The Port House Social Bar & Kitchen Burlington — Restaurant in Burlington

We visited The Port House on Sunday evening after a lovely stroll at Burlington Spencer Smith Park with my parents and my 3 young kids (ages 2.5 adn 6 and an infant). unfortunately, our experience at this restaurant was extremely disappointing.

When we received our bill, we were surprised to find a gratuity charge automatically added. When we inquired, the waitress explained it’s their policy for parties of six or more. However, it was baffling because our group consisted of 4 adults and 2 small children — clearly not a party of six adults. Nowhere in the menu handed to us at the restaurant was this policy mentioned. When we asked to speak with a manager, a man (who didn't wear a name tag or even introduce himself) approached us claiming to be the manager.

His attitude was shockingly unprofessional and dismissive. Instead of listening to our concern, he rudely cut me off mid-sentence, insisting the policy was listed on their online menu. Frankly, when you stop by a place for a quick family dinner after a walk, you don’t expect to have to scour their website for hidden policies. It should be clearly communicated at the table or on the in-house menu.

What made it worse was how this manager spoke to us — lacking basic courtesy, empathy, or any sense of hospitality. We weren't trying to avoid tipping; in fact, we had planned to tip generously because our waitress was kind. But this automatic gratuity, combined with subpar service (the food took quite a long time, including from the kids' menu), and this manager’s unacceptable behavior left a very bitter taste.

We’ve dined at countless well-known restaurants in Canada and the U.S., and never once have our toddlers been counted as ‘adults’ for gratuity purposes. It’s utterly unreasonable.

Needless to say, we won’t be returning to The Port House, nor would we recommend it to anyone. Management at this place needs a serious lesson in basic customer service and hospitality if they wish to stay in this business. A disappointing end to what was otherwise a beautiful family evening.

REPLY TO THE OWNER: Thank you for your response, but I’m disappointed by the way this situation is being handled — especially being publicly accused of lying, which is completely unnecessary and unprofessional.

To clarify once again: when we raised this issue at the restaurant, your manager specifically told us the gratuity policy is listed only on the online menu, and at no point was it shown to us on any physical menu. Had it been clearly presented, this entire situation could have been avoided. It’s unreasonable for your team to dismiss a legitimate concern from a customer this way, rather than using it as an opportunity to improve clarity and service.

We never refused to pay our bill — what we questioned was the automatically added gratuity, especially as it counted a 2.5-year-old and a 6-year-old as adults, which is highly unusual. Accusing us of “threats” is a gross mischaracterization. We expressed our concern respectfully and voiced our disagreement with the charge.

The review was written not out of malice, but to inform other families and diners of our experience, so they are not caught off-guard in a similar way. It’s unfortunate your response chooses to attack rather than address the real issue: inconsistent communication of your policy and poor handling by your management.

I hope this feedback will be taken constructively, and that your team is better trained in the future to handle such situations with professionalism...

We made a reservation weeks in advance for our family of 12 to celebrate our mother’s 70th birthday, hoping for a memorable evening. Unfortunately, the experience was a major disappointment from start to finish. Upon arrival, we found that only paid parking was available and, due to Ribfest, the lot was full of non-restaurant guests. We spent a frustrating amount of time driving around with three vehicles trying to find parking.

We had booked this restaurant specifically for the view from the patio, which we did get, but that was about the only highlight. Service was painfully slow, drinks took forever, and we ended up ordering both appetizers and mains right away just to avoid further delays. Despite that, there were multiple issues with our order: several dishes were incorrect and had to be returned, and two meals, one of them my mother's, were completely missed. By the time they arrived, the rest of the table’s food had been sitting out too long, and we had already started sharing our meals just so everyone could eat.

The server was polite and apologetic, but the overall coordination was lacking. The billing process was also a mess, each bill had multiple errors, with items charged to the wrong guests. It took three tries to get things sorted, which only added to the frustration.

On top of all this, the men’s washroom was flooded, so disgusting. When my brother brought it to the manager’s attention, he was brushed off and nothing was done to address it. This kind of conditions in a restaurant and the response from management is unacceptable. If this is how the visible areas are maintained, it raises serious concerns about cleanliness and management in the areas we can’t see—like the kitchen.

We were hoping to celebrate a special milestone, but instead left feeling frustrated and disappointed. We will not be returning.

I think the manager/owners response to my review is a clear indication of why the restaurant reviews are so poor and why there are unsatisfied customers. Maybe listen to the feedback rather than be rude and defensive. Also, you don't need to wave a wand to get a plumber, plumbers are available 24 hours a day, you just didn't want to pay for someone to come out on a...

I don’t typically leave reviews, but my experience here was so bad I have to. I had friends visiting from out of town and we wanted to go for a nice dinner by the water. Unfortunately the view and location is the only highlight of The Port House.

To start, we were taken to our table and someone who worked at the restaurant was sitting at our table on his phone.

This place seems to have more staff working than people inside the restaurant, but good luck trying to find someone to help you or come check on the table. It seems the staff is more concerned about flirting with each other than doing their jobs. The whole time we were there we felt uncomfortable with their touchy interactions with each other. No one came to check on us at any point during our meal aside from taking our order and bringing the food.

We placed our food and drink orders at the same time, and it took nearly 20 minutes before our drinks came out. Our water was not refilled during this time, we had to chase down someone who worked there to bring us a jug.

When our food finally came out, my friends steak was cooked completely wrong. Because no one was checking in on our table, we again had to go and find the manager to get the steak fixed. They remade the meal but unfortunately it took so long to come out again that everyone else had finished eating and my friend was left eating alone.

When our meals first came out, there was no cutlery on the table and when we asked, we were advised they were out of rolled cutlery and it would be just a couple minutes. This is after nearly 50 minutes after we first sat down and they still didn’t have cutlery ready.

For the amount that this place charges, the service was abysmal and the food was very mediocre. The bathrooms were in bad shape, there was no soap and one of the toilets wouldn’t stop flushing. Even waiting for our bill took 20 minutes.

To make matters worse, they had us sitting near the front of the restaurant and a DJ was setting up around 9pm.

I will never return to this place and would encourage everyone to avoid. We should have left after the first 20 minutes, there are so many better options for what you’ll...