I'm a UofW student, and I've been here on two occasions. The first was on a date, the second with my parents. On both occasions the food was delightful, the wine list extensive and of high quality, and the server perfectly likable and helpful. Of particular mention are the scallops, tuna and double-baked white chocolate cheesecake. Overall the menu is quite varied and suits a variety of tastes, which makes it a great place for any occasion! My only "complaint" is the noise level. The restaurant gets energetic in the evening, and it seems to echo around a fair amount. This is completely fine if you're with a group of people anyways, but not necessarily ideal if you're looking to converse with an individual or two. Overall a great establishment with a fine ambiance, above standard food, and good service. read more

I visited here for a goodbye dinner after a week visiting Canadian family in the area. We were greeted warmly and seated promptly by a hostess. Drink orders were taken immediately and I ordered the steak frites. My family placed their orders, including a two year old choosing to eat flatbread pizza. The food arrived in a decent time, and my steak was exceptional. All my companions were pleased with their selections and my son even finished the pizza. Our server was attentive without being annoying and the final bill was reasonable. Overall, highly recommended. One of the best moderately priced dining experiences I've had in a few years. read more

Overall menu quality is great and their service was outstanding. Menu changes were not my cup of tea because I fell in love with this eggplant dish and they took it away. Overall, I'd come back read more

This place was good. The menu was varied and eclectic: asian stir-fry with kimchi, mushroom pasta with a cream sauce, chicken tacos appetizers, bouillabaisse, fancy salads, flat breads, etc. Maybe it meant something for everyone, but it was bit confusing trying to decide between such varied options. I went with the stir-fry with shrimp, not too risky but I love me some good kimchi! The stir fry was good, with vegetables I would expect, but the sauce tasted a little bland/bottled and the add-on shrimp was only three on a skewer. The atmosphere was cool, spacious, modern, with plenty of booths and lots of room for bigger parties. The serve knew here stuff and managed the ten of us ladies pretty well. Best part of the meal: cheesecake lollipops incuding one order on the house! All in all, it was a good place for a night out with a group, but not a place to go for amazing food. read more

Nice return visit to Wildcraft last night, 6/18/17 to celebrate birthday with my spouse. The place is as welcoming and professional as ever. Terrific staff who are very well trained on the menu and seem both comfortable and confident in their service. They had just introduced a new tweaked menu with sufficient choices and descriptions of each item. I opted for the fois gras app and steak frites main. Partner went for the tuna tacos app and tagliatelle with mushrooms main. Both apps were excellent and the mains were spot-on on taste and texture. We both just love the fries at Wildcraft, try them and see for yourself. The only slip was that my steak was overdone; I had ordered medium rare, more on the rare side side than medium but it came pretty much well done. Still the taste and tenderness were there and I certainly didn't need to send it back to the kitchen. Again, from my perspective, Wildcraft continues to offer full value. Will definitely go back again. read more

The environment was great and the decor was well done (expected as it is a Charcoal Group restaurant). The food was delicious but the menu was a bit standardized like the other western restaurants. For what it's worth, it's still one of my favorite restaurants in Waterloo! Update: been there again, but I don't know what it is, but Wildcraft has lost it's magic on me. Maybe I've been to Uptown 21 too many times but Wildcraft's serving is small and doesn't taste exceptional anymore. read more

I took my gf here for her bday and my expectations were met. Great dinner and amazing service from our server David! Ordered the steak and scallop mains. Both were on point. Thanks for a great evening! 5 stars. Thanks David! read more

Right off the bat, I have to say the best thing about this restaurant is its service. We had such a friendly waiter and he did a great job checking with the kitchen about my allergies. The food was excellent too. I had the pork tenderloin special with mushroom barley (walnuts were omitted for me because of my allergies), celeriac puree, and zucchini ribbons and was really impressed. We loved both desserts we had as well - an Oreo cheesecake lollipop and the triple chocolate mousse cake. read more

Beautiful setting and a arge wine selection to accompany your choice of expensive deeply fried and greasy, but nicely plated, food i've had better grub at a kiosk at disney world. read more

Service 5/5 Food quality 4/5 Ambiance 4/5 Price 4/5 Washrooms 5/5 Cleanliness 5/5 This will make a great place for a special occasion. They have lots of rooms that they can let you reserve for a private meal. Definitely coming back again. read more

Great place for business lunch. Good decor. They have a good drink and wine selection. Went for lunch and had the steak. Not a bad steak but too much condiment. Asked for medium rare but it came medium. Service was top notch. read more

This review was posted in error, it was not intended for Wildcraft in Waterloo. It was meant for another restaurant in the area. I can not comment on the food or facilities of Wildcraft as I have never been there. My apologies to the restaurant and staff for any grief my review may have caused. read more

I was very disappointed with the meal and ambiance. The place was recently renovated and went from an upscale restaurant to a cross between a sports bar and a Keg Steakhouse. A real downgrade. I dined there a half dozen times prior to the change. I won't be back. I ordered a steak and it arrived to the table in five minutes. The food is definitely precooked. The whole meal experience was 45 minutes. Not what I expected for a $150 tab. I sent half the meal back. The only good part is the service staff were very friendly and apologetic. They have lots to apologize for. It might be a good place for a family. After all, they laminate the wine menu in plastic so young kids can play with it read more

If you have a craving for a Beef dip sandwich...this is not the place to go. The bun was barely toasted so it was like day old bread. The beef was dry, onions were breaded and dry and it had a small amount of horse radish aioli/mayo. This also doesn't come with cheese. The au jus was more like a concentrated balsamic gravy reduction. Thick and tangy. I enjoyed the fries but my husband thought they were too salty. The burger was quite good and our waitress Cherie gave excellent service. read more

I went here for lunch while in town. It has a nice energy and layout, and the service was attentive enough, but the food is a big no. I ordered the burger until the waiter told me they only serve it well done. That's a hockey puck. Had the fried chicken instead - slaw was too sweet. Fries were soggy and overspiced. I won't be back. read more

Third time to this restaurant over ten yrs and this is the final time. I don't post reviews unless I'm appalled by treatment. Ages:30-55yrs Professionals Group from Waterloo and area Service: Horrible A) Told after the first drink ordered they were not serving further drinks until dinner, wtf!? FYI, I don't go out to eat to be monitored or told when we can order drinks especially when I'm pregnant. When they came with dinner had to tell the wait staff (because they weren't offering) we want wine for the table with dinner. Didn't bring the wine then I had to tell the manager, finally brought wine at the end of dinner, too late! B) salad was super salty, should have sent the salad back. C) the one waitress had serious attitude D) no offer of milk or sugar with coffee E) after complaints to the manager about service and drinks she tried to be on top of service but that's the end of supper, put a downer on a night of celebration, too late in my opinion. If there are only two of you, want water for supper and overpriced food go here. Should have read the reviews because we are not the only one who got shoddy service from this establishment. read more

This place is upscale, but not $100-for-your-meal upscale. Personally, I still found it a little bit pricey, but it is to be expected in a city trying so hard to become a sub-section of Toronto. If nothing else, it is worth it for the atmosphere. Think Moxie's, but bigger and a little more extravagant. The food is good...not phenomenal, but good. If you're taking a client to lunch or meeting up after work, it is definitely worthwhile. They have a decent selection of drinks and wine and unique, well-prepared appetizers. The service is really what puts this place in a league above most restaurants. The servers are always friendly and attentive. It seems as though most of them are experienced servers as none of them seem awkward, nervous or uncomfortable like most of the wait-staff at most of the franchise restaurants. Very refreshing in that regard. Go for the atmosphere or to impress a date, client or co-worker. read more

Wildcraft is a great place for a corporate and upscale atmosphere. The decorations are grand and it's a perfect place for a special occasion. And of course, it will be more expensive than your usual restaurant. It's got a decent selection of food on its menu, but it doesn't change very much from season to season (I'm a frequent customer). The food is usually quite consistent, but the steak doneness is always up in the air. They seem to always bring in rare for my medium and well-done for my medium?! For a restaurant of this caliber, you would expect it to be perfect each time. The service is very good all the time, and I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a place to dine for a special occasion. read more

I have given this place so many chances and I am always left feeling foolish. Yesterday was the breaking point. I ordered the Duck breast, my mother ordered a flat bread. My plate was extremely hot, obviously due to it sitting under heat lamp (obvious because the jus that was to accompany the Duck was crusted to the plate), meanwhile, the flatbread was cold - room temperature at best. I can understand this possibly happening if the restaurant is slammed or understaffed but that was not the case. There were 4 tables in the entire place, and enough staff on to have a guest each. The service was not bad, it was intact the only saving grace. The Charcoal Group has created this collection of mediocre restaurants that have set the dining standard at an all time low in the tri-cities. Somewhere along the way somebody decided that they were the bench mark for other restaurants, and I now blame them entirely for the terribly mundane food that this town has to offer. read more

Mediocre. uninspired and wildly overpriced. Longing for the days of the Ponderosa, arguably the worst restaurant chain in Canada? Pine no longer. Wildcraft manages to duplicate the tasteless food and add to the experience with over-the-top tacky decor. Sadly the night we dined at Wildcraft the restaurant was packed. Kitchener-Waterloo remains a culinary backwater where restaurant patrons have standards low enough to allow this sort of establishment to prey on them at will. On a positive note: The free bread basket with pesto dipping sauce was the highlight of the meal. read more

Absolutely amazing food. The appetizers are slightly overpriced but the entrees are reasonable. I ordered the duck confit and the flavour was outstanding. The service was awesome as well. read more

Very classy high end restaurant. The atmosphere and service is great here, but for the price, the food was only mediocre. Although the presentation of the food was super, the taste itself was disappointing. I'm not saying the food was bad. In fact, it was quite good. But given the style of restaurant and price of the food, I expected much better than it actually was. The food was no different than any other restaurant around. read more

Service was pretty slow. Food was okay tasting. Not worth the price. Would not recommend.

The food was very good - I ordered daily soup & the special - but portions were very small. I went with my grown son and he was still hungry when we left after his roasted chicken dinner. Not what I would expect after spending $120 on dinner. But quality of food and atmosphere and server were excellent. read more

While the food isn't bad; it's just not worth the price. It calls to mind an Olive Garden or Red Lobster with a few more bells and whistles. 5 stars for great service. read more

Duck entree was ok. Enjoyed the Blue Burger. Steak frites was ok, asked for medium rare and it came out medium well. The only dish that was bad was the Miki noodle dish. There was way too much sauce in the noodles. Too salty to eat so we had it sent back and a dish re-done with less sauce and salt. The small asparagus side was $7.00 and the mushroom side was $4.50! Don't bother with the sides, better off ordering a salad. read more

My sister and I took our mom here for dinner to celebrate her 70th birthday recently. We had a wonderful time -great food, friendly service, and some really nice extra touches. We ordered the taro chip nachos to start, which were different and quite tasty! The fresh bread that followed had a simple black bean oil dip. We could have had more when offered, but decided to save ourselves for our mains. I got the vegetable strudel, which was just okay. My sister and mom both loved their dishes though. My sister had the walnut and fennel garganelli and my mom enjoyed the "beef & blue" (said her steak was done perfectly). Before dessert our server surprised us with 3 glasses of sparkling wine as a birthday treat for my mom. We had to pace ourselves with that, as we were still making our way through a bottle of red, but it was a delightful surprise! For dessert we ordered the "dessert for 2" which included a chai creme brûlée, choc raspberry torte, and vanilla mocha icecream --all delicious. All & all, a great meal and wonderful dining experience. Environment is quite comfortable, but ask for a booth! read more

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3.25 This not a keg keg is the perfect spot to go for colleagues that definitely absolutely do not want to escalate to sexy time compadres. The ambiance is corporate with a whiff of warmth provided by 15 yr old decor. The food had about the same personality. I had the bacon wrapped tenderloin with mashed, topped with herbed butter instead of the blue cheese. It was fine. Steak was prepared just right. My real complaint is the lacking selection on the menu, uninspired and yawn inducing. The apps section was remarkably better! With bold and fun options like short ribs and shrimp tempura the size of tea plates. And those sound out of date but at least there was variance. The service was scant. Pleasant when there! And the wine list is massively impressive and accessible! Try this place out if you are stuck for somewhere to take that date you don't wanna go on but your grandma is making you. It's not going to give any one the idea of romance or giving af. :') read more

Wildcraft - Group - American Near Me - Waterloo, Ontario

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I don't get the hype about this place. The first time I came here was about a year ago. We (me and 2 other girls) were seated in the bar area, and I remember it being really upscale with great service, good cocktails and delicious flatbread (I had ordered the one with smoked salmon, but coming back this time, I was disappointed to see that it was no longer offered on the menu). I came here again yesterday on a date with my boyfriend. This time we were seated in the dining area ... right in the middle. We were literally surrounded by other tables which took away that "intimate, romantic" feel that we expected from Wildcraft. I mean, Wildcraft has a huge dining area (a main floor, a bar/lounge area, and a basement) so I don't get why they have to cram so many dining tables in the area. We went on a Friday at 7:30PM and the main floor alone wasn't even 75% full. The food was alright. The price is in the $20 to $35 dollar range for an entree. Of course, you can always opt for a flatbread which costs around $15 and is pretty filling/delicious. We ordered: 1. Something with goat cheese, mushrooms and sundried tomatoes (Appetizer) - this was recommended to us by our waiter. It reminded us how good goat cheese can be. Yum! 2. Atlantic Salmon (entree) - side of roasted potato was delicious. I substituted the brussel sprouts with asparagus which was done nicely. The salmon started off delicious since I kept dipping it in the chili yogurt and butternut squash puree, but I quickly ran out of that and I was eating dry salmon for the second half of the meal. 3. 7oz steak wrapped in bacon (forgot the name) - I tried my boyfriend's steak and also found it to dry, but he said it was good, so to each their own! Other notes: the service was great, the waiter was attentive to clear our dishes, fill up our water glasses and bring us the dessert menu. Overall, Wildcraft is a place that I would go to satisfy someone's superficial need for a trendy and upscale environment, but otherwise I would object and happily suggest another place with better food and cheaper prices. read more

Not terrible, but inconsistent. Burger, okay. Fries, not fresh- room temp. Beer selection just okay and prices a bit high. But the service was good and the decor is nice. I'd go back. read more

Very good spot for a business lunch or nice dinner. The food is consistently good, with some great menu items. There are options for all food sensitivities so great for a team lunch. Highly recommend the steak frites. Not the best food in town but very good. Excellent atmosphere and decor. In my opinion it is the best option in the Charcoal Group. read more

When this place opened, it was awesome. It has been around for a couple of years, and I wanted to write a review to share that my past two experiences have been borderline awful. I could eat the food, but it has certainly lost something Suggested my kids take my better half for Mother's Day lunch, and got a text an hour later mocking me for the recommendation. Hopefully they get it back, but be forewarned. Nice patio for cocktails though! read more

Wow I just absolutely LOVE the selection of food on the menu, and we were all very delighted with our choices! (nice touch with bringing the bread basket at the beginning of our meals too :-) It was a special occasion for us all and the ambience was just perfect! It made for a real enchanting evening! Our waiter served us very well and I noticed the Wildcraft staff does take great pride in their work! When I realized sometime later that I did leave my glasses there by accident, their staff member over the phone, offered to send them back to me, even though I live outside of the province! Now that's integrity and I am really impressed! Thank you soooooo much Wildcraft and I look forward to returning when I may have that opportunity again! (I am still drooling over the crème brulee just thinking about it too... ha,ha!) Thank you again so much! read more

People in general were very accommodating a decor and ambiance well done. It feels like a great place to eat. Really had steaks and both were well received ...bacon wrapped tenderloin and Steak Frites and both done to perfection. Main course took a long time though and the Miki Noodle bowl did not seem like good value...serving size was small for the price. read more

I love the service here and it's hard to find a good consistent restaurant for a group during a work trip. I've made reservations here twice for a group of about 7-8 people. It's nice that they accomodate for whatever you want and they have this amazing mushroom salad. It satisfies my team members who crave a crafty steak while giving me my satisfaction of a mix of some steak items with that healthy fix of mushroom salad. It's just mixed greens with enoki and exotic mushrooms and I ask them to substitute the creamy dijon dressing with balsamic vinegar. I also love their dessert - the coconut gelato with fresh cut seasonal fruit. (papaya, mango, grapefruit, oranges) read more

I'm a fan (Yay!), I enjoy dining here when I'm in Waterloo. The restaurant can be a little loud during peak times, my food has always been good. read more

Wildcraft is a decent restaurant. The prices are reasonable and the food is good. The food isn't totally upscale, but it's nice for a first date or dinner with parents. If you want a good meal, I'd say that it's worth the money to go to the Charcoal group's more upscale Bauer Kitchen. read more

Good atmosphere inside. The food is great too - they offer a wide selection on their dinner menu. A little bit pricey for a student, but was definitely worth it. read more

We stopped by this place during a visit to family in August. We were very impressed with the decor, service, and food! I would compare this place to The Keg although the menu was a little less `steakhousey`. I wish someone would build one of these in Edmonton! read more

The tomato soup (soup of the day) is not good at all, it feels like they put as much black pepper as they could to hide the flavor :( sad