Miijidaa Café + Bistro — Restaurant in Guelph

Instagram ID: anjav3

Food/Drinks: Smoke Caesar is very cool and unique. I liked it at first but then the smoky flavour became too overpowering so I ordered a regular Caesar the second time. It was quite spicy so if you don’t like spice then let the bar know in advance. Pear Gin Sparkler was my fiancés favourite. If you prefer your drinks on the stronger side then definitely ask for little to no ice as the gin is very light Hand cut fries were seasoned with salt and parmesan. Unfortunately they were extremely salty. We had to drown them in the garlic aioli and ketchup before being able to eat it. The fries were made well though and it was a decent portion for an appetizer. The garlic aioli was great and not too garlicy 3 Sisters was different. I usually hate squash but it didn’t play that big of a role in this dish for me to not like it. I’m not sure why but I liked it more when I reheated it the next day for lunch than I did when I ate it at the restaurant. It was filling even though it didn’t look like much was on the plate. Nice hearty vegan meal. Seafood Pot Pie was very nice. When we ordered it we were told that it’s not your typical mix of seafood like shrimp, lobster and fish. This one contained salmon, arctic char, pickerel. It was very hot and the buttery pastry top was made very well. It was fluffy but crunchy too. Not overdone. Highly recommend this dish! Coffee was fairly good and hot. I usually have my coffees black so I can appreciate the flavor. I liked this one. Beignets were one of the best yet simple desserts I’ve ever had. I was very surprised to see 5 of them come out. I was expecting two maximum. They were very hot and fresh and very filling. I would recommend sharing with friends unless you want to have them as leftovers. I will definitely come back for these! The screech spiked pastry cream was okay but I would have preferred if it came with just Nutella or jelly.

Other Comments: Our server Jenna was very friendly and outgoing. She took the time to have a little conversation with each table instead of just taking the orders and walking away. We found it quite kind of her to do that and it made us feel welcomed. We experienced the smallest problem while at the restaurant which is not worth mentioning. I did want to point out that it was resolved in the nicest way and that our fries were comped. The restaurant is carbon neutral so it’s very nice to support the business and feel like you aren’t doing any harm to the environment Very earthy and homey décor, loads of seating too Make a reservation! We did not expect every seat to be full on a Sunday evening. We had to wait 30 minutes before getting a seat. We sat at the bar and had drinks until our table was ready which we didn’t mind. They have a very big patio in the back of the restaurant that opens in the spring and summer so I can’t wait to come here and sit outside All the servers were working their butts off! If their food wasn’t good, I would still come here for the friendly...

I went here for my first time this past Saturday. We were taking our Niece out for a nice dinner as she is a student near by. Our reservation was for 6:30. We are going to start with the bad and end with the good.

The Bad: We arrived on time for our reservation and were asked to take a seat at the bar while we wait for our table. I am totally find to wait a couple minutes for a reserved time as I used to be a hostess and I know sometimes things don't work out. BUT 35 minutes later and not a single person came to address us about our reservation. We asked the bar tender whom said "Let me go check on that for you" she came back and brazenly stood in front of us making drinks and said nothing. It wasn't just rude, it was weird. We asked her again and her response was "I am aware" and went back to making her drinks. We then took it upon ourselves and went to the hostess and asked her what was going on? She told us she is waiting for a table to leave. Some suggestions here folks. First, ALWAYS TELL THE CUSTOMER WHAT IS GOING ON! Don't ignore us as it makes the situation much much worse. People are more receptive to transparency. Second, ALWAYS MAKE EYE CONTACT. The bartender and the hostess were clearly trying not to look at us for fear we may ask why it's 7:05 and we haven't been seated yet. And why is the a 4 star you may ask? Well let's move on to the good.

The Good: Our server Riley was excellent and when our table was ready a very kind woman came over and took us to our seat. She apologized profusely for the lateness of us getting sat and bought us an appetizer and comped our bottle of wine. Then our food came which was a tad bit bland but nothing a little salt didn't correct as we all have different taste buds when it comes to salt. Besides this the food was excellent. It was truly excellent. In fact one of our party literally said "This is the best meal I have had in almost a year." I mean delicious. So despite the way our evening started it finished wonderfully.

Thank you for righting the wrong and taking care of us in the end! We will come back and try again and hopefully bump this up to a 5...

This is one of my favourite restaurants in the area. I have so many things that I love about this restaurant. The design and decor is lovely, interesting, and warm, creating a wonderful calming atmosphere. It's great for any sort of social gathering or hang out. The patio out back is especially lovely with large trees and a cozy enclosed feeling. The back wall that opens onto the patio is entirely glass, providing generous amounts of natural light. The menu is so tempting - very few places make it this difficult to choose a meal, as every item is delicious! Some of my favourites are the Canadian pizza with elk sausage, beignets, house ice cream, hand cut fries with garlic aioli, their spiced ketchup, their bacon grilled cheese on sourdough, and their crown jewel in my personal opinion: their tomato jam, that pairs with so many things and tastes incredible. Their drink menu is also great, and personally I love how frequently and creatively they incorporate fresh seasonal fruit, like in their Peach + Pear Bubbles, and Blueberry Port Mojito. And last, but by no means least, I want to say that the service here is amazing. Not only are they consistently extremely friendly, engaging, helpful, and patient, but there was one visit in particular where my customer service experience was exceptional. Something emotional came up during dinner, and our server provided the most tactful, professional, seamless service. He even refilled my water from a different angle to give me more privacy so I would feel less embarrassed about crying. He was extremely thoughtful and non-judgmental as I tried to compose myself. A lot of servers would understandably not know how to handle that kind of uncomfortable, sensitive situation, but he was impressive. I wish I could remember his name, but regardless I wanted to express my appreciation for such outstanding service and professionalism in such a vulnerable moment for me. This experience contributed to my overall perception of this place as an excellent restaurant that's staffed by...