I love this place. It's been around a long time, and all I can say is that I hope to God I age as well as this restaurant. To keep a place as fresh and relevant and busy 30 years on as Allen's is the feat of a great restauranteur. John Maxwell is the real deal.
The service is excellent: professional and friendly. The staff is consistently wonderful. The kitchen is extremely capable, the menu is varied and interesting, and the food is very well prepared. The decor is classic and comfortable; everything is clean and well maintained. In winter, it's cozy and comfortable inside. In summer the patio is unbeatable: that back-of-the-restaurant oasis under a canopy of trees that Toronto does so well, and Allen's does much better than most.
I make the pilgrimage whenever I'm in Toronto and always look forward to my next visit. Well worth it.