Confederation Lounge & Patio

I brought my daughter to the Confederation Lounge to celebrate her birthday in style, and we could not have been more impressed. From start to finish, the evening was absolute perfection. We started with expertly crafted cocktails (the Whiskey Sour was a highlight) and the sweet potato croquettes, followed by the delectable burgers and truffle fries. We finished the night with a decadent chocolate mousse for the birthday dessert, and every bite was beyond delicious. Beyond the menu, the ambiance of this historic hotel is unmatched; sinking into those comfortable wingback chairs made the whole moment feel sublime. What truly elevated the evening, however, was our server, Kay. She was absolutely wonderful, with such a lovely personality and an incredible eye for detail. Kay went above and beyond to ensure my daughter felt truly special on her birthday, and that level of care is what turned a great dinner into a lasting memory. I don't just recommend dining here—I've already booked our next visit! We enjoyed the experience so much that we reserved another table for a couple of weeks from now.

I'm not a person who hops online and gives bad reviews, I'd always rather discuss any service challenges with management. However, after consistently having numerous bad experiences, not only at this restaurant, but this hotel in general, I'm done with the 25% “retention discounts” and free dessert. Management here just doesn't get it. As a hotel guest, I've already switched over to the JW Marriott. I have no issues paying premium pricing for premium brands, but I do take issue with the fact that this particular Fairmont does not embody the level of quality that Fairmont has come to be known for. I want to be clear, that the ambiance of this hotel is incredible. Yes the rooms are dated, but that's fairly typical for most Fairmonts. The service staff is also incredibly lovely and personable however, they can only do so much if they are consistently short staffed, and are not being supported by management. The only reason I have continued to return to this hotel is to take my family, who are regulars at the restaurant, out for dinner. Over the last several years, the service has been consistently poor. Again, the staff are lovely, but it should not take 15 for someone to come greet you and then another 15 to 20 minutes to get a drink. It shouldn't be OK that regularly a meal is missed on the order. Or, that it takes an hour to get a hamburger and a bowl of soup. On one occasion, drinks with dead fruit flies were served to us... Twice in one sitting. If I'm going to pay $28 for a cocktail, I wanna know if there's extra “protein” included that hasn't been noted on the menu. It also shouldn't take another 20 minutes to get your bill when you're clearly sitting there with jackets on and no drinks. It's just a consistently sub-par experience and generally not what I experienced at any other Fairmonts. I can no longer justify spending money at this venue until management figures out how to match cost with quality.

Celebrating the end of the year with business partners and friends. Always look forward to event and it never fails to disappoint. Two thumbs way up.

Ambience and service were awesome. Food was somewhat pricey. Cocktails were $25 plus. Food was ok but not exceptional for the price.

We came back to our favorite hotel and were blown away by the superior service in the Confederation lounge (thanks Gwen) and on the Gold floor. The Xmas decorations are lovely and we enjoyed the new menu. Also loved the speed of the room service on Saturday night! So much to recommend about this beautiful hotel!

Fantastic Christmas lunch with a great friend. Food, ambience, and service were excellent.

We had an excellent server, a very kind female waitress that made the night great for us. We did receive our soup almost right away but the bowl was only 1/2 full !!?! We were disappointed in how LONG it took for the other food to come, we only ordered afew appetizers, took over 1/2 hour to receive the food. Very disappointed in the Gouda truffle fries, they were only regular fries sprinkled with the TINIEST BIT of Gouda cheese! The croquettes were delicious as were the chicken wings. We spent $200 on afew drinks and appetizers for 3 people! Too much! The very kind and fun waitress really made our night good though. Do not let that one go unnoticed, she deserves a raise!

Here with some friends after a work day. Decor was impeccable and seating was very comfortable. My amethyst sour tasted a little flat. Service what's good as expected in a venue like this.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

We had a lovely lunch today at the Confederation Lounge. The heritage chicken croissant is amazing. My husband thoroughly enjoyed his steak. The children's bento boxes (chicken fingers and fries) were gobbled up quickly. Service was wonderful. Valet was 10/10. Thank you.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This was lunch with a friend and it was the perfect spot. The space is bright with natural light but also feels cozy. The service was great, attentive but also gave us space and time to catch up!

Ambiance and food was excellent, as usual. The service however was not. Service was very slow despite the lounge being a little less than half full. Our reservation was for 12:30pm but food didn't arrive until 1:20pm. Now, we did have a nut allergy that needed to be accommodated so I understand that it would take a bit more time to come out. But nearly an hour for two bowls of soup and two orders of croquettes is excessive, especially since we ordered the exact same items three weeks before and there was no delay.

The Confederation Lounge at Fairmont Macdonald is fantastic in every way. The staff is excellent, professional and attentive. The drinks and food are very good, and the atmosphere is relaxed yet sophisticated. Wonderful place.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Visited Friday night, the food and drinks here were amazing, and our servers were absolutely fantastic! Even though it was super busy, they stayed friendly, attentive, and really made the experience great.

The only downside was the manager, (Jackson I believe) it was pretty clear he wasn’t being very helpful to his team during the rush. The staff were doing everything they could and working so hard, but it didn’t seem like they were getting much support from him.

Huge shoutout to the servers though, they really carried the night and made it such a great experience despite the chaos!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

We actually moved to the Harvest Restaurant as the offerings were more to our liking. Superb lamb shank - highly recommended Superb tenderloin - highly recommended Wine pricing is ridiculously high. $35 for a 5oz pour is gouging in my opinion. Not good at all. Food was great - wine (pricing) was not. Great service as you might expect. Nicely presented.

Overall price for what we got was subpar. Service was slow. Would have thought experience in Fairmont would have been better than it was.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1