The Oar Restaurant — Restaurant in District Municipality of Muskoka

Visited last night (June 16, 2022) for dinner, with my fiancé. We ordered the Spinach Artichoke appetizer served with char-grilled naan points and what appeared to be “house-made” tortilla chips. The portion size was very respectable and the freshness and quality were exactly as expected, although we felt the quantity of chips (not the dip) could have been slightly increased. We ordered 2 Blueberry Mojotos, which were garnished with fresh mint and a tasty lime slice. Both were delicious. We both ordered the Gnocchi with Butternut Squash and Bacon, Parmesan cream sauce garnished in fresh herbs which was absolutely out of this world. The SIZE of the portion of our Gnocchi left ME somewhat wanting, but the quality was exquisite. My fiancé thought her portion was just right. We declined to have dessert as they only had one slice of the carrot cake remaining. No fault of their own, probably just sold out, as the place was relatively well attended for an early Thursday evening (around 5PM). They had “live—music”, a man playing guitar and singing who was a little loud (presumably over amplified) but was very talented as guitarists go. Our hostess was pleasant and promptly seated us at a comfortable enough table, but our server was either new to serving, or didn’t really want to be there last night, as she made everything seem it was an inconvenience, when we could find her. Given the QUALITY of the food (very high), more than the portion sizes (slightly below average), the price point is what we expected, but could deter some people, especially during these hard financial times for most. We would VERY LIKELY go again, because they nailed almost everything that is actually important in running a good restaurant.

UPDATE: (June 23, 2022). Had a repeat visit tonight with my fiancé. The food was again, FANTASTIC, having the Spring Wrap, Haddock Fish and Chips and another Spinach Artichoke Appetizer. We also tried the Double Chocolate house-made brownie for dessert. Our (not the same as our previous visit) server (Christina) was leaps and bounds better than our initial visit. She was absolutely “on point”. This place...

I think, this is a totally OK place to visit, if you do not mind a few things. We just came in for a quick pint and a snack and ended up paying $70 (including tip), for this quick visit. So, be mindful of what you are doing, in case you live on a budget, like most people in this area. This place is somewhat a hybrid between a pub and a family restaurant, meaning, if you do not like screaming children interrupting your date over a beer, this may not be the place to go to. If you have children and want to go out for a beer and think it's a wonderful idea to have your children with you for this occasion, then this IS the place to go to. It is probably unique that way. One half of the pub/restaurant has a lot of wonderful daylight, while the other half is pub-like dimmed down and is lit by lights. But first, the positive side of our experience: The had a warm, very friendly welcome and were seated right away. The waitress for our table was very accommodating, personal and helpful. The atmosphere inside was between functional and homey. 12beers on tap are definitely a plus. So, here is the reason, why I did not rate this place higher: The portions of our food were quite small. So consider them a snack. But the prices are that of a full blown restaurant main course. My cauliflower pizza was about 1/8" thick, had sparsely put "decorations" on it, and the outer 3" was hard to a crisp. I am saying too much. The soup of the day was good and could be found at the bottom of a huge soup plate. So, study the pictures and the menu with it's prices. They are right here in the pictures and ask yourself whether this all OK with you, or whether you prefer a different surrounding with different food...

I have no idea how this restaurant has received so many good reviews, almost 5 stars! It is a 3 star at best. My partner and I decided to stop by on our way through the Muskokas for lunch, this decision was made primarily because of the good reviews, and the fact that they serve local craft beers. We are not picky eaters, but we do expect to get a reasonably prepared meal when we are paying for it.

It was Thursday late afternoon before dinner rush, not too many patrons (2-3 tables). The menu has a great selection, a lot of variety in meals with ingredients that appeared to be well-considered to provide a unique taste experience. Although someone has previously written that the prices are reasonable, I felt that they were a little expensive for a pub environment. Anyway, our waitress was courteous but not very attentive and was a bit slow-moving. There was a party of 5 seated after us, and she ended up taking their food orders before ours. This is despite the fact that we had put our menu away for quite some time. I ordered the Poutine while my partner ordered the Crispy Caesar Wrap with sweet potato fries. Both of our meals came cold, more specifically the fries, even though our plates were hot... it was a little odd. We requested that they be reheated and the waitress did not seem very pleased or apologetic at all. We sucked it up and ate our meals, despite feeling unhappy that we had to give this restaurant our money for poor service and okay food. We paid our bill, and did not even receive a thank you or acknowledgement when we did leave. Let me reiterate, I have no idea how this restaurant has received so many good reviews, almost 5 stars! It is a 3...