Guisachan House Restaurant — Attraction in Kelowna

I have had lunch here three times, and the first two I occasions I found it "fine" (the food was nothing special and took a long time to arrive, but the beautiful atmosphere and friendly waitress made up for it, the cook came out to greet us and seemed like a really nice guy---four stars.) But my last experience was terrible.

Party of around 10 with a reservation on a Sunday afternoon (this took place several months ago.) I thought they had been informed ahead of time that someone in the party had a gluten intolerance (it's actually a wheat allergy, but people tend to better understand gluten-free so I tell them this or "I can't have flour.") but based on the waitress's attitude maybe not. It didn't seem like a big deal because the other times we had eaten there, they had shown me items on the menu that were safe and even prepared me a simple dessert substitute.

I informed her of my allergy and she said nothing, no suggestions. I asked her about the contents of an item on the menu and got no response. I rephrased the question and got an unintelligible grunt. Surprised, and trying to speed up the process, I instead pointed to something I'd eaten there before and asked just to verify it was still considered gluten-free. GRUNT. Not "mhm", not "uh-uh", just a grunt. Managed to get a "yes" out of her but she almost seemed... to be intentionally drawing it out so the other guests would have to sit and stare at me? Could be my imagination, but either way it was weird. When asked about a salad I told her "no croutons, please," in the back of my mind thinking that was really obvious, but wanted it out there just to be safe.

Salad comes. Covered in croutons. I send it back. When it returns, it's obvious the croutons were just picked off the top, because there are crumbs all over the place and one still lurking in the bottom of the bowl. I send it back a second time and politely explain AGAIN that bread or flour will make me ill. The other guests have all finished their salads by the time mine comes, and now I'm skeptical about the safety of my entree.

Entree comes and it is lukewarm and pretty bland, same as I recall. The waitress wasn't seen to refill water until almost everyone was finished eating, and she was stonefaced and silent. She refilled half the table's glasses and never came back with a pitcher for our end.

Dessert that day was a slice of cake, which she plonked in front of me first out of all others. I told her yet again, still struggling to be sweet and polite and not seem like a demanding customer, that I cannot have flour. She scowls, slides the cake over to another person at the table and goes back to serving, then walks off without another word to anyone.

Now I don't expect them to whip me up some glorious gluten-free masterpiece or anything, but the prior times I went there they had prepared me a small plate of sliced fruits to nibble while the others ate their cake. Simple, tasty, thoughtful, and it earned them a larger tip for the trouble. If they didn't get the memo about the allergy, fine, but I think I should have gotten a small discount for only receiving 2/3 of a 3 course meal and being made out like an idiot for an allergy I can't help.

Simply put, the waitress's attitude was absolutely inexcusable. I don't expect to be treated like a princess and fully realize my allergy often means I go without, but people like her are the reason I'm often embarrassed to mention it in public at all. She was "cool and unaffected" with the other customers but downright stiff and glowering with me, like she was cussing me out in her head the entire time. After getting my food wrong that many times and never offering so much as a quick "sorry about that", I have to wonder if she was doing it intentionally.

I don't know her name, but I believe she had brown hair and a forearm/wrist tattoo. My group likes this restaurant for the atmosphere but I am now extremely hesitant to waste any more...

This review is long over due! We got married at Guisachan House in July 2020. The Guisachan house venue has beautiful gardens, a lovely glass/wood air-conditioned interior space, and many nice areas on the grounds for photos, but none of that is what makes the venue great. Georg and his team is what make it great. He is very relaxed, accommodating, kind and generous. He was always willing to answer our questions, listen to our wants for the big day and willing to make them happen. He went above and beyond to make our wedding day wonderful. We did a tasting for the food menu and weren't quite satisfied with a couple of the options. The next time we came back to see him he surprised us by remaking one item that we were unsure on for us and it was scrumptious. The food was just one of the things our guests were raving about. I highly recommend the salmon! I brought in a lot of my own decor, but his team did a good job of setting it all up for us. On the day of the wedding the service for dinner and drinks was impeccable. He supplies a large team and they did an amazing job of attending to our guests. The bridal suite that is included for getting ready was also really nice, lots of space for the bridal party to prepare. See some of the attached photos for flowers, ice sculpture, and cake that are included in his bookings. Don't be afraid to tell him what you are thinking or run ideas past him, he is very easy to work with and consistently does whatever he can to make sure your wedding day is everything you are hoping for. We definitely recommend booking the Guisachan House for a wedding. Georg is a gem! - C&D Seminchuk

Photos by Melissa from...

I absolutely love the Guisachan House Restaurant. My husband and I had our wedding there back in 2009 and it was such a great experience. The wedding package was everything we wanted, practically everything was taken care of! It was such a stress reliever as I was working, in school and did not have any spare time to try and plan a wedding. We had our ceremony right there in the garden and it was beautiful! A great spot for photos! One of the things that was important to us was having great food with great poritons so that no one felt hungry. The food at the Guisachan House Restaurant is delicious! Everyone was very impressed with the food and no one left hungry! The cake is also part of the wedding package and was beautiful and tasted great as well! If you want a stress free wedding at a gorgeous location, this is the perfect place to come! The service can't be beat either! Georg really goes out of his way to give you the best wedding possible!

Not only is it a great place for a wedding, but it's a great place to have lunch anytime! The food is great and the price is reasonable. The lunch specials are always a great value too as you get a soup or salad, the main entree and a dessert! The view is excellent as well, as you can look out into the garden as you eat; it's beautiful! I definitely recommend coming here for a great lunch! The creamy soups are my absolute favourites, and the house bread it comes with is so good!

I cannot say enough about how impressed I am with the Guisachan House Restaurant and Georg! (Thanks Georg for everything; the wedding and making us feel great every time we...