We came for our third visit, not realizing the chef and menu had changed — and sadly, nothing was the same. The dishes were under-seasoned, the flavour combinations didn’t work, and the fish was overcooked and bland. This used to be one of our favourite restaurants with truly outstanding food.
What was once a unique and memorable experience now felt flat. The first “course” — simply bread with oil and balsamic vinegar — set the tone for a disappointing meal. To top it off, we were charged $30 for two bottles of water, and our total bill came to over $350 for just two meals, water, and two drinks.
We sincerely hope the original menu makes a return, but unfortunately, we won’t be coming back for now.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 4
Julia Bates
We had an amazing experience at the Treetop Restaurant. Chef Lucas blew us away with a wonderful meal. Drew our server was incredible. We will be back FORSURE!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sean Gordon
I would highly recommend ignoring the previous low ratings and giving this place a try. All of the the recent reviews seem to be great. I had possibly the best meal of my life here in June 2025.
I went in with fairly low expectations, as Cedars, the restaurant at Tigh Na Mara, is pretty mediocre. We did the dip-and-dine package while staying at the resort, and I was not expecting much for food - frozen Sysco appies perhaps.
I was absolutely blown away. As soon as I had one bite of the first course, a spring kale salad, I knew I had massively underestimated this place. The food was OUTSTANDING, and the wine pairings were not only great, they were well priced (relative to similar menus elsewhere).
I see there are a few people complaining about portions. It's bottomless - eat more! I'm a pretty big guy, with a pretty big appetite, and I would have been perfectly happy with the set menu. Of course I ordered a few extra courses because the food was so incredible, but I left very very full.
The spring/summer 2025 menu is fresh, local, playful, and expertly executed. There are fermented and picked foods, lots of seafood, some bright fruit sauces paired with savory meats, and some earthy fungi dishes. I could see a person who likes frozen spring rolls and well-cooked steak with ketchup finding some of the dishes a little intimidating, but anyone who enjoys fine dining, beyond basic meat and potatoes, will likely be thrilled with the dishes.
The citrus and cream dessert paired with Inniskillin Ice Wine was so good it literally brought tears to my eyes!
As far as I'm aware, there is nothing else in Parksville that even comes close to this caliber of food.
On top of all this, our server, Drew, was great. He was attentive, friendly, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic.
The only thing I didn't love is the fact that you have to eat wearing your robe from the spa. This isn't Bruch and mimosas, it's an elevated dining experience, and I would prefer to not feel the wind blowing on my bits and bobbles. That said, if I would happily do this again wearing only an adult diaper if I had to!
10/10 Treat yourself and make a reservation.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
M P
I really enjoyed our experience at Treetop. We were the only ones there so it was a tad awkward but we were there during lower season and on a weekday lunch time.
That being said food was fantastic and our server was awesome. We barely could eat our final round but ordered an additional scallop as it was so good, everything was delicious and cooked super well. Attention to detail was great, and things came out as soon as we were finished, being the only ones there.
If I were to be super picky, my only suggestion is to spice up the cocktails a little more with fancier garnish and unique syrups, but it didn’t take away from the experience.
Matt Flindell
Did the endless tapas. New menu, chef struggled to get food out. Menu was too seafood heavy with nothing filling. Best bite was the kale salad and bread with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Less is more. No bang for the buck. Our 2 hour seating took 2:40 which didn’t really allow us to take advantage of the bottomless aspect of the experience. They comped a glass of bubbly for the slow service but didn’t make up for the food. Not going back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 2
Julie Widing
This is a must. Chef Lucas is a genius and you truly feel that you are eating art. The price is extremely fair for the quality, level of detail and quantity. The wine pairings were absolutely on point. The service by Robin was outstanding. We are well travelled and can honestly say that this was one of our best ever culinary experiences.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Adam Piechnik
Don't let the price scare you. This is immacutely fine dining and is worth visiting.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jamie Jackson
Our server KoKo was amazing. The food and wine pairings were perfect. We even had a vegetarian in our group and they did a fantastic job accommodating for that (just let them know when you book it!) Every course was enjoyed and we had a great time. We even had the pleasure of Dave singing to us for the dessert course. ( It was our collective 40th bday trip). It was the perfect afternoon for a special occasion. So glad we got KoKo he was incredible.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sarah Lindsay
Have you experienced endless tapas at treetop lately? I hadn’t, and I’m So glad I gave it another chance. I wasn’t overly impressed in the past but we discovered they have brought in a new chef and whole new menu since I’d last visited. I genuinely couldn’t wait to come back to my room to write the most glowing review imaginable.
Over and above the expertly crafted, delectable menu - our server Drew created a dining Experience second to none. I have travelled to 30+ countries, fine dined around the world, and he truly was one of the most incredible servers I’ve ever had the pleasure to dine with. His presence, charisma and timing were immaculate. He offered an appropriate amount of interesting information about every dish as well as graciously answered all of our questions. His passion for food and wine were apparent and his enthusiasm and knowledge alone were enough to make me want to visit every week.
We were beyond impressed at the presentation and complexity of the dishes prepared en masse and had a very difficult time narrowing down favourites. The wine pairings were extremely well thought out with the Riverlore Sauvignon Blanc and Winter’s Green salad being the absolute stand out choice. I have never enjoyed a wine pairing as much as this in my life.
I am greatly anticipating the upcoming Summer menu from their top notch chef and hope to be greeted by Drew again in the near future. (If you are his boss - please give him a raise as he is an absolute asset to this facility in every sense of the word!).
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Kale Salad
Courtney B
It’s been a very long time since I’ve had a dining experience so attentive, tasty, and overall exceptional!
Our server Drew was incredibly knowledgeable about each dish he served us, and the wine pairing for each dish was beyond amazing. A HUGE kudos to the sommelier who decided to pair the Riverlore Sauv Blanc with the salad. I don’t think I’ve ever had a wine pairing that fit so perfectly in my entire life!
From the moment we sat down we felt so cared for. We were given an unfortunate seat right next to the door when we first arrived as it was the only table left available, and were moved to a window seat about 10 minutes later when it came available. We were never without a sip of wine or a bite of food, and we were there for hours.
The faves of the evening were of course the salad (a staple of their menu for the last couple of decades - and for good reason!!), the scallops, the duck, and the beef tenderloin. All so flavourful and perfect portions. We finished the tasting menu and had room for a couple reorders of our favourites.
A huge huge thanks to Drew again for making this such an unforgettable experience. They are apparently moving to their summer menu in the next few weeks and we are already planning to be back to try that. 10/10 would absolutely recommend to anyone thinking about trying!!
Absolutely blown away by this thoughtfully prepared, locally inspired menu. I’ve had the pleasure of doing the tapas experience twice and both times have walked away so impressed and satisfied. I’ve done chef tasting menus at Michelin star restaurants and my experience at tree tops is right up there with them. Kudos to the team for an exceptional experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jennifer Laferrière
The current menu was amazing. Wine pairings were lovely. Dave was a gem as a server. Very knowledgeable about the dishes and wines. The dip and dine is a treat and a worthwhile one, in my opinion. Soooooo much food though. Hubby ate it all, I struggled and wish I had room for later courses. Altogether, this was a hit. A spulge, but one worth of the money IMO.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Tyler Guest
The service was great. But the food while very attractive was completely tasteless (no seasoning at all) and was terrible. Except for two dishes, one that was actually good and another which was inedible (fermented mustard salmon). My husband left hungry and while it was endless tapas did want anymore.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 4
Mercier Barnhardt
Really good Tapas here after the spa experience! At Tigh Na
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Nathan Small
I don't leave negative reviews often. This was just a far cry from what a dining experience at a spa should be. We were three people, and we got put on a two-top table, even though there were bigger tables available and nobody came in after us. The food and wines were all very crowded at the table, and it was a bit of a battle just to find space to eat, never mind have a relaxing enjoyable experience. The food was ok. Certainly not exceptional, and certainly not worth $100. It felt very forced, like they were trying to be fancy and put on heavy flavors to make it bold, but it just got very muddled. The wines were all very sweet too, they did not pair well and I could barely finish any of them. Not to mention the whites that were third in your flight would get quite warm by the time you got to them...not exactly how whites are meant to be served. The server was nice, and she conveyed a spa tone with her voice, but it also would have been nice if they noticed it was crowded at our tiny table and offered a more relaxing, spacious 4 top for the 3 of us to enhance our experience. The whole experience between the "dip" and the "dine" was underwhelming. It felt like the owners are trying to force a spa in a space that doesn't allow it. Needs a bit of a work-over to live up to the "award winning" experience they advertise. Also - some of the 5 star reviews on here are from employees that don't disclose they are employees. That's a red flag.
We came for our third visit, not realizing the chef and menu had changed — and sadly, nothing was the same. The dishes were under-seasoned, the flavour combinations didn’t work, and the fish was overcooked and bland. This used to be one of our favourite restaurants with truly outstanding food.
What was once a unique and memorable experience now felt flat. The first “course” — simply bread with oil and balsamic vinegar — set the tone for a disappointing meal. To top it off, we were charged $30 for two bottles of water, and our total bill came to over $350 for just two meals, water, and two drinks.
We sincerely hope the original menu makes a return, but unfortunately, we won’t be coming back for now.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 4
We had an amazing experience at the Treetop Restaurant. Chef Lucas blew us away with a wonderful meal. Drew our server was incredible. We will be back FORSURE!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I would highly recommend ignoring the previous low ratings and giving this place a try. All of the the recent reviews seem to be great. I had possibly the best meal of my life here in June 2025.
I went in with fairly low expectations, as Cedars, the restaurant at Tigh Na Mara, is pretty mediocre. We did the dip-and-dine package while staying at the resort, and I was not expecting much for food - frozen Sysco appies perhaps.
I was absolutely blown away. As soon as I had one bite of the first course, a spring kale salad, I knew I had massively underestimated this place. The food was OUTSTANDING, and the wine pairings were not only great, they were well priced (relative to similar menus elsewhere).
I see there are a few people complaining about portions. It's bottomless - eat more! I'm a pretty big guy, with a pretty big appetite, and I would have been perfectly happy with the set menu. Of course I ordered a few extra courses because the food was so incredible, but I left very very full.
The spring/summer 2025 menu is fresh, local, playful, and expertly executed. There are fermented and picked foods, lots of seafood, some bright fruit sauces paired with savory meats, and some earthy fungi dishes. I could see a person who likes frozen spring rolls and well-cooked steak with ketchup finding some of the dishes a little intimidating, but anyone who enjoys fine dining, beyond basic meat and potatoes, will likely be thrilled with the dishes.
The citrus and cream dessert paired with Inniskillin Ice Wine was so good it literally brought tears to my eyes!
As far as I'm aware, there is nothing else in Parksville that even comes close to this caliber of food.
On top of all this, our server, Drew, was great. He was attentive, friendly, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic.
The only thing I didn't love is the fact that you have to eat wearing your robe from the spa. This isn't Bruch and mimosas, it's an elevated dining experience, and I would prefer to not feel the wind blowing on my bits and bobbles. That said, if I would happily do this again wearing only an adult diaper if I had to!
10/10
Treat yourself and make a reservation.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I really enjoyed our experience at Treetop. We were the only ones there so it was a tad awkward but we were there during lower season and on a weekday lunch time.
That being said food was fantastic and our server was awesome. We barely could eat our final round but ordered an additional scallop as it was so good, everything was delicious and cooked super well. Attention to detail was great, and things came out as soon as we were finished, being the only ones there.
If I were to be super picky, my only suggestion is to spice up the cocktails a little more with fancier garnish and unique syrups, but it didn’t take away from the experience.
Did the endless tapas. New menu, chef struggled to get food out. Menu was too seafood heavy with nothing filling. Best bite was the kale salad and bread with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Less is more. No bang for the buck. Our 2 hour seating took 2:40 which didn’t really allow us to take advantage of the bottomless aspect of the experience. They comped a glass of bubbly for the slow service but didn’t make up for the food. Not going back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 2
This is a must. Chef Lucas is a genius and you truly feel that you are eating art. The price is extremely fair for the quality, level of detail and quantity. The wine pairings were absolutely on point. The service by Robin was outstanding. We are well travelled and can honestly say that this was one of our best ever culinary experiences.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Don't let the price scare you. This is immacutely fine dining and is worth visiting.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Our server KoKo was amazing. The food and wine pairings were perfect. We even had a vegetarian in our group and they did a fantastic job accommodating for that (just let them know when you book it!) Every course was enjoyed and we had a great time. We even had the pleasure of Dave singing to us for the dessert course. ( It was our collective 40th bday trip). It was the perfect afternoon for a special occasion. So glad we got KoKo he was incredible.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Have you experienced endless tapas at treetop lately? I hadn’t, and I’m So glad I gave it another chance. I wasn’t overly impressed in the past but we discovered they have brought in a new chef and whole new menu since I’d last visited. I genuinely couldn’t wait to come back to my room to write the most glowing review imaginable.
Over and above the expertly crafted, delectable menu - our server Drew created a dining Experience second to none. I have travelled to 30+ countries, fine dined around the world, and he truly was one of the most incredible servers I’ve ever had the pleasure to dine with. His presence, charisma and timing were immaculate. He offered an appropriate amount of interesting information about every dish as well as graciously answered all of our questions. His passion for food and wine were apparent and his enthusiasm and knowledge alone were enough to make me want to visit every week.
We were beyond impressed at the presentation and complexity of the dishes prepared en masse and had a very difficult time narrowing down favourites. The wine pairings were extremely well thought out with the Riverlore Sauvignon Blanc and Winter’s Green salad being the absolute stand out choice. I have never enjoyed a wine pairing as much as this in my life.
I am greatly anticipating the upcoming Summer menu from their top notch chef and hope to be greeted by Drew again in the near future. (If you are his boss - please give him a raise as he is an absolute asset to this facility in every sense of the word!).
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Kale Salad
It’s been a very long time since I’ve had a dining experience so attentive, tasty, and overall exceptional!
Our server Drew was incredibly knowledgeable about each dish he served us, and the wine pairing for each dish was beyond amazing. A HUGE kudos to the sommelier who decided to pair the Riverlore Sauv Blanc with the salad. I don’t think I’ve ever had a wine pairing that fit so perfectly in my entire life!
From the moment we sat down we felt so cared for. We were given an unfortunate seat right next to the door when we first arrived as it was the only table left available, and were moved to a window seat about 10 minutes later when it came available. We were never without a sip of wine or a bite of food, and we were there for hours.
The faves of the evening were of course the salad (a staple of their menu for the last couple of decades - and for good reason!!), the scallops, the duck, and the beef tenderloin. All so flavourful and perfect portions. We finished the tasting menu and had room for a couple reorders of our favourites.
A huge huge thanks to Drew again for making this such an unforgettable experience. They are apparently moving to their summer menu in the next few weeks and we are already planning to be back to try that. 10/10 would absolutely recommend to anyone thinking about trying!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Kale Salad
Restaurantji Recommends
Absolutely blown away by this thoughtfully prepared, locally inspired menu. I’ve had the pleasure of doing the tapas experience twice and both times have walked away so impressed and satisfied. I’ve done chef tasting menus at Michelin star restaurants and my experience at tree tops is right up there with them. Kudos to the team for an exceptional experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The current menu was amazing. Wine pairings were lovely. Dave was a gem as a server. Very knowledgeable about the dishes and wines. The dip and dine is a treat and a worthwhile one, in my opinion. Soooooo much food though. Hubby ate it all, I struggled and wish I had room for later courses. Altogether, this was a hit. A spulge, but one worth of the money IMO.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
The service was great. But the food while very attractive was completely tasteless (no seasoning at all) and was terrible. Except for two dishes, one that was actually good and another which was inedible (fermented mustard salmon). My husband left hungry and while it was endless tapas did want anymore.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 4
Really good Tapas here after the spa experience! At Tigh Na
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
I don't leave negative reviews often. This was just a far cry from what a dining experience at a spa should be. We were three people, and we got put on a two-top table, even though there were bigger tables available and nobody came in after us. The food and wines were all very crowded at the table, and it was a bit of a battle just to find space to eat, never mind have a relaxing enjoyable experience.
The food was ok. Certainly not exceptional, and certainly not worth $100. It felt very forced, like they were trying to be fancy and put on heavy flavors to make it bold, but it just got very muddled. The wines were all very sweet too, they did not pair well and I could barely finish any of them. Not to mention the whites that were third in your flight would get quite warm by the time you got to them...not exactly how whites are meant to be served.
The server was nice, and she conveyed a spa tone with her voice, but it also would have been nice if they noticed it was crowded at our tiny table and offered a more relaxing, spacious 4 top for the 3 of us to enhance our experience.
The whole experience between the "dip" and the "dine" was underwhelming. It felt like the owners are trying to force a spa in a space that doesn't allow it. Needs a bit of a work-over to live up to the "award winning" experience they advertise. Also - some of the 5 star reviews on here are from employees that don't disclose they are employees. That's a red flag.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 3
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