special, with three screenings somehow related to each other, and they often kept us there till well past our bedtime on a school night! We wanted to try to have a small version of that at Borrel, so we decided to do one screening a month on a Monday and call it Movie of the Month Monday (alliteration is also very important to us at Borrel). We invite a host to screen a movie important to them and give an introduction or trivia questions or anything to make it a memorable night. Free popcorn, discounted pints of Danforth Brewery Viaduct IPA and snacks also help!