Spencer's At The Waterfront — Restaurant in Burlington

My family and I tried Spencer's for the first time on September 15th, 2024. Atmosphere/Ambiance was amazing, and the food was unique given the more premium ingredients associated with each dish.

I highly recommend the Branzino for anyone who likes fish, and the Gnocchi for anyone who likes pasta.

For myself, I tried the gnocchi and found the dish incredibly mellow! Very soft textures but also very rich in their ingredients. When I tried the Gnocchi, Spencer's used a chive emulsion. Though it seems Spencer's likes to modify their menu every month by retaining the dishes (i.e., Gnocchi), but modifying their ingredients to present a sense of newness for returning customers!

The Branzino (I believe it is a sea bass) presents a rich flavour profile which includes a Livornese sauce. I tasted hints of olive oil, eggplant, tomatoes and many other ingredients that the staff at Spencer's could probably articulate better! Of all the dishes, the Branzino impressed me who is Chinese and likes to steam and cook my own fish at home!

The Shrimp and Scallop Spaghetti however was disappointing for 2 reasons: a) My nephew who ordered the dish was given 1 scallop and 1 jumbo shrimp (with multiple baby shrimp). I don't know but 1 scallop for a near $50 spaghetti dish that has "Scallop" in the name is cheap... just my honest opinion. I can let that go though, as the second reason was more disappointing. The dish itself was incredibly salty. We found that the pasta itself (and not the sauce) was salty which perhaps was a mistake on the chef's end. It is very reasonable to assume that everyone's salt tolerance is different, but given that my 12 year old nephew found the dish salty (which my sister and myself proceeded to agree with after trying his dish), I think that's a red flag given my nephew loves pasta and is already learning how to cook for himself...

Unfortunately, our waitress did not give us a discount on our bill which I presume is customary especially with high-end restaurants that take great pride in their food. For that alone, my final review will be 4 stars as opposed to 5. Honest mistakes such as overly salty pasta happen and that's okay with me personally. But I think compensation or at least a small discount would demonstrate that you care about your customers.

Summary: -I Highly recommend the Gnocchi (soft, mellow, relaxing dish) and Branzino (rich flavour profile from the sauce) -Beware of the Shrimp and Scallop Spaghetti (pasta may be salty, and you may only receive 1 scallop for a near $50 dish) -Compensation (e.g., discounts on the bill) may not be given even if a dish is unsatisfactory...

I have been to Spencer's at the waterfront numerous times. I've done 3 buffet experiences & dine in off the regular menu. I have enjoyed the food & service but this Mothers day was not so good and the decline definitely shows.

We had a 3pm reservation for the special mother's day brunch and were seated in a booth literally past the kitchen in the back and the booth was filthy. I won't even describe the stepped on food beside the booth which staff were just walking by without picking up. I asked for another table which then we were given one right above the step & walk way where my dad kept having to get up or move his chair when someone wanted to get by. It was such a tight squeeze someone knocked over the vase and it broke all over the floor. I'm not sure why there was a table there to begin with? However we saw someone clean off the table behind us and asked to move again and she was kind enough to assist.

The food would've been better if, like in the past, there was staff checking and replenishing sauces, tongs, etc. It's not very appetizing to see dirty utensils and condiments. Food was also not hot and alot of the item's were really cold specifically the mash potato's & waffles. However there was alot of good variety and they did change out the omelet station to a taco bar & brought out sliders too which was very good.

We paid $80 + taxes per head which was advertised to include the brunch buffet & bottomless mimosas, ceasars, beer, & wine. However our server when we were ordering another round said it's a 3 drink per person limit and he was "letting it slide" but the bartender noticed it's gone over the limit and this would be the last one. I was surprised because nowhere did it mention a 3 drink per person limit? I've also been here multiple times for their special brunches including the one in March for Easter & there was no issues.

I spoke to a manager by the name of Ben who confirmed it was to be bottomless and he was unsure why our server wasn't aware of this. He apologized but that was it. We did mention we paid our bill because we didn't want any freebies for the brunch as it was for mother's day but he never asked for the servers name, nor ours, and said he would put a note on our reservation but never asked for our phone number. So we doubt anything was done.

This may be our last time at Spencer's which makes me sad as it was always a great spot to celebrate a...

This review is going to be a 2 part review. One to review their restaurant side and the other part to review their event space side.

First the restaurant. We’ve eaten here multiple times and have enjoyed all the food we’ve had here! Staff are very nice and service is great! They always check up on you to ensure you’re doing alright and ensure water is always topped up. There’s a patio outside and some private booth seating on the inside leading to the washrooms in the back. Highly recommend Spencer’s for their food and also their views!

Ok, onto the event space side. They have a smaller space called the Solarium and is great for cocktail hour for an event like a wedding or a corporate one. The main space is called the Observatory and its space just takes your breath away! The view of the lake with their ceiling to floor windows is just so amazing, words can’t describe. The space fits 120 seated, which I was shocked at because from the outside, it looks smaller than it really is. I fell in love with this space and had to have our wedding here, which we did :)

The only critical feedback I have is 1. If you look to the left, you see a lot of people in the park area and it’s not as serene as if you look straight to the lake (obviously it’s not something the venue can control at all, but just something to note). 2. The washrooms for wedding guests are located downstairs which is open to the public until 6 or 7pm and if you decide to do your wedding during the summer months there, the washroom floors get super wet from all the the people using the splash pad or playgrounds outside. It’s definitely not conducive for wedding dresses that have a train or any nice evening dresses. I was advised to not use the bathroom downstairs so I had to use the restaurant one. This is the only thing I was a bit disappointed about this venue, and felt bad for my guests that had to share a bathroom with the public.

The food was absolutely amazing, and tasted exactly the same as our tasting which was super awesome. We kept getting positive feedback from guests on how delicious the food was and also about the service from the staff. Shout out to Ben who was our on site manager for the night and his team that made the evening super smooth.

Definitely a 👍🏻 and highly recommend this venue for your every day meal or a...