The Canadian Icehouse — Restaurant in Edmonton

We've been to this patio a couple of times, having just discovered it. Love the atmosphere! We've come not in the evening, but for lunches on a hot afternoon, when the place has been pretty empty, staying until the corporate parties arrive in the late afternoon. The food has always been great. Service is hit and miss, often very slow, even when we are the only customers on the patio. We suspect this is due to under-staffing, which is a managerial problem, not an issue with specific staff members.

Details: ... We ordered wings - perfect and crispy, but very expensive if it isn't wing-special day. ... Same menu items (drinks and food) sold out both times. ... Service is hit and miss and usually on the very slow side. Most servers are great, one had attitude to the point where she couldn't be bothered even bringing customers menus (more below). Don't come to this place if you are in a rush over the lunch hour, as often only 1-2 staff are looking after this large patio. Surprising how much time will pass before you see your server again, but if it's a warm afternoon, you're in no hurry, and are enjoying a drink, then it's fine. ... There is an elevator directly up to this patio, so you don't have to take all those stairs unless you really want to. But that cuts into time on this warm patio, so take the elevator. ... Lots of umbrellas, tables overlooking Rogers Place plaza, nice shady places by the garden wall to enjoy the heat without the sun in your eyes. ... Fair Warning - We were one of only 2 occupied tables on the patio. While ordering, and the server is still standing at your table talking to everyone, if you decide to change your drink order to something else, even though the server had never walked away from your table yet, it is very likely the server already pressed "Send" (or "Submit") on her iPad as soon as you gave it. This happened to us where one of our party ordered a drink, a moment later heard what someone else was having, and asked the server to change their order to that drink, too. Server said "OK" then walked away, nothing else said. The server later returned to the table with BOTH drinks - the initial drink which should have been cancelled and the subsequent ordered drink. The server unapologetically told the customer that she pressed "Send" the moment the customer finished ordering, not after the server walked away from the table after taking everyone's orders. The server had not warned the customer at the time of changing the order that the initial drink order had already been submitted and was likely already being prepared. The server said she didn't get back to the bar soon enough to stop the cancelled drink (can't cancel a drink on her iPad while still at the table?) and the bar already made it, so the customer had to pay for both drinks. (No problem, just reduce the server's tip by the cost of that drink, and maybe she'll not press "Send" until after all ordering is concluded and she's left the table.) ... The first time we went to this patio, we were given menus. The second time, a server with attitude told us we could look up the menus ourselves by scanning a QR code from a used coaster on the table. I was with an older person who had only a flip phone. The patio was pretty empty at 1:30pm, but the server didn't feel like bringing menus. If we were not already committed to enjoying a shady part of this rooftop patio on a hot afternoon, we would have

• WALKED OUT *.

Final Word: Great food and atmosphere. Management, hire more servers, esp as we don't have long summers, nor a lot of great huge rooftop patios to enjoy in a short time, if our summer weather is good. Service is slow anyway, so servers shouldn't rush an order in before she has even left the table, thus charging a customer for two drinks instead of warning him in advance that she might not be able to cancel it if she doesn't race to the bar soon enough? The server certainly didn't hurry back...

On Game three of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final my friend was going to the Ice House for the meet & greet with Biz and Ryan Whitney making an appearance there before the game. I told him I’ll tag along as I was already going to the Moss Pitt so I thought I’d join him here first. It was my first time ever in the ice house and at first it was a an exciting and welcoming atmosphere. As we waited in the line to enter the ice house the man you see in this photo attached requested the first 20 people to come inside to stand on the stairs on the icehouse to welcome in Bizz, Whitney, and the others. We were part of the first 20 so we did that and cheered loud for when the whole gang entered. Once that was done we assumed were aloud to stay in now but the guy in the photo was yelling at me and my friend saying you guys yes were needed to welcome then in but now you have to go back and wait out in the line again. We were like what because he also said if you want to come in for the meet and greet you need to get a table first and we both were like what why. We weren’t even gonna eat in the restaurant all we were gonna do is wanting their signatures and then head out to the Moss Pitt. So we went back out in the line and luckily it was short. We forcibly got a table and we both were like to the waitress we don’t even want food or to watch the game here. All we want is to get their signatures then leave. The man again in the photo kept saying with an aggressive tone to us their gonna go around to each table but they didn’t do that. When we walked up to the area where others where standing to get theirs photos and autographs him and his tall other worker kept yelling at us we need this space clear and they will come to your table but they didn’t do that still. So again we say back at our table and we waited and they still hadn’t moved to go around to tables. The guy again in the photo walked past our table and I kindly asked are you sure they’re going around to the tables and he looked at my so Rudley and spoke to me aggressively and me alone saying YES just wait. I had enough of waiting and of being treated horribly by the guy in this photo. I told my friend you stay longer if you want which he did since he really wanted Bizz signature. I just left and headed out to the Moss Pitt. The servers were kind to me but the man in the photo was very rude to me. I can’t guarantee I’ll be back here again after the kind of attitude and disrespect I got from him. Did I forget to mention he at one point even said I may even have to kick you guys out. That’s not...

Not one to leave reviews but yesterday night was a complete waste of time and money.

We came here Friday night and the service was good, food was good, atmosphere was good, and it’s an incredible view. Our server was great and had some good recommendations. We just moved in next door and were really hoping this would become our go-to spot.

Came back the next night (Saturday) and everything was completely off from the moment we got there. We arrived shortly before midnight, 80% of the patio was already closed, tables wiped down, chairs stacked. We asked about a booth and we’re told those are already closed (on one of the 2 nights they’re open till 2 AM?) we opted for one of the table’s instead.

There was security walking around dropping tables and chairs right next to you, cleaning up the remaining tables that were open — quite literally right next to you, to the point where your table and chair is shaking. We felt like we were in the way and since another table had opened up we asked to move there.

At this point, we’ve been here 30+ minutes, have been served 1 drink each. When we went to sit by the fire pit, the propane was empty, so the fire didn’t work, we were told someone would replace it, over the next 1+ hour no one came.

We were there for nearly 2 hours, waited over 40 minutes for our drinks to be refilled, at which point our food was ice cold. One of the servers told us our drinks were in the queue, but there was quite literally 5-6 other tables occupied and we ordered beer on tap and a caeser.

The table next to us was walking to the bar to get their own drinks refilled, we weren’t given cutlery so had to go and collect our own… we left more than half of our food behind and ended up cutting our night short. Our second round of drinks was delivered at the same time as our bill.

Very disappointed in the service and overall experience. I’ve worked in hospitality myself and completely understand longer wait times but to be understaffed on one of the 2 nights you're open late, every single person there seemed like they would rather be anywhere else than there and then to not do anything to offer to make the situation better… an underwhelming $80 spent

There were multiple parties leaving ahead of us that came inside to ask for their bill because they seemed tired of waiting and we heard complaints of others outside about what a negative experience they had.

All in all, we...