Sims Corner Steakhouse & Oyster Bar — Restaurant in Charlottetown

I am incredibly shocked and disappointed at the DISCRIMINATORY experience myself and my partner just had at this establishment.

We came in for a seat on the patio on a busy Thursday evening, and when we asked the waiter inside about seating without a reservation she took a quick peek inside (which seemed half-hearted and disgenuine) and said that they have no seating inside and the patio seats were first-come-first-served. We understood completely as it was a busy evening.

This restaurant also has patio seating on the side of the building, and after turning the corner we saw a table being cleared. We asked the waitress cleaning the table if the seats were available - assuming they were, since the patio was first-come-first-served. She said likely yes, as the tables are available as they clear. When I went inside and asked the waiter and waitress at the seating podium whether this table was available, the waitress rolled her eyes and made a distasteful sound with her lips. The man thought for said a second and then said that the table was taken, as they had people inside waiting for the patio table outside. He also said that the wait for us would be 45 minutes.

We were not given the option of waiting inside for a patio table. We were spoken to flippantly. And when we arrived, I did see one of the waitresses look my partner over - almost indicating that his jeans and shirt weren't the norm for a customer at this restaurant. We are South Asian, and from a visual scan it seemed that most of the clientele were caucasian and of a certain socio-economic status, with all the waiting staff being caucasian as well.

To be fully honest, we felt based on our interactions that we were discriminated against based on the way we looked...and we would not recommend this place. When we see people treat customers poorly in times of high volume, it is a good inducator for a restaurant that is unorganized and unable to manage their operations.

The story ends well, with the incredible staff at The Gahan House right beside this restaurant!!! Would...

I never knew I liked seafood until dinner at Sims. Whether you’re a seafood hater, steak lover, or anything in between Sims has the perfect meal for you. We have a family of five diverse eaters, each with a different pallet, so I’ve included each below for your reference.

Teen, delicate pallet, and eats nothing but pasta: The oysters were my appetizer, and as a first time eater, they were delicious. From the Kalamari to the Steakhouse burger, service met taste to craft the best meal I’ve ever had. Recommend the Steakhouse burger and Seafood.

Older kid, average pallet, eats lots of steak and broccoli: The kalamari was my appetizer. It was cooked just right and had the right amount of spice. Sauce was good gives a burst of spice. My first time having oysters. I am not a big fan of oysters but my dad and sister said it was really good. My mom is not a big fan either but she really likes it. The fish was amazing and was a little crispy on the outside with the nice hot inside. I would recommend the Sims for dinner.

Younger Kid, average to delicate pallet, eats a variety: She had an appetizer of fruit from the kids menu, and loved the taste, had two servings! For the main meal she had Mac and cheese. Now, she’s the kind of Mac and cheese eater that like her meal specific way. Homemade, the right way, you know the deal. We weren’t expecting much, but when she rated it a nine out of ten, we were impressed.

Dad, can eat everything, has great spice tolerance: Oysters were the best he’s ever had, fresh and scrumptious. His main meal was filet minion, and he was in love with the taste and tenderness. Would recommend the filet minion. In his words, “this is how a meal should be.”

Mom, average spice tolerance: Likes the oysters and enjoyed the wine. Had mussels as her main and says they were ok, however we’re outshined by the rest of the meal and wouldn’t recommend. Says the ceasrer salad was amazing and the seafood blew her away.

Wait time: 30 minutes Service: Excellent and great waiter told us what to do on the island as well....

First time eaters. Im giving this a 3 but its more like a 3.5 - not quire 4. It was a nice enough meal for a pricey steakhouse. The good - lovely intimate seating, top notch service, very fresh oysters, solid menu and wine list, very good cocktails, pleasant cheese selection from local producers. The not so good - I like a pricey steakhouse and dont mind paying for top quality - but if you are going to offer me a $125 dollar cast iron chateaubriand for 2 - it should be a little more "flash" than just placing your cool rested red meat on a cold cast iron display pan. If the cast iron doesnt play a part - then just a nice serving tray please. It was a properly cooked piece of meat - but it lost temperature too fast and having it presliced before it arrives at the table didnt help with that either. Also the plates that come with said meat should not be lukewarm at best - with lukewarm and congealed garlic mashed and lukewarm zucchini. Bernaise sauce was cool - so not very pleasant to enjoy with red meat. The interior while cozy is bordering on becoming very dated and drab. The paintings in our area were just gross - splatters of brown and black that looked more like wood shop accidents than art on a brick wall with dusty velvet curtains behind us. Dusty might be the best descriptive term you could imagine for the experience. I think this place could use a shakedown and it would notch up the overall quality...