Golf's Steak House & Seafood — Restaurant in Kitchener

We have always been fans of the Golf. Last night's experience will likely be our last. It was my wife's birthday. She ordered the Chicken Parm, my son and I asked for Prime Rib. Rare and Medium Rare. Was told 15 mins later that the Prime Rib was coming off medium. My son changed his order and I said medium would be fine. When our meals came out the Prime Rib was well done. The server knew it was and apologized. She also apologized for the "little bit" of au jus that had gotten on the potatoes (we'll get to that later). The server said she would see how long it would take to have a steak done so I could eat with the family. The server came back 5-10 mins later with another piece of Prime Rib that was more well done than the first and told me "the chef just threw it on the grill for you" why would they cook something even more? (It looked more like it was thrown in a microwave with the way the juices settled and the absence of grill marks.) I thanked her for the effort and said I wasn't interested in another piece of well done Prime Rib. I asked how long it would take to do up a steak and she had forgotten to ask. She came back a few minutes later and told me 15-20 minutes. I told her not to worry about it, I will just have what they brought me as my party was well into their meal. At this point my meal was cold and when I went to eat the vegetables I realized that the "little bit of au jus" was actually poured over the entire meal. There was so much that it was pooled under everything and had made the potatoes runny. The server came back 5-10 minutes later to ask how it was and I politely told her that they could take my untouched meal back. I told her it was cold and showed her the pool of gravy. She was quite embarrassed saying this never happens and was so sorry. She asked if I still wanted a steak. My party was almost done their meal, I politely declined and said I wouldn't be having anything else for the evening. The server took my untouched plate away. My wife didn't finish hers because the pasta was " quite unappetizing, like a kids pasta, really not good at all" as she put it. The server noticed and asked if that was all for her. We didn't bother saying anything further as I felt bad enough that my meal was ruined and she was obviously trying. The server then asked if she could bring me a dessert? I haven't had dinner yet so I said politely declined. I told her we would just like the bill so we could leave. (I wanted to grab a burger or something as I was hungry lol) Server was trying so hard she brought out a Birthday cheesecake for my wife. We asked if we could get it to go as we just wanted to leave and server went and got a to go container.

Here's why they get the 1 star. Things happen. I get that. I was the GM at a restaurant before and sometimes things happen. Could be the kitchen, could be the server, could be a perfect storm of both, the night, and things happening. My disappointment was not in the server at all. She tried and I tipped her well for doing so. My disappointment is that not once did a manager come to speak to us, apologize, offer anything, or even acknowledge their bumbling chain of events and poor quality in what is typically a high quality place. If this had been the restaurant I managed, the entire night would have been comped with the hopes that we did not lose a loyal customer. They did not charge me for my meal however there was no comp of anything else; appetizer, beverage or any offer of discount or come back on us so we can do better. Not even an acknowledgement from anyone else other than the server who even sheepishly said "I hope you will come back and give us another chance" A server doesn't say that unless they realize what a ruined evening it was. As of now, I don't think we will. There are simply too many options available to bother giving an establishment another chance when a smaller party does not seem to be...

Response to the owner's message:

I am writing in response to the message I received from the owner: Thank you for your response. You are correct that we left the restaurant around 7:30 pm due to our dissatisfaction with the quality of the food. After feeding our children, we decided to leave shortly afterward. Therefore, the statement regarding the long waiting time for the food is accurate. Regarding the incident you mentioned involving a water glass at another table, I would like to clarify that my 3-year-old child only touched the ice inside the glass and did not drink the water, which makes the situation different from what you described. We sincerely apologized to the guest, who was understanding and gracious about the matter. While the guest accepted our apology, I’m not sure I fully understand why this situation would be brought up in your response, as it seems unrelated to my review. Moreover, this incident also highlights the fact that my children had to wait a long time for their meal, which understandably led to some frustration. I also appreciate your mention of gratuity. However, we were dissatisfied with the service from the staff member who attended to us, due to her unpleasant behavior during the aforementioned incident. Although we apologized to the customer and they were polite and understanding, the staff member's response was not in line with the level of professionalism we expected. Thank you for your comment regarding the expense per person. I have corrected the figures, as I mistakenly thought it referred to the total bill. Finally, in response to your comments on my review, I would like to address two points. First, I believe it is not appropriate to comment on my personal review. Second, I would encourage you to pay attention to feedback from other customers with similar concerns and consider using that input to improve both the quality of your food and the overall service experience. Thank you for your time and attention to these matters.

First review:

We visited this restaurant on January 1, 2025, at 6:00 PM for dinner with my family, including two children, aged 3 and 6. We ordered a filet steak, chicken breast, strip chicken, and a hamburger. Our dishes took 55 minutes to arrive, which was quite a long wait for adults. It was especially challenging for the kids to wait nearly an hour for their meals.

Unfortunately, there were no efforts to make the wait more enjoyable for children, such as offering toys or coloring materials, which are common in most family-friendly restaurants. The quality of the hamburger was poor, and the kids didn't eat it. The fries were the worst part—soft, unappetizing, and dark brown, indicating they were not freshly prepared. Additionally, the dishes were mostly filled with green beans and lacked other vegetables, which was disappointing.

The quality of the filet steak, chicken breast, and strip chicken was average, but not worth the price. The restaurant's space was cramped, with tables closely packed together, making it difficult to move around.

Overall, I would not recommend this restaurant for families with...

NOT ANYMORE!!

Garbage. That is the new defn of Golfs steaks and food. We have been eating Golfs for years - they were our fave steak house for years. Not anymore.

Our orders over the last two months we've noticed a MASSIVE drop in the quality of both the cuts of meat used and the sides included with the steak dinners. Caesar salad as a side was always a choice with the striploin steak - now it's $4 extra. The garden salad you get now for takeout is literally diced lettuce w some cucumber.

No big deal. I didn't even care about that so much - as long as the steak didn't change! Well it has. I love steak. I make my own ALOT so I know a good cut versus garbage. In trying to save money (guessing) Golfs have clearly changed their beef supplier.

Put it this way, when my steak was delivered last night - it was like a piece of shoe leather. Fried zucchini on the side? Like, mush. I'm not even kidding.

SO bad/disappointing that I actually drove it all the way BACK from my house to the Golfs dining room. I walked in to show them, along with receipts. That.. is how bad it was!! True story.

Here's the kicker. I didn't want my money back, I told them. I wanted to ask, if I was a first time customer - would THIS be representative of a "Golf striploin steak"??

I thought this was an anomaly. A mistake. A one-off. Throw it in the garbage, I said, and turned to leave.

Wait! She yelled behind me: "Do you want a replacement or "upgrade" to prime rib, if it's quicker?" I don't want anything I didn't pay for, so I said no. "Just the steak?", she asked. I only have about 5 minutes, I said (I live and drove from St Jacobs). So, the steak was replaced in a new brown bag, I left and went home.

When I opened the replacement steak at home, although certainly fresher, it was the same garbage cut of "Canada A" (maybe?) beef. I'm not kidding folks. This meat was SO tough & riddled with grissle that my steak knife couldn't even cut it. Just like the first one, my knife just kept going back and forth - it would never come apart!! Used to be you could pull it apart with a fork! So tender and delicious. Not anymore! Threw that one in the garbage too. I tried but..it wasn't even edible!!

Folks, my wife and I have been loyal Golfs customers for years (and years) - striploin, every time. THAT is why I drove it all the way back.

Not anymore. I'll never dine or eat Golfs again. If you value your money, I highly recommend you don't waste it here. And wasting it is exactly what you will be doing. I would rather pay MORE for a better cut of steak. But charging the SAME price for what is clearly MUCH (much) lower quality beef and putting the 'Golfs brand ' on it is downright criminal.

No more.

The end of an era I guess. Too bad. I'll really miss the old Golfs "steak house". Golfs has undergone a rebranding: "Golfs Budget Cuts and See Food" akin to your local Walmart striploin and Highliner fish cakes.

It's a very sad day!!

1 out of 5 ⭐ (solely...