Glass Kitchen — Restaurant in Markham

Food: 1 Stars Service: 1 Stars Ambience: 2 Star Value: 1 Star Sanitary: 1 Star Overall: 1.2 Stars

I visited The Glass Kitchen yesterday to celebrate my birthday with my boyfriend, and unfortunately, it turned out to be a regrettable choice. From the moment we walked in, the experience was lacklustre, leaving us disappointed on what was supposed to be a special occasion.

As we were being seated, the host bypassed several empty tables and directed us to a spot uncomfortably close to the washroom, although the place was not busy at all. My boyfriend politely pointed out that it was my birthday and asked if we could sit elsewhere. The host acknowledged this and moved us slightly closer to the mirrors in front of the coffee bar. It felt like a half-hearted gesture, and it set the tone for the rest of the meal.

The seating itself was another issue. The chairs were made of fabric with very thin padding, making them uncomfortable to sit on for an extended period. This was especially disappointing since we planned to enjoy a leisurely birthday meal.

When the server arrived, she started us off with water. My boyfriend mentioned that he doesn’t drink tap water and pointed out that we had already ordered beverages. Despite this, the server insisted on pouring the tap water and leaving it on the table, saying she’d get in trouble with management otherwise. This interaction felt unnecessary and left us feeling uncomfortable.

Ordering drinks was another hurdle. My boyfriend requested a cappuccino with full heavy cream because of his diet requirements, but the server said they couldn’t accommodate that request. Thankfully, the barista overheard, interjected and said that they can make it for him and kindly prepared it for him. However, both of our drinks arrived at room temperature, which was unpleasant. By the time we wanted to drink them alongside our food, they had turned ice cold. My ube latte, which I was excited to try, had a distinct taste of old milk, as if it had been left out too long. I couldn’t bring myself to finish it.

The food, unfortunately, did not redeem the experience. We ordered the Shakshuka, which was overly acidic due to the heavy use of tomatoes and tomato sauce. The small portion of bread—just three small pieces—was insufficient to balance the acidity of the dish. The lamb sausages were hard and unpleasant, adding to the disappointment. We also tried the Fried Chicken & Bubble Waffle. While the chicken was juicy and the garnish fresh, the batter was excessively thick. The charcoal waffle, meanwhile, was bitter and didn’t pair well with the chicken, in my opinion.

We had initially planned to order more but decided against it after being dissatisfied with the food and drinks. The lack of cleanliness in the dining area further compounded our disappointment. There was visible dust and dirt underneath the mirrors that appeared to have accumulated over time, not just from a day or two, and the table legs were also the same. When my boyfriend tried to pull the table towards us as it was a bit too far for our dining experience, his hand became sticky, which was a clear indication they didn’t really clean it thoroughly. These details gave the impression of a poorly maintained space. Despite all of this we still left them a tip.

But, to top it off, the service was lacklustre. There was no warm farewell or acknowledgment as we left, which made the entire experience feel impersonal and unwelcoming.

Overall, The Glass Kitchen failed to deliver on atmosphere, food quality, and service. I really don’t get the hype around this place, and perhaps people should consider trying other better brunch restaurants instead. It’s not a place I’d recommend or return to in the future.

xx...

As an early bday celebration, I took my gf here for saturday brunch. Making a reservation was super easy and efficient.

We had seen this place grand open (from the outside) but heard that they had a huge waiting list so we just chilled for the first month that they opened. Meanwhile, we kept hearing good things about it from other ppl (so I guess you could say there was a lot of positive hype).

We arrived for our 1pm res and noticed that there was a massive line. Idk how busy dinner is (I would assume similar lineup) but make sure you get a res beforehand!

Mini lobster rolls: The bread was SO soft and the lobster was tasty. It was heavily seasoned w/ citrus which gave it a really bright and fresh note. The truffle butter on the side was a nice touch but honestly neither me nor my gf were able to taste any truffle haha.

Short rib benny: The potatoes rival those of Alchemy or Next Door. Crispy edges but tender insides. I think the hollandaise was also richer than the one at Alchemy. The short rib was soft and melt in your mouth. English muffin underneath was also outstanding. I actually like the fact that you get fresh fruit rather than a pile of salad (The fruit was also chilled! Small details don't go unnoticed). Some of these brunch spots we've been to, stack 2/3 of the plate w/ salad and it just feels like an attempt to rip the customer off. The fruits are definitely much preferred.

Seafood scramble: The eggs were perfectly cooked throughout. I just wish for the price we would've gotten more than 1 scallop.

Drinks: My gf got herself a matcha latte. The latte art on top was pretty and it tasted pretty nice (I wonder if you can suggest a more intricate art to the server). Not sweet at all. I myself, got a strawberry espresso fizz. It was heavy on the espresso flavour and then you got a hit of slight strawberry carbonation at the end of each sip. Don't think I would order it again but it wasn't bad at all!

The decor is beautiful. Everything is glass or looks like glass (like its namesake). The washrooms are fancy. The service was also on point. Every time I turned around and glanced at a server they came over right away.

I think all the hype is justified/deserved. The food IS indeed excellent. Would I return? Definitely. Would I be a regular customer? Hell no. It's one of the most expensive restos in the york region area. My wallet is still crying LOL. Every single person I've talked to has told me the food is good but the price is insane. I would call that an accurate TL;DR description. Excluding drinks and starters, I think most of the mains on the menu start...

My worst dining experience of the year coming here (hence the review). Actually made a long trip uptown for this as my girlfriend wanted to go. Reservations when the wait time to sit is 50 minutes beyond your reservation, with no hostess or waiter around. We ended up being probably the 4th pair waiting, but were the last to sit (probably 6-7th group) because other groups made it to the front of the counter and were more demanding than us. The restaurant was already understaffed by probably at least 2 servers that were also made to sign guests in as hostesses but could not police or handle the line/volume at all. Nor were they even bothering to check anyone in or communicate about wait times. This is a better reflection of poor and cheap ownership then the staff. Guests were waiting then leaving with no acknowledgement at the front or respect for their time. If you cannot reasonably acknowledge and serve patrons waiting around aimlessly standing around the front entrance, then best to just take off and/or reduce the amount of reservations on your website instead. Have some respect for the time and patience of others who make the effort to come. The food was poor for its price point and mediocre overall. Nothing was good. Not only saying that because the experience/service was bad. Got the char siu and it was excessively fatty which some may enjoy. The fried chicken was a very small portion, dry, with little meat, and unremarkable. Our starters came when our main was already finished, when we were told they would come first. And our latte/drink came when the meal was finished...the server kind of embarrassingly just plotted it on our table like we wouldn't notice (we had just resigned ourselves prior and accepted that it probably wasn't coming and was missed). When she came, we were essentially ready to pay for the bill. We paid for it to avoid them embarrassment/confrontation (and believe me when i say, other patrons were angry and confrontational this day leading some staff upset/crying) Almost a comically bad experience here and genuinely would have had a better time at burger king/mcdonalds, or literally any restaurant/take out spot in the same plaza. One thing redeemable is despite looking completely incompetent, the staff were probably trying just completely overwhelmed ; again a reflection of poor ownership/mgmt. As customers, you can only emphasize with...