This is more of a review of the service we encountered at the Drake by Stewart (manager/bartender) and his staff when we stopped by for drinks. Welcoming, friendly and helpful. Seems like they might be experiencing a bit of a shaky start based on the reviews below, but I am certain the growing pains will be resolved. The ambience is 5/5, amazing view and well appointed. Look forward to returning for lunch/dinner. read more

Review for two nights at the hotel and two dinners at the restaurant. 5 stars all around. Hotel: - cozy, funky, great shower, nice bed, mini bar. - no Breakfast included but brewed coffee in the mornings - games room with ping pong - visited in the winter but the outdoor space looks fabulous Restaurant: - great menu as one would expect from the Drake. Could have easily ordered anything off the menu - all looked great and everything we had was awesome - fish, scallops, pot pie, burger, Brussel sprouts - amazing cocktails - brown butter maple old fashioned: to die for! - nice wine list with super reasonable bottles of house wine for mid $30 range - great service - one night was open mic - some very impressive talent, fun crowd Overall really enjoyed our stay here. Can't wait to go back - no doubt summers here will be epic! read more

This was one of the worst customer experiences I've had in a long time. We waited approximately 15-20 minutes for our drinks and over an hour for our dinner. The oysters we had contained a lot of broken shell and were not shucked properly. The staff seemed very overworked and our waiter complained numerous times about how tired he was and how many big bites he had gotten serving on the patio that day. We took a photo after dinner in the photo booth and were told we were being too loud as there was a hotel room right beside the booth. A) It wasn't quite 10pm B) Maybe they should move their photo booth elsewhere. The views from patio were nice and we encountered one nice waiter in the bar named Maxwell but, sadly, we wouldn't return. read more

Phenomenal brunch and amazing views. Highly recommend for a great breakfast as well as dinner.

Went to visit this restaurant on Sunday, December 18 around 7:30pm. My SO and I were staying nearby at Huff Estates and heard great things about this restaurant and so we decided to dine here. It was awful! I'm giving it 2 stars because the environment/decor and staff were nice, but the food was awful! Everything we ordered we were disappointed by. We got 2 cocktails (which were fine, but not worth the $15 each), 4 appetizers, and 2 affogatos for dessert. We ordered the grilled naan which was served with a lamb/potato/cauliflower dish. The menu said the naan was fresh, but we immediately knew that it was not prepared on site but was simply removed from store packaging. The lamb tasted like it was not prepared that day and the rest had no flavour whatsoever. I felt like I had to add salt just to taste anything. We also got the beef tartare, which was a joke. It was served in a heap, tasted like vinegar, and was served with 4 pitiful "crostinis", which was just slivers of crackers with a dozen holes it. It couldn't even hold the tartare and either broke or fell through the crisp when we tried to eat it. Our other dish was the charcuterie plate and it was fine, but it was a very small portion and not worth the price. We also got the "fancy" fries (served with parm and truffle butter). These were also just okay, and would have been better had they not been overly salted and extremely greasy! We had originally decided to pass on dessert, as we were disappointed by everything, but then we heard they had affogato on the menu and we figured they could not mess up espresso and ice cream. But they did! The ice cream was once again a pitiful portion. About 2 tablespoons worth. So when the espresso touched it, it had immediately disintegrated and we had to race to catch a bite of ice cream. Then of course we were left with a very bitter shot of espresso we had to down. I am honestly surprised by the reputation this restaurant has, as we both found it to be disgusting, pretentious, and overpriced! Would NEVER go back, and I don't recommend it to anyone. read more

Drake Devonshire - Beef tartare with crostini. Tartare heap tasted like vinegar and "crostini" are a joke. - Hotels Near Me - Wellington, Ontario

This spot is so beautiful, however, unfortunately our server was quite rude, which ruined the experience.

Friendly, enthusiastic, but perhaps not so well trained staff (don't rush us please... don't talk about desert with our empty plates still sitting in front of us). Kitchen Makeover quality food (simple to produce with consistency, but uninspired). Lovely location and nice room, but is it worth it? Not really. Go once to see it... only if you're in the area. read more

I had an impromptu stay at the Drake Devonshire Inn and everything was immaculate. The level of hospitality was of the highest quality. The details were amazing, from the complimentary bottle of red wine upon checking in to the cozy hooded bathrobes. But most of all I was blown away by the incredible staff. Everyone was kind, welcoming and knowledgeable. The food was beyond delicious. It was the perfect stay and I highly recommend it to anyone visiting the Prince Edward County area. Will definitely be returning. read more

After an afternoon/early evening nap one is left with few dinner options in this part of Ontario open much past nine. So we booked a 9:45 for the drake and headed into town. Service was top notch! The oysters fresh, croquettes cheesie goodness and the crab cakes meaty. Our mains, the wild boar ragu and clam fra diavolo where also tasty. Be sure to try desert. You cannot go wrong! read more

Second time here for dinner. Made reservations 5 weeks in advance and had requested a window table which we loved! Restaurant was full on a Tuesday night at 7pm and only got busier as the night progressed. Our waitress was fantastic but was literally run off her feet...she warned us upon arrival that she was the only one working the inside. Apparently the amount of walk-ins was unexpected. I feel the Drake should have been more prepared for this given that is was a beautiful hot evening in June. Really not fair to our server. We order the guac and chips but were advised by the staff pouring water that it was sold out so we ordered the "Drake and Bake" instead. When we mentioned this to our waitress she winked and told us she would see what she could do about the guac and chips and then magically appeared with our order. Since it was too late to cancel the Drake and Bake, we were given it on the house. Nice touch. Two of us ordered the burger and the third ordered the pickerel. Food was delicious although the artichoke side that came with the pickerel was inedible. Hard and hairy. That meal was discounted. Great fun, friendly and chic. Do not miss this place if you are in PEC. read more

Second time here, this time for brunch. My partner and I each had a juice (a freshly squeezed orange juice and a green juice), both of which were great and exactly what you would imagine. For our meal, we both ordered the buttermilk pancakes (strawberries, buckwheat pancakes, maple syrup and cream). They were delicious, and I really enjoyed the texture of them given they were made with buckwheat. The strawberry topping stood out as being fresh and not too sweet. Aside from that, the service was top notch, the vibe was relaxed, and the view cannot be beaten. read more

It's a very pretty and well designed space. I was in love with the environment and the atmosphere of this little restaurant by the water. However, I wasn't so satisfied with the food especially the broccoli salad, which the broccoli is toasted but burned. Another thing I have to mention is that there are too many flies. I have to constantly use my hands to keep them away from my food and table. It's pretty disgusting to see so many flies while eating. read more

Drake Devonshire - Hotels Near Me - Wellington, Ontario

A group of 4 of us called for a lunch reservation this past Sunday but the restaurant was fully booked between 10:30am and 2:00pm. We then took our chances for dinner at 5:00pm and were seated right away. The atmosphere is very cottage/homey and the view of the lake is lovely. Our server was very pleasant and knowledgeable about the menu. Apparently they change their menu every season. The place is a little pricey, I had a bowl of pasta for $22 ("Cavatelli Verde" pumpkin seed pesto, pea shoots, sugar snap peas, lemon ricotta) but it was tasty. Overall I'd recommend it, perhaps for special occasions. read more

No question this is the place to be for the view and super cool decor. On cold winter days you can't beat a table in the warm sunshine overlooking the water. We were greeted right away on several occasions by friendly hostesses, and the wait staff were chatty and attentive. Signature cocktails are tasty but not cheap at around $15. We had dinner there a couple of times but really should have known better after the first disappointment. Problem was, East and Main was closed for renos. At $42 a pop you would expect a pretty amazing steak dinner but it was very mediocre. Our medium rare steaks were dry, not juicy, and the specialty fries with Parmesan were supermarket fare served warm. The Brussels sprout side dish was absolutely delicious. What can I say? We're eternal optimists and also drawn in by the kind staff, warm fireplace and fun ping pong table. So we went back only to be let down again by dry, over salted roast chicken and boring, over cooked hamburger. Not sure why they cared how I wanted it cooked because in came out well done. We overheard diners at the next table mouthing "dry" as well, which makes us feel encouraged enough to express our disappointment here without feeling too bad about it. So..."Power to the people", and To the Drake..."Live Long and Prosper". Sad to say, for us, life is too short to eat bad food, and so the return visit to PEC will have us indulging elsewhere. read more

Delicious brunch in a rustic chic environment. There were many Caesars on the menu which unfortunately we did not get to try bc we really needed our coffee. We ordered the Drake Benedict and the Breakfast burger with truffle fries . The Benedict came with peameal bacon and toasted English muffin, which was a nice touch. The burger was very flavorful and juicy and had many topings that worked well together. The fries however, I can't believe I'd be raving about them. They kept the skin on and somehow the fries were so perfectly crispy that we couldn't stop eating them even though we are. It normally big on fries. If I went back again I would definitely make a point of ordering the fries read more

I went here for lunch with my mom and our friend we sat out on the patio the ambience was amazing the service was really good and the food was even better I had this pasta dish I can't remember the name it was so good it had half shells in a pesto sauce that was to die for very very good food my mom had a strawberry chicken salad that was out of this world and our friend had fish and chips that were fresh and very good. I highly recommend this restaurant read more

I have been long awaiting the opening of the Devonshire, after being postponed for months and months and months. My bad experience started when I was yelled at by a contract worker half a year before their opening telling me to get off their property when I was standing on the street. I came for their weekend brunch, and the hostess I spoke to said they could squeeze my reso of 2 people in for 11am. For the duration of our stay a majority of the tables were open- so I don't understand how it was difficult to find me space? The service was lovely. Our server was from the county and showed us standard county hospitality. The food and drinks were awful. I kept saying "they really need someone from the city to come train these people!", although I'm pretty sure that's what they did? Cocktails were imbalanced and just sat and let the ice melt. Bartender boyfriend was getting very anxious watching the bartenders struggle making their drinks and wanted to go behind the bar and make our $14 cocktails for ourselves. We left hungry as the food was terrible! I ordered the eggs Benny which was described as served on a country biscuit- it was on a hamburger bun. A HAMBURGER BUN!! With the sesame seeds. Probably came from the grocery store down the street- which I guess counts as from the country, so is this their country biscuit? The space is very tackily whimsical like "the drake chain" but the view is beautiful. Food needs an improvement or they don't stand a chance against East and Main. I guess it's a good thing they're the only place with rooms in town? read more

This is where those who are afraid to take a real vacation go. Beautiful building, very nice in the typical Drake way but very Sterile. I went for the brunch, I had the eggs and bacon with home potatoes. The potatoes where bland and lacked flavour, the bacon was whatever, the eggs where cooked perfectly. The Staff was typical Toronto staff, I've read reviews where people complain about the snobbishness of the staff, I can see why they would say that but I had no problem, I live in Toronto so maybe I am used to that type of delivery. The Brunch specialty meals where overly priced and when I saw my patron neighbor get something I would have ordered I was very glad that I did not as the portions or freakishly small. There is the Pomodoro and East and Maine across the road, go there, the food was cooked to perfection. I would not stay at the drake either, the beach was made with small concrete builders pebbles, you think you could have laid some sand. Not worth it at all, unless your afraid to take a vacation. Got to be there to see the crowd to understand it. read more

The food was way overpriced for the quality. My burger was just a regular burger for $22, and my friends got a vegetarian pasta for $25 that was just pasta and corn. Meh. We loved the beautiful back patio though and the waves. read more

The DJ for New Years decided that Sexual Healing would be THE song for NYE '17. He played it honest-to-god four times in the span of a couple of hours, including a brass version with trombones that sounded like they were enjoying the song almost as little as all the patrons, who had promptly stopped dancing when it came on, again. The audience began to boo him, and he told us "it's not what you think!" What was it, dear reader? You guessed correctly. It was yet another Sexual Healing, the fourth of the night. It was my friend's 50th birthday on New Year's Eve and the DJ absolutely refused to hear anything about a Mariah Carrey request - instead he told us off that it was a "MoTown theme" (he later played Kanye and The Heavy - aren't they just *so* unappreciated as MOTOWN artists). When we walked in, we saw the photographers seemed to have pretty unhappy looks on their faces, which is fair enough, I wouldn't want to work a party on New Year's Eve either, but personally I believe their looks of agony were brought on by everyone's constant struggles against the DJ's attempts to assassinate our desire to dance. This man should not be allowed near a radio dial, let alone DJ tables. The Drake Devonshire itself is quite nice, but who was this guy? Where on earth did they find him? Did Spotify or FM radio have a previous engagement? Four stars for the Drake. You know the rest. read more

Great atmosphere Great waitress and food was pretty good albeit overly ambitious and trying to hard to be noma but was good Did over hear a particularly pretentious waitress admonish a guest because he was disappointed they didn't have anymore if the steak. She was somewhat condescending read more

We stopped in for brunch and were seated in a lovely sunny room with a view of the lake. Service was very prompt, but a couple drink orders were missed (some of our group ordered mimosas that were never delivered, though they showed up on the cheque). Our server explained that they had limits on the times that they could start serving drinks, which is understandable, but they shouldn't have taken the order if they couldn't fill it. The food was great and more than made up for the inconvenience--the menu has a great selection of sweet and savoury breakfast items, plus they've a special Fish Camp menu right now that emphasizes local seafood. The space is beautiful--a true gem. read more

Pretence comes to the county. Oh great, now we can suffer the same indignities as in the city. The host asks you if you have a reservation when, behind her, half the tables are empty. This has happened at least six times and on different occasions. If you mention the obvious surplus of empty seats, a haughty waiter will go to 'check' with the manager. If you're lucky enough to be seated, a younger than 40 y/o patron will likely be stationed out of sight (presumably to maintain snobbish appearances). By the way, 18 dollars for a passable burger! ? Bottom line: overpriced and pretentious. Since they so ostentatiously advertise their locally sourced products, I suggest to deal with the county directly and cook for yourself at home. At least you'll find a table. read more

My brother ordered the Tomahawk chop. His portion was tiny compared to the tables next to ours. Complained. Waiter took it back. Manager apologized and said by weight they should be the same. Are you kidding me? Are you blind? Been a carnivore for 33 years. Ain't no fooling me. Wish I took a picture. An hour later my brother got food poisoning. Never going back. Hope a big wave hits and wipes them out. read more

The view and the service was great! The food was flavourful but was way too salty! I had the vegetarian pasta and my husband had the rabbit stew. We also got the truffle fries and beef tare tare. The beef tare tare didnt come with a raw quail egg that you normally expect. Everything was really hard to eat and we kept needing to down water with each bite cuz it was too salty. I would just recommend drinks only here and just enjoy the view. read more

I loved the ambiance and decor. I loved the interesting choices not he menu and drinks. A very trendy place in an up and coming area. I went for breakfast with he family and returned for lunch the next day. Definitely will return when Im in the area. read more

We arrived to find there was not one vegetarian option on the menu. I was surprised as being veg for 15 years the kitchen can always throw together a salad at least- I've never had this happen. Arrogant servers imported from the GTA obviously- why would you do that when the best part of the county are it's charming residents? I have never posted a mean review, but after emailing a complaint directly 10 days ago and receiving no response, I don't feel sorry for it. Overrated. And the cold pre made pancake review? That's accurate, I've heard it from more than one person in this area. read more

Welp - a bit disappointing. But, on the good side - what a beautiful place! Great looking resto and patio and wonderful view of the water - and how lovely they also have a place to sit by the water and maybe even dip your feet into, and sit by an outdoor fire or lounge in a muskoka chair. The patio is great too because there are a couple levels. And they have baskets of towels and spf lotion on hand. Definately well thought out design! Great for couples or big groups, there were quite a few bridal showers and families with kids as well. A few people just lounging around after their meal by the water seating areas. On to the food and the service. Wonderful greeter for the parking since it is limited - very friendly and it was good they have a little drop off or short term park area as well. Very friendly staff, our waitress was very cheery, though not always there since she was serving other tables - there were times other people brought food to our table but then they could not explain it too well so we had to wait for the other servers to come to explain the dishes or drinks (we had a tasting menu as one of our meals). We had the oysters, the tasting menu and a main dish reco by the waitress. Oysters were great, East coast and yummy, though it was a bit confusing because I thought that when you have an oyster that is shucked, they are supposed to also losen the oyster meat from the shell so you just need to wiggle it off a bit, add your toppings and slurp that goodness in... but nope - I was left hanging... well the oyster was hanging on to the shell as I tipped it toward me, which made me feel silly then after more wiggling, pulling and twisting it with my fork, I was able to eat it properly. Havent really had this much stuggle before with oysters shucked elsewhere. On to the tasting menu - which seemed maybe more for tasting the pairings more than the food. The bites were pretty itty bitty, but then I have never done a tasting menu before so maybe thats how it is. But can you really fully taste something when there is only one bite? How about 2 or 3 bites? I mean, I understand its not a full meal but still. Having ordered the oysters as an app already, there was an oyster in the tasting menu as well - which was also half the size of a regular oyster (so half a bite?) - so strange how everything was itty bitty. The flavors seemed to go well together. Contrary to the food tastings, the drink pairings were full on full drinks. They were good. And seemed to match well. The recommended main was the rotisserie Chicken - which was half a rotisserie chicken cut in two and fries, slaw and gravy and ketchup, no presentation really. Pretty simple and taste was ok, good. Not as special as I would have hoped. On to service: Yes friendly and cheerful. The waitress seemed helpful, though she also seemed busy... maybe it was where we were sitting on the patio but we had to flag her down a couple times. One server was unsure of what was in our drinks and also a bit unsure of what she was serving us, we were given a dish from the pairing menu without the pairing so had to wait for that, we were given our desert and cheese with knives and no fork and wondered for a minute if they wanted us to just spear our desert into our mouths, so we just had to flag her down again for a fork. The bill came and she was able to spit the tab - though she was splitting the tab for another tables meal which came out to much more than ours - when she was corrected, it took her a while to figure out it was another table's tab, though we explained that the numbers were not adding up. Interesting evening to say the least. Lovely place and I enjoyed the company I was with (no, is not part of the Resto lol) and view, friendly staff, but we were expecting more for the price and the hype, the food and the service did not match with what we were expecting. read more

The location is beautiful but the staff were awful. When we expressed the issues with our dinner blonde female manager is very rude. We will not be returning or recommending. read more

A group of 6 had brunch on the weekend. Service was really great but unfortunately not the food. Three friends had eggs benedict that were overcooked, I had a chicken confit salad that had pieces of maybe one small roasted chicken thigh spread around the edges. The side of Brussels sprouts was disgusting, the dessert macarons were horrible and the starters unmemorable. read more

This has been hands down our favorite place at Prince Edward County. I had been sort of disappointed with the restaurants thus far but this place really made it up. We had the burger, swordfish, and cavatelle pasta but everything was so good that we ordered carbonara pasta. Even the ice cream was so delicious. I was so sad we had come here on our last night and I can't go back for more. Definitely will be a place I remember when I return home. All the serving staff was extremely nice as well. read more

It was Canada Day Weekend and I was around PEC for a weekend get away. I noticed there were reservation spots available for lunch service and did not bother to make one (which was my mistake). I arrive and notice the dining room is full. I asked the hostess how long it would be and she just replied 'No, it's full'. I told her there were reservation spots available for now but she kept repeating 'We're full'. She had attitude and was unapologetic/sympathetic. I understand it's a busy weekend with many tourists but she was terribly unprofessional. I just walked out. It was not worth my time but I do recommend Tall Poppy Cafe instead. They are local, heart warming, happy people who love their job. Unlike the old hostess that works at Drake Devonshire. Sad. I bet the food is good but dining is also about service and I did not find any of that here. read more

There is not one wrong thing here. Not one. Food, delicious. Service, wonderful. Setting, stunning. Rooms, beautiful. The feeling...priceless. read more

We were a group of 16 (with 8 kids) cottaging in a nearby area and wanted to check out the drake of Devonshire for dinner. They were so accommodating, put us in the pavilion and catered to our group's every need. To be honest, the food was so-so, but the service and the atmosphere were top notched! read more

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Nice place but way too over price for the kinda food. Would go for drinks but not for food

Came here for dinner to celebrate my Mother's birthday with a group of 8. We went on a Saturday evening and came early before the restaurant was too busy. The food was excellent- our table ordered a wide variety of dishes from the menu and everyone really enjoyed their meals. The dining room is beautiful and had a great atmosphere with an incredible view of the lake. Unfortunately the service at the restaurant wasn't as great. Our reservation request to have a booth (as we were dining with a baby too small for a highchair) got mixed up and we were seated elsewhere. Our appetizers for the table (bread and naan served with dips-not difficult to send out quickly) ended up arriving with our mains an hour after we ordered them. When we pointed that out to our server, the manager came over told us the mix up was because we ordered them before ordering our entrees but left us stuck with these appetizers no one really wanted anymore. We also ended up with drinks we didn't order on our bill and because we were dining with a large group, we didn't catch it until after we had left the restaurant. Although the wait staff were really friendly for the most part, it definitely seemed like things were disorganized. read more

Atmosphere is good, good view from the patio, recommend crab cakes, Ontario tomatoes, winter greens if you like almonds and grapes

This is a review of the restaurant. We've eaten there twice and each time all food was excellent. Like, exceptional. Given the view, and the location, this is a real treat. Not a "cheap and cheerful"dining experience, more high-end... although the breakfasts are quite affordable and also delish. Will be back. read more

The service here was very bad, the waiter was rushing us when we first arrived and then the appetizers took over 45 mins to arrive, it took forever for drinks to arrive and then entrees very slow as well. Waiter was slow to refill water and unfamiliar with the drink menu when we asked him for recommendations and what certain drinks were. Gemilli pasta needs salt, crab cakes good and fries good. Wouldn't come back here again unfortunately. read more

I feel fortunate in a town of 1700 to have a restaurant of this calibre as our "local" . We have been here many time for breakfast, lunch, brunch, dinner, drinks and even New Years Eve. Some meals I have enjoyed more than others but they have always been of a high standard. Service has been excellent too so I cannot agree with some of the reviews here. Fingers crossed it can stay open in a tough economic environment. read more