Continental Treat Fine Bistro — Restaurant in Edmonton

We had a reservation made for weeks prior, for a special occasion and went to the Whyte Avenue Continental as booked, only to find it closed and seemingly under construction or renovation. A paper on the window told us to phone the downtown restaurant on Jasper which we did, and we're told that we should go to that location instead. They made no explanation to why we weren't contacted for the change of venue which was highly inconvenient and very unprofessional. And it was getting late and we were pretty hungry. Because it was a special occasion we felt we still wanted to celebrate and since we had been to the Whyte Avenue restaurant we knew the food was good. After dodging downtown construction, we finally made it to the restaurant. We soon discovered it was a gluten-free restaurant in that location, to us which means bland and tasteless. And that it was. Especially for the prices that you pay. The wine was fine but expensive and the complimentary cake for the birthday boy was, admittedly, delicious. However, the rest of the pricey meals were just adequate. And the portions were dismally small. The schnitzel we ordered was fairly big granted, but it was mostly batter with precious little meat inside. And it was unceremoniously slapped on top of a few McCain's looking fries and a tablespoon of red cabbage. The salmon was good but looked rather lonely in the bowl it was presented in if you know what I mean. Not much to the dish. The garlic bread was simply small loaf of toasted brown bread slathered in what I assume to be a pseudo-garlicky, gluten-free butter. It sat like a lump of lard in my stomach. I could go on but I think you get the gist of things. The seating that we were given was by a big window that looked into the kitchen area and staff sitting area with a bulletin board full of paper etc. and where staff was boxing glasses etc. Hardly charming. I was apprehensive in what the bathroom may have in store for me and as expected, it was dingey and McDonald's quality. Actually, that's not true... McDonald's bathrooms were brighter and far more fancy. To be fair, it was the staff bathroom (located right where many patrons that are eating see you go in and come out) but apparently the only other bathrooms are down a set of stairs, and I walk with a cane and simply cannot do stairs. So I had to opt for the staff bathroom that was not actually marked Staff. But I clued in when I read the sign on the wall that asked the Staff to make sure they washed their hands. Hallelujah! On a more positive note, our server was delightful and made our night more enjoyable considering our disappointment. She deserved a generous tip and got it, and the entire meal came in just under $200 for four people, one who just had an entree. Needless to say we will never go back, but for people who appreciate and enjoy gluten-free food, it might be perfect for you. But a bit of advice, do not look through the window to the kitchen as you may find some of the staff picking something out of their teeth, wiping a bare hand on a sweaty brow, looking like they were very unhappy or deathly bored, or some other unsavory and unappetizing display. Just a...

I have been a patron of (Whyte Ave) Continental Treat for many years (15 plus.) I had my first visit at the downtown location recently. The new location had a pleasant atmosphere and was more spacious that the original. I have to say that my introduction to the new and now only location gave me somewhat of an existential crisis. My go to for many years has been the tartar. I have had tartar at almost every resturant that I've been to that has had it on the menu. I have been all over the world and tried many different variations over the years. The one I always come back to is continental treat. It has always been my favorite (Whyte Ave). Though the occasional difference in consistency every now and then I always have known just what to expect. Not even remotely the the most upscaled version Ive had, but perfect it almost every way to me. Bold and heavily seasoned. It has been a regular meal at least once a month as long as I can remember. Anytime I've not felt like cooking it has been one of the first things to pop in my head as an option.

Unfortunately, based on my last experience here it looks like my last birthday will be the the final time I got to experience the nostalgic dish that started my worldwide tartar journey. I will not try to offend the kitchen staff of this location by saying that it was awful, it was not. It by no means though, even remotely compares to what I have been used to for so many years. I understand that with change and new staff menus sometimes change as a result. I will try not to go soley off emotion and give a review suitable to reflect it. I am saddened to say however, that I think this will no longer be one of my go to resturants any longer. Nothing lasts forever I suppose. I will look back fondly on my dinners throughout the years at continental treat. It has been with me through many changes in my life, celebrations and the times that I just needed a comfort through the times that had me looking to the past. The times where though maybe there wasn't much to look forward to, all I had to do was pick a date and look forward to our usual comfort meal. Thankyou for being a staple throughout the years but I think this is where we part....

Very disappointed- went to celebrate our anniversary. At the door we were greeted with a conversation between 2 workers as to what table to give us. When they took us to the table it was dirty and so we were told to wait while they cleaned it. He came back with a rag and two plates with cutlery. He tried to wipe the table but the cloth he was using was obviously dry so the table remained greasy (you could see it) so he put the clean plates down and went to get another cloth while we stood there. Hmm so unprofessional. When he returned he wiped parts of the table and we had to ask him to please wipe it entirely. He left us with dinner menus and said our server would be over with a drink list. We waited awhile before she dropped off the drink list - no introduction. Brought us water and we ordered a bottle of wine as well as an appetizer. Another sever brought the appetizer and they were not impressive. The garlic prawns were extremely small and tasteless although they were swimming in some sort of oil with a grilled lemon on the side. The bread had caraway seeds which I have an allergy to but they had no replacement. The beet salad had only red beets with minimal splash of olive oil. Ordered our mains - chicken schnitzel with pan fried potatoes and sauce (which you pay extra for). When our meal arrived 9 tables were empty but full of dirty dishes and glasses with no one rushing to clean them. Not impressive to eat among dirty tables. The food was 2/5 - chicken was cold, 4 slices of potatoe which really weren’t pan fried and the veggies were a small portion of shredded beets and carrots best part of the meal.By the time we were done the tables still remained dirty - absolutely no one making an effort to clean them. Awful site to try and eat staring at empty tables full of leftover food on plates etc. The music was extremely loud so that was not enjoyable to try and have a conversation. Bottom line we won’t...