Shoreland Bar & Restaurant — Restaurant in Georgina

Negative Review of Shoreland Bar and Restaurant, Keswick

On September 15, 2025, my friend and I visited Shoreland Bar and Restaurant around 10:20 PM, hoping for a quick drink before closing. The experience was frustrating, unprofessional, and left us feeling unsafe, falling far short of the hospitality and fairness expected from any establishment.

Upon entering the empty bar, we were greeted by staff members Donald and Brent, who recommended two cans of Budweiser. Instead of serving us downstairs, they suggested we move upstairs where they were hanging out, stating it helped them feel like they were "watching the bar." This prioritized their convenience over our comfort.

Once upstairs, Donald asked us to help move and level a pool table, a task that took 10–15 minutes of physical effort. Notably, Brent was absent for the first 5–10 minutes, leaving just Donald, my friend, and me to handle the heavy lifting. While we obliged out of courtesy, it was inappropriate to enlist paying customers for such labor. Donald then encouraged us to play pool for cash, which we declined, choosing to settle our bill and leave. The two Budweiser cans cost $12.43...

The situation escalated when we tried to leave. Driving separately to the exit, we found the gate locked, trapping us in the parking lot and making me feel deeply unsafe. We walked back to the bar to find Donald, who accompanied us to the gate but then asked my friend for tools to pry open the lock. I was appalled—customers shouldn’t be asked to solve a staff oversight, especially in a situation that compromises their sense of security. I refused to provide tools and demanded he find the person responsible for locking the gate. Eventually, Donald manually pushed the lock through a fence opening to let us out, but the ordeal was aggravating and avoidable.

This experience lacked the respect, care, and responsibility any establishment should show its patrons. Being asked to perform physical tasks (with one staff member absent for part of it), overcharged for drinks, and then locked in a parking lot where I felt unsafe reflects poor management and disregard for customers. I expected a welcoming environment but encountered inconvenience and unprofessionalism. I won’t return and strongly advise others to avoid Shoreland Bar...

My name is Susi and my husband, a friend and I came to see the band play on Saturday and have a bite to eat.

The band was great! The atmosphere on the patio was nice.

But the service was horrendous.

1. the fellow who came to take our order was wearing a ripped shirt, and he didn’t smell to good.

2. he asked to take our order but not bring us menus.

3. he then brought us menus, but never came back to get our order. There were 5 tables on the patio, but not all occupied.

4. I finally went into the restaurant to place our order. The waiter took a solid 5 minutes to write down our order.

5. I presented a coupon that was part of a sales campaign. A pamphlet was purchased from a door to door sales person. It was 20.00 and had a variety of coupons for all sorts of Georgina restaurants.

The coupon did not have any restrictions on it. Coupon was for buy one beef burger with fries and get the second beef burger with fries for free.

When the waiter presented the coupon to the owner? You, the chef… not sure. I was told it was too busy to accept the coupon. And that I was welcome to come back on Sunday to use it. Why would I do that ?? I was there on Saturday!

I agreed to just let the whole coupon thing go. As our table was getting really hungry.

42 minutes later, the two beef burger plates arrived. The food was fine. I waited another 25 minutes for my food. Nachos and onion rings. The nachos were pretty good. But the onion rings were burnt. And inedible.

So I had to sit through my husband and friend while they ate their hot food. And then they had to sit through me eating my dinner. Not cool!

6. We had to leave because the bugs were getting bad. We went into the restaurant to pay our bill. The waiter had our bill incomplete and wrong. I had to tell him what we had including the number of beers and a coke.

No tip was given. Probably the worst restaurant experiences we’ve ever had. Will never come back.

We literally live two blocks away. We had never been to your restaurant in all the years we’ve lived here. But the coupon and the band enticed us.

Your restaurant is not busy because your service is absolutely terrible.

If you would like to figure out a way to change how we feel about our experience, please...

I went with friends this week and the server was different from last time. She was taking orders, cooking, and serving. When she came out to serve the one other table, she didn't look very clean.

The patio looks lovely with a covered gazebo. Unfortunately, it was raining, so we moved inside. We couldn't find a table though because every one was filthy, sticky, and covered with dead bugs. There was a dog bed in the middle of the restaurant, and a little dog was running around - cute, but he doesn't belong in a restaurant.

Don't be fooled by the photos on their website - the restaurant looks NOTHING like that. It's dingy and dirty.

We left and will never return.

Update: York Region Public Health inspected this restaurant on July 17 and then reinspected on July 20, and they were charged with many violations including: storing potentially hazardous foods at internal temperature between 4°C and 60°C failure to provide thermometer in refrigeration equipment failure to ensure facility surface cleaned as necessary failure to adjust or repair malfunctioning cooler failure to maintain records of pest control measures taken failure to remove garbage/liquid waste when necessary to maintain sanitary condition failure to maintain the premises in a clean and sanitary condition. not in compliance with having adequate protection against the entrance of pests not storing potentially hazardous foods at the correct internal temperature.

I'm glad we left and I hope...