Service was great, but for the money I would have expected the food quality to be a bit higher. We were there for the Valentine's Day prix fixe dinner, which was $250 per person. At that price, I expect flawless execution, but the lobster tail was very tough and overcooked, and the stuffed chicken wing was sort of spongy.
cole
The food was 6/10 and the service did not match the price of the menu. At one point my date went to the washroom and the servers were confused when the reached the table with the plates. Both looking at each other if they should place the plate of food on the table knowing the person wasn't at the table. They did anyway which was the least professional culinary experience I've ever had for the price of the menu and the hype of this restaurant I was expecting at least something to stand out. Nothing did and I would never go back.
Julian A.
We attended for Valentine's Day. Food was bland across most dishes, it seems as though the chef used little to no acid or salt. Drinks were great, service was fine, and the view was incredible. However, for what the bill came to, I could have gone to a restaurant with FAR better food for 1/4 the price.
Hakimi
Amazing restaurant, outstanding atmosphere. Views are breathtaking! I will be back very soon.
Eunah
Among the valentine course dinner, the lobster was over cooked. It was really hard to cut by knife. I complained tour server, he just say I'll let the chef knows. It was the third one of the 6 courses. After the complain, the server never came to my table only bussers. He showed up when we needed a check and got the tip over $200. Is this FAIR? Lmao Minor issue : the server didn't remember that I ordered sparkling or tab water hahaha In my glass (which contains sparkling water), he pours tab water for refilling :) (simply understandable mistake :) The food taste quality is going to bad. I've been here almost 7 yrs ago. At that time, it was so beautiful, kind staffs, and absolutely the food was great condition. By now, I'm quite disappointed that one of Toronto's icon building/sightseeing restaurant's quality goes down. I don't think I will come back.
Ankesh
We visited Canoe for a Valentine's Day à la carte dinner. One of us has a vegan dietary restriction, and we called ahead to confirm this could be accommodated. The restaurant assured us it could, but the overall experience on the night was disappointing. Given Canoe's reputation and frequent placement at the top of Toronto dining lists, both the food and service fell short of expectations. It certainly did not justify the final bill. We ordered a medium sirloin, the mushroom orzo risone (prepared without dairy), and fries without chicken salt. Service was inattentive from the start: dishes were delivered to the wrong person, staff couldn't clearly explain what "chicken salt" was, and the orzo was described as including Parmesan despite our request for a vegan preparation. The steak arrived closer to medium-rare than medium and was extremely difficult to chew. It lacked even basic seasoning. The accompanying potatoes were similarly under-seasoned, which seemed to be (but wasn't actually) compensated for by a mountain of truffle on top. The only standout on the plate was a small piece of short rib, which was flavourful. The risone was acceptable -- if you live and breathe mushroom. Again, it leaned heavily on truffle for flavour. The fries were probably the best thing on the table; however, while the kitchen did omit the chicken salt, they didn't take the time to actually season them with normal salt. When we were finally leaving, our coats were handed to us hurriedly, without so much as a thank-you or goodbye. Any one of these issues on its own might be forgivable, but together -- and at this price point, at a restaurant of this calibre -- they added up to a pretty disappointing evening. We expected more attentive service and more carefully prepared food. We still don't know what chicken salt is.
Mark Jeffrey
Ive been wanting to go here for quite some time now. Now, that I have the pleasure to experience this place, I was NOT disappointed whatsoever, from service to the ambiance and definitely the food. Absolutely delightful.
Nicholas
Canoe never disappoints - we went for winterlicious and it was a great menu and experience!
Natalie
We celebrated my father's 65th birthday yesterday and partook in the Winterlicious menu. The food was great, the atmosphere was great and our server was lovely! He was professional but entertaining and was very careful of my allergies. Great night overall!
Ahmed
Had a rather unpleasant experience here at Canoe. Except for the view, everything was rather lacking in some regard. The food is very average. It's edible but nothing really special and some dishes could be easily better. Prices are ok. Service is subpar. The waiters' attitudes are quite unwelcoming and made me immediately uncomfortable. A smile, being warm, being courteous can all go a long way, but that was nonexistent. Food was really late with no attempt at apology whatsoever. It took 45 minutes to get a single dish out (raw oysters should not take 45 minutes to serve). It smelled funky compared to oysters we've had elsewhere. Appetizers were good, especially the steak tartare. The Alberta beef main dish lacked flavor depth and texture; it needed some acidity or spice to make it richer and perhaps some nuts or something crispy to break the mushy feel of the dish. The short rib was pulled a bit too much and looked and felt unappetizing even though the taste and cook on the steak was good. Dessert tasted quite stale, felt too dry and chewy, and had no flavor balance whatsoever. When I complained at the end of my dinner, waiter Sarah M took more than 10 minutes to get the manager, so we just left. She tried to appear surprised when we told her we're unhappy at the exit but we had lost hope in this restaurant at this point. The only thing worth it here are the city skyline views. Overall, would not return.
The restaurant ambiance was great, loved the city views, the servers were fantastic however the food was dissapointing; the menu listed Alberta beef steak and ribs and we got thin strips of beef ( not a steak), they topped it with a creamy mushroom sauce which was ok but overpowered the flavour of the beef. For desert I ordered a pavlova which was very good but it was the size of a macarron. I had been at Canoe few years ago and the food was much better, a bit dissapointing this time.
Hajagha
Yesterday " Feb 12th 2025" at 5 PM, my girlfriend and I had a reservation to celebrate our anniversary. It was our first time dining at Canoe, and we were genuinely excited about the experience. Since we were not familiar with the menu, I politely asked our server if he could guide us or offer suggestions. Unfortunately, his response was unexpectedly rude. He said, “What do you want to know that isn't already in there? Look at the menu and just tell me what you want.” As first-time guests celebrating a special occasion, we were simply looking for some guidance. Fine dining should feel welcoming, especially when guests are unfamiliar with the offerings. Although we ultimately chose our meals, the interaction left us uncomfortable and unfortunately affected our anniversary dinner. We had high expectations for Canoe given its reputation. I hope management addresses this, as service is just as important as the food.
Nahya
You can't beat the view! Winterlicious lunch was fabulous and the ambience was buzzing. Would come back again for dinner to enjoy the city lights.
Faye
The food was excellent. The steak was done to perfection. Was disappointed the pork belly was only 2 pieces, which I would consider to be an appetizer not a lunch meal. Pork belly dish was definitely not worth the price.
Pat
A wonderful 5 course tasting menu and excellent attention to detail. Each course was presented explaining the dish. My only concern was not having a writeout so I could remember. A great experience.
Service was great, but for the money I would have expected the food quality to be a bit higher. We were there for the Valentine's Day prix fixe dinner, which was $250 per person. At that price, I expect flawless execution, but the lobster tail was very tough and overcooked, and the stuffed chicken wing was sort of spongy.
The food was 6/10 and the service did not match the price of the menu. At one point my date went to the washroom and the servers were confused when the reached the table with the plates. Both looking at each other if they should place the plate of food on the table knowing the person wasn't at the table. They did anyway which was the least professional culinary experience I've ever had for the price of the menu and the hype of this restaurant I was expecting at least something to stand out. Nothing did and I would never go back.
We attended for Valentine's Day. Food was bland across most dishes, it seems as though the chef used little to no acid or salt. Drinks were great, service was fine, and the view was incredible. However, for what the bill came to, I could have gone to a restaurant with FAR better food for 1/4 the price.
Amazing restaurant, outstanding atmosphere. Views are breathtaking! I will be back very soon.
Among the valentine course dinner, the lobster was over cooked. It was really hard to cut by knife. I complained tour server, he just say I'll let the chef knows. It was the third one of the 6 courses. After the complain, the server never came to my table only bussers. He showed up when we needed a check and got the tip over $200. Is this FAIR? Lmao Minor issue : the server didn't remember that I ordered sparkling or tab water hahaha In my glass (which contains sparkling water), he pours tab water for refilling :) (simply understandable mistake :) The food taste quality is going to bad. I've been here almost 7 yrs ago. At that time, it was so beautiful, kind staffs, and absolutely the food was great condition. By now, I'm quite disappointed that one of Toronto's icon building/sightseeing restaurant's quality goes down. I don't think I will come back.
We visited Canoe for a Valentine's Day à la carte dinner. One of us has a vegan dietary restriction, and we called ahead to confirm this could be accommodated. The restaurant assured us it could, but the overall experience on the night was disappointing. Given Canoe's reputation and frequent placement at the top of Toronto dining lists, both the food and service fell short of expectations. It certainly did not justify the final bill. We ordered a medium sirloin, the mushroom orzo risone (prepared without dairy), and fries without chicken salt. Service was inattentive from the start: dishes were delivered to the wrong person, staff couldn't clearly explain what "chicken salt" was, and the orzo was described as including Parmesan despite our request for a vegan preparation. The steak arrived closer to medium-rare than medium and was extremely difficult to chew. It lacked even basic seasoning. The accompanying potatoes were similarly under-seasoned, which seemed to be (but wasn't actually) compensated for by a mountain of truffle on top. The only standout on the plate was a small piece of short rib, which was flavourful. The risone was acceptable -- if you live and breathe mushroom. Again, it leaned heavily on truffle for flavour. The fries were probably the best thing on the table; however, while the kitchen did omit the chicken salt, they didn't take the time to actually season them with normal salt. When we were finally leaving, our coats were handed to us hurriedly, without so much as a thank-you or goodbye. Any one of these issues on its own might be forgivable, but together -- and at this price point, at a restaurant of this calibre -- they added up to a pretty disappointing evening. We expected more attentive service and more carefully prepared food. We still don't know what chicken salt is.
Ive been wanting to go here for quite some time now. Now, that I have the pleasure to experience this place, I was NOT disappointed whatsoever, from service to the ambiance and definitely the food. Absolutely delightful.
Canoe never disappoints - we went for winterlicious and it was a great menu and experience!
We celebrated my father's 65th birthday yesterday and partook in the Winterlicious menu. The food was great, the atmosphere was great and our server was lovely! He was professional but entertaining and was very careful of my allergies. Great night overall!
Had a rather unpleasant experience here at Canoe. Except for the view, everything was rather lacking in some regard. The food is very average. It's edible but nothing really special and some dishes could be easily better. Prices are ok. Service is subpar. The waiters' attitudes are quite unwelcoming and made me immediately uncomfortable. A smile, being warm, being courteous can all go a long way, but that was nonexistent. Food was really late with no attempt at apology whatsoever. It took 45 minutes to get a single dish out (raw oysters should not take 45 minutes to serve). It smelled funky compared to oysters we've had elsewhere. Appetizers were good, especially the steak tartare. The Alberta beef main dish lacked flavor depth and texture; it needed some acidity or spice to make it richer and perhaps some nuts or something crispy to break the mushy feel of the dish. The short rib was pulled a bit too much and looked and felt unappetizing even though the taste and cook on the steak was good. Dessert tasted quite stale, felt too dry and chewy, and had no flavor balance whatsoever. When I complained at the end of my dinner, waiter Sarah M took more than 10 minutes to get the manager, so we just left. She tried to appear surprised when we told her we're unhappy at the exit but we had lost hope in this restaurant at this point. The only thing worth it here are the city skyline views. Overall, would not return.
Restaurantji Recommends
The restaurant ambiance was great, loved the city views, the servers were fantastic however the food was dissapointing; the menu listed Alberta beef steak and ribs and we got thin strips of beef ( not a steak), they topped it with a creamy mushroom sauce which was ok but overpowered the flavour of the beef. For desert I ordered a pavlova which was very good but it was the size of a macarron. I had been at Canoe few years ago and the food was much better, a bit dissapointing this time.
Yesterday " Feb 12th 2025" at 5 PM, my girlfriend and I had a reservation to celebrate our anniversary. It was our first time dining at Canoe, and we were genuinely excited about the experience. Since we were not familiar with the menu, I politely asked our server if he could guide us or offer suggestions. Unfortunately, his response was unexpectedly rude. He said, “What do you want to know that isn't already in there? Look at the menu and just tell me what you want.” As first-time guests celebrating a special occasion, we were simply looking for some guidance. Fine dining should feel welcoming, especially when guests are unfamiliar with the offerings. Although we ultimately chose our meals, the interaction left us uncomfortable and unfortunately affected our anniversary dinner. We had high expectations for Canoe given its reputation. I hope management addresses this, as service is just as important as the food.
You can't beat the view! Winterlicious lunch was fabulous and the ambience was buzzing. Would come back again for dinner to enjoy the city lights.
The food was excellent. The steak was done to perfection. Was disappointed the pork belly was only 2 pieces, which I would consider to be an appetizer not a lunch meal. Pork belly dish was definitely not worth the price.
A wonderful 5 course tasting menu and excellent attention to detail. Each course was presented explaining the dish. My only concern was not having a writeout so I could remember. A great experience.
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