Cousins Steak House & BAR — Restaurant in Newmarket

Went for dinner on Sunday with my family. Was fairly busy but we were still able to get a booth. We ordered a 10 oz New York steak, grilled chicken breast with garlic mash, Caesar salad with salmon, and a grilled cheese for my little one. Our starter salads were promptly brought to our table. There appeared to be a few larger groups dining so it was totally understandable that it might take a few minutes to get our food, but before we could even think about it the owner graciously offered us some soup options to choose from and apologized for the wait. We had beef and barley soup which was very tastey. Just as we finished the soup our meals arrived and everything tasted great, I did order my steak medium and it came a little on the medium-well side but it was still delicious. The owner again suprised us with a complimentary dessert which was tiramisu and a chocolate brownie with ice cream.

Overall the atmosphere was nice, service was good and friendly and the food was exceptional. The menu has good variety which makes this place perfect for family dining.

My only suggestions would be...

Crayons and coloring books for kids. Condiments either on the table or brought out with the food (ketchup primarily, vinegar is nice too)

Overall it was a good experience and we will definitely be back again.

Update: Have since been back twice. Both times service was rather poor. Quality of food seemed lackluster for the price. Our last visit there was only 1 other table and as soon as I walked in I mentioned we needed a high chair, it took nearly 10 minutes before the waiter noticed we had a baby... Water was brought out but we were never asked about drinks even though we were holding drink menus in our hands as he poured the water so we never ended up ordering any... Long wait for menus.... long wait for order to be placed... waiter checked on us once the entire time... We were all packed up and ready to go... still the only table... and finally waiter showed up with the pitcher of water asking if we wanted refills lol... asked for the bill... long wait again... Should have gone to Cambodia Noodle King instead which is what we wanted to do but they were full, now I understand why there was only...

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Location: the restaurant itself is a bit hidden but next to a hotel. It has a bit of an old Italian Tuscany feel and look. Being a Wednesday it was very empty.

Service: this is hard to be critical ... the lady was quite nice but lacked simple things. I start my meals off when doing reviews with a cocktail. I ordered a Negroni to which I got ... I don't know what that means. No attempt to talk to the bartender just staring at me. If you are a steakhouse and bar there 3 main cocktails you MUST know. 1) Manhattan 2) Old Fashioned 3) Negroni. They are iconic. With her lack of effort I just take a red wine. Here is where this costs them. I determine how much I am about to spend based on this. If you can't make 1 of the 3, I pass on appetizers, desert and a scotch to finish. I will say she was attentive but never asked if I wanted more wine. Just got .. anything else after my food was done.

Food: I've seen some good reviews so I was hopeful.

Stater was a Ceasar salad. It was OK and a fair.portion. Would prefer to see homemade croutons for the price but overall dressed properly and flavour was good.

Main: I order a sirloin med rare with fries and veg for sides.

Fries. Store bought frozen. At $34 I expect better than Costco Cavendish.

Veg: 1 carrot, 1 small beet and bok choy. Interesting combination. Cooked properly but kinda light on the portion.

Steak: perfect med rare .... but zero seasoning. Salt and pepper are essential, especially when grilling. Just lacked flavour.

As I said. No dessert when you can't even...

Food was mediocre. Some tasted old and reheated. -House breaded shrimp okay - slightly soggy -Chicken bites - very soggy -Broccoli soup - was good but likely microwave heated -Chicken souvlaki dinner - pretty terrible. Potatoes were hard and old and reheated. Tzatziki tasted old and slightly off. Rice was bad. Salad ok. Chicken was ok. Not nicely char grilled. -Fish and chip haddock special - extremely soggy despite confirming with server that it was be crispy. Tartar did not taste house made. Sugary. Not thick batter though. Tried to complain but nothing was done to offer to resurrect the situation. -Reuben seemed ok - did not come with mustard or sauce. -Steak sirloin dinner - was it ok, was served way over done as we asked for medium. Sloggy mashed potatoes. Nice vegetable medley. -Asked for an order of grilled shrimp which was not offered on the menu and it was probably the best item that was served. Service was alright, but we were constantly having to help lift and clear heavy plates whilst eating as opposed to allowing time to finish plates and place to the side for clearing. Restaurant infrastructure needs update too. Female washroom stall door was completely broken, and no toilet paper. No paper towels provided to open multiple doors for exiting which I found unhygienic. Table top to the side was completely broke and leaning upon it almost caused an accident. Patched up holes in the walls needed paint. Cool disco ball in larger...