Downtown Toledo is welcoming back a classic building, reimagined in a whole new way. The structure 413 Madison Ave., formerly home to the IOnized Club, Roulet Jewelers and several music clubs and eateries, is now home to Toast and Tap Restaurant and Lounge, a spot that combines the classic Toledo feel while offering cuisine with its own flair.
Co-owned by Kanardo Whittington and Aundray Gray, and with an inspired menu developed by head chef Jacqueline Smith, Toast and Tap carves out a place in the downtown restaurant scene by offering inventive food, hearty drinks and vibrant live music. With menus for lunch, dinner and occasionally, brunch, all boasting dishes which Chef Smith infuses with her own personality, the food is elevated above normal lounge fare.
Exploring the menu
To start the meal, our party ordered buffalo chicken dip and crab cakes. The buffalo chicken dip had all the traditional taste of the dish, and then some. Loaded with flavor and balanced by a kick, but not too intense, and covered in bubbling, slightly crispy cheese, the buffalo chicken dip is served with naan chips for dipping. The crab cakes, perhaps more accurately described as mountains of crab, include large portions of crab with a delectable Cajun remoulade.
For entrees, our party selected the Cobb Salad with scotch egg and the shrimp po’boy. The Cobb Salad is a familiar creation, true to the source, with some unique additions. Adding to the Cobb standards, (lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, bacon, feta), the chef makes it her own with the addition of roasted chicken and fried turkey sausage, an carefully prepared scotch egg, accompanied by a red wine vinaigrette that gives the salad the character to be a standalone dish on a dinner menu.
The menu description of the shrimp po’boy understates the sandwich as “Cajun style fried shrimp on a hoagie bun with remoulade sauce and dressings”. Our server presented a sandwich, nearly the length of a forearm, loaded with fried shrimp, that delicious remoulade, topped with fresh lettuce, tomatoes and pickles. Each sandwich is served with the restaurant’s homemade ranch potato chips, an item available ‘to go’, sold in gallon bags.
The drink menu, a mix of classic and unique, showcases Toast and Tap’s full bar, with a selection of red and white wines and a beer list that contains both the standards along with some local brews. But it’s the restaurant’s craft cocktail list that really shines, with brilliant recipes and riffs on classic cocktails. The “Woody” is a worthy version of an Old Fashioned, while something entirely new and exciting, is the tempting “Kiwi Do you Love Me?” The bar also serves non-alcoholic cocktails that are both elegant and flavorful.
Toast and Tap breathes new life into the beautiful historic space, instilling the landmark building with a new fusion of flavor and atmosphere that is “very Toledo.” Whether you’re visiting for jazz night, a Saturday brunch, a date night or just grabbing a quick lunch, Toast and Tap has something for everyone.
Tues-Thurs: 11am – 10pm
Fri & Sat: 11am – 12am
Sun & Mon: Closed
413 Madison Ave.
Toledo, Ohio 43604
419-720-0300
Facebook: Toast and Tap Restaurant and Lounge
Lighting: Well-lit
Parking: Moderate
Kid-Friendly: Yes
Noise: Medium-Loud (depending on if there is live music)
Price: Low-Medium ($7 – $25)
