That Little Place By The Lights — Restaurant in District Municipality of Muskoka

After seeing this place featured on “You Gotta Eat Here” we decided to drive out to Huntsville from Toronto get some take out and try it out. Right off the bat the customer service was lacking in a big way as it was highly awkward (a man and woman just standing behind the counter not interacting with us at all) to be honest the people working in the place were not the friendliest (05/14/21 around 3:45pm) - basically said here’s a menu and then stood there watching us with little to no interaction. We opened the menus and stated reviewing them and as I flipped to the insert the woman said “ that’s the lunch menu and it’s not available now”. Weird - since the place was empty that you would think they would have had the time to remove them for the menu for customer service purposes. Once we placed our order ($85) we looked at the frozen offerings to take home and we were then told by the woman working there (tall, thin with short brown hair) that we could exit at the back and wait for our food to be prepared at the tables out back. She didn’t even ask if we had questions regarding the frozen items we wanted to purchase. So we decided against making a large frozen purchase as we felt like we were not being treated well (my husband felt that there were some racist undertones to our treatment). So we waited outside for 10 mins and then I went back in to pick up our order. Once I was inside there were 3 other customers which seemed to be locals picking up their orders and there was a lot of chatting with those customers. When I was given my order it was pretty cut and dry and I even told the woman we drove in as we saw them featured on said TV show and she really didn’t seem to care. Again, very unwelcoming and unfriendly service to non locals. For the food: the bruschetta was pretty bland, there was no seasoning at all. Gnocchi in rose sauce was very good - they were fresh and light but portion in the take out container was small. Lasagne was very good - meat sauce was tasty but the portion in the take out container was small. Tiramisu was tasty, still frozen in the middle which was disappointing - take out should be ready to eat. Overall the food was good but the service left A LOT to be desired therefore I don’t recommend making an effort to visit this place. It’s too bad because we wanted to love it but it just goes to show how much of an impact customer service has on providing a great dining experience, regardless if the food is...

As much as I would love to leave a review about the food or service, my review is based on the experience my family had today at Little Place By The Lights.

When we arrived we were seated at a table directly across from the front counter. After ordering our drinks and our meals we noticed that several of the staff coming up from the kitchen downstairs had there masks pulled down around thier chin or were not wearing a mask at all. We then noticed that the manager was wearing his mask under his chin when speaking to customers coming in the door and answering the phone. The waiter preparing the drinks was also not wearing a mask.

When the waitress came over to our table to tell us our food would be right out I asked "I noticed your staff coming up from the kitchen are not wearing masks and are handling food. Can I ask you why?" The waitress responded with "its really hot in here and we are doing the best we can. Don't worry though, we are all vaccinated" I then responded with "we are too but unfortunately our 4 year old son is not able to get a vaccine and even if we are vaccinated we can still pass covid to people who are not vaccinated." The waitress then responded with "well the people sitting at the table behind you aren't wearing masks either" to which my wife responded with " yes, but they are over 6 feet away and they aren't handling our food. We all have to follow covid protocol even if it is hot in the restaurant." We were then told again "well we are doing our best".

The sad part about this is doing your best, at a minimum would be to wear your mask. If something as simple as wearing masks while handling food is not being followed then what other covid protocols are not being followed.

This is a shame as we have been to this restaurant several times in the past but we will no longer be dining here.

Little Place By The Lights, please start taking the health and safety of others...

We’ve been cottaging in Muskoka every summer for years, and this restaurant has become a regular stop for our family — and for good reason.

Pros: The food is fantastic. Every dish we’ve tried over the years has been consistently delicious, fresh, and full of flavor. The quality is high, and the prices reflect that without being over the top. It’s the kind of place you look forward to coming back to — and we do, several times per week, over 3 weeks, each summer. Kid-approved. Our kids love it here too, which is always a win when dining as a family. It’s one of the few places where everyone leaves full and happy.

Cons: Service can be slow. We’ve learned to be patient here, especially during peak times, but it’s worth noting. Don’t come in a rush — this is more of a “slow down and enjoy” type of place. No visible kids’ menu. This is one of my biggest pet peeves. The kids’ options exist, but there’s no menu to look at — the server just lists the choices. As a parent, I like to see the options written out, especially when dining with picky eaters or trying to make quick decisions at the table. Staff friendliness is hit or miss. Most of the servers are lovely and welcoming, but we’ve had a few encounters where the service felt a bit cold or disinterested. In particular, the manager doesn’t come across as warm or friendly — we’ve visited regularly for the past five summers, and not once have we been greeted with a smile. It’s not a dealbreaker, but definitely noticeable.

Overall:

Despite a few service quirks, the food is what keeps us coming back — it really is that good. We’ll continue to visit every summer because it’s one of the best spots in the area for quality, well-prepared meals that the whole family enjoys. Just be prepared for a more laid-back pace and don’t expect a warm welcome from...