The Epicurean — Restaurant in Niagara-on-the-Lake

UPDATE 09/2023 I continue to encourage everyone to read the 1-star reviews first before eating in this restaurant. Most of them had the same awful experience I had. Dishonest and unbelievably rude owners and less than mediocre food. As a local in Niagara-on-the-Lake, I am recommending to all visitors that they stay away from this restaurant. I am honestly astounded they are still in business. 2022 Review: I would like to preface this review by mentioning that the back patio at this restaurant is quite nice and away from the Queen Street crowds, the food we ordered was good and the service was also quite good (our waitress Lorenza was very friendly). The problem came at the end and then again later in the day. When the bill arrived, my two friends and I decided to split it in 3 equal parts. Our server had no problem with that request and she came back to our table with the credit card machine for each of us to execute our payment. We did so and right after, when we put our three separate bills together, we realized that we had been charged 33.3% more than the original total bill. We immediately went in search of the waitress who asked us to wait at the table for 5-10 minutes for the owner to come and speak to us. Apparently, she did not have the authority to reverse the charges and charge us again the correct amount. We waited 45 minutes and then had to go in search of someone to help us again, as the owner had not come. We were told again that she would be out in just a few minutes (she was apparently busy in the kitchen). We waited another 30 minutes (a total of 1 hour and 15 minutes after paying our bill) and then told our waitress that we had to leave. I left my name and phone number and asked that the owner phone me when she became available. After 20 minutes, when my friends and I were on the way elsewhere and were already very late, we receive a call (not from the owner) asking us to come back immediately, that now they had time to see us. I mentioned that I would be able to return towards the end of the afternoon and to please phone me back to confirm the time. At a quarter to 5 in the afternoon, my friends left for home (an hour and a half away) and, as no one had called me back, I phoned the restaurant to see if they would be able to finally fix the issue. I am local, but I still had to take the time to go back to the restaurant myself. When I arrived, the owner came out of the kitchen and, after some time, told me that she was unable to void all three charges unless she had the other credit cards. I told her that, since she had ignored us for well over an hour before, my friends had had to leave and under no circumstances could they return. I asked her to find another solution, since I found it deeply embarrassing that my friends had been overcharged so much by a restaurant that I had selected. At this point, the owner became quite abusive and started to shout that I didn’t know what I was talking about, “whatever your name is”, that I “obviously did not understand the language” and that I was “living in my own oblivious world”. I was absolutely shocked. I have never been treated in my town by a business owner this way. I told her that I understood that mistakes can happen and that I did not blame the server in any way. I was only upset with the owner for ignoring us and then treating her customers so poorly. Instead of apologizing and trying to make amends, she demanded payment for an additional amount (in the meantime, the owner said they had been able to void one of the 3 charges, which I have not confirmed with my one friend whose credit card it was). She then proceeded to tell me to leave her restaurant immediately and “never come back”. Absolutely astounding! I ended up refunding the amounts to both my friends myself, since the restaurant had not done so as requested. This experience is truly unfortunate, as I like to recommend friends and family to local businesses and I honestly could never recommend this restaurant to...

As a local from St. Catharines, I’ve visited The Epicurean in NOTL several times over the past year and have often recommended it to friends, family, and out-of-town guests. I had genuinely enjoyed past visits and even encouraged others to go, especially after a lovely experience with a friendly server last fall. Unfortunately, today’s visit has completely changed my perspective and I won’t be returning.

I brought my business partner and his wife, who were visiting the area, and suggested The Epicurean for lunch. We ordered two of the specials without asking for prices, each got a drink, and were ready to enjoy our afternoon. Then the server came back to inform us there would be a $5 plate-sharing fee because they wanted to share one of the dishes. This felt incredibly unnecessary and left a bad impression.

I understand that some restaurants may have policies like this, but just because others do it doesn’t mean The Epicurean has to follow suit. Why give in to scammy, capitalistic, tourist-focused practices? If anything, being the place that doesn't nickel and dime customers could make them stand out for the better. Even restaurants in Niagara Falls, St. Catharines, and Port Dalhousie, which all attract plenty of tourists, don’t pull this kind of thing. I've never encountered it elsewhere, and I dine out often.

When we expressed that we weren’t happy about the fee, there was no willingness to listen or offer any kind of solution. We were simply told that “all restaurants in NOTL do this.” That kind of response just felt lazy and dismissive. On top of that, this restaurant already charges more than many others in the area.

What made it worse was the attitude we got when we raised our concern. The senior server ended the conversation with a cold “Have a good day” and walked away, essentially dismissing us instead of trying to make things right. It was uncomfortable, disappointing, and frankly embarrassing, especially since I was the one who brought guests and vouched for the place.

This policy also raises an ethical concern. If someone doesn’t feel like eating a full meal, are they supposed to be forced to order something just to avoid a fee? That could lead to more food waste. How is that sustainable? It's not about the money, it’s about the principle and how it reflects on their priorities as a business.

They lost what could have been a $200+ order, and more future visits, over a $5 fee. I have no issue paying fair prices, tipping well, or supporting local businesses. But this experience felt like pure seasonal capitalism with no concern for long-term customers or locals who actually keep coming back.

I’m giving 2 stars instead of 1 only because I’ve genuinely enjoyed the food during my last three visits this year alone, and I don’t want to take away from the work the kitchen staff is doing. But sadly, I won’t be returning, and I’ll no longer be recommending The Epicurean to...

April 1st was my mother's 90th birthday and we decided to take her to NOTL for a celebratory 2 days. It happened to be a beautiful sunny day so 4 of us (my mom, sister, her partner and myself) were able to stroll into town. The weather suddenly turned cold so we happened to duck into this restaurant. We seated ourselves near the door at a table for 4. With the exception of one other table the restaurant was empty. There was a man with grey hair and a grey beard who was obviously in charge. I stepped out to go the car to get a sweater for my mom. In my absence this person in charge, manager, informed the others that if I did not return, they would still have to pay for a table for four!! We have never heard of such a thing. What struck everyone was the condescending and accusatory tone with which he said this. I returned and we ordered a light lunch including a latte for my sister and her partner. The food was good but what followed was outrageous. For desert, my mom, being her 90th, ordered a single scoop of vanilla ice cream. She is a small eater and cant take too much cold.She was brought 2 huge scoops. When I reminded the manager she only wanted one scoop, he replied in a very sarcastic tone "Well. You're paying for 2 scoops". Again it was his tone which from the outset was condescending and clearly disengaged from the patronage of 4 women, including a 90 year old, all of Indian dissent. But then the 3rd episode occurred after we had paid the bill. My sister stood up and accidentally knocked over her remaining latte. The manager simply stood there and stared. Not only did he he not offer to assist in any way whatsoever, he made no effort to help get the table and chair cleaned, even after we, and particularly my sister started to use our napkins to clean and also apologise. Instead, he actually walked over with a yellow cloth and handed it to my sister for her to do the cleaning. All of us were shocked not to mention furious. His behaviour was tantamount to subversive racism. He didnt want us there, his service attitude sucked and he didn't think anyone one in his pricey restaurant should assist in helping us to clean up. My sister and I are lawyers with activist backgrounds in human and equality rights It is not like us not to address this man's deeply offensive behaviour straight out. What held us back was that it was a special day for my mom. She turned 90. That is a rare celebration for most of us. We weren't about to let this racist creep get the power to upset her special day. But she noticed it all and said so afterwards. I have shared this story with several people who seemed to know this restaurant. Each one said I must write a review. Having put distance between that horrible event and this horrible manager I've decided to put this event in writing. I didnit even want to give it a 1...