Dropped by Inspire for dinner to try some of their popular dishes! I had the carbonara udon while the bf had the OG Inspo Burger. 1) Carbonara Udon Definitely was a different twist on the traditional carbonara sauce. Consisted mostly of pulled meat rather than the typical cream sauce. Was relatively heavy for my palette after a while but was still good! Had scents of green onion and black pepper in it which was nice, but when I finished all the udon the meat left over was overwhelming. Had to pair it with some fries to try and manage to finish. Was nice to try but probably wouldn't order it again! 6.5/10 for me, 7/10 for bf 2) OG Inspo Burger Tasted like the typical burger! Good patty with a nice balance of fried egg and bacon. A bit salty overall but wasn't extremely heavy. The fries were good and drizzled with a sauce that paired with it nicely. Fries were probably the best part. I had a bite of everything and it was good! 7/10 for both me and the bf Ambiance/Service/Cleanliness: 5/5!! Overall- It was a nice place to try but we probably wouldn't come back since it was a bit on the saltier side for the both of us. Maybe would come here after a couple drinks/having a couple drinks but not for a casual drop in for dinner :) read more

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I decided to take my mom out for a Sunday brunch and I've been hearing really good things about Inspire! I made reservations through their online system and got confirmation for an 11:30AM time (basically when they open). AMBIANCE: 4/5 I really like how unique the atmosphere at Inspire is. The decorations are mixed and takes a little from each culture and combine them into a place that's unique. The tables are very close together but we were seated by the window that's separated from the rest of the booths - so no complaints there. FOOD: 3/5 Chicken & Waffles: The chicken and waffles was really yummy. The portion size is phenomenal. The berry sauce was different and complemented the dish well. However, my dish did not come out hot. This may be due to the fact they try to serve all the foods at the same time. New York Steak Benny: My boyfriend enjoyed his benny! The dish uses bread instead of the English muffin and it tends to get really soggy at the end. I really liked their poached egg. The fries on the side was nice but I think I'd go with a salad next time. SERVICE: 3/5 The service was okay. It lacked a personal touch that I was really expecting from Inspire. Additionally, our food took 25 minutes to come out. However, I'd definitely like to try other things on their menu! read more

Very good! It has parking out back (no charge). Service is attentive. Food is exciting. Intimate and inspiring atmosphere. I have been there twice now and plan to go again. read more

After a couple attempts to make a reservation, we finally were able to book one. The restaurant itself isn't very big and it's always packed. I had very high hopes for this place with all the hype surrounding it. First impressions were good; the decor is chic, waitresses were nice, and even offered us water while we were waiting. The dishes were all plated very nicely and looked so instagrammable! Food tasted good, but nothing really stood out to me other than the pork belly inside my burger. For the price and for the booking time, I probably wouldn't return anytime soon. read more

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Delicious food, great service. The chicken on the sweet chick sandwich was super juicy and well fried. The fries were just incredible. The loco moco was a great take on a Hawaiian classic. Love the cozy vibe. read more

Inspire Restaurant - Loco moco - Asian Fusion Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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Inspire restaurant has been in my bookmark collection for a long time, and we finally managed to go and try it out. We went on a weekday for lunch, so the place was pretty empty. We were greeted by our server Emily, she was friendly and attentive. The space itself is small and cozy, very eclectic deco. We ordered duck frites, torched salmon kimchi pancake and some cocktails (henny & beer and mango berry). Duck frites: was a perfect start to our meal. It had real pieces of duck meat, the fries were fried perfectly with enough crunch. The small pieces of hot peppers gave the dish some heat. Torched salmon kimchi pancake: the salmon was cooked to perfection, and it was a real piece not some thin slice of smoked salmon. There was also a piece of pork belly, not your regular piece of bacon. The thin pancakes tasted like kimchi. Nice fluffy scrambled eggs. The whole dish was just wonderful. Overall the experience was very good. All the good reveiws that i have read are true. The chef takes different dishes and gives them all a twist. And everything works. Food is awesome and service is very good. Worth the wait! read more

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Long have I waited to visit Inspire. I've read the reviews, agonized over the pictures, and yet time and time again I've tried to visit and been denied. Twice I've shown up and the doors were closed (bad luck), and another time they were too busy and I was too short on time to wait - alas, I was beginning to think that my life would forever lack...INSPIR-ation. Then today I had a meeting near by and decided to roll the dice. I pulled up and found a parking spot nearly directly in front, then the doors unlocked and opened, I walked in and they were open and not that busy. Joy! Took a seat a swiftly reviewed their all day, high-end brunch menu. Traditional western faves with quality ingredients stepping those meals up a serious notch (and in some instances two notches). I started with the Kimchi Caesar, it was a delicious take on the original recipe using Kimchi spices to add that familiar kick you'd expect. My only gripe with it was that it was a bit small - but I still really enjoyed it! I decided to follow up the Caesar with the duck taco appetizer. Two nice tacos with well seasoned, moist duck meat and what I believe was large handfuls of cooked taro flakes. It gave the tacos a satisfying crunch despite being served in soft tacos. Finally and most importantly, the Inspire Burger. A perfectly cooked well mixed burger patty, topped with seasoned pork belly and an assortment of toppings. unreal..... un....F'in real. So good that the amazing well done fries topped with an incredible aioli we're a distant second thought. Satisfied and fuller than I care to share, I give them 4.5/5 and cannot wait to go back again Eatcrest Out read more

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Ok, I hardly ever write reviews but I have to on this one. My wife and I had the lemon grass chick and frites. This is a meal in itself and had so many awesome flavours. We also had the udon bolognese dish which was again total deliciousness. So much food we had to take some home. The ambiance was very nice and the service was excellent. What more can one ask for. read more

I haven't been back for at least two years. Used to be one of my favourite fusion restaurant but I think many things changed. To start off, 4 of us waited 25-30 mins for the food to come. I order the black board edition udon for $32 thinking that it will be the best dish on the menu. It came with 3 tiny clams, 3 1cm size scallops and 2 pieces of salmon. The taste was good but seriously I was expecting much bigger size of fresh seafood. My friend and I order an extra egg on the side and they decided to fried both together. When the eggs arrived the waitress suggested us to cut it in half instead of offering us two separate eggs my half of the egg ended up having egg shells in it. I honestly would not recommend this dish for the price. read more

Inspire Restaurant - So tiny so little - Asian Fusion Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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Revisited with my family recently and did not disappoint! I'd highly recommend the torched salmon bowl - it was delicious and just the right amount of creams. Great for weeknights because it is less packed than on the weekends! I'll try the other items on the menus soon. read more

Great Asian food with a twist! We got the duck fries to share and it had so much flavour, pieces of shredded duck and a curry-like aioli on the side. The Torched salmon rice bowl was really good and was a decently sized portion. The service was really great and they are super allergy friendly as well! read more

Inspire Restaurant - Duck Fries - Asian Fusion Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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A small infusion restaurant with great service and good food. [Duck Fries] - We started with the fries as an appy and I think this was the highlight of our night. We have big lovers of all shapes or fries so this one hit the spot for us. Packed with flavour with a tiny kick of spice. [Loco Moco] - Their take on the classic loco moco, was what my husband ordered and I have to say, this one just wasn't it. We prefer the classic loco moco way better, however this dish was still good. [Seafood Creamy Udon?] - I ordered this creamy seafood udon, which I can no longer find on their menu. The dish was good, but didn't stand out too much for me. I am assuming the next closest thing to the dish is their Shiitake udon carbonara. Overall, the food was good and the service was great. Keep in mind it is a fairly small place so I recommend making reservations ahead of time. read more

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This is one of my favourite places to grab a burger! Their inspire burger is one of the best burgers I've had. It comes with prime rib ground, cheese, pork belly, a fried egg, onions, and their aioli sauce - delicious! I usually like my burgers more plain but these flavours go really well together! I've had their pulled pork fries, duck confit fries and normal fries as well. All a good choices. The duck confit taste like HK roasted duck in the fries. I also ordered their chicken and waffles before and that is amazing as well. I'd ask for all the sweet fixings on the side as it can be a little too sweet if they put everything together. The chicken is deep fried to perfection, with hints to sweetness. It was crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside. This is a very filling dish, and carb heavy so I recommend sharing if you can! The udon carbonara is good as well - but I also miss the burger if I choose to order this over the other. I really enjoy their cucumber infused water. It's very refreshing and different and typical water places. I recommend getting a reservation if you are going on the weekend for brunch. read more

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Inspire - Taro, taro, taro chips. Location: 144 Main St N #1, Markham, ON L3P 5T3 Item(s) Ordered: Duck Tacos (2) Price: $16.00 CAD Rating: 8/10 These tacos are loaded with pulled duck confit, jicama orange salsa, duck egg curried mayo and feta all in a flour tortilla and topped with taro. The crispiness of the taro contrasts well with the juicy shredded duck. For $8/piece, these tacos are on the pricier side for what you get but even as an entree, I can see it being filling. Shiitake Udon Carbonara Price: $24.00 CAD Rating: 8/10 This dish is an umami bomb made with bacon, beef, and mushrooms. While it's not a true carbonara, the creamy sauce pairs nicely with the thick noodles. The dish was what you'd expect it to be abeit a bit salty. INSP Loco Moco Price: $25.00 CAD Rating: 9/10 Another flavourful dish that leaves you wanting more (and more water but it's also on the saltier side). This take on loco moco is made with grade prime beef ontop of coconut rice and shiitake demi glace. A satisfying textureal contrast is present from the addition of crispy onions and taro slivers. The sunny side egg adding to the creaminess of the sauce. Overall, Inspire puts out umami bombs. Abeit on the salty side, you can't go wrong with any of the options available. P.S. Please consider changing the font on your menu, it's not very reader accessible. read more

After a few more visits over the past couple years and a significant increase in price (as of yesterday the INSP burger is 19 dolllars) it's not really worth coming here. Downtown prices now for middling food. Again - I feel like it tries too hard and their flavors are not well balanced. Its concept has changed as well - it's more like white food made with a wide variety of Asian ingredients and it is reflective of their current customer base and the fact that they have expanded to Newmarket. Hoping to find a place in the future that hits that perfect balance - Azyun leans more Eastern (specifically Chinese) but Inspire leans more Western. Expect slow service and a wait for food regardless of number of people. Not sure if it's the kitchen because there is already so little space to begin with. I wouldn't put more than 2 people on the floor serving. I had Dat Sweet Chick which has been a mainstay on the menu since the beginning. It was good. Crisp and seasoned well. Portions smallish, salad was fresh. But again overpriced for $18 given its size and ingredients. This is the cheapest item on the menu now by the way. Average is about $22-25. When asked about whether we were satisfied and we voiced our thoughts the server replied with "at least the service was good?" Waitressing is not an easy job but that is not the way to go about making sure we leave a decent tip and make customers feel better about a mediocre experience. read more

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This place is down right FANTASTIC!!!!! I had this restaurant bookmarked for 3 years. However, I live downtown Toronto and whenever I go up to Markham I usually hit dim sum and other Chinese restaurants. Inspire is out of the way which is why it took so long to try it. We came for Sunday brunch. Just a heads up...you NEED to make a reservation or you might be dissapointed. We were lucky enough to get a table being the first customers in the restaurant. We ordered the Burger and the KFC pancakes. The KFC pancakes was absolutely delicious and such a unique dish. I was only able to eat half because it was filling but trust me the left overs were just as tasty and delicious. The pork belly beef patty burger was also very good. The duck fries on the side was a great bargain. I swear there were 10 other things in the menu I wanted to try. They take great pride in their presentation and taste of the food. Things is now one of my new favorites restaurants in the GTA. I just wish I did not live so far away! We will be back things time sooner than later. read more

I've been going to Inspire for many years now and it is my go-to restaurant when I feel like eating out somewhere with a good, somewhat personal atmosphere. Its a small place with unique, Zen-like decor so it somewhat feels homey. Space is small but it's not tight. Great place to take out of town ppl to as opposed to those big franchise restaurants. Very clean and good service too. Prices are fair and their portions are huge! Food and drinks tastes amazing. We have tried 90% of their menu items. Chicken and Waffles/ Waff out loud, Extra Butter Drunken crustaceans , Hanoi Greens, Pulled pork frites and Shiitake Udon Carbonara are our usual and favourite orders. Other menu items taste great as well. The item we like least on their menu was the Peach Coconut Curry Meatball with coconut rice dish because it left a heavy feeling afterwards. I recommend sharing this with someone if you would like to give it a try. Drinks are fairly portioned and priced. Prices range from $9 to $12. On days like Valentine's Day, they have set menus and they won't be serving from their regular menu. Their set menu was disappointing, it's not as good as their regular menu. It's a popular place so reservations are highly recommend!! read more

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Everything felt okay or good but not great. Not my preferred dinner choice (brunch ok). Nothing wrong with the service, a small place to manage and I didn't dine with a large group. Most of their brunch dishes and salads are carried over, which could go either way. Inspire used to be recommended more often before changes. Got the OG Inspire Burger with Duck Confit fries and their additional dish on the dinner menu salmon risotto. Although it was good, the burger does make the meal feel a little heavy (needs to cut grease somehow) and for its price, the risotto did seem like it was on the lighter side. The Duck Confit fries were great though, good amount of shredded duck and tasted good. Maybe it's because of my choices but both taste wise and price wise, nothing felt too great (although it was okay). Presentation wise, it was nice. I wasn't left impressed but try some luck with their staple brunch dishes! read more

Inspire Restaurant - Salmon Risotto - Asian Fusion Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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Always loved Inspire for their fusion style food options. Their chicken and waffles never disappoint. A must try for markham food lovers read more

Inspire Restaurant - Chicken and waffles. - Asian Fusion Near Me - Markham, Ontario

The food here is unique and flavorful. I had the salmon burger which was very tasty with the fries. Menu items are well thought out and service is friendly. Glad we have this in Markham. Look forward to trying other items. read more

Inspire Restaurant - Asian Fusion Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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Great fries (I get them a little extra crispy, as is my habit anywhere), great fried chicken (great portions and great flavour), great pastas (had two and they were both really, really good), and fantastic staff. Always a great experience. Tried their sister restaurant cafe kk!nn and it's at least as good! These guys have great restaurants. read more

We came to the restaurant 11:30am on the dot when it opened and were the first guests. Was asked if we had a reservation, we didn't and they still sat us down. My boyfriend ordered chicken & waffles. It looked pretty on the plate, but the food was far from it. The waffles were tasteless, and chicken were dry and cold. I ordered the Korean steak benedict. It came later because the "fries were still being made". Though when my dish came, the fries were cold, and meat tasted like it was warmed up from last night. Tldr; nice plating but cold, tasteless, and "hype" food read more

Inspire Restaurant - Chicken & Waffles Korean Steak Benedict - Asian Fusion Near Me - Markham, Ontario

It lived up to the hype! Very cool fusion food here. The service was friendly and accommodating. I started off with the California Nachos that are made with taro chips and topped with poke bowl/sushi toppings including roe. This was my favourite thing I had. My mains were chicken and waffles and the lime mint lamb meatballs in curry. The fried chicken itself was bomb. They could just sell that on its own, put it on the sandwich, whatever its that good. It was the perfect amount of breading and crisp. I wasn't the biggest fan of the waffle, it was a little too soft for me. There was a ginger maple sauce to pour over it was good and interesting, I wouldn't want it again. There was also a peach compote as well.. There's a lot of flavours working here with some serious depth. I would recommend it. It's worth trying for sure. The lamb meatballs were very good. A heavy meal but with all the ingredients in it.. It just works. Not too salty, the rice was seasoned well. I'll definitely check out their second location in Newmarket. read more

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My friend recommended this restaurant. The restaurant is quite small but the food is pretty good. Went in at brunch time. Tried the chicken waffle. The chicken is very crispy but not greasy at all. The waffle is good too. The loco moco is more like new way of eating burger. Instead of buns they put Chinese rice at bottoms and fried egg on top of the burger patties. The sauce from the patties drip on to the rice brings more flavor to the rice. Did not try the egg as we are too full. The fritter is French fries with stir fried duck meat. The mustard said is very stand out. Got to try it. read more

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One of the first restaurants I've been to since outdoor patio has opened. Unfortunately it is located close to a bar restaurant that had the euro cup going on therefore it was incredibly rowdy! There were tons of cars honking but nonetheless the restaurant and servers were very accommodating and nice! I ordered the INSP loco moco which had a burger patty with coconut rice and an egg with crisp taro on top. It was a pretty big portion and gave a pretty big patty along with the shrimps. It was a little bit spicy but wasn't too spicy as I don't tolerate spice too well normally. Overall it was a wonderful meal and my friends ordered the INSP burger which was the brioche bun tasted quite amazing. I tried a bit of the chicken and waffles and there was a sweet sauce on it that was a little fruity which I couldn't pin point too. Overall the experience here was quite wonderful despite the rowdiness. I would definitely love to come back and try other items! The menu was a little confusing though with it not being too clear which ones were the burgers versus the other plated entree! read more

Inspire Restaurant - INSP LOCO MOCO, chicken and waffles and INSP burger - Asian Fusion Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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I've eaten here for lunch, I've eaten here for dinner, I've eaten take-out from here and the food has ALWAYS BEEN CONSISTENTLY AMAZING! Honestly, when I first heard about this Asian-fusion restaurant, I had my reserves because I'm an authentic kinda girl but boy was I wrong. The minute you walk in through the curtained entrance (the slit is in the middle, dont be noob like me and try to pry the sides as theyre sealed) you're transported to a dimly dit dining ambience where you can immerse yourself in the presence of the people around you, a great date spot! We've tried almost everything on the menu but the loco moco, short ribs, and udon carbonara are our go-to favourites. After eating my way through loco moco in Hawaii, I've turned into a loco moco snob but they do it right here! They have coconut bits that take it to the next level and an unctuous, rich gravy and the egg just put it over the top, you NEED to try that! Food has always been cooked to perfection. I can sing about how good this food is so stop reading and EAT HERE! read more

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Small asian fusion restaurant that serves unique dishes I haven't had anywhere else. The chicken and waffles here doesn't taste like the typical dish you'd think it would taste like. The chicken was juicy and overall the dish was full of different flavours that complimented each other. The alcoholic drink just tasted like juice and wasn't much to them. The server was welcoming and funny but the service for the food was a little slow. I would still highly recommend this place! And also remember to make reservations online since it's a small place read more

Inspire Restaurant - Chicken & Waffles - Asian Fusion Near Me - Markham, Ontario

Huuugeee Disappointment :( #upsetstomach #foodpoisoning #diarrhea #barffff #everythinghurtsandifeellikeimdying Reading the reviews left high expectations for a fancy fusion restaurant on the higher end of the industry, which is why i decided to dine here to celebrate my friend's birthday. I felt so ignored for the first 30 mins of my dinner. I was so hungry too, but it felt like they looked at me a bunch of times, but didn't want to take my order. After ordering, it took 45 mins for my food to arrive. I was starved. :( I ordered a mango berry drink to start and the black bowl edition of the udon carbonara as my main. The drink tastes like mango syrup and they decided to use a coffee stir for a straw so evry other sip had a berry seed clog the coffee stir. The main almost killed me, pretty sure this dish warrants SALMONELLA. The salmon is completely raw in the centre which is not how torched salmon is prepared, it's how incurable infection happens. The clams still have sand in them. The sauce is actually quite good but also quite heavy for the udon pairing. Then you have random pieces of meat here and there, overcooked steak bits and mushy Italian sausage bits. I highly don't recommend to anyone with taste buds, which is a majority of the human population. WORST OF ALL, IT'S SO FREAKING DARK IN HERE THAT I CAN'T SEE WHAT I'M EATING!! smh :( My friend had a bland coffee-less tasting latte to start. She ordered the chicken and waffles. We have no idea why there's a freaking lamb bone just sitting on the side of her plate... like wth. The chicken is ok, odd that it sits the sweeter side for fried chicken. The waffles are mushy and terrible. Maple syrup is drizzled over the entire thing and successfully overpowers everything. Gross. I paid $70 for this and didn't even digest it cuz everything hurt too much and I didn't want to die. :( It wasn't just me, my friend had tummy aches too. Spare yourself and your loved ones the torture and go somewhere else. This is my kind warning. read more

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Hip fusion restaurant in the GTA! DECOR: 4/5 This small restaurant on Main St. Markham is a little easy to miss. However, once you walk in, the ambiance of off the charts! Although this place serves brunch & dinner, the restaurant is pretty dim and uses a lot of darker colours/reds, which makes it probably look nicer at night. FOOD: 5/5 YUM! Fusion food is usually a hit or miss, but this place (and it's almost next-door neighbour, Azyun) are both hits! We came for dinner and ordered the Chicken and Waffles ($18) and INSP Burger ($18) with Pulled Pork Fries (+$3). [NOTE: I would highly recommend ordered the pulled pork fries as an add-on rather than individually for $14 (?) They look to be either the same size or very similar] The chicken and waffles were delicious. The chicken was juicy and the waffles weren't too heavy. They had a hint of cinnamon flavour that complimented the fried chicken nicely. The accompanying sauces were super sweet. Although I liked it, it might not be everyone's cup of tea. The INSP burger was a good classic burger. It's probably the safest item on their menu if you're not a fan of fusion food. SERVICE: 4/5 Reservations highly recommended! This restaurant doesn't have a ton of seating and seems to be really popular. We called that afternoon for an evening reservation, so it was pretty easy. The waitresses are pretty and very friendly. Cucumber water is also a nice touch. The only reason i docked a point off is because I question the cleanliness. There were a lot of cup ring stains on our table, and my cup of water had a lot of floating bits. Regardless, I'm definitely coming back to try their other dishes like the Udon Carbonara and the Korean Steak Benny. read more

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This is a popular and small restaurant on Main St. Markham. Highly recommend making reservations ahead of time. I've been here once for brunch and had their chicken and waffles which was decent. I came back recently for dinner and based on my latest experience would give Inspire 3.5 stars. Scallop ceviche - raw scallops and lychee in a delicious dressing served with plantain chips. I enjoyed this dish, great for sharing! Udon carbonara - there were a lot of good reviews on this dish so I had to get it. Unfortunately what I got was not what I expected - there was just too much going on in the udon. I think previously this dish was simple with only a handful of ingredients but in the version I had there were mushrooms, braised beef, spicy sausage, cherry tomatoes, green onions, a quail egg, and crispy flakes. A few of us got this dish and the creaminess of the carbonara differed quite a bit. Inspire burger - another popular item on their menu. It is a very heavy burger as it also includes pork belly too... The fries that come with it are amazing. Overall food is decent but I think their dishes would be made even better if they kept it on the simple side (especially the carbonara). read more

Inspire Restaurant - Asian Fusion Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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One of my favourite brunch restaurants in Markham. The restaurant is quite small, therefore you definitely need a reservation. We made our reservation for Sunday brunch. FOOD: Korean Steak Bennie ($19.00) The steak was tender and you're able to choose how the steak is cooked. The sauce drizzled on the fries was very tasty. Chicken & Waffles ($18.00) The portions were generous and every single bite of the chicken was juicy. The jam was sweet and fruity which went really well with the waffle. Overall, Inspire consistently delivers a great meal and great service. read more

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This is quite a cozy little joint. Because of the size of the restaurant. I think it's best to make reservations ahead of time. They have a policy of a 2 hr seating limit applied to the time of the reservation. Weekend rezos are only held to a max of 15 mins. The decor of the restaurant was urban hipster style. I like the asian lanterns and wooden block accent walls near the front windows. The asian fusion menu was interesting. I saw some interesting items through yelp pictures. But I assumed that their menu changes during the seasons. What I ordered: Kimchi Caesar Salad $17 With an add-on of Grade Prime Steak $7 It had a nice presentation and the taste of great. The caesar was tasty but I didn't taste much of a kimchi flavour. Interesting touch of adding wasabi peas to the salad. The prime steak was cooked just right and had a slight sweetness to it. But portion wise it seemed small to me. Service was great, the staff was very attentive. read more

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Small local restaurant on mainstreet Markham. They serve a great menu of fusion dishes, and have excellent service which makes Inspire an awesome eat. We had the udon carbonara and the duck fries. The duck fries came as a generous portion and were topped nicely with strips of duck meat. The udon carbonara had lots of flavour and the toppings were stellar. I'd come back just for this dish! Service was fantastic, I felt like I was in a higher end restaurant because of it. They also have quite a drink selection. I'd come back! read more

Inspire Restaurant - Duck fries - Asian Fusion Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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Yum! Finally a restaurant that lives up to the hype! Not only was the food delicious, the plating was very nice and the service was so prompt and friendly. Food came in a good amount of time and was quite filling. The decor itself of the restaurant was a bit dark and a little on the small side. What was awesome though was that when our food started coming and filling the table they actually pulled a table from beside us to accomodate the extra plates which was awesome! I came on a Sunday night so the restaurant wasn't busy at all. We ordered the Californication nachos, duck tacos, chicken and waffles and udon carbonara. The nachos were an Asian nacho that used taro chips and was probably my favorite because I'm a sucker for a good taro chip. After everything the total came up to less than $80 which wasn't bad at all! read more

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I had bookmarked Inspire Restaurant since July 2014. And it took me so long till I finally here for dinner. Saturday Reservation: Either 6:15 or 8:15 pm. We are cool with late dinner as we can take our time without being rushed. 4 Star for what Inspire Restaurant brings to the Markham, a "Downtown" quality restaurant in the suburbs. Interesting and unique offerings compares to other in the area. We ordered a few things to share: Short Ribs As-Is ($10) - Meh Wonton Au Gratin ($12) - A-OK Chicken & Waffle ($16) - A-OK the boneless chicken was so juicy! I love ginger maple syrup too! The INSP Burger ($15) Duck Confit Fries (+$4) - Burger was good, Fries were soggy! Udon Carbonara ($18) Banana Bread Ice Cream Sandwich ($12) - Best Item of the Night! Banana Me! Green Tea Chili Cheesecake ($10) Food is 3 Star in general. Most of them were not too memorable aside from the Banana Bread Ice Cream Sandwich as I have this thing with those mini peanut butter cups! Service. Service might be the biggest issue of the evening. Waitress no where to be seen when we wanted to order dessert or get our bill. Mind you, the restaurant was almost empty aside from another table. I hate doing that, but I have to yell out and wave one of them down so we can get someone to take our order. The service here is equivalent and remind me of BBT joint. On the other hand, the bus boy was really nice always making sure that our water glasses never empty. I am happy to have Inspire Restaurant in my neighbourhood. I will probably be back and hopefully the service will be better next time. read more

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[LOCATION] - 4/5 This place is located on Markham Rd and Hwy 7. There were a couple parking spots outside the main entrance, but we parked at the lot at the back of the building. [SERVICE] - 5/5 Our server was amazing. She continuously checked on our table and ensured our glasses of water were full at all times. [DÉCOR] - 5/5 Romantic, cozy, and modern. One of my favourite spots for ambiance in Markham and great for celebrating special occasions! [QUALITY] - 5/5 Chicken was high-quality, beef was prime-grade, and all flavours were pleasantly multidimensional. [ORDER] - 5/5 - Chicken and Waffles - $18:00: deep fried chicken was juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside. Homemade Waffle was fresh and soaked up the ginger maple butter so well! Edamame mango raspberry chutney and berries refined and added lightness to the heavier chicken and waffles. - INSP Loco Moco - $22.00: prime grade beef was juicy and literally melted after each bite. Coconut rice was soft and aromatic, and went well with the creamy sunny side eggs. Shiitake demi and shrimps were fresh. Crispy onion and taro garnish was kind of overwhelming because there was a little too much of it and didn't go too well with the hearty rice, beef, shrimp, and eggs. [OVERALL] - 5/5 Definitely a phenomenal experience, a little pricey, but every dish was infused with such wonderful flavours. Overall, I would definitely recommend this place for the refined Asian Fusion food and ambiance. read more

Inspire Restaurant - INSP Loco Moco - $22.00 - Asian Fusion Near Me - Markham, Ontario

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I'm always trying to find brunch spots around Markham, but I have to say that Inspire is still one of the best in the city. Small little restaurant in Main St Markham but always full of people. The best is definitely their chicken and waffles as you get the fluffiness from the waffles with a hint of sweet while getting a textural difference of crispness from the fried chicken. The sweet and savory is balanced really well, so if that's your cup of tea you definitely need to try it. I also had their waffles with pulled pork. Great dish but I think I prefer the chicken as the pulled pork was very saucy (yet delicious) but a bit heavy for me so I would want to take a break from it. Would definitely come back to try the other things on the menu. My friends all enjoyed their dishes but we agree that the chicken and waffles are the best! read more

This was my first time trying an Asian Fusion restaurant located in Markham. The location is off of main street so I had a bit of a hard time finding some parking. First impression I made was that the restaurant itself is decorated very nicely to match it's unique menu. It has a nice atmosphere and ambience that would do well for a date night as well. Luckily, we were seated immediately but I did see a lot of tables on reserve that were not available. The menu is one page with a fair selection for fusion dishes. I decided to try out their signature Insp Burger with a side of salad and my friend chose one of their Hanoi salad without protein. Both (including the salad to my surprise) were very flavourful and filling. The burger was an overload of protein for me personally with beef, pork, and egg but it was still a great choice to try. The service was good, we had a pleasant server that was warm and welcoming. Once it got busier, I did notice the service was getting slower as I only saw two servers for the entire restaurant. One downside I noticed was the size of the restaurant. It's quite small with only about 10-15 tables available for seating? This most likely is the reason behind the pricier menu (higher $cheque per table). I would definitely recommend making a reservation beforehand if you wish to be seated without a longer wait time. I will be coming back to try their other dishes! read more

Inspire Restaurant - Insp Burger with salad - Asian Fusion Near Me - Markham, Ontario

April 20, 2018 - I give this place a 1/5 I ordered Chicken and Waffles (crisp chicken, homemade waffle, edamame raspberry chutney, ginger maple butter and fresh berries)..... my cousin ordered Lettuce Pray (crisp chicken, bacon and cheese, tarragon aioli, and kbbq sauce).... the waiter and waitress were very polite and getting our food didn't take too long. (The portions are a good size). I tried the lettuce pray, it was really good. But I didn't really like the chicken and waffles it had a strange taste. Not sure how to really explain it. But for some you'll probably love it. Unfortunately we didn't. Btw.. It's 1am and I'm at home trying to write this review and then sleep. But I can still taste the weird flavour of the chicken and waffle :( Anyways..... After eating the waitress come and took our plates away and got me a take-out box for my leftovers. We then asked for the bill... after some time of waiting for the waitress to come back to take our payments.... (by the way she was serving the table right beside us, and attended to them about 3-4 times. I am 110% sure she noticed my bank card and the cash on the table). I was willing to see how long it would take for her or anyone to notice us sitting there waiting to pay, I think we waited 15-20mins before my cousin said something to get her attention. But instead of the waitress coming, I believe the manager came and said the internet wasn't working and she can only take cash (I'm a tap kinda girl. I love tapping my debit card and I never walk with cash. My friends don't like that since we do go to a lot of places that actually have a cash only sign.) So, I advised the person that I only have debit and in a RUDE response she said "you can go to the atm over there, there is nothing I could do, the internet isn't working". ..........lmfao, Like what!!!?!!!!? There was no "I'm sorry we should have stated that earlier or I apologize about the inconvenience". Nope none. So I left my cousin in the restaurant and started to walk in the direction of "over there" (I turned right heading south on Main St) and walked to Scotiabank (I bank with Simplii so I had to pay a $3.00 fee). The bank isn't far it's just one light away. I'm just so disappointed in the service there (when the manager came and spoke that way, I knew the waitress and waiter ignored us for so long because they saw my bank card. They probably didn't want to let me know what was wrong). I still tipped 10% because at first the were so nice and attentive. BUT, I will not be going back there ever again. You guys suck! And need some customer service skills. lettuce pray for those without customer service skills so that they can get it ASAP!! Still everyone should check it out, at least once (I will not recommend the chicken and waffles) and bring cash! just in case. If you want chicken and waffles go to SMASH Kitchen ( funny thing is we went to SMASH first, but there was a wait...and the hostess at SMASH called me just as we sat down at Inspire. :'( ) read more

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4.5/5 I came with a group of 8 and made reservations couple weeks in advanced. The restaurant is not that big so a reservation is a recommended for large groups. The setting has a rustic hipster vibe but dimly light for an intimate feel. I had the INSP burger and upgraded to the pulled pork fries. The burger was stuffed with tons of toppings, including a juicy patty, greasy pork belly and a fried egg. Definitely a hearty burger that was on the greasier side. Pulled pork fries were amazing! Definitely recommend as the meat melded with the fries nicely. I took a bite of my friend's chicken and waffles. Great combinations of savoury and sweet flavours! Our waitress was attentive - filled our water often and came to check up on us in good timings. This fusion restaurant is definitely a great place to try but due to the price, I don't see myself returning often - only occasionally. read more