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Made a reservation on Mother's Day. Friendly service. Not too many options on the menu and the food was average. I had the chicken and waffles, I think it lacked flavour as there was no syrup and a cold nutty macadamia sauce was provided for the chicken. Worth a try, to experience the ambience of the restaurant, not sure if I will come again
This is my 2nd time going to Inspire, and this time, we decided to go for brunch! We got the pad kra pao eggs benny and the chicken and waffles egg benny. Similar to their dinner, the portions are HUGE! The dishes are definitely creative and well thought out. Our server was kind and helpful, and quick to refill our waters. Ambiance was inviting and bright, and windows looked out onto Main St Markham.
First time to inspire just before COVID and the food and service is still great. We came on a snowy Friday nite with reservations. And everything we ordered was great. It's a small place so make sure to make reservations
Found this on yelp and had good ratings so decided to try on the Saturday before Mother's Day. You have to email the restaurant for reservations and for larger parties, they ask for a cc number to be kept on file in case of no shows as it is a small restaurant . The restaurant is located on Main St Markham in a quaint area. There is a parking lot behind the restaurant. We ordered the pad kra pao Benny, the chicken & waffle Benny, the waffle, eggs & bangers, mushroom cheese omelette, the shiitake gravy katsu chicken rice, yuzu shrimp hash, and the pad kra pao cheese frites. The flavours were really good and the Asian flavours for brunch were excellent. Everything tasted great and portions were decent. A great find and would come again but it was a bit far for us as we are not from the area.
Food here was amazing and portions were big! Ordered the duck confit tacos and we were so surprised at how big it was! The size of the chicken katsu slaw can serve 2 people! The chicken was very crispy as well. The Loco Moco was another favourite and we loved the coconut rice and toppings. Service was quick and friendly! Seating and decor was nice.
Inspire is very cozy with limited seating and a menu to match. Service was good and the food is beyond delicious and creative with the flavours and combinations. The cocktails were excellent and the mixologist did some custom drinks as well. I think this resto falls short on dessert options at least for the night I was there otherwise it's a favourite for their version of chicken and waffles
A low key restaurant in village of Markham that serves a small menu of fusion food. The menu reaches into many different cultures and I love how they incorporate them into their own dishes. The décor and vibe gives off a relaxed environment perfect for enjoying the food they serve. Had a bunch of dishes family style and ordered my favourite dishes: OG Insp burger: This burger was beautifully constructed and served with disastrous amount of fries. Ingredients worked well together, the tarragon aioli was amazing on the fries and the burger. Crab with the noodles: Nice seafood flavour, might have been a bit too heavy handed on the parm because it was a bit too salty. Love the pappardelle that came with the pasta. Wagyu loco moco: Delicious mix of beef + shrimp and a whole lot of different fun textures. Like the dish above, it was a bit too salty for my liking but everything else was nice. Sweet dijon chick burger: I feel like this was overshadowed by the OG burger and so wouldn't even recommend this one. Maybe try the chicken and waffles next time, but that dish is also huge. Shiitake udon carbonara: Interesting concept of udon with carbonara, but it just felt like cream and salt to me, no fun flavours mixed in to make a abit more inspiring =). Waff out loud: I just don't think this combination goes well together. I also did have it after a while, it was sitting on the other end of the table. So this may not be the review for this. Waffles were disappointingly soggy, might be due to time, but will have to try it with the chick'n waffles next time.
Portions are amazing, flavour is amazing, price is reasonable. The burger was so juicy and flavourful... and it's never a bad idea to have an egg on your burger. I may have wished that the pork belly was stripped off of the skin so I didn't have to take it out of my mouth when I chewed it. The duck fries were very good but nothing to cal home about. The salted egg aioli was a great idea to pair with duck confit fries, just not for me. I preferred the ketchup haha. The chicken and waffles were the star of the show. The lemon grass flavours really shine through the breading and it was a perfect balance of sweet and savoury with the berry compote. The portions were HUGE! They were very busy as they had reservations fully booked the whole evening. I called and they were able to squeeze us in as we came during off hours (3pm- before all their reservations were booked for)
Great brunch! I dined in this restaurant with my family on Saturday brunch. We had a fried chicken dish and shrimp dish. Holly Molly both dishes were packed with flavours. They were so fresh and delicious. The portion was very generous. The staff were not very friendly but ok. Service was relatively fast. I will definitely come back.
Initially my fiance was a bit hesitant for fusion restaurants but it was better than expected! I ordered the OG INSP burger, while my fiance ordered the Wagyu Loco Moco. I think the burger was pretty good value in the sense that it came with duck confit frites. The price of the frites is $16, and the burger +frites was only $22. There's your hack right there. Now I don't know if the portion for the $16 would be bigger, but I thought the one that came with the burger is already pretty sizeable. The downside is that there's so much fries and not totally enough dipping sauce and if you ask for more, there is an extra charge of ~$1? Overall the food was pretty tasty, I did wish there was a bit more mushroom for my fiance's Loco Moco though. Also a note, the seating area is smaller, especially for two people. Asides from that, service is good, food is good, worth a try!
OML speechless. This has to be my new favorite restaurant in Markham. The food here was amazing. The service was great and pretty quick. The ambiance was so calming because there were dimmed lights. I literally love their fries so much I would eat it for every meal if I could. The lemongrass chicken fries dish was everyone's favorite! The regular fries with that dipping sauce on the side, chefs kiss . Best fries I've ever tasted. The portion sizes were perfect and the chicken sando & chicken and waffles dish had big pieces of chicken. The chefs definitely made these dishes with passion because the flavours were so unique and delicious. You can tell the food is good when there's only a few items on the menu, and I think they switch out items occasionally (as some of the old reviews were showing food that weren't on the menu when we went) The only thing I disliked was their water, the mint made the water taste toothpaste but, it can be a good palate cleanser. The price for each entree is around $20 which is incredible for the quantity and quality. There were 4 of us eating here, the total bill was around $80-90 (we ordered 5 dishes) we all left satisfied and so stuffed. I would highly recommend this restaurant, we already came here twice and we are definitely going to be coming back here again to try all of their other dishes.
Went here for Sunday brunch a couple weeks ago. We normally go here for dinner but have never tried brunch. This has always been our go to spot for anniversaries and birthdays since it is close by our house and we love Asian fusion cuisine. I had the Pad Kra Pao eggs benny and my husband had the Shiitake gravy Katsu chicken rice. Both were amazing. Such great flavours. Eggs Benedict were perfectly runny and came with tater tots which is always a nice surprise. My husband really enjoyed the mushroom Katsu. Service was fast and friendly. We love the ambiance here which is another reason why we keep going back.
If you want to have fusion food and don't want to go into Toronto, you could do worse than stop here. The prices aren't too high and the food is pretty good. Service is good too. Extra Butter Drunken Crustaceans was pretty good. It had a nice blend of flavours and used fresh seafood. The croutons (or whatever the stuff at the bottom was) absorbed the juices of the dish nicely. The "OG Insp" burger was a tasty burger. The pork belly was a nice addition to contrast with the good quality beef patty. I got an upgrade with the burger to pulled pork frites, which were also great, with a nice blend of flavours. The fries themselves were a bit dry, but came in a huge portion. Towards the end both combined to have an overwhelmingly heavy flavour, though. Udon Carbonara had a lot of beef. The taste was a nice spin on normal carbonara, with some alcohol taste. The lemon pepper calamari was decently fresh, and was spiced differently from normal calamari. The mint ginger chutney was refreshing. The squid could have been crispier though. Waff out loud was nice as it came with both chicken and beef. It was pretty good. The chicken was very crispy, but the beef was better.
Cute little Asian fusion restaurant on Main Street Markham. It's a bit on the small side, so definitely make reservations if you're planning on coming at a busier time. My friend and I came for brunch in the middle of the week, and we managed to get a table right away. The menu is very unique and has a creative fusion of western and Asian influences. Each menu item sounds really good and it's hard to choose what to eat! I ordered the Salmon Corn Pancakes Cheese Scrambler and my friend had the INSP Loco Moco. I loved the torched salmon. Cooked to perfection. The pork belly was also delicious. The jalapeño filled corn pancakes were interesting. The flavour was nice, but I didn't like the texture. It was too dense and heavy. Overall, my dish was huge and I couldn't finish it. My friend enjoyed her loco moco as well, but there was too much rice and she couldn't finish her dish either. Service is great. The waitress was very diligent in filling our water glasses, and kept checking in to make sure everything was ok. We stayed for nearly 2 hours, and were never rushed to leave. Will definitely come back again! read more
Inspire dishes out Asian fusion cuisine, and they do it damn well. I've only been once so far but I'm already planning a second visit, mainly because of their INSP burger. It's served with hand cut fries, which we upgraded to pulled pork frites. They were packed with flavour and incredibly addictive. The tangy, smokiness of the pulled pork, the hint of salt from the fries, and the garlicky taste from the aioli were well-balanced and all came together splendidly. The true star of the dish, though, is without doubt the pork belly - it oozed with flavour, had yummy fatty notes, and a tender and juicy texture. It was melt in your mouth delicious. And of course, anything with a fried egg is automatically elevated to the next level. read more
8 years ago
This restaurant is cute, small and trendy. I ordered chicken waffles with berry sauce. And I loved it. Definitely going back .The staff are friendly. It was 9pm when we got there and still full of people. Lots of parking on the side read more
5 years ago
9 years ago
TLDR: Great food, great service and clean. So good. Such generous portions. Shared both of these dishes and couldn't finish. Servers were nice (but very busy). INSP Burger - such a good burger, I think there's cheese in the actual meet - no ketchup and IT WORKS - fries that came with (regular fries) were so delicious: seasoned well, no ketchup and it WORKS Waffles + Chicken - Just delicious - wish there was a layer of the mango edamame in between the waffles - wish there were a few more berries I had one blueberry and one raspberry Overall, it was amazing. The flavour profiles of both dishes were so different, a little strange, but worked very well. Enjoyed thoroughly. The place is clean and intimate. Servers are great. Different waiters were helping our table, not just one. And they packed our leftovers (there was about ~35-40% left). read more
9 years ago
This was my first time at Inspire Restaurant - I liked it and will be back to try out other items on their menu! I've heard a lot of good things about this restaurant and have been itching to try it out. I made reservation for 6PM for 2 on a Saturday and good thing I did because the place filled up pretty quickly (so don't take a chance! Call them in advance and make reservations to avoid disappointment). We shared the Duck Confit Frites ($12) as a starter - the frites were topped with mayo & Thai chilli and was very savoury! The chilli added a slight kick to the frites and the sweetness of the mayo balanced things out nicely. I came here mainly for the chicken & waffle ($17) and was not disappointed! The chicken was crispy on the outside and the meat was juicy. The waffle came with spicy berry sauce and it was tangy on the tongue! Service was great - the waitress kept coming back to check on us and refilled our water. Overall I think this is a cute little place and you can always end your meal with a nice stroll along the historic Main Street Markham! read more
9 years ago
Adding a few new photos from tonight's yummy dinner! The Udon Cabonara is always great, a very hearty and filling dish. It comes with a raw egg so make sure you mix it well! The Loco Moco dish was yummy and unique. Sweet coconut rice paired with a hamburger steak, shitake mushrooms, tiger shrimp, and my favourite taro crisps! Wish we had room for dessert tonight, but we were way too full from dinner. Only suggestion would be to incorporate more veggies into the dishes. read more
9 years ago
Started with the lettuce pray which were amazing! The entree was the fried chicken waffles with a whiskey sauce on top, which was also incredible. We finished with the waffle/ice cream sandwich which was fantastic. The atmosphere and staff were amazing. Staff were extra friendly. First time at this restaurant which was randomly found. Will definitely be back!! read more
This place was tiny. You have to make reservations well in advance. We did it last minute and was able to get a table by the bar. This restaurant was recommended by my sister. It did not disappoint! My favourite was the beef salad so flavourful! The other dishes we're great as well but it was very filling. We order a few dishes and shares it amongst 3 people. It's worth a try! The burger with the pork belly and egg addition was a bit much but still very good. The udon was a bit creamy for my taste but nonetheless not bad. I would definitely come back! read more
You need reservations to come here! Im thinking, how busy can this place be?? What is so good about this place? Why do i need reservations a week or two in advance?? I found out last Saturday! I went in with some higher expectation because of the reservation part, and this place sure lived up to it. Awesome customer service!! Not once did i have to ask for water refill. This was over a 2hour span. The water served is not plain water. Its with cucumbers and mint. What a nice surprise that was!! I tried the chicken and waffle. The chicken lived up to the hype!i had the inspire burger and duck fries. The burger was good! There was suppose to be seared pork belly in the burger, it looked a bit more like white meat chicken which kinda threw the texture off. I didnt like it. They may have to delete that ingredient from the burger. There is something about a juicy great tasting burger, and biting into something that taste like chicken white meat kind of ruined it. So i picked it out of my burger. The duck fries, looked great, the duck shavings were a bit dry. So i didnt enjoy this as much as i hoped. The little things count! Just like the single hand towels in the washrooms. Wonderful idea!! Overall was a great experience! Once again, the service was superb. All 3 wait staff came around to fill my water, i didnt just get 1 server, i got 3 servers that night. 5stars for sevice! 4 stars overall. read more
A group of high-school football buddies Skipped their late-noon Spanish studies Off in search of grub Decided they should have their fill They ended up at Lincoln Grill A local Hilo pub Crazy Georgie was his name Spoke his mind and had no shame Denied their standard fare The owners took up his request Sleeves rolled up they served their best A Polynesian dish with flare The friends in awe were most impressed Savoury patty in brown sauce dressed Their praise was rather vocal A name for the fare they had not So Georgie thought to name it snot And called it Loco Moco read more
Inspire is a small, inconspicuous space that you could easily miss driving down Main Street - it's also a must-try if you live in the Richmond Hill/Markham area. I've come on weekdays and weekends and a reservation is a must due to how limited their seating is. I've been here several times for both brunch and dinner and have enjoyed all of my meals. Fusion cuisine has seen an exponential growth in popularity in the last couple of years, and Inspire is one of the places that does it justice. Service is not stellar, but this is something that hasn't deterred me at all from returning multiple times. read more
This is a fantastic fusion restaurant. It's not too spacious but they take reservations, so do try to book in advance. I've heard from a couple of friends that have wanted to try this place out that they haven't been able to make it cause it was always busy or the tables were already reserved. I sent them an email the day before and was able to reserve a table for two on a Friday afternoon for brunch. After we were seated, we saw people leaving as the wait time was too long so reservations are key for this place. I personally thought that the customer service was excellent. We were served quickly when we arrived and I had no issues with making the reservation beforehand (sent an email and received a reply back right away). The choices on their menu are so unique, I wanted to get everything! Some previous reviews have stated that their INSP burger is a must get. We ended up ordering the Korean Steak Bennies (Grade Prime Strip Steak + Soft Poached Eggs + Butter Garlic Toast + Chessy Soy Bechamel + Turmeric Seasoned Fries + Shallot Aioli) for $18: WORTH IT, and the Salmon Corn Pancakes Cheese Scrambler (Maple Glazed Charred Jalapenos filled Pancakes + Spiced Pork Belly + Aged Cheddar + Scrambled Egg + Torched Salmon + Tobiko) $18; DELICIOUS. Of the two, I would definitely recommend their Steak Benny! read more
Always wanted to try out this place now I finally did!!! Good choice! (Pat on the back)...Food are amazing! My family and I ordered the Insp burger which is trully delicious. It has prime rib and pork belly and fried egg, really good combination. We also had the double bacon cheeseburger that has the matcha cheesecake which at first we were hesitant to try, this is really good too!!! The chicken waffle very tasty and crispy. Not a fan of spicy berry compote though...and waff out loud has waffle with steak and chicken, the steak was cook to perfection. Finally the Insp loco moco, love love the coconut flavored rice and prime rib steak mix. Ambience is cozy and nice. Staff are very friendIy. Food serving are huge. Seems like a restaurant in downtown Toronto but its close to home. Glad i made reservation ahead of time. I would defintely come back and try the other items on the menu. read more
8 years ago
We had reservations for 6pm and arrived around 10 mins early. However, the restaurant does not open its doors until 6pm for dinner so we were stuck wandering around outside until doors were opened. Once we got in, we were seated immediately and served promptly. Overall food was really good. Here are the things that stood out: INSP Burger - messy to eat, and the processed cheese really stuck out from the other nice flavours of the burger. The fries that were served with it were tasteful but too soft for my liking. Chicken & Waffle - chicken was perfectly done (crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside). Seasonal compote was too sweet for my liking and almost tasted like it came out of a jam jar. read more
"Omg inspire is the best place in markham omgomg, it's SOOOO good" Just kidding. This isn't every other review on this page. Maybe I expected a bit too much, but I didn't fall head over heels for inspire like every other girl. When we walked in, we weren't really greeted by the server. She looked at us and said "do you have a reservation?" and kind of grimaced when we said no.. then without a word, she led us to the back of the restaurant and gave us menus. Her mood probably got better, because she was a lot more tolerable and friendlier as the minutes passed. The server assigned to our table, however, was amazing. She was super quick, friendly and caring- kept checking up on our water levels every once in awhile so there were no shriveled up dehydrated bodies left in the restaurant. My boyfriend and I ordered the pulled pork frites to share and OMGGGGGGG THIS IS WHAT LOVE FEELS LIKE!! I don't even like green onion but it worked SO well for this dish.. to be honest, I didn't want to share with my boyfriend anymore... I would've taken the whole dish for myself but he drove me here, and I don't want to be left behind. We each also got a chicken and waffles (super famous here) after we couldn't find the udon carbonara on the menu.. WHAT HAPPENED? The serving was huge and it was presented nicely but I've had better fried chicken from KFC. The waffles were yummy, but too much syrup.. I would've preferred that we all get control of our own syrup next time. It ended up being too much and I finished just around half when I got it to go and gave it to my boyfriend, since he devoured his even though he said it was too sweet as well. It was nice to try! I'll probably be back and try other dishes! Somebody please let me know if the udon carbonara comes back! read more
Came here on a weekday during lunch and the place wasn't busy. They have a small menu but I definitely find the items unique and I felt like I must try them all! I came here today, however to try their Chicken and Waffles. We waited at least 25 mins for the food to arrive, so be prepared to wait that long for food. But I was impressed by the chicken and waffles! It was delicious! The chicken wasn't greasy and the amount of syrup was just perfect! I recommend getting that for sure. Service is pretty fast but I suggest making a reservation as there is very limited seating in this small place. Would go back to try their pasta next time. read more
Absolutely delicious. I've been here twice now within a months time. They greeted me with such care and it was nice to see genuine people working there. I got seated ASAP and the place was absolutely beautiful! The décor was very artistic and used regular items like wood (for their tables and wall and their ceiling decor). Can't even begin to rave about the food. It's amazing!!!! Every single herb and spice in their food, you can taste all the flavors and its so different from other restaurants. This restaurant is definitely inspiring. Just had their chicken (2pc) and waffles with steak (1 strip) and omgod that steak... Totally worth the $10 extra from plain chicken and waffles (which comes with 3 pieces of chicken). I then had the salmon poke bowl... It was such a good appetizer. I had to eat it as an entree because I'm on Detox ha-ha! But I really do recommend people to try it. I'm sure you will love it too!!! read more
I have mixed feeling about the food here. We ordered a few items off the lunch menu. Did the food taste bold? Was there care shown in the craftsmanship? Yes to both questions. Were the flavors unique or at least good? Some for the first half of the question; depends for the second half cause some might find the food too salty. The nagging feeling I had through out the meal was I was eating a collection of appetizers. The perception was not due to the portion, since I knew this was a tapa restaurant walking in. The issue centered on the lack of flavors balance. Each dish was a punch to my mouth of one bold flavor. Each dish screamed for a balancing dish. I took full responsibility of not balancing the flavors I chose. Yet the organization of the menu didn't make it easy for customers to balance the dishes. Obviously this highlights the shortcoming of tapa style dining: unlikely main entrée style or tasting menu, the onus is on customers to plan and balance the meal, whether it is ingredients, flavors, size or texture. I say this with sincere intention to suggest improvements: reorganize the menu, highlight the mild and bold flavors separately or at least obviously, make it easier for customers to organize the meal well. read more
11 years ago
This place is so romantical (yes, that's a word). Two thumbs up for atmosphere. From the (very) dim lighting (honestly, I turned into a possessed Yelpie, shining a flashlight on my food for a picture), drapes, and cozy atmosphere, it's a charming spot to take a significant other. But don't get me wrong, it's great for small groups as well. The atmosphere is welcoming and hosts a diverse menu - overall, a nice little gem in the 'burbs of Markham. We ordered: a) chicken and waffles, b) udon carbonara, c) and for dessert, the caged chocolate mousse. Admittedly, I expected a lot more from the meal. The food was pretty average to us - while it was beautifully presented, it was all flash, no substance. The chicken and waffles were a bit too sweet for our liking, same with the chocolate mousse - it was all sweetness and monotonous in body with no real complexity in flavour. The Udon carbonara was probably the highlight of the meal - a delicious and unique take to a classic favourite! Overall, despite pretty average food, we still enjoyed our time here. It was a nice Friday-night-dinner kind of spot, atmosphere was pleasant, and service was attentive. 3 stars for the food and pricing. 4 stars for atmosphere and service. For two people, with tax and tip, we spent around $54.00 (keep in mind, that's without drinks). Note that a parking lot is located just adjacent to the restaurant, so no need to hunt for street parking. read more
Its really no wonder why this restaurant has such high rating... Everything from start to finish was superb. I called at 6:30 pm for a reservations, the guy who answered said they were fully booked and I inquired about walkins and he was honest and advised it was a small restaurant but there might be something available around 9:30. So he took my name and number. Around 8:30 he called back to say someone canceled and there's a table reserved for us. I know to some this might not seem like a big deal, but quite often the person on the other end of the phone lacks customer service. We got there, ample parking in the back. Its easy to miss amongst all the other businesses on main street but a simple u-turn solves that issue. The food... My oh my... I got the udon carbonara. Creamy and delicious. Lots of mushrooms and sausage. Plus beef. It came with an egg. It arrived at the table steaming hot, but i really couldn't wait. It smelt so good, I had to dig in. A few burns later, some mishaps of noodles on my face. It was a large portion and I'm still stuffed 3 hours later. Dave got the INSP burger. The burger was cooked to medium. Fried egg on top and what to me sets it apart from the rest, the pork belly. He ordered it with a side of duck confit frites. Everything was served on a wooden board. I asked him for his review, he said really good. During dinner we planned our next visit, so that means we really did enjoy the food. The bill came to $50 including tax and tip. It bad for low key, don't want to go Downtown kinda Saturday night. read more
Inspire was widely recommended by friends and other Yelpers so I decide to choose this place to eat for my anniversary dinner. When entering restaurant, we noticed that the restaurant was really small and tight. I noticed the decor in the restaurant felt really cheap and they tried to imitate the feeling of a loft with exposed pipes. Came on a Wednesday night thinking it won't be super busy. Turns out all tables were reserved except two small tables near their counter area. So we got seated at the small tables. It was a tight space but it functioned. The waiter was nice and brought us water right away. The service was so far so good. What really drove down this rating was the food. Ordered: Chicken and Waffles, Indonesian Chicken Rendang and the INSP Burger. Did not order desserts because we felt sick after our entrees. The best part was the chicken and waffles as this actually tasted decent. But the burger was so oily that it made my partner almost throw up. Also, my Rendang dish tasted so mediocre that it tasted nothing special. It was also very oily. All in all, everything except the Chicken and Waffles was so oily that it gave me and my partner heart burn. Overall, I probably wouldn't return to this restaurant ever again. This restaurant is just mediocre in my books and now I realize how overhyped this place is. Highly do not recommend. read more
10 years ago
This is the fourth time to inspire restaurant and I wanted to try their brunch menu. We ordered "korean beef" and "curried crab met pork and eggcellent". We really like the korean beef and we came to a conclusion that their beef items are the best. We felt the Curried crab met pork and eggcellent is too salty, and too much spice. But it js still worth to try. read more
Came here yesterday, Well... its not as good as i thought it would be. I probably won't be back. The fried chicken wasn't my liking it had too many different flavors going on and just tasted gross. The waffle also had a weird taste like curry, sweet butter, mixed with some other spices that didn't taste great. The burger on the other hand was good, very juicy and perfectly flavored. The fries were meh, they were decent cause of the sauce. Service was so-so. Waitress doesn't look very happy. Price is: $30 for 2 read more
3 years ago
11 years ago
Yesterday was my first time dining at Inspire. I would agree with some yelpers that the restaurant was hard to find- they are located on the right side of Main Sushi. They have a little burgundy flag banner at the front of the entrance with the restaurant name. Now let's get to the food! We ordered the Tom Yum Mussels to start, then moved to the Chicken and Waffles as well as the Udon Carbonara. We finished off our meal with a caged chocolate mousse. The mussels was a perfect starter as suggested by our server. The broth was light but flavourful with a perfect accompaniment of 2 pieces of crispy garlicky toasts to dip into your broth. The broth had slight kick to it but not over powering. The mussels itself was juicy and fresh. The chicken and waffles were delicious! The crispy outer skin with the juicy succulent meat.. As for the waffles it was topped with a little dollop of herb butter and drizzled with a spiced maple syrup. I can see how some people may think that there are too many flavour profile in this dish however once I had all of the components together they worked harmoniously. The UDON CARBONARA!!! This was a dish I could eat day in and day out! The creamy sauces balances with the savoury flavour of the chorizo and bacon! Who can say no to that! The dish also had a hint of a kick which was a nice surprise! We finished off with a caged chocolate mousse. It was a tasty but nothing out of the ordinary. If I wasn't so stuffed I would probably try their banana bread waffles. I definitely will be back. In fact I made a second reservation prior to leaving. Why I am giving this place a 4 out of 5 because service for our food was somewhat slow and the restaurant was not busy at all. Including us they only had about 6 tables. I will be trying different starters and dessert when I am back again next week. Hopefully these will change my rating slightly. read more
11 years ago
Came here for a late dinner on a Friday night for 2 people. We called to make reservations around 6pm and got a table around 8pm. I have tried walking in a few times and wasn't able to get a seat. It was dim where we sat and it was quiet enough in there for a conversation, unlike other trendy restaurants in the city. There were a few tempting options, but I settle for the chicken and waffles. It came with a blueberry compote and a slightly spicy and sweet syrup. The portion was very large the chicken felt freshly fried and the waffle was still hot. The chicken was tender but had a bit too much breading, it was still good nonetheless. My friend got the burger with pork belly, again the serving was very large, and it came with shoestring fries which were alright a bit on the soggy side. The service was pretty good and its a great addition to the markham neighborhood there's not many places to get this kind of food uptown. read more
Man, with mixed reviews, I wasn't sure what to expect going in. I was definitely blown away though! The food was very delicious! Walked in and told them I had a reservation, but something went wrong, as they didn't seem to be able to find me name. We still got a table, and took a look at the menu. The lunch/brunch menu were quite limiting in terms of main courses, but there were many sandwich options. We ordered some drinks first, and got some Pomme Cider and a Sapporo (on tap). Amazing cider, definitely worth trying. For lunch, we ordered the Korean, INSP Burger, Chicken & Waffles, and Butter Chicken Serpentini. Each one was amazing, and definitely worth mentioning. My cousin said the Korean sandwich was amazing, and was literally raving about it hours after! Delicious cuts of beef on a French baguette. The INSP Burger was amazing as well, with 2 cuts of meat and an egg, it was messy, but delicious. Chicken & Waffles were amazing, and glad they made it with dark meat! Lastly, the Butter Chicken Serpentini was flavourful and light. With all the full flavour of a butter chicken, but beautiful adapted into a pasta! Service was quite good, and quick despite only having 2 servers working. They both checked up on our table and were friendly. I would highly recommend trying this place out, but also recommend making a reservation. Seemed quite busy throughout the lunch hour. read more
I have been wanting to eat here for awhile after reading fellow Yelp reviews. I brought my husband here for our Friday night date. The restaurant was very nice, great ambience, cozy nice decor just something different for Markham. I ordered the udon carbonara and it was amazing, tasted so good while originally concerned it may be too rich and salty but the flavour was perfect. The meal came piping hot which meant they cooked it fresh. Although it did get very rich towards the end. My husband had the body builder burger with pulled pork fries and the burger was gigantic. He barely finished it ESP if you upgrade it with the pulled pork fries. I found the fries to be nothing too special but the burger was definitely flavourful with that charcoal smokey taste, yum. We really enjoyed the restaurant and the food and would definitely come back in the future. read more
Inspire is a great restaurant located on Main Street Markham. Their menu is very unique by taking a fusion of many different cultures. Service is prompt and friendly. Food is absolutely delicious. We came with a group of 5 so we were able to try a good portion of the menu. We started with the Duck Confit Fries with a kimchi mayo and chili peppers. This was so good. The fries tasted like duck and the mayo complemented the fries really well. Next was the Soft Shell Crab Pakora. Being a fan of pakora, this was an interesting take using soft shell crab. The crab was nice and crispy and came with a hot sauce and mint jelly. The sauce was pretty spicy and the mint jelly really helps to offset the heat. The entrees we got were the Udon Carbonara, Banana Leaf Salmon, Salmon Burger, Chicken Waffles and Pulled Pork 'Grilled Cheese' Pizza Pie. The Chicken and Waffles and Pulled Pork Pizza pie were very similar. They both contain a good balance of sweet and salty. The Udon Carbonara was really good. The cream sauce wasn't heavy and using udon instead of spaghetti was a simple substitution. The Banana Leaf Salmon and Salmon Burger both have a fresh piece of salmon and are nicely seasoned. Overall a really great restaurant in Markham and highly recommended. read more
9 years ago
Great place to go for good food in Markham, and reasonably priced!! Only downsides are that the location is super Far East (for the people who live in west Markham/Richmond hill/north York etc.) and that there is limited seating for the dinner crowd. Definitely would recommend reserving before showing up! Inspire burger and fries are a must! 4/7 people in our group opted for it and we all enjoyed it! The portions were big and the flavours were delicious! We ordered a few glasses of wine, and two of the cups had things in it.. one had a fruit fly, and the other a remnant of food! They were nice about pouring us new glasses, so we didn't mind too much! I know some people would find that off-putting! read more
11 years ago
Pleasantly surprised for a Markham restaurant. I have had my fair share of chicken and waffles from Harlem Restaurant, CNE to Pickle Barrel...etc, I would have to say this was the best chicken and waffle combo yet! For$12, the chicken was boneless, tender and crispy which was paired perfectly with the fluffy waffles. There was a small dollop of butter and the just the right amount of syrup. I would definitely come back here. read more
Came here on a Saturday afternoon at 1pm. The restaurant is pretty small, and usually pretty packed, so make sure to make reservations ahead of time! There's parking alongside the back of the restaurant. Service was pretty good. Seemed like there were only two waiters working the day we were there. However, they were rushing around the entire time, and I felt well taken care of. My friend is a vegetarian and asked about the veggie options. The waiter helped us ask the kitchen, and came back with a very detailed rundown of which menu items were already vegetarian, and which ones could be altered to be vegetarian. I had ordered a coffee, and the waiter always came by before my cup was empty to see if I needed a refill. I had the chicken and waffles, which was absolutely delicious! The waffle was freshly made, and it was nice and warm and soft. The boneless chicken was fried, and was crispy on the outside but tender upon biting into it. The whole thing was drizzled in syrup with a slightly spicy kick to it. The portion was huge. I managed to finish all the chicken and most of the waffle, but was super stuffed afterwards! There were several other items on the menu that looked very interesting, I can't wait to come back and try them! The only negative about my experience, and why I gave this review a four star instead of five, is that we had a seat right by the window, and I thought it was a bit cold even though I was wearing a sweater that day. Hopefully they turn up their heat more in the winter... read more
11 years ago
I've been wanting to come here for a while after reading some great reviews on Yelp. It's my second time trying out an Asian Fusion restaurant (with the first time being at R&D in Chinatown) and I was quite impressed. Menu items are eye catching and intriguing. I'll definitely make time to come back to try some other stuff on their menu. Service: My friend and I came during the evening on a Thursday and were told that they were completely booked. Luckily there was one spot left at the bar where we were welcomed to sit at. So make sure you make reservations! :) Food: Chicken & Waffles The whole dish was very cohesive. The seasoned crispy chicken and semi sweet waffles were perfect together as every chicken and waffle dish should be. It also came with a small side of blueberry sauce. Salmon Burger and Duck Confit Fries I think this was probably my favourite dish out of the two that we got. Fries were amazing - skinny cut fries seasoned with kimchi mayo and thai chilli with helpful servings of crispy duck = yummy. It was my first time having a salmon burger and it was quite a memorable experience haha. The juicy salmon was cooked perfectly to a medium-well to well done. The sesame mayo, shallots and pickled ginger made the burger overall very tasty and flavourful. This dish was a home run. read more
10 years ago
Nice little restaurant tucked in an out of way corner of its building. Be careful because it's actually really easy to miss. Atmosphere is nice, staff are young, friendly and helpful. We went there on a Saturday night, where they have 2 sittings that are 2 hours long. Plenty enough time to eat. Portions are good size and price is very fair. I had the chicken and waffle which was pretty good except that I felt there wasn't enough sauce and it was a bit too oily. I started picking the fried bits off my chicken because it was starting to give me a headache. Also, I only got one tiny bit of the cinnamon whipped cream which filled one square of a waffle quarter. We also ordered the pulled pork frites which was also really good, but felt was lacking in sauce and didn't have much pork pieces in it. I would definitely come try again for some of the other dishes. read more
Amazing asian/American fusion restaurant. Fusion done right. This place has some French inspired elements as well. Has the burger and some of the salmon burger. I have to say that this is the first time I have had some good fusion. The menu is small, the way it should be. Pick dishes that are popular here and you won't be disappointed. Some great drinks here as well. I will definitely be back. read more
Loved the udon carbonara I had for dinner here with my gf, so I was really excited to try out their brunch (my favourite meal of the day obviouslyyyyyy)!! I ordered the Eggs Bennies which had two soft poached eggs, spiced pulled pork belly with a chilli tamarind hollandaise sauce on a garlic buttered toast. The eggs were perfectly cooked, but I found the hollandaise sauce to be a tad too sour. I love sour foods, and I love tamarind in my Vietnamese sour soup, but the amount of tamarind flavour was actually too much for the delicate dish. The pork belly underneath was also really hard and sorta over cooked. I was really disappointed in this dish... The FHubs will always order waffles for brunch if it's on the menu. So obviously he would go for the waffles Death by Waffles & Co has aged cheddar cooked inside the waffles, pulled pork, braised beef, berry compote and a fried sunny side egg on top. He felt like they should have stuck with just the pulled pork instead of having both beef AND pork. There were a lot of layers of flavours going on but they weren't blending together very well. The aged cheddar on the waffle was a bit much and felt more like a filler than a compliment to the dish, also the cheese was cold and made the waffle a little bit too chewy. Overall the dish was ok, surprisingly the berry compote really pulled the dish together but unfortunately there was very little of it. He wished there was more of the compote on the dish. I feel like the restaurant food quality has gone down since the first time I've been there...I hope they don't change anything else, because I loved their dinner me read more
More info about Inspire Restaurant
144 Main Street N
Unit 1
Markham, ON L3P 5T3
Canada
Unionville
Directions
(905) 554-2889
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Visit Website
https://www.inspirerestaurant.com
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