Tiara Restaurant — Restaurant in Niagara-on-the-Lake

We had made reservations weeks before, even before the reopening of stage 1 Ontario was announced (patios reopening), for a special event. During this time, we made contact with the restaurant several times until the day of the reservation. Each time, we were ensured everything would be okay with our booking. We do not live near this area and it was over 1.5 hours to get there, albeit we were willing to make the trip as the view and ambiance looked surreal. To start, the menu is incredibly confusing during these times and constantly changing, we called multiple times and each time were given a different answer contradictory to website information on the menu. Understanding that these are unpredictable times but the content on the website should at least be up to date and the workers should be aware of any changes to the menu. It would help if individuals with reservations were notified of any changes to the cuisine options, especially if attending for special events, so as not to have to contact them every time we are curious about the menu. The day of the reservation, there was intermittent rain and we contacted the restaurant a few hours before our reservation to inquire about whether reservations would be cancelled. They gave unclear responses and were very abrupt and rude, it seemed like they were under too much stress and did not have time to deal with customers. They told us that even though we had reservations, others groups (who did not have reservations) would have priority over us as they were guests of the hotel. This news was NOT disclosed to us at any point during the numerous times we contacted the restaurant and were ensured everything was alright with our reservation. This is very unprofessional and should absolutely be disclosed as it will change whether we were willing to travel the distance to dine there. What was even more irritating was that this was not even disclosed on their behalf, if we had not contacted them the day of, we would have never known and would have been stuck waiting for hours and may not have even gotten a chance to dine in the end. To top it off, the rain had stopped in the area for the last hour and our reservation was spontaneously cancelled within 15 minutes of the time it was made for. Unfortunately, we were already in the region at this point and had to drive home. Disappointed overall and our special event was...

We came here to celebrate my dad’s 50th birthday, but the service left such a bad impression of the day. There were a number of problems, but the first began before all of us sat down. We had literally just sat down and my mom was still walking to our table, but our waitress had already come to ask us what we would like to drink. She saw that we literally just arrived (one of us still walking to the table) and hadn’t had a chance to look at our menus so I don’t know why she came over so soon. Maybe she was basing it on some stereotype of chinese guests rarely ordering drinks; FYI all of us ended up ordering a drink. Then came to ordering, my sister ordered the burger and the waitress took our orders but then she came back and told my sister she forgot to ask which side she wanted and whether or not she wanted to add cheese. My sister being lactose intolerant said no cheese, but when our order came the burger had cheese on it and the waitress had the audacity to say “the kitchen automatically put cheese on it”. I worked as a server for several years myself, so I know that if the kitchen automatically puts cheese in a dish there would be no reason for the server to clarify whether the customer wanted cheese. It shows to me that the kitchen or the server messed up my sisters order and didn’t think we were worthy of fixing it. And even if the kitchen “automatically pus cheese on it” they should be able to leave the cheese out if specified by the customer. Also when the drinks came mine and my mother’s were fine, but my sister’s drink came all sticky and covered with booze and pulp (picture of the glass is included). If you’re going to charge $16 for a little glass you can at least take 2 seconds to wipe down the glass. We also indicated in our reservations that it was for my dad’s birthday and the front desk even clarified whose birthday it was, but we went through the whole meal and left without it ever being mentioned again. I don’t mind if a restaurant doesn’t do something special for celebrations, and I don’t know if this resturant normally does something special (but if not it’s probably best to not ask for that information on the reservation). But if this restaurant does celebrate special occasions differently then we did not get...

Located in the majestic Queen's Landing hotel, Tiara Restaurant is fit for royalty. We visited on a Monday evening, so there wasn't much of a crowd. This was perfect as we were seated closer to the large windows where we could take in the natural beauty of the lakefront and the boats that were docked. Our server was very helpful at providing his recommendations off the menu. Since we were staying at the hotel, we had a package that included a 3-course dinner. As I like to try different beers, there was a good selection of local beers from NOTL to try in a beer flight (4 oz x 4 beers). The appetizers were plated very well and tasted just as good as they looked. The PEI mussels were delicious, sizable and whet our appetites. The sous vide pork belly was tender and another beautifully presented appetizer. My only suggestion is that warm bread and a spreadable be served at the table since there was a slight wait before the appetizers came out. The beef striploin was cooked perfectly to my liking and the locally sourced veggies were a nice accompaniment. The shrimp linguine was another fantastic entree option as the shrimps were large, the pasta was cooked perfectly and there was some flavourful chili heat that elevated the dish. As good as the appetizers and main courses are, make sure to leave some room for dessert. Based on our server's recommendation, we tried the Bananas Foster Cream Pie and the Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse. With New Orleans origins, the original Bananas Foster is a quintessential dessert that must be tried in its authentic form. However, the Bananas Foster Cream Pie pays homage to a classic and holds its own as a terrific and tasty crossover. For any chocolate and peanut butter lovers, the CPB mousse is simply otherworldly. If you went to the Tiara Restaurant just for that dessert, it wouldn't be a wasted trip. In all, our experience at Tiara Restaurant was a 5-star experience and although it is a pricey option in NOTL, it's great way to memorialize a birthday, anniversary or special occasion and to treat yourself...