I went there all the way from Downtown Toronto, because of the Australian lamb. I usually go there order only that. So disappointed. Lamb looks and taste like they got it from Costco. I ordered medium, it was RARE not even close to the medium. Seasoning all wrong. If they don't have Australian lamb on that day, just put it off on the menu that day. read more

I really enjoyed Barrielicious at The Crazy Fox - the food was good but the service was exceptional! The wait staff go out of their way to ensure you are enjoying your time. One of our guests had endured a hard day and said "the enthusiasm of the waitress just lifted my mood!" My one comment for improvement is that the decor is dated but that would not stop me from returning - it has a homey atmosphere, very comfortable. read more

Went to dinner tonight with the girlfriend. This is the second time we have gone here in the last two years. Last time we asked to sit on the patio and we're told it was reserved; so we sat inside the dinner and service was ok, we stayed there for 1 1/2 hours and finished our meal and no one was ever on the patio. I gave them another chance today as I will with most places. The service was sufficient, however the food was subpar. We both ordered the salmon dish and did not enjoy it at all. For a $35 dish it was lacking in flavour and style. The jasmine rice on the side was just rice in chicken broth that I could make at home and the girlfriend makes better salmon at home with just basic ingredients. The restaurant decor is dated and most of the seating is on the balcony, it would be nice if the owners took a look at all the dust and cobwebs that are behind the mirrors and on all the ledges. All this is in the line of sight of the customers when they are sitting at their tables. The first time I went to this restaurant was about 20 years ago and it was top notch, it seems like they are riding on the past glory and have not refreshed in a long while. I'm sure the pandemic impacted them but it is definitely time for them to do some improvements. I don't think I will go back, as there are so many better restaurants in and under their price point. read more

Called a bistro, but for me it's the quality of a fine dining restaurant in disguise... Tucked away just off the street, so most would drive by, not realizing this little gem. We were celebrating a birthday of one in our party. There were 12 of us in the group and everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meal. Many who frequent upscale eating establishments and others who do not - and all enjoyed equally. Tasteful dinner music with a sultry female singer was entertaining, but not too loud to converse. (not sure how frequently they have musical entertainment) Our server was extremely attentive, but not intrusive. We were not rushed, and encouraged to enjoy our stay long after the bill was delivered. Interesting "chips" on the plate, upon investigation (and inquiry) were beet crisps and we were all scheming with thoughts of how do we get more of that! (I now add beets to my roasted veg at home as an 'homage to our crazy fox experience) If you're hesitant to try it out then a) go during Barrielicious for around $20 - pre selected menu of 3 choices per course or b) at costco barrie, pick up a $100 worth of gift cards for $75 If you're feeling adventurous, try the sample platter of frogs legs and wild boar (etc)... or enjoy a Boston Pear Salad with caramelized warm pear, pistachios and poppy seed walnut oil dressing; some selections from the sea, or stick with the classics - steak! All in all a wonderful night for a celebration. (They will open on a Sunday or Monday for private functions should the need arise) Making plans to go back soon... read more

I am a student, on a student budget but wanted to have a nice "fancy" dinner out with my boyfriend. This place is located right on bayfield but in between uptown and downtown Barrie. I have driven by it plenty of times but never really thought to go in. Tonight that changed! It's a hidden gem! The atmosphere was relaxing and inviting. We were seated on the belony overlooking the the restaurant... the only problem would be those who have a difficult time with stairs, there are a lot of stairs in this place. While they do have seating on the main floor it is not wheelchair accessible and there is about 2 flights of stairs to get to the restroom. My boyfriend and I ordered two appetizers; crab dip and chicken wings both were very good. I ordered the... Omgosh I am going to butcher this! The spinach, mushroom and goat cheese pasta dish with rose sauce. It was fantastic and suprisingly very filling. The staff were friendly and helpful and I would recommend this place for those who are willing to pay more for a nicer meal. With my current student lifestyle I can't say I will be going back anytime soon but if my boyfriend wants to treat me again then I will definitely say yes! read more

In short: consistently excellent upscale dining. It's on the pricey side for Barrie, but the quality of the food justifies the expense - especially if someone else is paying! When I was growing up in Barrie, The Crazy Fox was pretty much the only *good* restaurant in town. Back then, it operated out of the gorgeous old century home on Bradford Street just off Tiffin, and it was a wonderfully cozy, somnolent sort of upscale, with just three or four tables in each room, occupied by well-dressed men and women enjoying well-bred conversations. Even though being taken there for dinner was a rare treat for my younger self, the waitstaff always greeted my parents by name, and Coos always remembered to cook up an extra order of his incomparable beet chips for my mother. I'll admit, I was initially disappointed when The Crazy Fox moved across town to become The Crazy Fox Bistro. The new space lacked the rustic charm of the old house: it was open, and noisy, and cramped. The food was still generally excellent, but some of the old favourites were gone. For several years, whenever The Crazy Fox was mentioned, I would announce in my best hipster sneer that it just wasn't the *same* as it used to be, and therefore, it was worse. Now, a few years later still, I have to admit that change isn't always bad. Yes, the Bistro is louder than the plain old Fox had been, but it's also livelier: less murmured talk, but more laughter, and there's been decent live music on a few occasions. The tables in the lower section have a view into the glass-walled kitchen, which can be entertaining. And while the waitstaff no longer greet my parents by name when we go out for a rare family reunion dinner, well, that's just a poignant reminder that Barrie isn't a small town anymore. The old Crazy Fox was a full five-star restaurant. The Crazy Fox Bistro gets an appreciative four stars: the food is wonderful, the service is very good, but the atmosphere is a bit of a muddle between upscale and urban casual, and some of the tables are uncomfortably cramped. (That said, I would forgive any and all of the above-mentioned sins if I was presented with a basket of freshly-fried beet chips...) read more

We went here for the first time and will be back. Food was very good. For the region north of Toronto I am having trouble thinking of a place we would rather go. The restaurant looks fresh and modern in spite of it being a long established restaurant. The menu is varied for the price range but we did not find, as is normally the case when a restaurant has a lot of variety, that quality suffered as a result. My wife eats light and had the vegetable rolls and mushroom soup as her "main" I had the baked goat cheese appetizer and the fettuccini with beef tenderloin special. The fettuccini was especially flavourful and the sauce lovely. Warning: very peppery. I like my food smoking hot and found the pepper good but sharp, and at the edge of what I can enjoy. Steak was high quality. We shared a 1/2 bottle of Shafer 2010 Merlot and it was excellent For dessert we had the apple caramel pecan tart with vanilla gelato. Everything tastes very good. For five star you have to go to Charleston, Montreal, Toronto, Paris, New York, Napa, Quebec City. But for the area north of Toronto this restaurant shows a ton of creativity and quality and by comparison to other (even high end and more expensive) restaurants in the area and would probably deserve a 4.5 if that were a possible Yelp rating. The service was adequate, friendly and casual, with some small but noticeable 'misses'. But we will be back, hopefully on the patio next time. 15 degrees and raining the 27th of June...blech read more

One of the best restaurants in Barrie, hands down. It was Barrie-licious. We both had a Caesar salad, which was quite good. The mains were penne with chicken in an Alfredo sauce and a nice chicken dish. A nice cheesecake dessert followed. All for $25 The service was very pleasant. Food - 4.5/5 Service - 4.5/5 Ambiance - 4/5 Price to Value - 5/5 Definitely will go back! read more

We called and made reservation after looking at review on here. When we arrived, the hostess was very nice and seated us in an area where we could watch into the kitchen, but became irritating watching the staff in and out, so not a good table. The table near us of four, so loud, with fake laughter, we couldn't hear each other. We had a waiter come out of nowhere, dump water into our glasses, mumbled something about a special, and asked if we wanted to order drinks. We said we would need a few minutes. So I finally had time to look at the wine menu, not great, very expensive. So I ordered red wine, then he asks my husband, who says no we wanted a bottle. He brought that and poured, a touch too warm for my taste. Asked if we wanted to order, we again said just give us a couple of minutes. A half hour later, after we watched our waiter help with jackets, take friends upstairs to seat, cause it turned out he had a birthday party up there. I was finally able to wave a waiter over to ask if we could order dinner, since we had been sitting there 35 min. He looked surprised, then said he would be back. He was, I guess to get permission to take our order. He came over, apologized, we said it was not his fault. Took our order, was polite, smiled etc. Shortly after, the flatbread with chicken, broccoli, asparagus and cheeses and calamari came out, we shared, both were very nice. They had run out of triple A rib steaks, so Dan had rack of lamb, and I had the Veal Scallopini. He poured our wine for us, checked back. Dan's lamb was cooked just like he liked it, said it was very good, even enjoyed the parsnips, however they were cooked, had delicious flavour. My plate and pasta was so hot, it took about 10 minutes to cool enough for just a small taste. It was lovely, although I was surprised at how much just flour breading was on it. We did not have room for dessert. During the time we were waiting, the hostess walked by several times, talked to a table next to us, but never wondered why our menus where still sitting on the table 30 minutes after we were seated. She never turned our way. Our original waiter kept looking our way when he walked by, realizing he likely had lost a fairly tip by now, if going by what were having to eat. I was so disappointed in the service, but not our 2nd waiter, I doubt we will be back no matter how good the food was! We did leave our 2nd waiter a large tip, for his good service, even though he was as busy as everyone else. We sat down at 7:30, left close to 9:30, which was fine since we eat late on a regular basis. The menu was not as diverse as I would have liked, lots of just regular pasta dishes, one lamb, two beef dishes. I am sure that we will find a better place next time. read more

The Crazy Fox Bistro - Rack of Lamb, with mashed potatoes, and seasonal veggies veal scallopini with combo of mushrooms, meaning just regular mushrooms. - Steakhouses Near Me - Barrie, Ontario

Had a lovely lunch there today. Delightful, friendly staff who kept adding roses to our table. Scrumptious food and magic dessert. Waitress knowledgeable about the wines available. We'll be back. read more

A lovely little fine dining establishment just north of downtown barrie. It has a nice layout for what seems like a converted old house. A large stair case with balcony seating over the bar area. Lighting is medium and comfortable with a homely feel. Service was excellent with staff being quick and friendly. I took my fiancé here for a special occasion and was not disappointed the food came out in a timely manner. Was well cooked and had no issues. The menu is nothing too crazy, many classic dishes like steak and sautéed mushrooms. Very classic fine dining old school steak house. A nice option in Barrie as there aren't too many fine dining options. I hold all steakhouses against the keg as a kind of standard we can all compare to and I prefer this location to the keg in Barrie. A great little spot that put money back into family owned community business and helps drive local competition. Definitely worth a try! read more

My husband and I went here last night and had a very disappointing experience. It started when we were seated in a very cramped corner of the restaurant with tables literally 10 inches away from each of our elbows. When our server came over, we were surprised to find that she was acting very condescending and rude to us. We were shocked by this treatment because we had been nothing but polite and cheerful despite having to sit basically shoulder-to-shoulder with other customers while on our date. During the course of our dinner, she refused to bring my husband another bun (seriously? How much does a tiny dinner roll cost?), messed up the drink orders of the people beside us (basically our dining companions since our tables were nearly touching), and continued to talk down to us in the most painful talking-to-a-kindergarten voice you can imagine. I've never seen my husband look so embarrassed, so thanks for that experience, Crazy Fox. The icing on the cake was that the steak we ordered came undercooked and extremely fatty with a bunch of McCain fries thrown onto the plate. Not one vegetable or garnish in sight. I couldn't finish it. Now, I'm not sure if we got this kind of treatment because we are young (average clientele age was about 50) or because there was a promotion going on that night so they were unusually busy, but needless to say we will not be back here ever again. If you are reading this because you want to go to an upscale restaurant with good food, do not go to the Crazy Fox. You will find neither good food nor good service here. read more