Essence of Unionville
8500 Warden Ave., Markham
(905) 470-8500
Recent Reviews
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We went for high tea. Very nice experience. Delicious food, good tea.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Have gone here and few times with the family for afternoon tea. We tend to go around Christmas. $50-$60 per person that includes savory mini sandwiches, desserts and your choice of tea. They serve Sloane tea which is very good. Only say that their clotted cream is not real clotted cream but marscapone cream and only 1 or 2 desserts I didn't like. Had real waitress but also robot.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Scones
I came here with my family for their New years buffet and left incredibly disappointed and astonished for what we experienced at $92 per head. The service was good but the food was not good.
The choices were pretty limited and the food quality was so low. The single pasta dish was like store bought ravioli cooked in a plain jar tomato sauce. The prime rib was the driest thing any of us had ever had; the salmon wellington was very fishy. I didn't dare eat the raw fish and the sushi rolls were so messy.
The soup was only lukewarm and empty for almost half the night. The biggest selection was the salad table that looked very poorly put together.
The crab legs were appreciated but not very good; they were soft and extremely difficult to pick the meat out. They also had oysters but they were briney and chewy.
The dessert table did have a lot of variety and wasn't bad.
They also had a hot chocolate station which tasted good but were offered with mini disposable Nespresso cups... again, not something you would ever expect for a $92 buffet.
Overall, the whole experience made us question the integrity of Hilton hotels. I understand it's a franchise but it was truly an unbelievable meal at the price that they charge.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
I can't speak to the atmosphere and service within the restaurant as we ordered take out... But the person who took my order was very pleasant, helpful, and efficient. While it was a busy night, the food was ready quickly. Everything was delicious. We ordered fish and chicken and both were very well cooked (tender and juicy). We also shared three desserts (tiramisu, chocolate cake, panacotta) and I highly recommend any!
Food: 5
Service: 5
No turkey on Christmas Day and seated in a cold hallway away from the main area.
Definitely not worth the $92! Plus gratuity got a buffet!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
The staff were very friendly and helpful, which is expected from a restaurant located within a hotel. However, considering the price of $100 per person (plus tips and no taxes for now), the selection at the open buffet was underwhelming. The quality of the meat products, charcuterie, and sushi was disappointing. Comparatively, you can find a much wider variety of dishes with better-quality ingredients at places like Dragon Legend or Mandarin, all for about 40% less.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 5
Myself and a friend of I, go out for Christmas brunch every year. We thought we would try Essence of Unionville, it was one of the worst restaurants I’ve ever been to. At $92 a plate, you think you’d walk out of their feeling satisfied. The roast beef was horrible. They had no potatoes, they had some type of vegetable au gratin, which I couldn’t finish because I didn’t like it their desserts were even worse. They had different cakes and pastries, most of the cakes were hard and dried out because they’re sitting there uncovered. Needless to say we will not be returning to this restaurant.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 4
My family had a wonderful time at the Essence at Unionville for Sunday Brunch! We were celebrating family members who had December birthdays. We had booked the private room in the back. The service was excellent. We really enjoyed the presentation of the birthday 🎂 cakes. Thanks to the Essence team for making our gathering extra special. We will definitely come back again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We came here for a holiday brunch. The dining room was on the side of the hotel lobby. You'd need to register your license plate with the host if you drive so that you don't need to pay for parking. The ambiance of the dining room was not bad. Live music was performed on that day. The buffet had cold crab legs, sushi, salads, cold cut and a number of hot dishes. They had an egg station and they made omelettes and fried eggs. The meat table had striplion roast, a pork roast and a turkey. The striplion was cold and not tender, pork roast was okay. Crab legs and other salad dishes were pretty good. Sausages and eggs were not bad. The desserts were the best. Orange juice and coffee were included. Service was excellent and our server was very friendly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
love the weekend buffet!! lots of options! high-quality food. organic salads. love spending time with my friends and family there.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Patrick is an amazing server. Warm, friendly, makes me feel at home. Thank you!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Title: Disappointing Experience for a Milestone Celebration
We chose this restaurant to celebrate a very special 65th birthday after a challenging year of cancer treatments, largely because of previous great experiences. Unfortunately, this visit fell far below expectations.
Despite including details about the occasion in a note beforehand, this went completely unacknowledged. Instead, the focus seemed to be on accommodating influencers, who not only received prime seating but also handled food with the same utensils across dishes, leading to cross-contamination. This raises serious health and safety concerns, especially for an upscale establishment that charges premium prices.
Paying customers, like us, were given poor seating and made to feel like an afterthought. It was disheartening, particularly on a day that was meant to be memorable for positive reasons.
While the restaurant may respond to negative reviews, it seems little is done to improve based on feedback. I hope this review prompts a change, as word of mouth carries more weight than curated influencer content.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
One of the best high tea in GTA the staff was so nice and the manager provided excellent service. We threw a baby shower for our friend and it was a fantastic experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Patrick is an absolute pleasure to deal with. Service is phenomenal!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Very lovely experience of afternoon tea.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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