Cosy restaurant with a beautiful garden and delicious fine food. Definitely recommend.

What a hidden gem of a place. Food was fantastic (had the Lake Trout) and Mushroom Crustini. Staff was amazing and very friendly and hospitable! Would return to this place in a heartbeat. This place is better than most places in the big city! Must try if ever on Manitoulin Island. read more

Really enjoyed visiting Garden's gate. The restaurant had such a cute and homey set up with a beautiful garden outside. Our server Shauna was very friendly, gave us great recommendations for things to around the island as it's our first time. We ordered the fresh Pasta, which was soooo good. We also tried the trout, which for some reason was rather bland and under seasoned. We did come back the next day, and tried the burger and smoothie too which were both very good. (For how healthy it is, it's not supposed to taste this good!) read more

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Great food, service and mission. Out of the way, but really worth the effort to go there. Lake trout prep was fantastic!

Our hosts at Twin Peaks B&B recommended Garden's Gate to us so we were determined to check out this "out of the way" restaurant on our recent trip to Manitoulin Island. Location: Garden's Gate isn't located in one of the island's towns. Instead, it's nestled beside Hwy 542 a short 20 minute drive south-east from the town of Mindemoya. If you're coming off the ferry at South Baymouth you can take Hwy 6 to the junction with Hwy 542 and be at Garden's Gate in just over 10 minutes. If you're arriving from the mainland, or staying in Little Current, you can be at Garden's Gate in just over 35 minutes via Hwy 6 south to the Hwy 542 junction. Food: This is a first rate restaurant that focuses on fresh, local ingredients and genuinely caring preparation of all the dishes we sampled. Sheina and Kevin are laser focused on maintaining the great service and food quality that the founders of Garden's Gate delivered for almost thirty years, and based on our experience they're nailing it. Our first foray was a quick drop-in on our way back to Twin Peaks after checking out the Dark Sky Preserve camping sites and hiking trails. We were greeted warmly by Sheina, and after a brief chat we decided that looking at the menu in anticipation of the next day's meal wasn't enough. Stand-alone appetizer teaser: We ordered the appetizer charcuterie plate as a "tester" and sat in the garden to enjoy our food as butterflies and bumblebees flitted and buzzed amongst the flowers. It was a fabulous afternoon snack. Too often we've ordered charcuterie plates that offer great ingredients, but in quantities that barely feed a small child. Kevin's plate combines the best of both worlds: high quality ingredients (the blue cheese in particular was superb) and enough food for two people to dig in for some very contented noshing. The next day we were very excited to return for dinner. Dinner (the next day): We ordered two appetizers: Grilled Chicken Satay wrapped in lettuce leaves; and, Local Asparagus & Prosciutto Rolls served with fresh greens and house made vinaigrette. Both were outstanding, though if we had to choose between them we'd give the win to the chicken satay. The house made satay sauce was something special, and the chicken was cooked to juicy perfection. We each ordered the Pan Seared Rainbow Trout for our main course, and it was mouth wateringly delicious. The fish was lightly spiced, allowing the clean, fresh taste of the trout to take centre stage. As important, it was cooked perfectly. We savoured each and every bite - so, so good. We would definitely order this dish again. For dessert we chose a Lemon Cheesecake with Seasonal Berry (strawberry) Coulis, and the House-made Ice Cream Sandwich. The Lemon Cheesecake was the runaway winner of this contest. The cheesecake itself was light and airy with superb, rich flavour while the strawberry coulis was a perfect, not-too-sweet contrast to the gentle, citric tartness of the cake. The Ice Cream Sandwich was the only aspect of the dinner that was less than satisfying. While the ice cream itself was delicious, the cookie was just too hard to allow one to eat the dessert as a "sandwich". This was made even more difficult by the fact that the chocolate in the cookie - while generous and of good quality - was added in large chunks (as opposed to smaller chips), making the already hard cookie that much harder to bite through. When the sandwich concept defeated us, we switched to an open face approach, but still found the cookie and chocolate chunks too solid to fully enjoy. Ambiance: The Garden's Gate is blessed with a beautiful location. The building is nestled amidst beautiful flower gardens, and tables are currently arrayed adjacent to the small parking lot (we understand that the plan is to move the tables inside the garden post-Covid). Inside the building you'll find Sheina, your amiable and genuinely welcoming hostess, as well as a selection of local artisanal food products and crafts produced by local artists (we picked up a beautiful set of earrings while deciding what to order for dinner). This is a lovely space to enjoy good conversation and fabulous food. Price: The food is somewhat more expensive than other options we tried on the island, which is to be expected since it was far and away the best restaurant dining experience we enjoyed during our five day visit. We enjoyed two appetizers, two mains and two desserts for $125 (HST and generous tip included), a very reasonable price considering the quality. And compared to what one might expect to pay for a meal of this quality in Toronto or other Canadian cities, the fare at Garden's Gate is a bargain. We highly recommend dining at Garden's Gate, and will definitely return the next time we're on Manitoulin Island. read more

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One of the nicest place to eat on Manitoulin Island according to the locals. It was the only place we could make a reservation for during our stay so we ate there twice. They have lovely herb and vegetable gardens right on the premises and use seasonal, locally grown food prepared simply. The restaurant has a nice easy atmosphere. Staff are very casual and friendly. The framed "no cell phone use during dinner" policy at the entrance is charming. I forgot the exact wording. I should have taken a photo with my cell. Plus there is a 2 drink limit per person. Both these rules were ok by me. The dining area is spacious and the back room was full. Only a single washroom available means you will likely have to wait awkwardly next to the table by the washroom for your turn. Desserts are displayed in the front of the restaurant. After checking them out, we had to save room because they looked so good. I had a selection from the "light" section of the menu; breaded chicken strips with a side greek salad on the first night and white fish, also breaded and fried, on the second night. Sorry to say both the chicken and the fish were a little dry and the salad was just so-so. The carrot cake, on the other hand was very good. I noticed on the way out that they have a large selection of herb tea blends. read more

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If you visit Manitoulin Island then this is simply one restaurant you must visit! The food is freshly prepared, and many of the veggies are from the garden in Season; Great menu selections, (try the local whitefish with their yummy frites!) and there is something for everyone...vegetarians too! Heck, they even have /gluten free beer on the menu (Honestly, I never touch the stuff after trying it once) but if you must.....it's there. Reasonably good wine and beer menu as well. The service is efficient, even on busy nights. Suggest you make a reservation. Looking forward to my next visit! read more

What a gem on Manitoulin Island! We drove by many "restaurants" advertised in the Manitoulin guide book before settling on this only true restaurant we found. It's a cozy old-style restaurant with faded flowered tablecloths. They have a shop that sells various teas and kitchen supplies. Everything I had here was fresh and delicious, and the service was excellent. From reading the pamphlet about the restaurant, it's obvious that the owners take a lot of care and pride into the food they cook and the ingredients they use. Everything appears to be from local Canadian farms. What we ordered: - Whitefish with fries / greek salad -- the fish was so tender, but yet fresh (not "mushy") and perfectly breaded and fried. However, it didn't taste greasy at all. The fries were simple and delicious - Lemon torte - light and fluffy! This was dessert of the day. - Raspberry cheesecake - It must be the cheese that they used - it had a stronger cheese flavor, but it worked very well. And it was very creamy! - Earl Grey tea - I liked it so much I bought a tin! This restaurant really showed the power of fresh, local ingredients. A great choice for eating out on Manitoulin Island. I found things here a bit hard to find... basically, off the ferry, you would drive north on 6 and turn on Hwy 542 towards Tehkummah and you should find it. Only about a 20 min drive from the ferry docks. read more

Enjoyed having some lunch here a few years agO. The management, crew and staff were really very friendly, helpful and respectful as they took our individual food and drink orders. What I had eaten fore lunch was very super delicious and yummy. The dining room, building and surrounding grounds were well maintained cleaned and well organized very well By The Way. read more

Had a late lunch there last Sunday. Ordered the whitefish expecting it to be seasoned and grilled. It came breaded and pan-fried, with very little flavoring. In hindsight, I should have sent it back. The Greek salad upgrade was also uninspiring using romaine lettuce and sliced cherry tomatoes. Very disappointing. read more