HOB NOB Restaurant — Restaurant in Niagara-on-the-Lake

This was singlehandedly the worst fine dining experience I have had in my 43 years on this earth. To say this is even fine dining would be to disgrace all of the other fine establishments along queen street and Niagara on the lake.

We were a larger party and were split into two tables with supposedly two waiters who were going to take care of us. We ordered drinks and then mains. It took 55 minutes for the mains to come out and they all came at different points, not at the same time ( first mistake ).

Most of us ordered the braised lamb. Note the word braised. It should be tender enough to fall off the bone with a fork. The meat should be juicy and rich, with a thick, flavorful sauce. This lamb , however was tough and gamey. It was accompanied by a "panzanella" salad which consisted of 85 percent croutons ,a sprinkling of some miserable root vegetables and a few slimy pieces of arugula. A disgraceful showing for a 55$ entree.

The server at our table was much more attentive then the guy with the bow tie and glasses ( forget his name but if I remembered he would be outed, because he actually deserves to be outed... Explanation to follow. Anyways, we were committed to this catastrophies so why not get dessert right ??? Right???

The dessert I chose was the "fudge sundae". the pathetic way it was presented and the way it tasted could only be described as below the standard of the dessert of what you would receive at Denny's. For 15$ you should be getting presentation and taste quality for the level of restaurant they purport to be.

The double espresso was equally inept. It came luke warm and watery. All for 8$.

Now on to the second waiter with bow tie. He didn't even bother to show up to our second table, but did manage to give us his full attention only when it came time to pay the bills... 2 and a half hours later. Someone who works in a "fine dining" establishment should take pride in their job , especially when they are serving other and especially so that they can earn a generous tip ( which we would have given if he had slightly given a damn). If he had put the energy into serving us the way he was trying to figure out whose bill was connected to which family, he would have given us a better experience and gotten a bigger tip. Instead he resorted to mediocrity and did the bare minimum.

And that's what you'll get at Hob Nob. Pathetic service , disastrous food (presentation , taste and quality) as well as a horrendous dining experience. So the take away is this: there is no reason anyone should ever go to this place for a "fine dining " experience unless you want to get totally ripped off and go away angered by the fact that somehow you ou spent 250$ for two and received an experience that is well below even that of restaurants of average quality. Places like Epicurian and Bistro 66 along the strip are miles better than this place and they don't purport to be fine dining establishments. Do yourself a favor and stay away from this tourist trap and go to Treadwell...

Came here on a quiet Sunday afternoon and was pleasantly surprised. The night before, I did some last minute searching on tripadvisor and yelp and we shortlisted this restaurant and a few others.

We ended up choosing this one because it was something different than the irish pubs and restaurants around. After all, it was situated overlooking a golf course and in a quaint hotel.

Upon arrival, I was greeted by the hotel lobby admin who happily ushered us into the dining room. During the day, the place is cozy and charming. To be honest, I was a bit worried as most of the pictures on tripadvisor and yelp showed dark and somewhat dated dining room.

Due to arriving almost 2:30pm on a Sunday afternoon, we were able to choose where we wanted to sit. Each table was nicely set and a cute potted plant was placed. It reminded me of the restaurants in Europe, particularly Paris.

The menu was simple due to it being past lunch hours and the lounge menu was available. We ordered the sheppard's pie and signature burger. Instead of fries, we got the soup of the day and it was excellent! The soup was rich and creamy and again reminded us of Parisian restaurants and quality! The table bread smelled and tasted fresh out of the oven and was almost hot to the touch. Also ordered a local beer which was okay, not too fancy. The wine list was quite exquisite and probably should've tried a red instead.

The service was top notch and the waitress was friendly, yet not too pushy. She started some conversation and checked up on us every once in a while.

This is a gem in Niagara on the Lake and I would definitely revisit. One of the few places that serve genuinely good food and has genuinely good service, who doesn't do it...

Charming little restaurant tucked into a hotel, with around a dozen tables—cozy and cute. The hostess was warm and welcoming, and service kicked off strong. The house-made bread was excellent, paired beautifully with coffee butter and their fresh hummus—really solid start.

We started with the beef carpaccio, which was flavorful but a bit overdone with the sauce and salad garnish. It felt like too many elements competing for attention. The pear salad was tasty, but it was more “pear with a side of salad” than the other way around—literally a whole pear with some greens sprinkled around. Could’ve used better balance.

For mains, I had the rabbit pappardelle. I went in with high hopes, but it didn’t quite hit the mark. The rabbit was served pulled rather than in chunks, and while that’s a stylistic choice, I personally prefer the texture of larger pieces of meat—it’s just more satisfying. The shredded texture didn’t deliver the same experience.

The rainbow trout was the stronger dish of the two—nicely cooked with crispy rice and flavorful cauliflower. That said, the fish itself could’ve used a citrusy lift to cut through the saltiness and bring better balance.

Unfortunately, service dropped off after the initial round. Our server didn’t come back to take a second drink order, and by the time we wanted a glass of wine with the mains, it was too late. Water wasn’t refilled either, though to be fair, they did seem swamped.

All in all, I’d give it a 3.8/5. The menu has potential, but a few tweaks could really elevate the experience. Even small details like the cutlery and cocktail straws felt a bit cheap and mismatched with the otherwise upscale vibe. Would I go back? Hard to say—maybe, but...