We had an amazing experience! JP was kind, hospitable, and incredibly friendly. The entire staff and front-of-house team made us feel welcome too. The recommendations were spot on — we really appreciated how informed and thoughtful the descriptions were. The drinks were so good — I had the Chadberry, which I recommend. It was refreshing, and not heavy at all. For food, we enjoyed the cheese plate with Brie, the market fish, and the ricotta dish. All were delicious — we left feeling full and happy. 100% recommend, especially for sweet romantic lunches/dinners etc.
Cole
Everything was really good. Very impressed.Had the pork 4 course special with wine flight. all courses were very tasty Hated giving 3 stars for service honestly. Only reason it is that is we had a Togo order for desserts and never checked it. Was supposed to be a box 16 assorted choco bite (or what ever they are called) and 1 raspberry chocolate and one peanut caramel. Ended up getting 2 boxes that were half and half raspberry and peanut caramel no bites at all and that is what I was looking forward to the most.
Brenda
Fantastic! The entire evening was such a great experience. The food was amazing. There were 3 in our party. The waiter brought bread that none of us could resist - so good! We each had a different appetizer and traded tastes. They each were very different and the taster and presentation were exceptional. After a sorbet palette cleanser , we then had different mains. Once again, they were exceptional in presentation and taste. The desserts were tasted then packed up to take home. Yum! I must mention the exceptional service by Nelmar. He was attentive, easily answered all our questions and was very personable. He truly made our evening even better.
Andres
Ernest is one of the best restaurants I have ever been. The food is excellent, and the server and drinks are outstanding. My friends and I celebrated to complete our studies at NAIT. It is 100% recommended for students. It is a luxurious Restaurant but affordable prices. Coming here supports some of the NAIT students, who cooked some of the best dishes you can try. I coming back soon. Andres
Wendy
An amazing 5 star meal with stellar food & professional service. I forgot this is a teaching environment where the meal is prepared in part by students. It was one of the best dining experiences I've had. We were celebrating an Anniversary; the staff & students went above and beyond to ensure we felt special and spoiled. True perfection!
Bronwen
Excellent experience for our first time at Ernest's! Delicious food, incredible service, they were able to work around my diet and allergy restrictions too! I'll be back for sure!
Linda
This was our second visit to Ernest's. Such a great restaurant. Food was excellent, service impeccable, ambiance wonderful. We brought home some leftovers and enjoyed them again the second night. We would recommend this place highly.
Anna
Service was great and food was great too! Highly recommend. Planning to return for Friday brunch buffet.
CaTs
Celebrated daughter-in-law s birthday and all our meals were terrific! A bit disappointed that the soup of the day....potato/ mushroom was no longer available by the time we ordered.
Edward Feng
Incredible service and amazing food. Very fairly priced for fine dining.
We came for my son’s birthday dinner and my kids were very impressed by the food, service and atmosphere. Two amazing servers both name Ashley did great job and we really enjoyed the dinner here. Highly recommend ❤️❤️❤️
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jaya Chauhan
Ernest's at NAIT is a gem for #YEG and the chocolate Indian Chief and sugar sculptures are most inviting and make a superb ambience for one's palate. An excellent full three course lunch at Ernest with exemplary service and value, finishing off with the tea lady's tea - a variety to choose from - Rooisbois and Earl Grey were excellent! Riya and Ren served us with flair and kindness making excellent recommendations on the menu. They built rapport with us with ease. Chad, the maitre 'd came to our table at the end of the service to ensure we were happy with the service. The student who prepared the food also came around to ensure our satisfaction with the food! #YEG must be proud to celebrate the legacy of Ernest Robert Hokanson at this superb student run restaurant; Ernest started humbly as a pot washer at the Hotel McDonald; Gratitude also to the donors who make this culinary arts program possible at NAIT; We shall return for certain and highly recommend one and all to have lunch or dinner or buffet at Ernest! Booking through Opentable who have listed Ernest as a renowned top notch restaurant.
Vegetarian options: Goat cheese blintz was excellent as was the Wild Mushroom & Kasha Choux Farcis
Dietary restrictions: Gluten free and vegetarian options catered for
Parking: Parking is for 2 hrs around the campus and is metered and $14.50 which is on the high side; free street parking which was once available has been replaced by the city with parking meters.
Wheelchair accessibility: Accommodation for disabilities is catered for on the campus
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Christina Buenviaje (Tina)
It’s clear why Ernest’s was named OpenTable’s Top 100 Restaurants in Canada for 2023 and they’re likely going to be up there again after the year they’re having. I’ve been going to Ernest’s for years ever since I found the place and have always had a new and unique experience each time which is the reason why I keep coming back. The students are passionate about their dishes and can get so creative with the flavours they present. The staff are very welcoming and accommodating with great hospitality by going above and beyond. The lunch menu has very reasonable prices especially if you do the Eat, Learn, Celebrate 3-course meal. The most bang for your buck. Why pay $45 for an overcooked steak at the Keg when you can get a full 3-course meal at Ernest’s? Exactly. The student showcase buffet which happens every Friday at lunch is the best buffet in the city. I highly recommend booking the next available date as it sells out months in advance. I’ve booked off a day of work just to go to one of the buffets because I know how fast they book up. Not to mention very affordable. The wine dinners are so much fun (just make sure you have a safe ride home!). They also hold many other events which is what makes this place so special. But what I’m really looking forward to is the Alumni Series happening right now, something they’ve never done before. We got tickets to the October event so I’m excited to see what it’s all about. You will always leave full from this place. YOU GOTTA EAT HERE!
Vegetarian options: There will always be a vegetarian option on the rotating lunch menu or dinner menu.
Dietary restrictions: Always accommodating for allergies and dietary restrictions. Very safe for food handling.
Parking: During school hours the parking lot and street parking are paid parking. Free parking in the evenings.
Wheelchair accessibility: Automatic doors, ramps and no stairs to entrance or exits. Tables are at a good height for wheelchairs.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Buffet Selections Including Beef Short Ribs, Guinness Bison Rib, Bison Prime Rib, Strawberry Sorbet Palate Cleanser, Crispy Pork Belly, Beef Carpaccio, Dry-Aged Duck Breast
William Gardner
I highly recommend this establishment as one of the premiere places to experience fine dining. The food bordered on the divine and the service was exceptional. Truly a titanic meal of earthly delight.
We had an amazing experience! JP was kind, hospitable, and incredibly friendly. The entire staff and front-of-house team made us feel welcome too. The recommendations were spot on — we really appreciated how informed and thoughtful the descriptions were. The drinks were so good — I had the Chadberry, which I recommend. It was refreshing, and not heavy at all. For food, we enjoyed the cheese plate with Brie, the market fish, and the ricotta dish. All were delicious — we left feeling full and happy. 100% recommend, especially for sweet romantic lunches/dinners etc.
Everything was really good. Very impressed.Had the pork 4 course special with wine flight. all courses were very tasty Hated giving 3 stars for service honestly. Only reason it is that is we had a Togo order for desserts and never checked it. Was supposed to be a box 16 assorted choco bite (or what ever they are called) and 1 raspberry chocolate and one peanut caramel. Ended up getting 2 boxes that were half and half raspberry and peanut caramel no bites at all and that is what I was looking forward to the most.
Fantastic! The entire evening was such a great experience. The food was amazing. There were 3 in our party. The waiter brought bread that none of us could resist - so good! We each had a different appetizer and traded tastes. They each were very different and the taster and presentation were exceptional. After a sorbet palette cleanser , we then had different mains. Once again, they were exceptional in presentation and taste. The desserts were tasted then packed up to take home. Yum! I must mention the exceptional service by Nelmar. He was attentive, easily answered all our questions and was very personable. He truly made our evening even better.
Ernest is one of the best restaurants I have ever been. The food is excellent, and the server and drinks are outstanding. My friends and I celebrated to complete our studies at NAIT. It is 100% recommended for students. It is a luxurious Restaurant but affordable prices. Coming here supports some of the NAIT students, who cooked some of the best dishes you can try. I coming back soon. Andres
An amazing 5 star meal with stellar food & professional service. I forgot this is a teaching environment where the meal is prepared in part by students. It was one of the best dining experiences I've had. We were celebrating an Anniversary; the staff & students went above and beyond to ensure we felt special and spoiled. True perfection!
Excellent experience for our first time at Ernest's! Delicious food, incredible service, they were able to work around my diet and allergy restrictions too! I'll be back for sure!
This was our second visit to Ernest's. Such a great restaurant. Food was excellent, service impeccable, ambiance wonderful. We brought home some leftovers and enjoyed them again the second night. We would recommend this place highly.
Service was great and food was great too! Highly recommend. Planning to return for Friday brunch buffet.
Celebrated daughter-in-law s birthday and all our meals were terrific! A bit disappointed that the soup of the day....potato/ mushroom was no longer available by the time we ordered.
Incredible service and amazing food. Very fairly priced for fine dining.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Dry-Aged Duck Breast, Duck Confit
Restaurantji Recommends
We came for my son’s birthday dinner and my kids were very impressed by the food, service and atmosphere. Two amazing servers both name Ashley did great job and we really enjoyed the dinner here. Highly recommend ❤️❤️❤️
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ernest's at NAIT is a gem for #YEG and the chocolate Indian Chief and sugar sculptures are most inviting and make a superb ambience for one's palate.
An excellent full three course lunch at Ernest with exemplary service and value, finishing off with the tea lady's tea - a variety to choose from - Rooisbois and Earl Grey were excellent!
Riya and Ren served us with flair and kindness making excellent recommendations on the menu. They built rapport with us with ease. Chad, the maitre 'd came to our table at the end of the service to ensure we were happy with the service. The student who prepared the food also came around to ensure our satisfaction with the food!
#YEG must be proud to celebrate the legacy of Ernest Robert Hokanson at this superb student run restaurant; Ernest started humbly as a pot washer at the Hotel McDonald; Gratitude also to the donors who make this culinary arts program possible at NAIT; We shall return for certain and highly recommend one and all to have lunch or dinner or buffet at Ernest! Booking through Opentable who have listed Ernest as a renowned top notch restaurant.
Vegetarian options: Goat cheese blintz was excellent as was the Wild Mushroom & Kasha Choux Farcis
Dietary restrictions: Gluten free and vegetarian options catered for
Parking: Parking is for 2 hrs around the campus and is metered and $14.50 which is on the high side; free street parking which was once available has been replaced by the city with parking meters.
Wheelchair accessibility: Accommodation for disabilities is catered for on the campus
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It’s clear why Ernest’s was named OpenTable’s Top 100 Restaurants in Canada for 2023 and they’re likely going to be up there again after the year they’re having. I’ve been going to Ernest’s for years ever since I found the place and have always had a new and unique experience each time which is the reason why I keep coming back. The students are passionate about their dishes and can get so creative with the flavours they present. The staff are very welcoming and accommodating with great hospitality by going above and beyond.
The lunch menu has very reasonable prices especially if you do the Eat, Learn, Celebrate 3-course meal. The most bang for your buck. Why pay $45 for an overcooked steak at the Keg when you can get a full 3-course meal at Ernest’s? Exactly.
The student showcase buffet which happens every Friday at lunch is the best buffet in the city. I highly recommend booking the next available date as it sells out months in advance. I’ve booked off a day of work just to go to one of the buffets because I know how fast they book up. Not to mention very affordable.
The wine dinners are so much fun (just make sure you have a safe ride home!). They also hold many other events which is what makes this place so special.
But what I’m really looking forward to is the Alumni Series happening right now, something they’ve never done before. We got tickets to the October event so I’m excited to see what it’s all about.
You will always leave full from this place. YOU GOTTA EAT HERE!
Vegetarian options: There will always be a vegetarian option on the rotating lunch menu or dinner menu.
Dietary restrictions: Always accommodating for allergies and dietary restrictions. Very safe for food handling.
Parking: During school hours the parking lot and street parking are paid parking. Free parking in the evenings.
Wheelchair accessibility: Automatic doors, ramps and no stairs to entrance or exits. Tables are at a good height for wheelchairs.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Buffet Selections Including Beef Short Ribs, Guinness Bison Rib, Bison Prime Rib, Strawberry Sorbet Palate Cleanser, Crispy Pork Belly, Beef Carpaccio, Dry-Aged Duck Breast
I highly recommend this establishment as one of the premiere places to experience fine dining. The food bordered on the divine and the service was exceptional. Truly a titanic meal of earthly delight.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Strawberry Sorbet Palate Cleanser, Turtle Macaroon, Beef Carpaccio
Students are working hard. Food is on point. Knowledgeable staff and calm atmosphere. You know what you're going to get and it's very consistant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Bison Prime Rib, Chocolate Mousse Cake
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