The Fat Duck Gastro Pub — Restaurant in Guelph

First time here. We have tried the restaurants in the vicinity.

We went for the mussels but we were told "we usually run out on Sundays!" So our go to appetizer then was nachos but the only meat option were chipotle pulled pork or vegeterian. So we skipped the appetizers (because I avoid spicy) and ordered from the menu and the "features board". I ordered a "bacon wrapped meatloaf with mashed potatoes and peas" and my husband ordered "shitake mushrooms gnocchi with garlic seasoned breadcrumbs". My meatloaf came smothered in a very spicy bbq sauce and not a traditional tomato sauce with mashed potatoes that were drowning in au jus gravy as were some of my herbed peas. When I ordered I was not informed of this spicy BBQ Sauce nor was it noted on the featured board. Server said she just writes what the chefs tell them to. And that there was 2 au jus sauces on my plate; which was incorrect one au jus one BBQ sauce. I told her this and she seemed annoyed by it. But not her fault, the kitchen communication was not at 100%. My husbands gnocchi was good portion and seasoned well but the 2 huge garlic cloves that were not fully cooked were a bit surprising yet easy to spot and push away! So to get my meal right.... They brought me a burger (non spicy) with condiments on the side as requested. That was good substitution but I had to wait for it while my husband finished his meal. Our server Jannelle did everything right just the kitchen staff let her down We plan on coming back to see if this was a one off situation. We explained to her that this was not her fault but the back of the house's for lack of communication. As well we gave her a personal tip) This was not the experience we expected after reading all these reviews. When we do come back, we will call ahead and ask for our server by name: Jannelle.And hopefully we can give you a different review from our experience. Thank you. PS they had trivia that seemed fun and the music was not bad at all! And not too loud!...

Quite underwhelming. Our initial server first tried to seat us at the same table as 2 other people (intended for 4 ppl), which was bizarre as we did not know the people, and they were not even asked ahead of time if it would be alright. The server just wandered us over, said "how about here?" with a smile that said they knew it would be awkward, upon which we turned it down - for a table which was totally free, 5 steps away, in the process of being cleaned. After this, things went smoothly - we sat on the patio, where there was a menu written in chalk on the pillars outside. As this was our first time here, we had no idea, and were not pointed to this unofficial menu at all by our server. We would've probably got an appetizer from there if we saw it, but neither of us were disappointed after the fact, as the food wasn't so good. It tastes fine while you eat it, and it's presented kinda well, but we both had stomach aches after the fact. Probably their ingredients aren't the highest quality - and for the price, I could go anywhere else in Guelph, pay the same amount, and get great food and great service. In any case, it wasn't horrible. Would give 2.5 stars if I could. We got the duck stroganoff and the steak and mushroom pie. The best part of the restaurant was the location - you're surrounded by green...

I had a disappointing experience and there were clues that I should have listened to. First, I called and the answering machine suggested they won't return calls due to "lack of staff". I understand the need to get the message across, but it didn't sit right with me. Second, I called about 30 minutes later and the person did not make me feel welcome at all. Again, I understand people can be busy but I was essentially pushed off the call as fast as possible.

I should have listened to my intuition here. Lack of staff and a busy person answering my call to make a reservation were not good signs.

I arrived with my family and we ordered two kids meals, a poutine and the large wings. The staff were very busy and didn't make us feel welcome. Our server seemed jaded and acted like she didn't want to be there. I have thoughts on why this was the case.

The poutine had dry fries, very watery gravy and a small amount of cheese. The wings were also dry and a couple of them were very small. For the $26 price tag of 12 wings, I would expect each one to be the same size. My daughter liked the fish but hated the chips, so there's a minor plus.

With all that said, it seems they are understaffed and it shows. I hope they figure things out but I won't...