Lakeside Bala Restaurant

Our experience was great! I loved the cauliflower steak and my husband enjoyed the blackened chicken sandwich. Nice patio on the water. Ashley our server was super sweet. All good!

Every time we're in Bala, dinner here is a must. The food is always incredible. Bartender is amazing! And all the servers are top notch. Love this place!!

Awful service. Good took forever and had to leave. Way over what should have been capacity.

The only thing possibly better than the food is the chair in the bathroom

First thing said to us when we walked in was “you look like you were abused as a child” by the OWNER as he asked us about our reservation and walked us to our table. (It was a bachelorette group?)

Our service was super slow, half of our drinks didn’t come, only half of the appetizers came out. Half of my meal was missing, my friends steak was supposed to be medium and it was grey/ super well done, seasonal vegetables were raw (and not seasonal? Corn, carrots, beans, and broccoli are not a May thing… maybe some asparagus or fiddleheads would’ve been nice?) When the server FINALLY came around to ask how we were, we expressed our concerns and were still charged full price when the bill came, then she disappeared after the first bill was paid and didn’t come back for the rest of my group to pay.
No one came around when our drinks were empty… wine was good and necessary. Food was slow, tables around us all got their mains at different times.. such an awful experience. We asked for missing elements of our meal and they took a long time to arrive and were almost inedible. None of us were happy, I have had better steak dinners at Chucks.

TO TOP IT ALL OFF, we are taking my friend to the hospital right now because she is having an allergic reaction. We told the manager she was having an allergic reaction and it took a long time before we could finally settle our bill and leave. They did comp the soups and gave a discount after a lot of back and forth, but we will never be going back.

Good food, good service, def recommended place to go..

The opening hour info here is wrong. Please check the web page, now it’s opening even after 8pm (maybe until 10pm). The cuisine was very good, but we waited for main dishes nearly one hour after our appetizers came. Also, although the seats near lake had a few vacancy, the waiters didn’t take us there. Costed 230 dollars for two people’s dining (drink, appetizer, main)

Unwelcoming Experience

I recently visited and had an experience that left me feeling quite unwelcomed. From the outset, the atmosphere was off-putting. Before even being allowed to sit, I was asked to review the menu and pricing. This has never happened to me before at any other establishment.

The request to "look at our menu and see if this fits you" felt less like a courteous heads-up and more like profiling. It created an immediate sense of discomfort and made me question if I was somehow not deemed suitable for dining there based on appearance or assumptions about my financial status.

This approach not only felt odd but also extremely unwelcoming. Dining out should be about hospitality and making guests feel valued from the moment they arrive. Unfortunately, missed the mark entirely, turning what should have been a pleasant meal into an unpleasant memory.

I hope this feedback might encourage a reevaluation of their greeting policy to ensure all guests feel respected and welcomed.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 3

Service: 5

We were celebrating our 10th Anniversary in Muskoka Lakes and this restaurant was absolutely perfect for our special dinner. The views were incredible and the food was simply fantastic. Louis went above and beyond to make our experience a very memorable one.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Food was not cooked all the way and for being a fine dining place the food was not good what so ever , me n my family went today we where rushed and the options were not all as it seems . 100%. Do not recommend and would not go back

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 1

Wonderful place to eat, amazing food and views.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We had a reservation for 2 and we wanted to be seated outside but the staff sat us inside. However, there was a nice view. I asked if there’s any spot we can sit outside and the staff said no. Meanwhile the entire time there was a spot available outside for 2. We both realized there was full of white rich people outside and indoors it seemed like people who didn’t look rich were indoors. My husband is Portuguese so he looks tan and I also had ripped jeans on. There was plenty of room outside but it seemed that they choose their audience. The appetizer was crab cake and it was ok but it was $28 for 2 small cakes. We also had beef cheek with this Italian pasta that was bland and no texture of flavour. I could not finish my dish and that cost me $ 38!! The server asked if I was enjoying my meal and I said it was ok. She said just ok?? Never asked if I wanted to replace it with something else or never discounted a meal. We will not go again.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 2

Wir waren dort zu viert und haben einen tollen Abend gehabt. Der Koch aus Deutschland ist sehr nett und hat ohne Probleme ein veganes Gericht für eine Person aus unserer Runde gezaubert. Alle anderen haben Gerichte von der Karte bestellt. Das Essen war hervorragend und absolut lecker. Hier hat alles gepasst. Die Location, das Personal und der tolle Service.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Christmas party dinner with Lakewood construction my wife's employer. Great food and drinks. Very nice atmosphere.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Fish

I emailed Lakeside Bala Restaurant about getting a gift card to celebrate my girlfriend's retirement. Cassandra emailed me back promptly and we arranged for her to drop off the gift card to my girlfriend on the day of her retirement. Cassandra went out of her way to accommodate me and she made my girlfriend's day! It was extremely kind and considerate of Cassandra to help me orchestrate this gift. We will be stopping in for a meal the next time we are in the area to repay her generosity of spirit!! Theresa, Ottawa, Ontario