The Hilton’s restaurant the Essence of Unionville was good for their breakfast brunch. If there were half stars I would do 3.5.
At $26 a person the food was good but not amazing. It was your typical breakfast buffet. We did the buffet twice in our week’s stay but found cheaper and higher quality food within 5 kms of the hotel.
The service was exceptional though. The wait staff and hotel staff were friendly and attentive.
If you have a car look into some of the other options. But if you’re on foot and just want easy it is a good recommendation.
Check out my other reviews for more suggestions.
Jennifer Cheng
Love this Tuna Poke bowl, the tuna and veggies are fresh and delicious. My friends tried the lobster roll and salad is good too. Except the noice from the false alarm bothering us.
Caitlin Aubrey
This place is amazing the food service is the best I really recommend this! 5 star! Thanks so much to the server Barbara and thanks to the restaurant supervisor Carlo!
Jenn Yung
Underwhelmed with the dessert for high tea. I barely finished each treat - it didn’t taste good and nothing stood out. For the sandwiches, it was average. I only liked the scone.
Mandy Taylor
We have been here for an Easter brunch and for afternoon tea. The head chef Jitin has a great support team including Nikhil and has done an excellent job of offering really tasty dishes full of flavour and fresh ingredients. It is really a gem in Markham for specialty brunches and the afternoon tea. We have had Barbara and Muhammed as servers and they are so friendly and professional. Always attentive and helpful. Carlo is one of the managers and does a great job of circulating to ensure everyone is happy, hot water is topped up and all requests are met. For the Easter brunch there was an abundance of variety and even a cookie decorating area for kids. For the afternoon tea the scones and homemade jam were the best in the city and best we have had across the world! They are flaky, light and warmed perfectly. The sandwiches are plentiful and there is a choice of 4 out of 6 sandwiches which is a great idea. They sometimes have live music for the special events and although they have regular tables and chairs in a larger setting, they do an excellent job of making the tea time special like using Rosenthal bone china, loose leaf tea bags, and tiered trays. The prices are excellent too- most specialty buffets range from $70-$98 (kids are half) and the tea was $48. We had leftovers for the tea. There was even a cool robot that brought us our sandwiches! So much fun and quite an experience. There is free parking and it’s all wheelchair accessible. Such a great place to have north of the city.
Cortney Hunt
Carlo Lambino was incredible. I had a surgery this morning which required fasting so I hadn’t eaten in a long while but we arrived to the hotel long after lunch but before dinner. It was so meaningful fur Carlo to allow us to eat anyway. Also, Bahar Gharavi was really really good. We needed to get back up to the room quickly so I could start my physical therapy so we needed our food quickly.. Bahar was an absolute delight. Awesome experience because of these two.
Susan Spelbring
Carlo the night manager was Wonderful!!!! Our Waiter Ben was exceptional.. Both were super nice. Oh the Food Was Amazing.. It is a must go to while in Toronto... Thank you
Bobbie Jean Ashley
We had dinner at Essence of Unionville on our last day in the Toronto area and I kind of wish we would have the first. Ben and Carlo were both amazing and super friendly....the food was incredible too. I would definitely recommend them and the restaurant.
Rachel Y.
The cake itself was good– but the customer service was POOR.
I placed my cake order well ahead of time, following all the stated requirements. Despite this, I received no response to multiple emails and over 10 phone calls for days, including voicemails. I only got a confirmation at nearly 11 PM the night before pickup – with no apology or acknowledgment of the delay, not even a simple thank-you.
When I went to pick up the cake, both the manager, Mr. Frebin Padamadan, and staff were cold and dismissive. There was zero warmth or hospitality, which is unacceptable for a restaurant located inside a Hilton hotel. In fact, their attitude would have been considered poor even by ordinary restaurant standards. Definitely not what you’d expect from a so-called hotel-level dining experience.
I also submitted a formal complaint to both the restaurant and hotel. It’s now been over 9 days, and I have received no reply at all.
While the cake tasted great, the experience was filled with stress, frustration, and disappointment. Poor communication, lack of professionalism, and dismissive service completely overshadowed the product quality.
Sanjukta Bhattacharya
We went for high tea. Very nice experience. Delicious food, good tea.
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
Erin
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
Raphaël Bois
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
patricia wismayer
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
Mert Selvili
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.
The Hilton’s restaurant the Essence of Unionville was good for their breakfast brunch. If there were half stars I would do 3.5.
At $26 a person the food was good but not amazing. It was your typical breakfast buffet. We did the buffet twice in our week’s stay but found cheaper and higher quality food within 5 kms of the hotel.
The service was exceptional though. The wait staff and hotel staff were friendly and attentive.
If you have a car look into some of the other options. But if you’re on foot and just want easy it is a good recommendation.
Check out my other reviews for more suggestions.
Love this Tuna Poke bowl, the tuna and veggies are fresh and delicious. My friends tried the lobster roll and salad is good too.
Except the noice from the false alarm bothering us.
This place is amazing the food service is the best I really recommend this! 5 star! Thanks so much to the server Barbara and thanks to the restaurant supervisor Carlo!
Underwhelmed with the dessert for high tea. I barely finished each treat - it didn’t taste good and nothing stood out. For the sandwiches, it was average. I only liked the scone.
We have been here for an Easter brunch and for afternoon tea. The head chef Jitin has a great support team including Nikhil and has done an excellent job of offering really tasty dishes full of flavour and fresh ingredients. It is really a gem in Markham for specialty brunches and the afternoon tea. We have had Barbara and Muhammed as servers and they are so friendly and professional. Always attentive and helpful. Carlo is one of the managers and does a great job of circulating to ensure everyone is happy, hot water is topped up and all requests are met. For the Easter brunch there was an abundance of variety and even a cookie decorating area for kids. For the afternoon tea the scones and homemade jam were the best in the city and best we have had across the world! They are flaky, light and warmed perfectly. The sandwiches are plentiful and there is a choice of 4 out of 6 sandwiches which is a great idea. They sometimes have live music for the special events and although they have regular tables and chairs in a larger setting, they do an excellent job of making the tea time special like using Rosenthal bone china, loose leaf tea bags, and tiered trays. The prices are excellent too- most specialty buffets range from $70-$98 (kids are half) and the tea was $48. We had leftovers for the tea. There was even a cool robot that brought us our sandwiches! So much fun and quite an experience. There is free parking and it’s all wheelchair accessible. Such a great place to have north of the city.
Carlo Lambino was incredible. I had a surgery this morning which required fasting so I hadn’t eaten in a long while but we arrived to the hotel long after lunch but before dinner. It was so meaningful fur Carlo to allow us to eat anyway. Also, Bahar Gharavi was really really good. We needed to get back up to the room quickly so I could start my physical therapy so we needed our food quickly.. Bahar was an absolute delight. Awesome experience because of these two.
Carlo the night manager was Wonderful!!!!
Our Waiter Ben was exceptional..
Both were super nice.
Oh the Food Was Amazing..
It is a must go to while in Toronto...
Thank you
We had dinner at Essence of Unionville on our last day in the Toronto area and I kind of wish we would have the first. Ben and Carlo were both amazing and super friendly....the food was incredible too. I would definitely recommend them and the restaurant.
The cake itself was good– but the customer service was POOR.
I placed my cake order well ahead of time, following all the stated requirements. Despite this, I received no response to multiple emails and over 10 phone calls for days, including voicemails. I only got a confirmation at nearly 11 PM the night before pickup – with no apology or acknowledgment of the delay, not even a simple thank-you.
When I went to pick up the cake, both the manager, Mr. Frebin Padamadan, and staff were cold and dismissive. There was zero warmth or hospitality, which is unacceptable for a restaurant located inside a Hilton hotel. In fact, their attitude would have been considered poor even by ordinary restaurant standards. Definitely not what you’d expect from a so-called hotel-level dining experience.
I also submitted a formal complaint to both the restaurant and hotel. It’s now been over 9 days, and I have received no reply at all.
While the cake tasted great, the experience was filled with stress, frustration, and disappointment. Poor communication, lack of professionalism, and dismissive service completely overshadowed the product quality.
We went for high tea. Very nice experience. Delicious food, good tea.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
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
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