Ziraldo’s Italian Steakhouse — Restaurant in Kawartha Lakes

Went for Mother’s Day dinner, and it would have been hard pressed for me to be more disappointed. Would have spoken to staff right there had I not wanted to ruin my wife’s evening further.

What I found, a very nicely decorated and kept location beyond what I expected. We order a bruschetta appetizer that was both visually appealing and delicious. My daughter ordered the seafood pasta which she quite enjoyed, however it was a bit too heavy on the pasta while being a little light on the seafood; and that is where the positive ended.

I ordered the prime rib and it was disappointing to say the least. My entire meal, meat, potatoes and veggies came sitting in a pool of au jus. The meat was tough and flavourless and far too fatty. Not marbling, large sections of hard fat!

My wife ordered the steak and lobster and it was equally disappointing. The lobster was “OK”. But her steak was completely devoid of flavour beyond the overpowering taste of soot from being cooked on a dirty grill. And for over $70(!!!) I would expect them to at least wipe the grill..

Our mixed drinks were right in line with other higher end locations. However $11 for a local draft beer was a bit over the top.

That wasn’t where it ended. The bad meal was wrapped tightly in an all enveloping cloak of poor service. In a restaurant with less than 15 tables there were 4 servers and 1 seemed to know what she was doing. I lost track of how long the dirty appetizer dishes sat on our table or how long it took to bring water while the servers seemed to buzz about accomplishing nothing.

And I wasn’t alone I watched the frustration grow on the couple behind us as they had to ask more than once to be provided cutlery.

Normally I’m not too harsh and can ignore a minor kitchen mistake. Or forgive an inexperienced server for taking a bit extra time. But not to this extent and definitely not at this price.

At nearly $300 for 1 appi, 3 mains and 3 drinks (total) it was money wasted. And none of us will be going back.

Very sad, as my wife had eaten at the previous location 2 others times and was very...

I’m writing giving 3 stars in anticipation of a reservation I made for this evening. After I read Williams review I’m a bit hesitant but will keep my reservation and write a review tomorrow.

An update to my visit a couple of days ago... I upgraded to 5 stars, I really don’t know which restaurant William went to but it couldn’t be the same one I was at.

From the warm greeting till paying the bill, we expierenced one of the best nights out we’ve had! Certainly the best in Fenelon Falls.

We ordered the calamari and it was done to perfection and one of the best we’ve ever had. The bruschetta may not have been to a Williams liking but it was fresh & homemade and the presentation was adorable. We also ordered polenta which I’ve never seen at any local Italian restaurants. It was cooked to perfection and the cheese that accompanied it was perfect!

My partner ordered the pasta special, and I can assure you he knows Italian food. The sauce was comparable to any high end Italian restaurant and most definitely not out of a can. We asked if the chef would share his recipe but like any great chef he keeps it close to his chest.

I ordered the Veal Chop and when it arrived I was astounded by the size! I thought I’d never be able to finish but once I tasted it I couldn’t stop! It’s hard to describe the flavours, it was delectable. The side of rapini was very tasty.

Not to be outdone, the homemade limoncello cheesecake was to-die-for.

It was quite comfortable inside. It is an older house and I appreciate the trials and tribulations of opening a new business. I spoke to the manager and they are actively searching out a cooling system which would work with the esthetics of the building. I’d much rather ask than to assume and then complain about it.

All in all I highly recommend this new restaurant to anyone and will become a regular for...

We booked based on Google reviews.we were traveling through Fenlon on the boat. On first 9impression it was a quaint older home with what appeared to be great atmosphere. The initial drink order took 20 minutes which, being a long weekend was ok. We ordered apps. Grilled calamari, mussels and warm olives. The olives were delicious. The one small piece of calamari was not grilled and raw in the middle. Out of the 20 or so mussels at least 5 mussels were closed and left in bowl and was a watery flavorless sauce. No bread was served until requested, another 10 minutes. Main courses. 1 steak and lobster was good. Two lobster ravioli specials were so under cooked they were barely edible. Third dish which is one of my favorites. Orchecitte with sausage and rapini was cooked nicely al dente lots of flavor but the sausage was not good or grilled enough. Basically ate the pasta and Rapini only. Then waited 45 minutes for second drink. After alerting staff to deficiencies we were given our $500 bill with no deductions. That we paid in full! All in all certainly was painful . Too bad 👎 In response to the management. She was crying because she was overwhelmed. Dishes were piled on our table and not cleared. We told her it was not her fault she didn't cook the food! The only thing rude here is management's response to deflect...