** This restaurant is now closed. **
Forest Heights seems like your average neighbourhood, but Cartago, located at the corner of 82nd Street and 106th Ave, is anything but your average neighbourhood bar.
Since their opening last August, Cartago has been embraced by its community and has settled in its home quite nicely. Its namesake derives from a town in Costa Rica where one of the owners has family ties, but the bar is decidedly German and beer-centric.
Arriving on a Tuesday evening, we were one of the few tables there which was nice; it allowed us to linger and chat for a couple of hours without feeling pressured to vacate for a waiting party, or even order alcohol (which we aren't really fans of). I hear, and presume, that they're busier on the weekends, so head over on a Friday night if you want a livelier atmosphere.
Cartago is on the ground floor of what I assume is a relatively new(er) apartment complex. The space is wide and long, with windows all around. The bar is the focal point; it also houses the small kitchen and a beer fridge. (I know my dad and many others who would love a fridge dedicated to just beer). Decoration is minimal, with concrete floors and basic wooden table tops. It's the perfect balance between hip/modern and casual -- there's a certain unfussiness to it that makes it both comfortable and approachable.
The food menu is not as extensive as the drink selection, but there's a fair amount of items listed under a number of different categories. Bites are for nibbling while handhelds include sandwiches and the staple German currywurst. Shareables are charcuterie plates: your choice of sausages, or cured meats and cheeses. After 5PM, there's abendessen (that's German for dinner) and a selection of sides to round it out. There's basically a bit of everything to satisfy you for a quick lunch, dinner, or just a snack. Did I mention they also do weekend brunch?
Brunch is definitely on my agenda for some other day, but here's what we did order:
The spatzle poutine ($9.00) is a German riff on the Canadian classic. Instead of fries, a bed of German egg noodles come topped with cheese curds, housemade gravy, and a handful of bean sprouts.
The grilled cheese Berlin ($15.00) comes on toasted rye with smoked German ham, German edam, sauerkraut, and aioli. It also comes with a side, your choice of soup, cucumber dill salad, or roasted potato wedges.
Trying to be "healthy," SC got the cucumber dill salad ... despite the fact that she doesn't even like cucumbers (lol). I tried a bit of it and thought it was simple and refreshing.
At the end, our server was clearing our plates and noticed that the bowl was still full. He was kind enough to take it off the bill and just charged the cost of the sandwich. He really didn't have to since there was absolutely nothing wrong with the salad (just a preference thing), but it was appreciated anyhow.
I decided on the currywurst ($15.00), a popular German street food. Cartago's rendition includes a bratwurst sausage (sourced locally from Fuge Fine Meats) in a toasted bun with spicy curry ketchup, yogurt aioli, onion, and fresh mint. Even though it's considered a 'handheld,' it can get pretty messy and saucy so I ended up just using a knife and a fork. The curry ketchup is delicious with a kick of spice!
Since healthy decisions aren't my forte when dining out, I decided on the roasted potato wedges for my side. Nice and crispy like a good potato wedge should be. It also comes with some more curry ketchup for dipping.
If you're in need of a perfect hangout spot, Cartago is the place to be. Forest Heights is quite lucky to have them. If you're not from the neighbourhood, I'd suggest you get your car-ta-go. (HAHAHAHA, k, I'll stop.)
I have never done an online review of a restaurant before but this one was the worst. 6 of us went to celebrate our daughters 23rd birthday. We were looking forward to good German food. The choices were very limited The food was horrible. We will not return nor recommend.
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