Phoned to make a reservation for 7 people at Christmas, no answer. Emailed their group reservations (as you can't book via the open table system for that many people) No response for two weeks... Call today, no answer!? We'll take our business elsewhere.
Kyle
Wedding Venue review: The Bell in Scona (10416 80 ave NW) Date of event: October 19, 2024
Overall, The Bell in Scona is a stunning venue in a perfect location. The layout of the building made it an ideal setting to host our entire wedding, from the ceremony to the cocktail hour and reception. The food was outstanding—our guests had nothing but high praise, and the poutine bar at midnight was a huge hit.
We initially toured the venue in January 2024, and during that walk-through, the staff seemed accommodating and open to our requests. Confident in the venue, we signed the contract.
However, after that, communication with the venue became problematic, particularly due to a change in management. Many of the promises made during the walk-through were called into question by the new team. Our event manager was unprofessional and even rude at times, and we found ourselves having to repeatedly explain and justify what had been previously agreed upon. This led to a lot of unnecessary stress, and at one point, we seriously considered canceling the booking.
We were initially told that the downstairs taproom would be reserved exclusively for our guests during the cocktail hour, which was a major selling point for us, especially since many of our 130 guests were traveling from out of town. However, we were later informed that the venue typically does not close the taproom to the public during events. We were questioned and asked to provide documentation of this agreement, which was clearly stated in our original signed contract.
We assured the venue that all our guests would remain for the cocktail hour, and they promised us the taproom would be closed to the public during that time. We also emphasized the need for adequate staffing to handle the large number of drink orders, but unfortunately, many of our guests still had to wait 30–40 minutes to get a drink. Our cocktail hour was also during happy hour and none of our guests received happy hour prices, even though it was advertised throughout the venue.
Thankfully, the new General Manager stepped in and reassured us that they would honor the original arrangements. While he was able to take over from the person we had been dealing with, the inconsistent communication between the staff consisted. For example, we received a revised contract with a higher minimum spend than what had been agreed upon, and when we arrived for our scheduled tasting (after a 2.5-hour drive), the venue seemed unprepared and had to scramble to set up a table for us.
Our rehearsal was originally scheduled for Thursday before the Saturday wedding, but this was later changed to Friday afternoon because they booked another event.
Another thing to note is that we were told the upstairs area could accommodate up to 160 guests. With our guest list of around 125 people, the space felt quite full, and it didn’t seem like there would have been room for many more guests.
Another frustrating part was that we ordered midnight lunch for 80 people. There was less than 80 people when it was served, and people weren’t filling there dishes full but they still ran out of poutine. This was frustrating as we paid $12 per plate for midnight lunch.
While our wedding day itself turned out great, the planning process felt disorganized and unnecessarily stressful. It's clear that the venue is still finding its footing in the wedding industry. If it weren’t for the new General Manager stepping in and reassuring us, we likely would have chosen another venue.
They definitely had some of the best food I’ve had at a wedding. The staff were also great at helping us flip from the ceremony to reception. However, at this time, I find it difficult to fully recommend The Bell in Scona due to the lack of communication and coordination between their staff. I do believe the venue has great potential with the right management i
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Julian Goudreau
We recently held our wedding at The Bell in Scona, and it turned out to be a wonderful experience! The venue’s atmosphere was beautiful, and the food was fantastic—our guests couldn’t stop talking about it. The decor added a cozy, charming touch, and ringing the bell after the ceremony was such a fun and memorable detail! The staff were friendly and professional, ensuring the day flowed smoothly. The location was convenient, with ample parking, and we appreciated the wheelchair accessibility through the freight elevator. While it was a bit challenging at times to get clear answers to our questions during the planning process, and there was a mix-up with a double booking for our rehearsal time, the team managed to resolve everything, and it all worked out just fine in the end. Overall, we’re grateful for how well everything came together, and we’d definitely recommend The Bell in Scona as a wedding venue.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
ray daugherty
Great food selection and micro brewer beers. Love the fifties music and outside patio
Never had poor service here. Beer is very good. Food - mediocre and nothing is come back for. Pilar Park had superior food that kept us coming back for more. Today — pork belly -good but not spectacular. Bean and spinach dip? - green tasteless glob in a bowl served with heavy focaccia bread - we sent it back
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
Larissa Olsen
We recently held our wedding at The Bell, and it was truly an unforgettable experience! From the very beginning, the communication was efficient, and the team was incredibly responsive. The venue itself is stunning and perfectly captured the boho and rustic vibe we were looking for. It was exactly what we envisioned! Working with Brad, Drey, and Sophie was a delight; they made every meeting enjoyable and stress-free. On our wedding day, the servers did an exceptional job, and we've received compliments about their professionalism and attentiveness. Thank you, The Bell, for making our special day so perfect!
Marshall Dunn
They have a very tasty pale lager. I had the bread appetizer and the steak, cooked medium rare. Cooked perfectly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joyce W.
Updated Review:
*Emailed the general manager on their suggestion but they did not respond. I’ve also asked questions via their social media to no response either. There are so many great choices of restaurants in Edmonton; for me, this is not one of them.
Beer is average at best but not even made in house. Burgers were pretty average, but there are many better places to go for beer.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Amandatory23
Eclectic crowd for sure. Beer was decent and food was good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Josh
Completely arrogant and ignorant. Would not recommend.
We had our wedding in the event space upstairs and it was fantastic! Everyone at the Bell was supportive, flexible and helpful from the planning through to the day of. They found a way to make everything we asked for happen. A lot of our guests mentioned that the food was great. We would definitely recommend this space for events.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Luda Dorosh
Amazing experience of happy hour. Your taste buds and beer belly would be satisfied!
Finally got back here after the location reboot from polar park. Recommend you give it a try.
They are now apparently brewing everything in house, well except for the collaborations of course. Everything I've tried has been pretty solid. And right now their happy hour deal 3 to 6 can't be beat. Food wise i've only tried the appetizers and most of them are good for what they are as pub appetizers - but maybe give the focaccia a miss, the dip is good, the bread not so much - maybe just ask for the dip with some tortilla chips.
I'm sure the mains are good I see several families eating supper here.
Anyhow it's a crime that on the last couple of evenings I've been here during happy hour the place is almost deserted. They have a beautiful patio deck and a big inside space.
Give it some love this is a good addition to the scene!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bell Bread Knots
chad gordon
I Dj at Bell Scona last weekend for a wedding, and I really like this venue. It's definitely a hidden gem. One of my new favorite staff and management is awesome. Thanks again, Brad, for everything. Cheers ?
Phoned to make a reservation for 7 people at Christmas, no answer. Emailed their group reservations (as you can't book via the open table system for that many people) No response for two weeks... Call today, no answer!? We'll take our business elsewhere.
Wedding Venue review: The Bell in Scona (10416 80 ave NW)
Date of event: October 19, 2024
Overall, The Bell in Scona is a stunning venue in a perfect location. The layout of the building made it an ideal setting to host our entire wedding, from the ceremony to the cocktail hour and reception. The food was outstanding—our guests had nothing but high praise, and the poutine bar at midnight was a huge hit.
We initially toured the venue in January 2024, and during that walk-through, the staff seemed accommodating and open to our requests. Confident in the venue, we signed the contract.
However, after that, communication with the venue became problematic, particularly due to a change in management. Many of the promises made during the walk-through were called into question by the new team. Our event manager was unprofessional and even rude at times, and we found ourselves having to repeatedly explain and justify what had been previously agreed upon. This led to a lot of unnecessary stress, and at one point, we seriously considered canceling the booking.
We were initially told that the downstairs taproom would be reserved exclusively for our guests during the cocktail hour, which was a major selling point for us, especially since many of our 130 guests were traveling from out of town. However, we were later informed that the venue typically does not close the taproom to the public during events. We were questioned and asked to provide documentation of this agreement, which was clearly stated in our original signed contract.
We assured the venue that all our guests would remain for the cocktail hour, and they promised us the taproom would be closed to the public during that time. We also emphasized the need for adequate staffing to handle the large number of drink orders, but unfortunately, many of our guests still had to wait 30–40 minutes to get a drink. Our cocktail hour was also during happy hour and none of our guests received happy hour prices, even though it was advertised throughout the venue.
Thankfully, the new General Manager stepped in and reassured us that they would honor the original arrangements. While he was able to take over from the person we had been dealing with, the inconsistent communication between the staff consisted. For example, we received a revised contract with a higher minimum spend than what had been agreed upon, and when we arrived for our scheduled tasting (after a 2.5-hour drive), the venue seemed unprepared and had to scramble to set up a table for us.
Our rehearsal was originally scheduled for Thursday before the Saturday wedding, but this was later changed to Friday afternoon because they booked another event.
Another thing to note is that we were told the upstairs area could accommodate up to 160 guests. With our guest list of around 125 people, the space felt quite full, and it didn’t seem like there would have been room for many more guests.
Another frustrating part was that we ordered midnight lunch for 80 people. There was less than 80 people when it was served, and people weren’t filling there dishes full but they still ran out of poutine. This was frustrating as we paid $12 per plate for midnight lunch.
While our wedding day itself turned out great, the planning process felt disorganized and unnecessarily stressful. It's clear that the venue is still finding its footing in the wedding industry. If it weren’t for the new General Manager stepping in and reassuring us, we likely would have chosen another venue.
They definitely had some of the best food I’ve had at a wedding. The staff were also great at helping us flip from the ceremony to reception. However, at this time, I find it difficult to fully recommend The Bell in Scona due to the lack of communication and coordination between their staff. I do believe the venue has great potential with the right management i
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
We recently held our wedding at The Bell in Scona, and it turned out to be a wonderful experience! The venue’s atmosphere was beautiful, and the food was fantastic—our guests couldn’t stop talking about it. The decor added a cozy, charming touch, and ringing the bell after the ceremony was such a fun and memorable detail!
The staff were friendly and professional, ensuring the day flowed smoothly. The location was convenient, with ample parking, and we appreciated the wheelchair accessibility through the freight elevator.
While it was a bit challenging at times to get clear answers to our questions during the planning process, and there was a mix-up with a double booking for our rehearsal time, the team managed to resolve everything, and it all worked out just fine in the end. Overall, we’re grateful for how well everything came together, and we’d definitely recommend The Bell in Scona as a wedding venue.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food selection and micro brewer beers. Love the fifties music and outside patio
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crispy Smoked Pork Belly Bites
Never had poor service here. Beer is very good. Food - mediocre and nothing is come back for. Pilar Park had superior food that kept us coming back for more. Today — pork belly -good but not spectacular. Bean and spinach dip? - green tasteless glob in a bowl served with heavy focaccia bread - we sent it back
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
We recently held our wedding at The Bell, and it was truly an unforgettable experience! From the very beginning, the communication was efficient, and the team was incredibly responsive.
The venue itself is stunning and perfectly captured the boho and rustic vibe we were looking for. It was exactly what we envisioned!
Working with Brad, Drey, and Sophie was a delight; they made every meeting enjoyable and stress-free.
On our wedding day, the servers did an exceptional job, and we've received compliments about their professionalism and attentiveness.
Thank you, The Bell, for making our special day so perfect!
They have a very tasty pale lager. I had the bread appetizer and the steak, cooked medium rare. Cooked perfectly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Updated Review:
*Emailed the general manager on their suggestion but they did not respond. I’ve also asked questions via their social media to no response either. There are so many great choices of restaurants in Edmonton; for me, this is not one of them.
Beer is average at best but not even made in house. Burgers were pretty average, but there are many better places to go for beer.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Eclectic crowd for sure. Beer was decent and food was good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Completely arrogant and ignorant. Would not recommend.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
We had our wedding in the event space upstairs and it was fantastic! Everyone at the Bell was supportive, flexible and helpful from the planning through to the day of. They found a way to make everything we asked for happen. A lot of our guests mentioned that the food was great. We would definitely recommend this space for events.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing experience of happy hour. Your taste buds and beer belly would be satisfied!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crispy Smoked Pork Belly Bites
Drinks were great and food was phenomenal!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Finally got back here after the location reboot from polar park. Recommend you give it a try.
They are now apparently brewing everything in house, well except for the collaborations of course. Everything I've tried has been pretty solid. And right now their happy hour deal 3 to 6 can't be beat. Food wise i've only tried the appetizers and most of them are good for what they are as pub appetizers - but maybe give the focaccia a miss, the dip is good, the bread not so much - maybe just ask for the dip with some tortilla chips.
I'm sure the mains are good I see several families eating supper here.
Anyhow it's a crime that on the last couple of evenings I've been here during happy hour the place is almost deserted. They have a beautiful patio deck and a big inside space.
Give it some love this is a good addition to the scene!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bell Bread Knots
I Dj at Bell Scona last weekend for a wedding, and I really like this venue. It's definitely a hidden gem. One of my new favorite staff and management is awesome. Thanks again, Brad, for everything. Cheers ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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