We had a group dinner for a party of 8. The service was really great. The food came out very quickly from the time we ordered. The inside is nicely done and kept. We have been to one other location of Symposium and that was in bad shape. Vegetarian Wrap and Side Greek Salad - was pretty underwhelming. Nothing special, just a bunch of fresh veggies and some dressing. Vegan Beyond Wrap - Again a Beyond Burger with a bun and lettuce tomatoes pickle and onion. No creativity, specialty, or something that one couldn't do at home. The fries were done perfectly. read more

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Service is good but we find the quality of food is not very good with the new owners. We don't go here anymore.

Can't go wrong with a $6.99 Burger + Fries Monday. Burger was juicy and tasty. Plus a beer for $5 to wash it down.

Unfortunately not the beast experience. We went on a Sunday afternoon. We ordered breakfast meals and it took over an hour to receive our food. Three of us received our meals and we had to wait at least another 10 minutes for the last meal to arrive. The food tasted ok but it was cold.. Even the cheese wasn't melted on my friends grilled cheese. The server was friendly but we barely even saw her. The price is to high for thr quality. read more

The wait wasn't too bad, we were a group of 5, we split 3 and 2 because only 4 were allowed on a table. We ordered orange juice, ham, and egg, egg benedict, western omelet. I ordered tea. The breakfast was good but the tea was not. It was Tetley orange pekoe but didn't taste good. The food tasted fresh and everyone finished their meals. The servers are good and welcoming. Good measures were in place to practice safe COVID cleaning etc. Now all dining areas are closed, will go again once things get back to normal. read more

I had a horrible time at this restaurant the wait time was a hour long just to get my food plus half my order was out of stock do not go to like this place!! read more

The service was ok. But the quality of the food was awful. Our order came out half wrong and missing stuff on the plates. It used to be food but now it is awful. Don't go! read more

Avoid this place. What a horrible, disrespectful owner. Constantly complaining about small issues, and he is very high on himself. Also treats other people (especially his customers) like they are below him. Rich, privileged, highly disrespectful owner (from Pakistan) that thinks he is above everybody else. Got everything handed to him in life without ever lifting a finger, yet he is still resentful and angry for some reason. I was told to leave (said I cannot spend more than 1 hour there, which is weird because I see other people coming into the restaurant drinking, eating, chilling all the time for multiple hours). I have spent a lot of money here, just minding my own business, studying or working on laptop, (even brought friends on a few occasions) and then he asked me to leave for no reason because I was critical of his attitude towards me when I complained to an employee about his attitude. The staff & employees however, are wonderful people, very nice & provide great service. It's just this owner. Sometimes he is having a good day, sometimes he just randomly flips out. Just an awful, angry, resentful person. He just seems incredibly uneducated and doesn't understand how to communicate with people (extreme lack of social skills and basic decency). He is one of those people from the army from Pakistan, looted & pillaged the country most likely (as all rich Generals and their sons from Pakistani Army do), came here to Canada, dumped all his money in restaurants & buying up gas stations. So he has a superiority complex and you can clearly tell from the way he talks down to you. Very, extremely rude. Also, avoid this restaurant as well due to the prices. A coffee and a small dessert will cost you 17$ for no reason. Unreasonably high prices, he is happily gouging the customer. read more

I come here as often as I can on Wednesdays for mussels and martinis The mussels here are so awesome and brothy with French bread One of my favourites Will keep revisiting every Wednesday read more

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Came here for happy hour with some friends. We got a mojito pitcher and their veggie flatbread to start. mojito was great and flatbread was pretty average. I had the butter chicken poutine for my main and it was so disappointing. The fries and chicken were semi cold when served. The fries themselves were not crispy nor soft. They were very stale. The chicken was so flavourless and rubbery.. the butter chicken sauce was not properly heated. You can taste chunks that are stuck together. To be honest this was not my first time here, every time the mains have been disappointing. I would not recommend this place unless you are only here for drinks. read more

Usually symposium is my go to for desserts and appetizers. This time I decided to try out this location and some different items on the menu. The service wasn't that great our server often times forgot about us and left us hanging for quite some time...but on the plus side one of the other employees made up for the lack of effort from our server. I decided to go with a caesar wrap. It wasn't the best wrap I've had. It was a bit dry. Had to ask for extra dressing on the side. I also ordered the daiquiri which lacked a lot of alcohol! Will surely be going to symposium again but will most likely be sticking to my original location. read more

Symposium Cafe Restaurant Milton - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Milton, Ontario

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I'm so torn between giving this place 2.5 or 3 stars!Yelp every time I don't listen to you I end up regretting!! What bad food oh my lord my $48 plus tip all to waste.Well I wouldn't say my tip to waste because my server was fabulous but the food was just beyond horrible. So my child ordered a kids meal cheese pizza which was probably the best meal of the evening. My order included a steak sandwich which I paired it with French onion soup both were a disaster.The sandwich had dry pieces of meat on a ciabatta with se dry onions and mushrooms thrown on top and the soup was sweet that really sums up for French onion-sweet French onion equal yucky!The mussels were a generous portion but had no flavors.The broth had chucks of onions and seemed the broth wasn't really a part of the mussels. The only thing exciting about the evening was their $5 martini it was well made and delicious. The service was great and our server was very attentive and friendly.The ambiance is pretty nice and the bathrooms are clean.But as they say when the food tastes bad nothing seems good. In the end in the credit card sleeve they had a comment box and I did mention my dissatisfaction on it too.Overall I was so disappointed with the food :/ read more

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Great place for evenings, the daily deals are attraction , I have been there twice in past 3 weeks for their Mussels day on Wednesday . Tried some draft ale with chilli garlic mussels which are steamed in broth with chilli flakes butter n garlic . Tastes awesome mussels drenched in butter chilli garlic broth served with garlic bread . A must try at this place . Second visit the draft was flat but the manager quickly switched us to bottle n complimented us with beer . Great customer service !!! read more

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Food is good, the lunch specials are anything but. No actual price listed, just states "starts at 11.95." Actual cost is 3 to 5 dollars more at reduced portion. Server did not even bother asking us if we want salad or fries. read more

I just had the best experience today, the service was wonderful. Beshouy, my server, was the best server I had in a long time. He accommodated my allergies and requests of certain food specifications. Polite, and very professional. The food! Was amazing, everything was cooked beyond 10/10. From appetizers to the dessert. Chefs that were on line were Fern, and Justin. I couldn't have been more pleased with this experience. read more

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TERRIBLE SERVICE Our waitress was extremely rude. We came first but she took other people's orders before us. She never came and asked how we are doing after we got our food. When it was time to pay, she put the machine on our table and left. Never in my life have I experienced such terrible service. There was no communication between us not even a smile from her. Horrible experience but the mushrooms are good. read more

This place is always busy. Torrential rain cannot keep people away... and that's a good thing. Symposium Cafe is nestled in a small shopping centre adjacent to some new residential subdivisions. You'll see it if you're headed east on Derry Rd. Otherwise just look out for Holly Ave... it's a light. =) I came here on a rainy Saturday wanting to have a "traditional brunch", but upon reviewing the menu and trying to decide what to order... I realized that I really wanted soup. I ordered their French Onion soup and it came out piping hot with lots of melty cheese. It was a little strong, but it just made me feel good inside. Lol. I also ordered their crab cake appetizer. It was alright... not the best I'd ever had, but it didn't lack flavor & the sauce that accompanied it was really tasty. I think it needed a little lemon, now that I think of it. I'll be sure to ask for a wedge next time. I came here on another occasion for crepes! I ordered their "Symposium Crepe" aka "East Meets West". Two crepes. - On one side: Vanilla ice cream. Strawberries. Strawberry sauce. - On the other side: Chocolate ice cream. Bananas. Chocolate sauce. ALLLLLLLL GOOD. Plus I washed it down w/ a Chocolate Martini. Yum! You're gonna want to try this... or these... if you have a sweet tooth that needs some attention. =D Aside from the food, this cafe is beautiful. You can enjoy your meal in a cushy armchair near a fireplace if you like. I love the fireplace, because it's functional & "fashionable". It matches the interior & serves to divide the bar from the more formal dining areas. On one side, the fresco-covered walls & flickering light are more than charming. On the other, there's a modern bar with plenty of seating, high tables, & TVs in view from almost every angle. This is a great restaurant. Check it out! read more

Symposium Cafe Restaurant Milton - Piping hot french onion soup - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Milton, Ontario

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I work as a food courier for skip the dishes and this restaurant always gives me problems when I pick up an order. First time I walked in with my courier bag all I get are condescending stares and multiple people pointing telling me where to go. Finally they seem to be getting the hang of the fact that their boss signed them up to collaborate with the skip the dishes network. Update (November 8 2018) they've gotten so much better now coordinating with Skip The Dishes when I wrote the review SkipTheDishes was just starting in Milton. read more

Rating: 2.5/5 stars We went here for breakfast with very empty stomachs so we didn't expect a super long wait for our breakfast to arrive. However, the majority of the visit was spent waiting for our food to arrive. By the time our orders arrived I have finished my orange juice. Service from the server was decent but waiting for our orders was very slow and prices are pretty high for breakfast. Three eggs with ham, toast and potatoes should not cost $9. I realized I could've went to A&W and get eggs, toast, and bacon for half the price. Would I go here for breakfast again? Definitely no. But I would like to try their dinner menu for 2 for $40. read more

We were there for two and a half hours, service was so ridiculously slow and every single order came out wrong that they comped our entire bill. Moral of the story: if you want a free meal and have a few hours to kill, this location is a great one to visit! Food was overall good but experience was ruined by slow service. Food wasn't worth the wait. Drive down the street to McDonald's instead. read more

Had lunch today. This was my first visit to Symposium and I would definitely go back. They have a wide variety of offerings and pairings. I totally enjoyed the French Toast and fruit cup. They serve breakfast until 3:00 pm, as well as lunch and dinner options. The staff are very friendly and right there to help if necessary. The restaurant is very clean and well lit. Background music is at a level where you can actually talk to your tablemate. read more

Went here with my sister and a friend. Good, especially for a chain restaurant. Fast service, and desert is amazing. Great spot, I would say dress casual to semi-formal. Not the cheapest spot, but won't burn a hole through your wallet. Great to spend time with friends, family, and great for a date night. read more

Terrible food my chicken sandwich was burnt. The sever took our money and pocketed and did not give us the right amount of change. Never coming back again. read more

Very family friendly, we had our 19 month old with us and service was friendly. Came in on a busy Saturday. Had the muscles, open faced sandwich, banana french toast. Food was very good, there was a bit of a wait but it was definitely fresh and hot when it got to our table. They have daily specials which are nice. Will be coming back in the future. read more

I've come here a handful of times and have always had a really good experience. They have a very large menu; I've eaten breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert (all on separate occasions) and have been impressed with everything - especially the dessert crepes. The service is always top notch - each time I've visited, I've had a server who is friendly, prompt, and checks in on us regularly, without being annoying. They also have good daily specials. The 2 that stick out for me are 2 for 1 cakes on Sunday and $9 burger and a beer on Mondays. read more

Can't say enough about how crappy this place is from poor service to cold food to warm tapped beer Gave it three chances Failed every time Want to like the place but just isn't worth the time and effort Thanks read more

I ordered poutine and a quesadilla for dinner tonight. The quesadilla was all onions and hardly any chicken in it. The poutine had a small amount of cheese on it. I paid just over $40 and threw the whole dinner out. it was awful. Very disappointed read more

Fair price, fair food. Nothing to brag about. I wish the updated the look of the places.

Use to ve good not anymore. Meny shrink twice. No more shrimps or mussels florintine. Overall the quality of food drop down. The quality of service no longer good too. Used to be friendly now cold and ignorant. read more

Horrible service and food. We went here for dinner with an offer for buy one get one free dinner entree and the servers were rude as hell and would not comply with the coupon and had to pay full price. I mean I have never been to such an unreliable restaurant! If you are going to offer someone a coupon then give them the offer! Not to mention the server and bitchy manger spouting bullshit. They kept saying oh we can't do anything about that. Than what the hell are you good for! I have never seen such unprofessional and unhelpful behaviour! Would not recommend it to anyone. No one deserves to be treated this way. read more

If the Symposium Cafe's could ever get their food quality to match their interior decor, I think they would easily move up a few stars. However such is not the case in Milton. When looking for a breakfast spot in Milton, I searched Yelp and TripAdvisor to find a good place to meet a friend and have breakfast. And in making my decision, I looked at picture of the interiors of many places, including Grill Daddy, Louie's Diner and the Hen and the Roost. And based on pictures of the interior, I selected Symposium Cafe. The place was packed at 11:30 on a Sunday and many people were waiting for a booth. We were seated quickly at a four top which was very comfortable. The interior is indeed nice with fruit placed all around the front counters and the booths and tables, clean as the wait staff turned them over. However, that's where the nice part ends. If you want a nice interior and don't care about the food, Symposium Milton is a good place. However if you are going for the food, I would admit that Grill Daddy and Louie's Diner might have been better. I ordered the basic 3 eggs with peameal bacon and a cappuccino. To begin with my cappuccino sat on the counter for 5 minutes after it was prepared. I was about to get up and grab it myself but wanted to see how long it would take. So it did finally arrive somewhat less than hot. The 3 eggs with peameal bacon was not good for the following reasons ....a) The peameal bacon was tough (i.e. made and re-heated) and was placed right on the eggs (which I couldn't see until I removed the bacon), b) there was a plastic, "who knows where its been" container of strawberry jam sitting right on top of the bacon. The home fries were not fresh and overall I managed to eat a few of the eggs and one piece of bacon. I have a love/hate relationship with Symposium Cafe's. On the one hand, I love the fact that the interiors are nice, warm and comfortable, yet on the other hand, the food service and quality are severely lacking. So I choose to go to Symposium to sit and have a coffee or a tea with a friend and talk for hours. While this might be good for me, I don't think it can be good for business overall. A few small changes would really make this place a favored spot. read more

Food was okay. Don't ever get their butter chicken though. It's not authentic which wasn't surprising but it was also super bland. I've had a few times where their waitresses weren't the nicest to my toddler which wasn't pleasing at all. Even though they advertise themselves as a family restaurant they're not exactly family friendly at all I would say in comparison to other restaurants in Milton read more

It's alright. The wings are good and the atmosphere is nice. It's not amazingggg, but it's good enough to have a casual lunch with someone in. read more

Don't waste your money. The worst service, rushed, overwhelmed with 2 tables while the owner sat in the corner watching. Food was sub-par. Alfredo sauce was cold and from a can. No cheese. Nobody finished their food and later tossed it. Even the take out containers were dirty. The decor is faded DeVinci and dated. Reminded me of a 1990's R.E.M. video. Very cold atmosphere. I don't know if it was just a casual grub place or they were trying to be slightly upscale. Either way I'll never go back. Tacky. read more

Ordered a club sandwich & coffee ... was assured "everything's on the side" but the sandwich bun had some butter/oil with some seasoning, the bacon was not cooked to the requested "extremely crisp" the turkey was unpleasantly cold - the chunky stuff out of the bag. Salad included some yellowed & rotting pieces. Server cleared away my plate, less than half eaten and didn't enquire about the quality of the meal. Perhaps other items are tastier. I did appreciate the physical comfort - big booth and the conversation-easy noise level. read more

this is probably the worst atmosphere to be in, they are extremely rude and ignorant, the hostess and servers were very unkind , my girlfriend actually ended up leaving the restaurant In tears from how extremely rude they were towards me. If I could rate this less than 0 stars I would, truly one of the worst restaurants in milton . read more

Great breakfast, comfortable booth, good coffee, great atmosphere, what's not to like? My new fav breakfast place. read more

Symposium Cafe Restaurant Milton - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Milton, Ontario

I visited Symposium for the third and final time last night. Symposium is Milton's only "dessert place" option, so understandably it's popular. That's why I patronize it when I'm in town, and that's why I keep going back after bad experiences - convenience. But I really can't justify $9 for aggressively mediocre cakes and pies, especially when you can get a delicious treat and a drink for that price at a number of local coffee shops. I had a bland caramel brownie cheesecake, with little caramel to speak of, and a bizarre aftertaste on the decorative brownie. The cake itself had an off texture, and lacked the rich creaminess of a proper cheesecake. All of the caramel from my dessert had apparently fled to my friend's caramel pecan flan, which was not a custard but a deep-dish pie consisting mainly of thick, too-sweet, borderline artificial goo. Our server was in training, so I can't fault her for being slow (so very slow) and not having the dessert selection memorized. But being within earshot as a more experienced server criticized her... awkward. And a little unprofessional. read more

I had Valentine's Day dinner here,great atmosphere but I wasn't happy with the service. They ran out of salmon which was on the menu for Valentine's Day and we order our food look nothing like the picture on the menu read more

Symposium Cafe Restaurant Milton - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Milton, Ontario

A really cool place - breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert!! Milton's hidden gem. Great cappuccino, good pasta. Milton's version of demetres :) read more