Cozy atmosphere. Small, quaint and nice bar display. Wine selection could be bigger and have some better choices. Food was tasty - no complaints. The steak was very tender, cook was on point (med/rare) but there was no sear on the steak which takes big points away. Good service. Offered complimentary frog legs for our party to try which was super thoughtful and observant too since we were discussing trying them but nobody pulled the trigger. Solid 3.5⭐
Grace Bermingham
This restaurant serves beautiful food in a setting that is intimate and relaxed. Our server was lovely and incredibly helpful. We had the salmon ceviche and sweetbreads for our starter, duck, tenderloin, and Cornish hen for mains and ended it all off with the sticky toffee pudding and cheesecake. Every single dish was superb - the duck was my absolute favourite. This restaurant will bring us back to Peterborough again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Trey Worden
The duck breast and the burger were excellent. Great service by Eve. Portions could be a little bigger but overall great place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
J H
My sister took me to Rare to celebrate my birthday, and it completely exceeded my expectations! This is fine dining done right in Peterborough — the food was incredible and everything was cooked to perfection. The duck confit was the standout dish, followed closely by the beef tartare. The linguine could’ve been a bit warmer, but still full of flavor. The staff were so friendly and attentive, making the whole experience even better. Can’t wait to come back and bring my mom next time!
The food is good, the servers are excellent, the problem is that the owners keep over half of the servers tips. We tip based on how good the server is. It is not right that the owners should keep the tips that we leave for the server. They work hard to give us an enjoyable experience and they deserve the tips that we leave them. I would boycott this restaurant until the owners stop taking the employees tips or give them a portion of the profit that they make on a very expensive meal.
Robert Whitfield
Susan and i held our wedding at Rare on Saturday October 25th. We rented out the whole reataurant and there was a total of 26 people. Chef Andrew a Mai along with the wait staff went over and above to assist us in creating and enjoying the wedding of our dreams! The food received rave reviews from ALL of our guests. The service was exemplary and the overall atmosphere was fantactic. We couldn't have asked for a better experience for this very important event in our lives! to date, we have dined at Rare as a couple, We got engaged there last Valentine's Day and now our weding experience was over the top! We would highly recommend Rare for either an intimate dining experince, a party or a special occasion.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jianshu Cui
Rare Restaurant delivered a standout evening from start to finish. The room feels intimate and polished, with just enough buzz to keep things lively. We started with oysters and a crisp cocktail, then moved to impeccably cooked steaks—deep sear, perfect temp, and sauces that complemented rather than covered. Seasonal sides (think roasted veg and silky potatoes) were dialed-in and shareable. Service was warm, knowledgeable, and perfectly paced—never rushed, never waiting. The wine list had thoughtful by-the-glass picks that paired beautifully. If you’re looking for a modern steak-forward dinner that still feels creative and personal, Rare lives up to its name. Would happily return for another round.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
John P
Dropped into Peterborough for a business meet and decided to try out this restaurant with a bunch of my colleagues. Had the pleasure of meeting Mai! She was very pleasant and knowledgeable and made our visit worth while. If anyone is from the area or not, definitely stop in and grab yourself the bone marrow, you wont regret it. Thanks again Mai!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
V
I had eaten here before and was impressed by both the service and menu, both of which were outstanding. Based on that, my wife and I decided to have a wedding dinner/reception here. Amazing decision, the venue and food were spectacular and the servers and chefs went above and beyond in all regards. Lovely restaurant, run by and staffed by awesome people. Highest recommendation possible.
We attended a private wedding at Rare and it was unforgettable. The atmosphere was intimate and beautifully set up, and the team made the entire evening feel effortless. The food was extraordinary — every dish was thoughtfully prepared with incredible attention to detail. You can truly taste the quality of the ingredients, especially the beef, which was cooked to perfection. Service was warm, attentive, and seamless. Rare made an already special occasion even more memorable. Highly recommend for anyone who values outstanding food and genuine hospitality.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Clarisse Aguila
I had the most fantastic duck here!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Matt Marino
This an incredible hidden gem, very attentive service from our server Teagan who also wished us a happy anniversary. There was akso an amazing ambiance, and it was very reasonably priced for the quality of the food. Would highly recommend and would return.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nelly M.
We had a lovely experience at the Rare restaurant. Thanks to our server Maggie. She was knowledgeable, professional and attentive. We follow her advice on the salad and wine choices, and were not disappointed. It was my husband's birthday and her and another server at the bar made sure that he had the drink he desired, even if it wasn't on the menu. He got complimentary desert as well. Thank You 😊. The service was fast. Prime rib was delicious ( could be a little warmer for my liking). Excellent coffee as well. Hope we'll have Maggie as our server again, when we come back next time, and we are definitely going back to try more items from the menu.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Daniel Schvester
Wonderful place for dinner, food was delicious, service was great, atmosphere is calm and relaxing.
We had the steak tartare, soup and Caesar salad to start, all three were delicious.
The steak tartare is a bit unconventional as they seem to add toasted rice to add some crisp to the dish but it marries itself well with the other flavours.
We had the Cornish hen, strip loin and risotto for mains and again all three were excellent. The hen is juicy and tender and is a full half so the portion is large. The sauce for the hen was excellent.
The strip loin was cooked perfectly and flavourful. Portion was also pretty big for a 10oz.
For desert, the crème brûlée was rich and delicious.
Cozy atmosphere. Small, quaint and nice bar display. Wine selection could be bigger and have some better choices. Food was tasty - no complaints. The steak was very tender, cook was on point (med/rare) but there was no sear on the steak which takes big points away. Good service. Offered complimentary frog legs for our party to try which was super thoughtful and observant too since we were discussing trying them but nobody pulled the trigger. Solid 3.5⭐
This restaurant serves beautiful food in a setting that is intimate and relaxed. Our server was lovely and incredibly helpful. We had the salmon ceviche and sweetbreads for our starter, duck, tenderloin, and Cornish hen for mains and ended it all off with the sticky toffee pudding and cheesecake. Every single dish was superb - the duck was my absolute favourite. This restaurant will bring us back to Peterborough again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The duck breast and the burger were excellent.
Great service by Eve.
Portions could be a little bigger but overall great place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My sister took me to Rare to celebrate my birthday, and it completely exceeded my expectations! This is fine dining done right in Peterborough — the food was incredible and everything was cooked to perfection. The duck confit was the standout dish, followed closely by the beef tartare. The linguine could’ve been a bit warmer, but still full of flavor. The staff were so friendly and attentive, making the whole experience even better. Can’t wait to come back and bring my mom next time!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Duck Confit, Steak Tartare, Sticky Toffee Pudding
The food is good, the servers are excellent, the problem is that the owners keep over half of the servers tips. We tip based on how good the server is. It is not right that the owners should keep the tips that we leave for the server. They work hard to give us an enjoyable experience and they deserve the tips that we leave them. I would boycott this restaurant until the owners stop taking the employees tips or give them a portion of the profit that they make on a very expensive meal.
Susan and i held our wedding at Rare on Saturday October 25th. We rented out the whole reataurant and there was a total of 26 people. Chef Andrew a Mai along with the wait staff went over and above to assist us in creating and enjoying the wedding of our dreams! The food received rave reviews from ALL of our guests. The service was exemplary and the overall atmosphere was fantactic. We couldn't have asked for a better experience for this very important event in our lives! to date, we have dined at Rare as a couple, We got engaged there last Valentine's Day and now our weding experience was over the top! We would highly recommend Rare for either an intimate dining experince, a party or a special occasion.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rare Restaurant delivered a standout evening from start to finish. The room feels intimate and polished, with just enough buzz to keep things lively. We started with oysters and a crisp cocktail, then moved to impeccably cooked steaks—deep sear, perfect temp, and sauces that complemented rather than covered. Seasonal sides (think roasted veg and silky potatoes) were dialed-in and shareable. Service was warm, knowledgeable, and perfectly paced—never rushed, never waiting. The wine list had thoughtful by-the-glass picks that paired beautifully. If you’re looking for a modern steak-forward dinner that still feels creative and personal, Rare lives up to its name. Would happily return for another round.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dropped into Peterborough for a business meet and decided to try out this restaurant with a bunch of my colleagues. Had the pleasure of meeting Mai! She was very pleasant and knowledgeable and made our visit worth while. If anyone is from the area or not, definitely stop in and grab yourself the bone marrow, you wont regret it. Thanks again Mai!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I had eaten here before and was impressed by both the service and menu, both of which were outstanding. Based on that, my wife and I decided to have a wedding dinner/reception here. Amazing decision, the venue and food were spectacular and the servers and chefs went above and beyond in all regards. Lovely restaurant, run by and staffed by awesome people. Highest recommendation possible.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Excellent meal in nice surroundings.
Lots of free parking.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cornish Hen, Sticky Toffee Pudding, Roasted Duck
Restaurantji Recommends
We attended a private wedding at Rare and it was unforgettable. The atmosphere was intimate and beautifully set up, and the team made the entire evening feel effortless. The food was extraordinary — every dish was thoughtfully prepared with incredible attention to detail. You can truly taste the quality of the ingredients, especially the beef, which was cooked to perfection. Service was warm, attentive, and seamless. Rare made an already special occasion even more memorable. Highly recommend for anyone who values outstanding food and genuine hospitality.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I had the most fantastic duck here!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This an incredible hidden gem, very attentive service from our server Teagan who also wished us a happy anniversary. There was akso an amazing ambiance, and it was very reasonably priced for the quality of the food. Would highly recommend and would return.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had a lovely experience at the Rare restaurant. Thanks to our server Maggie. She was knowledgeable, professional and attentive. We follow her advice on the salad and wine choices, and were not disappointed. It was my husband's birthday and her and another server at the bar made sure that he had the drink he desired, even if it wasn't on the menu. He got complimentary desert as well. Thank You 😊.
The service was fast. Prime rib was delicious ( could be a little warmer for my liking). Excellent coffee as well. Hope we'll have Maggie as our server again, when we come back next time, and we are definitely going back to try more items from the menu.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Wonderful place for dinner, food was delicious, service was great, atmosphere is calm and relaxing.
We had the steak tartare, soup and Caesar salad to start, all three were delicious.
The steak tartare is a bit unconventional as they seem to add toasted rice to add some crisp to the dish but it marries itself well with the other flavours.
We had the Cornish hen, strip loin and risotto for mains and again all three were excellent. The hen is juicy and tender and is a full half so the portion is large. The sauce for the hen was excellent.
The strip loin was cooked perfectly and flavourful. Portion was also pretty big for a 10oz.
For desert, the crème brûlée was rich and delicious.
We will definitely be back.
Thank you
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Steak Tartare, Cornish Hen
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