East Side Mario's — Restaurant in Barrie

Update Nov 2024 You're only as good as your last service team, and this time was a disaster! our server seated us then didn't come back no cutlery or napkins, asked the person who brought the bread, never got them until after the salad was brought out by a different server the salads were brought out by someone who clearly had no idea where to take them. We watched her go around with our salads and ask 4 tables if the salads were theirs before taking them back into the kitchen. She brought them to us 5 minutes later, which is when we made our second request for cutlery and napkins, which was relayed to our original server and we got them some time later. 2nd round of bread which was brought by someone else was frozen in the middle, both loaves. Couldn't find our original server so finally flagged down a different server who brought out new ones a while later. 2nd salads were brought out by someone else, no cheese, we asked it never came our chicken parms were brought out, by someone else again, we asked for grated cheese, it never came, we waited 5-6 minutes meanwhile we hadn't eaten the salad because we were waiting for the cheese, and now the mains had been sitting on the table for 5 minutes getting cold and it was obvious no one was coming with the cheese. after watching our server wander around behind the bar, and around the restaurant, I finally went up to the bar and asked for cheese, again. Keep in mind that our original server never came back at any time to ask if everything was OK, if we needed anything, wanted another drink etc. Nothing. When she finally came over with the cheese, she had an attitude, and said "is that enough cheese for you, because I don't want you to get upset again" ..... Are you kidding? We sat there patiently not saying anything, realizing you're just a bad server, until finally it took our food, which isn't cheap, getting cold for us to finally say something, and you have an attitude? And then to say you're a bartender and don't usually serve tables and make excuses? No, you're just a bad server, with a bad attitude, period. We watched you wander around doing nothing for 40 minutes while everyone else looked after your tables. She offered a discount which we declined. I'd like to tell you how the chicken parm was but we never ate it, it was cold so we took it home. Didn't have one bite. Start to finish, this experience was terrible. Untrained Staff, uncooked food, poor service. Do better team!

A couple changes since the last time I was at an East Side Mario's, one of which is that they don't bring out the big bowl of salad anymore, they use small individual bowls.. not a big deal and it makes sense for less waste, but definitely more running for the servers.

Ordered a kids pizza, and 2 chicken parms, with garden salad and Caesar salads.

Bread was good as usual, salads were bomb, probably the best we've had at an East Side, kids pizza was perfect, and the chicken parm and spaghetti were on point.

Our server was amazing, sorry we didn't get your name, overall probably the best East Side experience we've had, and we've been to...

I have never experienced such horrible service ever in my life. We came into the restaurant at 7:00pm were seated in a booth by 7:03, our first table visit with our waitress was at 7:14 to take our drink orders (3 waters, 1 with a lemon, and 1 Pepsi). We received wrong drinks at 7:30 (four waters no lemon no Pepsi). Then we received one loaf of bread for four people, no cutlery, no knife to cut, and four FILTHY FILTHY plates at 7:35. 7:45 received one of the two salads ordered, still no cutlery. 7:50 got second salad… still no cutlery, finally received forks for two of the four of us at 7:55, also received two more loaves of bread that our waitress put on our table using her bare hands, no paper sleeve on bread (this is absolutely disgusting). After asking multiple times for the kids meals, I then asked a different tables waiter and he was able to get our kids meals with cutlery at 8:07. By 8:24 we finally received our meals, that we did not touch, instead asked for take out containers as we had just spent 1.5 hours in the restaurant. To top it off we had finished our waters at around the 7:45 mark and had not been asked if we wanted anything else to drink from that point on. Our “waitress” was the manager. I spoke to her in a calm manner telling her that I’ve never received such terrible service. I said that as a manager she should have been more attentive and I should not have been the one who needed to ask for things through out the entire experience and that it was insulting to even ask me to pay for the meal or service that was provided. I had mentioned it was not overly busy and she agreed that it was not busy but she didn’t staff the night correctly. Another waitress came to take over and asked me what I wanted to do about the bill and I said I didn’t think I should have to pay for it. She agreed and said that she took over because the manager was crying. We did not end up having to pay for this meal, and as I was walking out with my four year old daughter I was called disgusting by another server who had no part in the transaction, and then as my husband was walking out with our nine year old he over heard another server say we were never allowed in the restaurant again. I will say, I did not raise my voice, I did not swear, I did not use any sort of intimidating behaviours, I did point out what I thought went terribly wrong and said that there should be no reason why it went as poorly as it did.

As a family we do not get to go out often together for a nice dinner, tonight we thought we would take advantage of me not having to work and go out to enjoy some family time. My kids complained for over a half an hour about being hungry, asking numerous times if their dinner would be ready soon, it was over an hour to get our two kid meals, we couldn’t even entertain them as the restaurant did not have any crayons for the kids. They had finished their waters soon after receiving them.

I’ve never been so disappointed in an experience with east side Mario’s and that is a restaurant I have loved going to since I was a child, it is highly unlikely that we will ever return after an experience...

I don’t usually take the time to write reviews, but after the outstanding service we received from Sahil at East Side Mario’s, I absolutely had to share our experience. From the moment we arrived, he made us feel incredibly welcome with his warm greeting and genuine smile. It was clear right away that he is not just doing a job—he truly cares about providing a top-tier dining experience for his guests.

Sahil was attentive, professional, and had an upbeat energy that made our evening so enjoyable. He took the time to explain the menu thoroughly, offering excellent recommendations that we wouldn’t have thought to try otherwise. His knowledge of the menu was impressive, and he was happy to accommodate our dietary preferences with no hesitation. Every question we had was met with patience and enthusiasm, which is something you don’t always find in the service industry.

What really stood out was how seamlessly he managed everything, even though the restaurant was busy. We never had to flag him down for anything—our drinks were always refilled before we even had to ask, our food arrived promptly, and he checked in just enough to make sure we had everything we needed without interrupting our conversation. That level of attentiveness takes real skill, and Sahil executed it perfectly.

Beyond his efficiency, it was his positive attitude that made all the difference. He carried himself with confidence, warmth, and professionalism, making us feel valued as customers. Even small things—like remembering our names, joking with us just the right amount, and genuinely engaging in conversation—set him apart from other servers we’ve had elsewhere. It’s rare to find someone who can balance friendliness with efficiency so well, and Sahil does it effortlessly.

By the time we left, we were already talking about coming back—and not just for the great food, but for the incredible service. It’s clear that Sahil takes pride in his work, and East Side Mario’s is lucky to have him on their team. If you’re dining here, do yourself a favor and ask for Sahil—you won’t be disappointed! Thank you, Sahil, for making our night so wonderful. We’ll definitely...