We don’t blame the front line staff, it’s management. We were expecting a 5-Star experience but were greeted with 1-Star attitude. After asking questions about the wine and food, we left and were told don’t bother coming back. When we made reservations we were told the average entrée price was $50 and up. We were prepared to drop $300 to $400 for a dinner for 2 people, but not to be served and treated like dirt by a waitress with no personality or experience. Boston pizza has the same food with better atmosphere for way less. We walked out and went to a place called “The whistle stop” 2 blocks away. Spent $70 on two amazing meals including 2 appetizers… will not be back to that old house.
Cecile B
Very disappointed about our dinner,ordered a bouillabaisse thinking it would be local seafoods,the prawns were rubbery,tasteless and tasted like Asian prawns,small portion and came with a small piece of dried bread,will never order again,the broth wasn’t that great,we were all vey disappointed with our food and was one of the most expensive meal on menu,the good thing was the service.
Chrissy Wakabayashi
What a great spot! The food was delicious and the service was very friendly. My only regret is not having any room for dessert!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
William M
My wife and I recently stopped here for lunch on our way to a medical appointment. This restaurant has been here in one form or another for many years and it has been decades since our last visit. We were impressed with the renovations and the friendly staff. Our first impressions were really good. It has a long term reputation as a good place to eat. My wife is a small eater so she only ordered a bowl of their seafood chowder. Having more of an appetite, I ordered seafood chowder as well as the Thai green chili bowl. The orders were slow in coming but when the seafood chowder arrived we both enjoyed it. In our opinion, it was delicious; an above average chowder. I waited and waited for the chili bowl and when a waiter checked with our table I explained that I had ordered the child bowl ages ago and was still waiting. She left and retuned shortly with my order. It was very disappointing. The appearance was unappetizing and the flavour was bland and overcooked. The cauliflower and broccoli florets mushy. It was best described as a bowl of slop, a $24.00 bowl of slop. I don't want to speculate about what happened because I still think this is a good place and we're prepared to give it another chance when we visit Courtenay in the future.
PeterCosby_Leicester
Don’t get me wrong the food was OK. Sounds promising on the menu but was fairly forgettable. I had the Halibut special for $48. It was just OK. The venue is old beams vibe. I come from the UK so this doesn’t add much for me. Service was slowish . Seems busy enough. If you like an element of exclusivity based on price then this is the place for you. We have found better food/ experience elsewhere. I wonder whether they are suffering from the same problems of many restaurants- retaining high quality chefs.
davidsM5180XM
We had a superb meal here. Top quality ingredients and delicious preparations. Excellent upmarket cuisine… The interior space is warm and there are also water facing patio tables. Lovely dinner here!
Bub1001
This is one of the best restaurants - this is where you know you are getting a great meal out of the kitchen when you order. Not hoping it will be good or you made the right decision on the order. The staff are excellent, fun and give good advice! From visit to visit this does not change for us.
korenab2019
Superb food. Top notch service . We had the Caesar salad in the manila clams. Potatoes in duck fat! Everything served perfectly hot.
Gardiner W
Well yes, it is expensive, but I think the food quality offsets that. Very busy on a Wednesday evening so we couldn't get a place outside but that was OK. Very friendly and engaging service. The main courses are all at the high 30's or low 40s level but wonderfully prepared (I had a seafood pasta) and good portion size. Decent wine and beer list. It definitely is a special occasion venue but also great if you just want a good meal. Reservations recommended particularly towards the weekends.
plit63
The food was good but not excellent given the high prices. The location is lovely but the plastic outdoor tables and chairs are cheap and could have used some dressing up. Table linens would be a huge upgrade. They offered lots of gluten free options, which was much appreciated. The salad rolls were excellent, my husband had the carbonara which was good. I had Miriam’s vegetarian cakes on salad which were tasty but dry. They definitely needed some kind of yummy aioli or chimichurri to liven them up. Staff were lovely and accommodating!
Pricey, very pricey, but fine for a special occasion. The food could not be faulted. It was fresh, local and beautifully cooked and presented. Choice of seating - indoor, outdoor, covered. Lovely location with adjoining path to river.
Lee Mckeown
What a lovely treat to find this place. The location was perfect and the decor inside was warm and cozy.I am a celiac and there was SO many amazing food choices (that weren't just salad) for anyone who is allergic to gluten/wheat.Everyone's food look so good and every plate went back to the kitchen empty. Looking forward to going back and trying the rest of the menu
Ted Hotzak
It was a great dining experience. Excellent food prep and presentation, and the servers do a great job of looking after you. It's definitely not a burger and fries place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Seaside26744386414
OH MY GOOD LORD THIS FOOD IS CRAZY!!!! ON GAWD I HAD AN OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCE ASCENDING AFTER EATING THIS FOOD UP!!! I highly suggest the beef tenderloin and mushroom pasta because OHHHHHH that stuff nearly made me shed a tear. Along with the apple pie for dessert im like UHHHMMMMM YAAAASSSSSSS MMMM M M M M MMMMM MY TUMMY SINGS PRAISED TO THE CHRF!!! TO THE CHEF I SAY!!!! Anyways yeah :3 10/10 five stars absolute show stopper.
We don’t blame the front line staff, it’s management. We were expecting a 5-Star experience but were greeted with 1-Star attitude. After asking questions about the wine and food, we left and were told don’t bother coming back. When we made reservations we were told the average entrée price was $50 and up. We were prepared to drop $300 to $400 for a dinner for 2 people, but not to be served and treated like dirt by a waitress with no personality or experience. Boston pizza has the same food with better atmosphere for way less. We walked out and went to a place called “The whistle stop” 2 blocks away. Spent $70 on two amazing meals including 2 appetizers… will not be back to that old house.
Very disappointed about our dinner,ordered a bouillabaisse thinking it would be local seafoods,the prawns were rubbery,tasteless and tasted like Asian prawns,small portion and came with a small piece of dried bread,will never order again,the broth wasn’t that great,we were all vey disappointed with our food and was one of the most expensive meal on menu,the good thing was the service.
What a great spot! The food was delicious and the service was very friendly. My only regret is not having any room for dessert!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My wife and I recently stopped here for lunch on our way to a medical appointment. This restaurant has been here in one form or another for many years and it has been decades since our last visit. We were impressed with the renovations and the friendly staff. Our first impressions were really good. It has a long term reputation as a good place to eat. My wife is a small eater so she only ordered a bowl of their seafood chowder. Having more of an appetite, I ordered seafood chowder as well as the Thai green chili bowl. The orders were slow in coming but when the seafood chowder arrived we both enjoyed it. In our opinion, it was delicious; an above average chowder. I waited and waited for the chili bowl and when a waiter checked with our table I explained that I had ordered the child bowl ages ago and was still waiting. She left and retuned shortly with my order. It was very disappointing. The appearance was unappetizing and the flavour was bland and overcooked. The cauliflower and broccoli florets mushy. It was best described as a bowl of slop, a $24.00 bowl of slop. I don't want to speculate about what happened because I still think this is a good place and we're prepared to give it another chance when we visit Courtenay in the future.
Don’t get me wrong the food was OK. Sounds promising on the menu but was fairly forgettable. I had the Halibut special for $48. It was just OK. The venue is old beams vibe. I come from the UK so this doesn’t add much for me. Service was slowish . Seems busy enough. If you like an element of exclusivity based on price then this is the place for you. We have found better food/ experience elsewhere. I wonder whether they are suffering from the same problems of many restaurants- retaining high quality chefs.
We had a superb meal here. Top quality ingredients and delicious preparations. Excellent upmarket cuisine… The interior space is warm and there are also water facing patio tables. Lovely dinner here!
This is one of the best restaurants - this is where you know you are getting a great meal out of the kitchen when you order. Not hoping it will be good or you made the right decision on the order. The staff are excellent, fun and give good advice! From visit to visit this does not change for us.
Superb food. Top notch service . We had the Caesar salad in the manila clams. Potatoes in duck fat! Everything served perfectly hot.
Well yes, it is expensive, but I think the food quality offsets that. Very busy on a Wednesday evening so we couldn't get a place outside but that was OK. Very friendly and engaging service. The main courses are all at the high 30's or low 40s level but wonderfully prepared (I had a seafood pasta) and good portion size. Decent wine and beer list. It definitely is a special occasion venue but also great if you just want a good meal. Reservations recommended particularly towards the weekends.
The food was good but not excellent given the high prices. The location is lovely but the plastic outdoor tables and chairs are cheap and could have used some dressing up. Table linens would be a huge upgrade. They offered lots of gluten free options, which was much appreciated. The salad rolls were excellent, my husband had the carbonara which was good. I had Miriam’s vegetarian cakes on salad which were tasty but dry. They definitely needed some kind of yummy aioli or chimichurri to liven them up. Staff were lovely and accommodating!
Restaurantji Recommends
Pricey, very pricey, but fine for a special occasion. The food could not be faulted. It was fresh, local and beautifully cooked and presented. Choice of seating - indoor, outdoor, covered. Lovely location with adjoining path to river.
What a lovely treat to find this place. The location was perfect and the decor inside was warm and cozy.I am a celiac and there was SO many amazing food choices (that weren't just salad) for anyone who is allergic to gluten/wheat.Everyone's food look so good and every plate went back to the kitchen empty. Looking forward to going back and trying the rest of the menu
It was a great dining experience. Excellent food prep and presentation, and the servers do a great job of looking after you. It's definitely not a burger and fries place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
OH MY GOOD LORD THIS FOOD IS CRAZY!!!! ON GAWD I HAD AN OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCE ASCENDING AFTER EATING THIS FOOD UP!!! I highly suggest the beef tenderloin and mushroom pasta because OHHHHHH that stuff nearly made me shed a tear. Along with the apple pie for dessert im like UHHHMMMMM YAAAASSSSSSS MMMM M M M M MMMMM MY TUMMY SINGS PRAISED TO THE CHRF!!! TO THE CHEF I SAY!!!! Anyways yeah :3 10/10 five stars absolute show stopper.
Good restaurant with nice things to set