The Flour Mill Scratch Kitchen Restaurant — Restaurant in Niagara Falls

We had such high hopes as this looked like the type of place we love to go to back home based on the pictures and menu. We were so very wrong. I apologize for the length, but there's a lot to cover. First, the website makes it seem like there are 2 separate restaurants, however, it is not. The wine bar menu is the bar menu and the scratch kitchen is the regular menu. The hostess was pretty new and didn't know there were two menus. Definite training opportunity. That took about 5-10 minutes to straighten out. When we finally ordered, they had just run out of the Iberico chop which is totally understandable. So I ordered the short rib but wanted to sub the black garlic mashed for the cauliflower puree. Apparently they haven't had that in a while but still showing on the menu and online. So my new choice is hand cut fries and fingerling potatoes, but the server has no clue they even had them let alone how they are prepared. Training opportunity number 2. It took nearly 30 minutes to get my drink from the bar, but the maple whiskey sour was tasty. My Cesar salad took 45 minutes to come out and was over dressed. The croutons were the ends that they cut off the bread they bring to the table, and were more like breadsticks. The dressing itself was delicious though. 15 minutes later and out entrees came out. Sons chose the lobster grilled cheese and the smash burger, while my wife and youngest got the charcuterie board. I'll break down each dish. The lobster grilled cheese had a good amount of lobster and was tasty, but that was the only good part. The bread was way over cooked, and it didn't have Asiago cheese - looked and tasted more like cheddar. Fries were good though. The smash burger was not even smashed, just a regular sized patty, so not sure where they got it from. The charcuterie board was huge and best to be shared with probably 3-4 people, however there was so much meat and not nearly enough cheeses. One of the meats was Chinese sausage that was chunked, and that's not a meat you can do that with due to how dense it is. The bread is again the sides of their service bread which is tasty. It came with a fruit compote and honey as well as some fresh fruit, candied pecans, and pickled veggies. Highly suggest cutting back on the amount of meat to balance out with the amount of cheese. Lastly, was the beef short rib. Looked amazing, but was a huge let down. It was ice cold in the middle. Server offered to fix it, but I would have been waiting a while unless they were going to microwave it. At this point I had enough and sent mine back because I was beyond frustrated. The service was not great, but not horrible. She was great with refilling water, but never asked if I wanted another drink. She did offer ketchup around 5 times for some reason. The vibe and environment is really cool but everything else was a letdown. Not once did a manager stop by to talk to me after everything. I'm guessing like most places they are understaffed due to the fact I saw what appeared to be managers serving and taking orders, but at the very least I would expect someone to come by after someone sends something back and saying they don't even want it fixed or replaced. Take this with a grain of salt as it could have been a bad night, but there was a lot related to training and updating of menus/online that tells me it's something more. This was not worth the prices they charged, and sadly a chain down the street was a...

WORST RESTAURANT EVER.

I don't think I've had an experience quite like this one where the food and service was equally horrendous.

We were a group of 14, gave up reservations somewhere else because there were positive reviews about this one online. We expected an expensive dinner, hoping that the experience would be worth it... In retrospect, it wasn't even close.

It started off with the self proclaimed "owner" Joe telling us that nothing on the drink menu or wine list was being served.

After this, one person in our party who is allergic to nuts, brought it to Joe's attention to prevent any issues. His response was a rude and obnoxious comment about how she was giving him a hard time. He claimed afterwards he would take care of her, but it started the night off on the wrong foot.

We asked Joe to turn the heat down because it was very hot and he proceeded to tell us that turning on the AC was really expensive and it wasn't going to happen. His exact words were ...are you going to pay my bills?

Joe then introduced us to our waiters with an awkward innuendo about one of them being his work wife. We were then told that the venison was off the menu because it didn't meet the chef's standard... If only the chef held firm on this stance across the whole menu.

Joe told us that there were great wine and beer options in the cellar and after asking about various kinds and being told they weren't available, Joe finally came with 5 different bottles of wine with prices made up on the fly.

Joe asked us if we preferred flat or sparkling water, we told him flat, but he brought up 4 bottles of each, already opened so we couldn't give them back.

Everyone ordered a mix of items off the menu and while my wedge salad wasn't bad, the charcuterie board looked like it was bought from a 7/11. The cured meats looked like raw pepperoni, the bread was stale and our order of scallops tasted like day old fish.

As mentioned, the menu was pricey, and if well executed, I don't think anyone would have complained. I ordered the beef tenderloin with what was described as chickpea salad, but when it came, it was more like a stew for a whopping $60. The steak had no flavour, but what really shocked me was this chickpea stew. It was by far the most disgusting thing I've ever eaten. The chickpeas were raw, the flavour was bitter and it in no way shape or form complimented the meat.

Others ordered the pasta special and didn't finish it because it was so bad. Those who ordered steak were served undercooked meat, not what they asked for.

The night ended with Joe calculating our bill on his cellphone. At no point did we see what he charged us for the water and wine with made up prices. The total was $260 per couple and we couldn't figure out how.

We decided this was the most outrageous experience we've ever had so we paid the bill and tried to leave immediately before having another awkward encounter with Joe.

I will never go back to this place. Not even if they offered me a $1000 voucher. The food is gross and the...

I’m going to try to keep this as fair and short as possible. We were a family of 4, two children 5 & 8.

The atmosphere: Gorgeous. Old with modern touches. Very comfortable

The food: We ordered French Toast (half), Traditional breakfast (half), Garden Benedict and Niagara Skillet. The skillet was tasty however it was clearly sitting before serving. The eggs were overcooked (hard, not by request) and the sauce (believe it was hollandaise) had thickened and formed a crust. The skillet was surprisingly dry even with the sauce. That being said, it was tasty so sending it back wasn’t really appropriate. The benedict was good, nothing special but tasty. We ordered the kids “half” dishes, still massive (for a kids portion) in my opinion. French toast was tasty and came with fresh berries and sauces etc. Traditional breakfast was just ok. Sausage came very dry. Everything else was as expected for a traditional breakfast. A+ for presentation but unfortunately the food was just ok for us.

The staff: Waitress was nice. Service was on the slow side. Wasn’t an issue for us but might be an issue for others.

The price: This is where most of the problems were for us. The food, although decent and tasty, had its issues. Charging $30+ for breakfast dishes, $14 for coffee and $7 for tea is offside. Most places regardless of the calibre, charge for a cup of coffee and refills are typically included. I asked for a coffee and got a French press full, which for me is nice as I drink more than one. I should have asked the price though. No indication from staff that this was the case with the coffee. looked at menu before coming (online), no prices. So it was a bit of a shock to see prices when we arrived. We gave it a shot none the less but I expect a pretty awesome breakfast at those prices. The kids menu is none existent. They will give you a “half size” on some dishes, which is at least something. A small kids menu would be nice. Final bill was $160 for a family of 4 (two half breakfast, 2 full breakfast, juice, coffee and tea) with tip, $190!!

All in all, I wouldn’t tell people to avoid this place, it was just decent but we likely wouldn’t come back. Nice place, ok food, but the prices are just too high,...