This place was awesome!!!! Great food! I stumbled upon this restaurant and told my Mommy and Dada,…read more" Hey, I found a cool restaurant!" So we drove to this little restaurant. Parking was a little bit hard. When we got in we had perfect service right away! Our waiter was very kind! Super nice, happy, and experienced waiter! We had Mr. Warren... ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS! Definitely will be returning!!! GOOD TO KNOW Bathrooms were VERY CLEAN Tables were very sophisticated Dress in causally formal wear!

Attempted to walk in to enjoy a nice glass of wine with friends. Restaurant manager treated us with…read morecomplete disrespect because he assumed we were under 25. Would never choose to support a business that has the audacity to speak to anyone with such an abhorrent demeanor. Our party of three was 24+. Cannot see anywhere online where there is an age restriction. There is no need to treat potential customers with disregard. Be professional.

My party of four visited during Taste of Oakville, and in hindsight, the evening foreshadowed…read moreitself early -- the restaurant's website was down with a 404 error, and we kept finding two different addresses (one apparently their old location). We eventually found it. Upon arrival, the door swung open and struck a seated guest -- a sign of just how small the space is. The restaurant was full except for one four-top (clearly ours), and we stood awkwardly in the entrance -- which is essentially inside the dining room -- waiting to be acknowledged. When greeted, we were asked if we had a reservation. We said yes. "Table for eight?" we were asked, which felt impossible given the size of the room. We clarified four, and were pointed to the only open table. No name was requested; we realistically could have just walked in and taken it. The space is starkly lit with aggressive bright white lighting that feels more clinical than cozy. The artwork is interesting and gives a gallery-like feel -- it seems the restaurant is aiming for a downtown Toronto wine bar aesthetic, but it doesn't quite land. Our table was missing water glasses, and the stemware was mismatched -- not in an intentional, charming way, but more in a "we ran out" way. Once seated, we weren't acknowledged or offered water for nearly 20 minutes. Not rushing guests is one thing; leaving them feeling forgotten is another. When our server finally arrived, the service set the tone for the evening. One glass of water was poured before he realized another was missing. He disappeared, returned with a glass, inspected it mid-pour, then walked away again (dirty glass). After several more trips and long gaps, everyone eventually received water -- about 15 minutes later. He was polite and friendly, just clearly untrained. He shared that the owner is also the sommelier, cook, and server, and that he liked working there because he wasn't expected to know much about wine -- an interesting admission for a wine bar. The owner greeted us warmly but asked only one guest about wine preferences -- ironically the only non-wine drinker at the table. The concept appeared to be sommelier-led, though this was never explained. If that is the intention, engaging the entire table is essential. That said, the wines themselves were enjoyable; the service surrounding them was not. The Taste of Oakville menu promised three curated 3-oz pours paired with a charcuterie board for two. The pours arrived unevenly and slowly, with little explanation of the pairings. The charcuterie boards were plain and inconsistent between tables despite containing similar items -- basic fruit, crostini, simple cured meats, small portions of brie, and two slices of truffle cheese. No crackers, spreads, or thoughtful touches elevated the experience, and presentation varied noticeably. Our second wine pour didn't arrive until our mains, and service moved so slowly we requested a wine list to order a bottle. We were told there is no wine list -- "we're not that kind of restaurant." Instead, all reds are $80 and all whites $70, and the owner selects the bottle for you after asking only red or white. The concept might work if explained upfront; without context, it was confusing. At one point, noticing my empty glass, our server poured me a random red -- which turned out to be the same wine as our first pour -- and then left without serving anyone else. We had to remind staff we were still waiting for our second curated pour. Nothing about the experience felt curated. The most surprising moment of the night came when our mains arrived. As we lifted our appetizer plates -- still holding olive pits, fruit rinds, and crumbs -- the servers told us not to worry about clearing them and proceeded to place our main dishes directly on top of the used plates. I'm still shocked. I wouldn't do that at home, let alone expect it at a Lakeshore, or quite frankly, any restaurant. Two of us ordered the tagliatelle, which was tasty but contained only two small pieces of short rib -- and was difficult to enjoy while staring at discarded rinds beneath the plate. The other two ordered brisket sliders: two sliders, no sides. They tasted good but left diners hungry. One guest joked they kept thinking the fruit rinds were fries -- unfortunately accurate. We tried to make the best of the evening, but it never delivered the cozy wine-and-charcuterie experience we had anticipated -- dim lighting, thoughtful pairings, something special. After finishing our meal, we requested our bills and reminded staff we were still waiting for the third curated pour. We were told "five minutes." Those five minutes never came. Eventually, wanting simply to leave, we paid a single combined bill and sorted it out ourselves. Dinner for four totaled $460. This was not the boutique Lakeshore dining experience we expected, and ultimately, it was deeply disappointing.

As an Oenophile, I was excited to check out The Wine Bar in my neighbourhood. The door was open, In…read morewalked in at 4:55 to be "Greeted" by the Owner, "We don't open till 5 o'clock".......Attitude from the get go. I looked at the menu, interesting but very pricey for the offering. I looked at a row of wine bottle partially open and simply corked, no nitrogen or air extraction.....no telling how long the wine had been "Breathing"....Days? I am puzzled by the discrepancy 5 Star vs 1 Star reviews. I have no confidence in the 5 star reviews....Friends?...Self reviewed? No serious wine enthusiast would visit this establishment...bad attitude, poor value, insufficient wine care and presentation.

Nice coffee shop on James. Great selection of coffees, teas, savoury and sweet pastries and other…read moregoodies. The service is great and it is quaint with a front of the street outdoor space that does the trick!

Not a great experience. Staff were honestly pretty rude and the food was mediocre. Seems like…read moreanother overhyped spot by locals.

The food was delicious. The surface was very considerate. We had brunch and it was delightful.read more

Holy crow - Rust is amazing! The service was excellent, the food was superlative & the atmosphere…read morewas lovely! I was there being treated to a birthday dinner & it may be the best bday meal I've ever had! A special thank u to Sweet Joe who brought over a complimentary creme brulee at.the end of the meal.

The board was loaded beyond expectation !!! Wine selection's excellent,…read moreNot for everyone, very pricey !!!

A group of us came here for lunch during a weekend trip to Grimsby. It's around the time of peach…read moreharvest so the restaurant is offering special peachy menu currently. The restaurant had really nice renovations and service was attentive. For lunch, I tried Caesar salad, baked mushroom and mushroom pizza. The salad and mushroom were okay. Not wowing but with okay quality. The mushroom pizza had a sweet teriyaki like sauce and blue cheese toppings. The flavour was on the heavier side, but I enjoyed it very well. Expect $35+ per person for lunch here.

I absolutely love this place even though we only have drinks and deserts. But the atmosphere is…read moreamazing and the staff is so extremely friendly. We always have a good time here and we've been here at least 4-5 times. I've had tiramisu in Italy, and after Italy I would stay this place has an amazing one. The portion size is huge for the dessert and they add a bit of honey on the side which makes such a judge difference. It's not too sweet or bitter and the server recommended to us and said it's very good. She wasn't wrong! I love the tiramisu here and I don't think I would order it anywhere else. It's very authentic and delicious. Can't wait to be back here just for that.

Unfortunately, our experience at Pepperwoods was disappointing. We ordered two cocktails, and both…read morewere incredibly strong and we had to choke them down. It basically felt like we were drinking tequila or vodka on the rocks.. I ordered the burger, but it was so incredibly dry and overcooked, to the point that I didn't even finish it. The fries were also disappointing. It seemed to be the bottom of the batch and were basically just the crumbs. Our server was very pleasant, but unfortunately, the overall experience wasn't enough to make me want to give Pepperwoods a second chance. I wouldn't recommend it. Lots of other good food spots in DT Burlington that I would highly recommend.

We had a very nice brunch over the weekend here, and really loved the ambiance and service. We…read moreshared an array of vegetarian items, including the Spaghetti fingers, Oh my gourd, Vuffulo vings, Take a Bao and the Beatya to it pizza. The food item names are super fun, and super delicious. We definitely be back for a future get togethers!

Overpriced draft for $10 a pint is a goddam rip off. I can get pint in Burlington at the Squires…read moreduring happy hour for $5. You tell me??? I'm never ever coming back and tell the owner he is overpriced.

Great wine selection. Wonderful small plates. Lovely ambiance. It's everything you need from a…read morewine bar!

An absolutely fantastic dining experience. The place is well decorated, spacious and with very…read morecomfort seating. Food is fantastic, absolutely delicious. About $250 meal for two, but absolutely worth it.

I wanted to take my wife to a nice restaurant for her birthday and after some looking I decided to…read moretake her to Lord Nelson in Burlington. It's located in a small unassuming strip mall. When we entered we weren't greeted and the young coat check/hostess seemed a bit timid and confused. Eventually an older lady greeted us and I told her we had a reservation, which in the notes online I had requested "a quiet table for 2". The lady explained that they were having an "event" today and we could have a table in a private room that is quieter but the table in the main room is much nicer. Not wanting to make a fuss I told her the regular table would be fine. It wasn't too long afterwards I regretted this decision as the main room was very loud, and after another group was seated next to us it got even rowdier. It felt more like a pub during a game night rather than a fine dining restaurant. (This was on a Thursday evening) The hostess did check our coats which was nice. Anyways, I read in the reviews that the Caesar salad is made table side and is really good so we started with that. My wife ordered the Lord Nelson special and I got the Chicken Supreme. Shortly after we ordered we were brought a small platter with pickles, olives, Pate and a bowl of garlic bread. I have been to restaurants before where they bring you complimentary bread but this was 2 tiny pieces of garlic bread. I tried it with the pate but it was better on its own as the pate didn't have much of a taste to it. Eventually the waiter set up the salad table and began to make it infront of us. He appeared to be making the dressing and everything from scratch but I can't be sure as he didn't really explain what he was doing. He just started mixing and mashing and I couldn't tell what some of the ingredients were. It would have been great if he explained what he was doing or even asked if we cared. Especially considering this salad costs almost $50. About 1/3 of the way through he stopped to help another table light something. He took the lighter they were using to try and start up some sort of fondue or something. Then he came back and continued making our salad without washing his hands. Yeah, he's using utensils to make the salad but he's squeezing the lemon with his bare hands and...well it's not hygienic, ya know? Anyways the salad and the experience of having a nice Caesar made traditionally from scratch infront of you is great and it tasted good but not $50 good. It was a bit heavy on the dressing. Our mains came shortly after we finished the salad. My wifes Lord Nelson special featured Beef Tenderloin Tournedos which were cooked to perfection. Very delicious. My Chicken Supreme was also very tasty. Both came with the exact same sides though my cubed potatoes were slightly undercooked. We were too full to finish our meals so we got the leftovers put away for us. They were placed in cheap flimsy containers more suited to Chinese food restaurants, and we didn't get a bag or anything to put them in. Not very fancy at all. We skipped dessert and got the bill. In my opinion it was quite expensive for what we got. I have been to expensive, fine dining restaurants and steakhouses before and this place just isn't worth the cost. As we were leaving we had to wait awkwardly at the front because we needed our coats and no one was there to get them for us. Eventually the young hostess came over and handed our coats back to us in a big bundle. The poor thing seemed very spaced out and out of her element. Anyways, the wife was pleased so Mission Accomplished but I won't be back, especially at that price, and I don't recommend anyone else go unless they have money to burn. TL;DR, Expensive steaks with meh service.

American dude writing a review!…read more I stopped in pretty late night soon after checking into a hotel nearby. Thank goodness for free Wi-Fi because that's how I found out about this pub with live music. Had I stopped to have a conversation with locals or gas station attendants for local hotspots, I may have been sent other places that may not have been as nice. I don't get the low star rating which is somewhere around a two star presently. I mean, I do and I don't. For one thing, it's got a setup like an English pub mainly because of it's naming which is after the famous writer Charles Dicken's. But one wouldn't guess that by any of their decor within a sole visit, this is a clarification I came across when scoping their website much later after my first visit. The pub has some history dating back to the mid 1800's. Their website gives tribute and recollection to those that lived within these walls and called it home. The draw for the pub is nightly live music provided by bands which change up night to night. While they maintain a decent website, it doesn't seem to contain the most up to date information. So, if you'd like to see a band lineup, it's best to call in or visit the pub. Most Americans traveling further than closer to the border would be unaware to the fact that in Canada they consider nineteen years of age an adult with the ability to consume alcohol. For this reason solely explains why in much of Canada you can expect to see far more women than in some bars in the States. Back home in Chicago, I'm all too used to the term "chorizo parties" which has become a label for bars and clubs which are inundated with higher male to female ratios. Any who. Another note to my American peoples; booze is pricey everywhere in Canada and in some cases the charges are double what we pay back in the States. Service, offering and some very minute difference in cost is what differs from one bar or club to the other. I ordered a shot of Jamo (That's Jameson's whiskey) which cost about seven and half Ca dollars. I paid about the same for a Coors light. The bartender which waited on us, could have been nicer. Despite our good tipping, I'm not sure if she smiled once. Perhaps tourists get a cold shoulder? I don't know. The door guys seemed nicer. Among looks from the locals, it seemed kind of cold in there. Except for sharing the routine head nods of acknowledgement from other male patrons in the bar. The bar has a nice setup if in fact the website is correct and the accents of the bar have been the same in place since the time of it's creation. It's held up well. I can't remember the name of the band that played last Friday but I thought they did a good job. They sang popular rock hits from the 1990's to stuff which is current. After a couple of beers and shots in the belly, we headed down the street for more touristy exploration. If I were in the area again, I would probably stop by again to hear the music happening. The place is soundproofed pretty well, because one would have to be within a short relative space to hear the music playing live within.

Inclusive menu and casual atmosphere. Great place to stop by and enjoy. Love the patio!read more