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

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

Great farm to table restaurant still offering great service and food. We came on a Sunday for a…read more"date night", we ended up sitting at the bar but moved to a table when one opened up. The bartender was friendly and knowledgeable, and when we moved to our table our server was also great. Cocktails were fabulous and the ambiance of the place is very nice. My wife ordered this vegetarian squash dish and she loved it. I ordered the steak and the cook was perfect but I found the sauce overpowering. It's personal preference, I like my steak with just salt and pepper without sauce. My fault for not reading the menu correctly. The sides of purée and veggies were great. Overall KB hits it out of the ballpark and is so much better than the chain upscale eateries.

Been here a few times with my friends who live in the east end. This time was for a friend's big…read morebday. The menu changes all the time and menu gets released the day off. Every dish I had was very good. For this meal I ordered something different, the shrimp stuffed catfish. Never had catfish so this dish was calling me. The sauce was very tasty and had a nice kick of heat to finish. Catfish was good and the shrimp stuffing was more like a meat ball texture and not really whole shrimp like I thought. Service was very good. Our waitress was chatty and was joking around with us which was fun. Ambiance is more on the rustic side almost had a saloon feel, partly because of the old building but it was quaint. There was plenty of free parking in the rear which was convenient. All in KB is a good option if you are looking for an above average restaurant in the east end.

My favourite local spot on Main Street to hangout. This gem is truly one of a kind - I love the…read moreself serve wine concept. It gives you the opportunity to be introduced to new, different wines. They have happy hour menu during the week - their charcuterie boards are phenomenal. I'll try their sandwiches next! Owners are welcoming and friendly.

Not so much a wine bar as basecamp for a journey…read more The highlight of this hidden gem is its unique self-serve system, where you can try a variety of wines by the glass, portion or sip. This allows you to experiment and discover new favourites without committing to a full bottle. You may not like everything you try, but it's always INTERESTING. The selection of wines at Wine on Main is always rotating and expertly curated, offering a range of styles and regions that wonderfully move you out of your comfort zone. The owners, a knowledgeable and curious couple, are passionate about exploring different wines and sharing their discoveries with their guests. Their passion is contagious and you can't help but be swept up in their excitement. The best shop of it's kind in York Region.

Cork & Bean Oshawa chose to call the police on a peaceful, paying customer for wearing pro-Israel…read moresymbols and having a calm conversation. Let that sink in. My friend -- a Christian, not even Jewish -- was meeting with a pastor for coffee. He was wearing an IDF jacket and a Star of David necklace while discussing a recent trip to Israel. No shouting. No confrontation. No disruption. Just coffee and conversation. An employee called Durham Regional Police. Officers showed up and told him his conversation was "offensive." When asked what was said that violated policy, no one could answer. No rule cited. No clear complaint identified. Just vague discomfort -- and removal. So what exactly triggered this escalation? Not behavior. Not threats. Not harassment. Symbols. And Israel. Calling the police on someone because others don't like what he's wearing or the country he's discussing is cowardly and discriminatory. Businesses don't get to selectively silence viewpoints they don't agree with. And weaponizing law enforcement to remove someone over perceived "offense" is an outrageous abuse of discretion. If Cork & Bean believes visible support for Israel warrants police involvement, they should say that publicly. If they don't, then they owe an immediate explanation and apology. Until management addresses this directly and transparently, this establishment does not deserve community support. Do better.

In late July, my best friend and I met up for some shopping and dinner in Oshawa. We also wanted to…read moreexchange birthday gifts. The place where we had dinner had tiny tables. We decided to find a cafe and casually open our presents there. We both yanked out Google Maps on our phones. She had mentioned that she had been to a Cork & Bean in Peterborough and and liked it. I trusted her judgment and said yes. I indicated that we needed to go up and hang a left. She felt that it was the other way around -- down and hang a right. When it comes to directions, she has the better track record since we've known each other. However, she realized that she had read the map wrong and I was correct. It felt like a small triumph, but I'm not the type to rub it in. I'm not horrible at directions. She is better at it. We walked over to this cafe. It may have taken three minutes. We had to wait for the light to change, so we could have done it in two minutes. This cafe had all the windows and doors wide open. We walked in and found a table to plop our stuff down. We then headed over to the counter to check out what we'd like to drink. My friend ordered an iced coffee with oat beverage. We both liked that there were dairy alternatives. She's vegan. I'd prefer to go lactose-free. I saw a sign that said that there were seasonal flavours. I asked the helpful man at the counter if it applied to iced coffee. Yes, it did. He could make any drink seasonal. Nice! I got a large iced peppermint latte with oat beverage. I paid with a credit card. I tapped and tipped. All was great. My friend got her drink first. Moments later, mine was ready. I thanked the man and headed back to our table to join my friend. There was live music at this cafe. We were here on a Saturday evening. Jordins ID (no apostrophe to indicate possession, which seemed odd) was playing. She was great. It was nice to have her in the background as we chatted. My drink was awesome. It was cold. I liked the peppermint with the coffee. It worked out nicely. A customer had brought his dog in. This cafe is obviously pet-friendly. It was nice seeing other customers ask if they could pet the dog. The owner was nice and said yes. The dog seemed to enjoy the affection and attention. We had a nice time chatting a bunch more and opening our presents. It was the perfect place for what we wanted to do. The menu also has beer, cocktails, and more. I saw a bunch of desserts in the display case. Since we had already had dessert with our dinner, we skipped getting any food. This cafe is in downtown Oshawa. It's free street parking on weekends. I enjoyed hanging out at this cafe. It's a nice place to grab a drink and chat, while taking in some local, live music. It was perfect. (341)

I love love this place. Such a cute spot. Perfect after a long week of work and a 4 year old…read morerunning circles around you ;) It's become my husband's and I little escape place. Prices are not bad and selection is great. I think it hasn't been around a long time, but they're doing something right. Finally met the owner this week, lovely team of people in general. A+ service and ambiance.

Cute room, with the lovely chatter of friends meeting over food and drinks. It was hoppin' on…read more Saturday evening at 7p. We got the last table. A few more after us got a seat at the bar, and the rest after were turned away They have full bar service. The menu likely has something for everyone, with tacos, flatbreads, apps,and pasta feature. As hubs noted, for a place called uncorked, their wine menu is a bit light. However, if you include liquor choices, it works. Service was good overall, perhaps slightly lacking polish but made up for with genuineness. Live music on Friday and Saturday nights at 7. The trio playing was enjoyable playing a lot of classics most would know. Good music for conversation. The sound system was a bit distorted, so that did detract unintentionally from the band. As far as food goes, they brought the appetizer out after the tacos, and my main seemed to have gotten a bit lost. Ideally the kitchen would have delivered both mains at the same time. So Hubs ate his, then we ate our appetizer...and then I ate my main. Not ideal but pretty tasty. The brussel sprout dish was quite delicious, but a slightly lighter hand on the sauce would improve it. Pulled pork tacos were enjoyed by Hubs. I enjoyed my fish tacos and my duck taco. All in all a good meal.

Excellent stop, nice choice of unique drinks, great atmosphere and enjoyed the appetizers; hmmmmread more

My wife and I visited Bar Olo for the intention of enjoying a drink and to enjoy conversation…read morebetween us. When an awkward situation happened with another patron the owners were kind and thoughtful and very gracious to make our visit as enjoyable as possible. People will be difficult, but how the owners handled it regarding the rest of the customers there sets Bar Olo apart from any place I've seen. Well done.

This is the place I picked to celebrate my birthday! Loved the setting, laid back but with very…read morenice design details. I recommend making reservations and asking to sit on the outdoor patio. The service was good, the FOH team was very friendly and committed to ensure customers were comfortable and happy. I left the best part for last... the food! It was outstanding! Loved the menu and the execution was spot on. I especially appreciated the fresh flavors and the presentation. Thank you for adding the pastel de Nata to your menu... that was an especially nice treat for us! Well done!

This place was INCREDIBLE!! Was in town for the wknd and was looking for a bite to grab…read more.. couldn't have landed it any better. The food was incredible and the Pinot Grigio was delicious. The staff was SO friendly !! Every single staff member!! The vibe was super cool.. we went back two days in a row. Highly recommend !!

Last night we had an amazing girls night with outstanding service given to us by Sadie! Sadie knew…read morewhich wines to recommend and did a fantastic job especially since she had to run upstairs to bring the food and drink. She was attentive and knew what to recommend to each of us. We had a private room for our girls night which was great for a good visit! The shape of the table allowed us to talk to each other comfortably and to hear each other easily. We also loved the live music from a distance. The food was very good for an evening out. I had the special and saw my friends eat the salmon, steak salad and tuna. Thank you for a great evening out!

Excellent food and service. Beautiful place. The only issue we had was they were understaffed, so…read moreit took a long time for the food.

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

Leanne was amazing. She runs an incredible restaurant. The space is very comfortable. We sat…read moreoutside and she turned the heaters for us. We only had an app, cowboy caviar which was great & a drink each but Leanne couldn't have been more gracious. On a busy Friday evening she spent time speaking with us. The drinks were tasty, prices are very reasonable. I highly recommend giving this place a try!

Let's start with the good... ambience is nice. There's a low light and regular lighting seating…read morearea. Food overall is average - nothing stood out for us. Issue was with portion size - ridiculously small. Main dishes are appetizer servings size - I know we're going through rough times - but don't rip your guests off... we stopped by McDonalds afterwards :( Underwhelmed - underserved.

Returned! To celebrate my daughter's birthday. I have been thinking of taking her here, knowing…read morethat she would enjoy their cocktails. I am glad that we chose this place! Each dish has elevated twist, and the price is so reasonable and even generous for the quality. Cocktails are excellent (lots of line-ups). They also serve nice choices of local craft beers on tap. We ordered: (Food) #Cast Iron Baked Brie fresh baked brie with house-made wild berry compote, candied pecans, prosciutto, garlic crostini $17 : This served as perfect appetizer for 3 of us. Enjoyable. Variety of ways to enjoy the baked brie. #Canadian Striploin 7oz striploin, garlic herb mashed potatoes, grilled seasonal vegetables: We tried different & great steak dish here before, and this one is also EXCELLENT - the on-point seasonings, perfectly med-rare. Roasted veggies and mashed potato leave its own flavour and texture with right amount of seasonings. #Stuffed Mushroom Ravioli stuffed with wild mushrooms, tossed in a beurre blanc sauce, topped with fresh Parmesan: I wished the ravioli itself had more mushroom-forward flavor, and the wrapper had more delicacy (in terms of thickness and texture). However, I loved the beurre Blanc sauce - it was foamy - making the butter-ly and creamy sauce feel light in the mouth. Nice hint of tangy-ness. #Herb Crusted Salmonwith garlic herb mashed potatoes, grilled seasonal vegetables, and beurre blanc sauce: The same sauce as ravioli, that matched with salmon well. (Cocktails) #Fig Fizz: With Durham distillery Gin, Raspberry Liqueur, fig jam, lemon juice, honey syrup, soda # Lavender cosmopolitan # Passion Prosecco Martini # Spicy Hibiscus Margarita All the cocktails were presented beautifully. Today's highlight was Spicy Hibiscus Margarita. (Dessert) Chocolate Espresso Martini Cake rich vanilla cake, mascarpone, house-made chocolate espresso mousse $10: Essentially, tiramisu. lol. Nicely presented. This place is versatile for us. Just for snack, just for cocktails, just for local beer, and elevated food experiences. Promising satisfying experience in each occasion. So blessed to have this place in my neighbourhood.