Symposium Cafe Restaurant Keswick — Restaurant in Georgina

Let me be frank

The food IS nice, for what we experienced.

The staff was honest and our server Maria was kind, understanding and even dare I say, caring.

We arrived today ( Mothers day) may the 14th and was greeted to a half filled space.

The door greeter had asked us for our reservation and to our surprise, we didn't call in for one, as it wasn't readily available on the website that this was expected.

That already put a dour mood during the evening as I was trying to treat my wife out to a place she had always been curious about.

I offered the patio and wasn't quite heard or understood. We were told we would be waiting to eat for about half an hour, or forty minutes.

That seemed odd, as again the place was markedly empty compared to the statement we are very busy.

So aside from that, we found a space but moved as it was windy and the chill dropped the comfort outside to dreadful. We had not really been offered inside seating, and with an infant visibly in tow no less.

Maria would have insisted we say inside, had she known we were being politely ushered around.

The downside beyond was not knowing there was a Sunday children eat free 12 and under, and had made plans for our other children (worrying it would be a costly affair to even relax a moment )

It would have been nice to have seen this on the website as well.

The only part I am slightly concerned with was the owner asking for a review. I hadn't thought of passing up a chance, but felt I should speak up.

The owner is only 2 months into this place and it felt like there was an eagerness to please, but a lack of some formality? It's hard to put into words the uneasiness but I do chalk this up to a willingness to please, and a new owner being nervous. So I won't hold this against the whole place, but if we visit again and it happens again. I won't be as comfortable returning.

Truly the hero of the night was Maria.

Wishing my wife a happy mother's day, and being the nicest human this afternoon. Genuinely happy to have made your acquaintance.

The food

We both ordered a Butter Chicken Poutine. These were massive and filling and quite possibly a great sharing meal amongst friends. The sauce was not over much, the fries were crisp and held their crisp from serving to finish. The chicken was firm and juicy and felt cooked just right.

Alright. I have to say. Value for meal on the apps before 6pm cannot be understated. I was driving tonight so I had no libations to speak of. The menus are MASSIVE. Like huge massive numbers. Regardless the menu is legible and the food matched the description. I am curious about trying a full meal next time and perhaps and Affocato.

When we do come back, we will hopefully be able to find seating inside if it's chilly and have our full family there.

My suggestion

Come on the weekend and ask for Maria. Sundays are free for 12 and under and that was a missed opportunity on our part.

Food and Sever aside. The owner and door greeter may have actually unnerved my wife and the half empty dining being called full or busy, set my wife off for the evening.

All in all. Come for apps and weekends for a great server. Hopefully by summer this location may yet keep our patronage.

The burgers are not expensive but all toppings beyond a basic tomato, lettuce and onion, are extra. Easily making a 13 dollar burger into a 20+ burger. The side being a salad was a nice touch.

We did not order a main as the meals seemed a bit much with the cost of said burger. Seeing my wife become sad because she couldn't order one, was a big let down.

Please be well, we will visit again and if the overall experience improves I shall...

Subject: Disappointing Experience at Symposium In Keswick

My recent visit to Symposium Restaurant in Keswick was an incredibly frustrating and disappointing experience that compelled me to share my feedback.

Upon arriving at 3 PM, the restaurant had only a few patrons, which was expected given the off-peak hour. However, the issues began when we were handed dinner menus despite specifying that we were there for lunch. From that point on, the cascade of errors started to unfold.

The problems started with simple items like running out of Caesar dressing for a Caesar salad. While inconvenient, we understood and opted for ranch dressing. Unfortunately, this was just the beginning of a series of mishaps. My husband, ordering haddock and fries, was informed they were out of fries but could substitute with potatoes or sweet potato fries. Fair enough, he chose sweet potato fries. The confusion escalated when my father ordered steak and was initially asked if he wanted fries, despite their earlier revelation that they were unavailable.

The drink order process was equally perplexing. Despite being a party of four, our server assumed only one person wanted a drink. It took an additional intervention for the entire table to place their drink orders. To add insult to injury, the beer selection turned out to be a letdown, with my husband's first three choices being unavailable, despite being listed on the on-tap menu.

When the food finally arrived, it was riddled with inaccuracies. My husband's fish and fries lacked the promised coleslaw, and my father's dish was missing the steamed veggies. Correcting these oversights interrupted our dining experience.

The final straw was the billing discrepancy. We were unjustly charged extra for sweet potato fries, which we only ordered due to the unavailability of regular fries. The server's confusion and the manager's lack of apology further heightened our dissatisfaction. The explanation that their delivery truck was late that day was unconvincing, and the absence of proper communication or apology was inexcusable.

Despite acknowledging that the restaurant underwent new ownership in February, such growing pains do not excuse the level of incompetence and poor service we encountered. The overall experience was so disheartening that, despite any potential improvements, we have decided not to return. It is my hope that this feedback will contribute to addressing the evident issues and preventing other patrons from experiencing similar...

I was there for work dinner with a group of ladies. The atmosphere felt nice and the restaurant was spacious with nice decorations. The table in my opinion was too close to the bar but that was okay.

So the good: Appetizers were great, i liked their shrimp because it was lightly battered and wasn't too heavy. Their spinach dip was amazing, i could eat much more if it was the main. The server was very nice and attentive (there is a but though)

And then the bad: their menu was like the biggest page i had ever seen, there was nowhere you can place it on the table before they take your order of the entries. Their server seemed inexperienced, because they didnt give us any plates first before our appetizers arrived. We had to ask for them after the appetizers were here and it took a while. As for entries, i had chicken alfredo. Had to say this is the driest alfredo sauce i had ever seen. I could taste a lot of oil but the sauce was not creamy. 1 of the ladies also said her noodles had no flavor. She had to ask for sauce on the side. As for dessert, i wanted a plain crepe with icecream. This was not on the menu but i asked the guy if it is possible. (If not possible i would order something else you know) he said yes so i was happy. BUT, when it came there were chocolate syrup, fruits and the chocolate Nutella sauce inside the crepe(folded). I was speechless. I didn't want to complain nor ask for something else cuz i just want to leave soon since it was late. The other ladies ordered cake, they also said cake weren't very good either. On top of these, our server was a very guy but inexperienced, because he would serve you a dish but wouldn't give you utensils until you ask for it. And who would eat icecream with a fork you know?

Overall, i don't recommend this place. But if you don't mind the bad i mentioned about, you can give it a try. It is a nice place to sit and talk with...