Symposium Cafe Restaurant Oakville — Restaurant in Oakville

Eager for a casual Friday afternoon bite, we chose "Symposium Cafe Restaurant & Lounge," lured by its diverse menu and the promise of a laid-back dining experience. Here’s the scoop on our visit:

Ambiance: Symposium presents itself with a relaxed, contemporary feel, ideally suited for leisurely lunches or coffee dates. The decor strikes a nice balance between modern chic and comfort, providing a pleasant environment where one can expect to unwind and chat over a meal. However, this promising setting set expectations that the food unfortunately didn't meet.

Service: On the topic of service, it was a mixed bag. While the staff was courteous, our experience was dampened by a few hiccups. A notable snafu was the salad dressing mix-up—not a dealbreaker, but it does give one pause. Speedy service on a not-so-busy afternoon would have been appreciated, but our wait times told a different story.

Food: We opted for a range of items: clam chowder, a California chicken sandwich, fish tacos, and a grilled salmon salad. The consensus? The dishes were visually appealing but lacked the zest and flavor we anticipated. The clam chowder needed more seasoning, the chicken in the sandwich was a tad dry, and the fish tacos were forgettable. The grilled salmon salad was fresh but was unfortunately served with the wrong dressing, which didn’t help in lifting its overall bland taste.

Improvements: A spice rack rescue mission might be in order! More attention to the seasoning and flavors across the menu would go a long way. Also, ensuring that orders are served as requested would help improve the dining experience significantly.

Conclusion: While "Symposium" offers a comfortable setting with potential for a great dining spot, the current execution doesn’t quite hit the mark. It’s a place with promise but needs a pinch of improvement in the flavor and service departments.

Tip: If you do decide to give Symposium a try, maybe steer towards their coffee and desserts, which could be a safer bet until their savory...

the food here is good, but the consistent lack of good and prompt service will never be able to justify spending money here. i’ve been in symposium twice in the last week and encountered different staff members who all have absolutely zero sense of urgency or communication skills. my boyfriend and i were in on thursday and ordered an appetizer to share and an entree each before noticing the table talker that advertised a 2 can dine for $65 on thursdays (including a shared app and an entree each). i asked our server if what we ordered qualifies and she said no because they have a different menu for that deal which we were never offered. very disappointing. i then went in on sunday in a last minute attempt to buy some take out drinks as all other options for alcohol were unavailable due to it being easter. i went up to the bar and when asked what i needed i explained this and the bartender said “ok one minute” and then rushed all over the place to make a frozen drink. several other staff members were around and none offered to help for about10 minutes and when someone finally did, i was told that i needed to order food to get take out alcohol. that was fine by me - i asked for a piece of cake. i was then told that any alcohol needed to be ordered through uber eats? i stood waiting at the bar for 10 minutes after telling them what i was there for to be told they couldn’t help me? huge waste of my time. i foolishly try to give this restaurant another chance every 6 months or so and am always disappointed. the amount of positive reviews this place has is...

I have recently visited this Symposium location a few times in the space of a couple of weeks for late breakfasts and lunches with my wife, my two young children, and my elderly mother who was visiting the country. On every occasion we were served by an outstanding member of waiting staff called Matthew.

Exterior and interior design at the Symposium is great. It feels very classy, with Greek-vibes and chic décor. There is an excellent sized patio for sitting outside during the warmer months, however we enjoyed being indoors whilst it was cold out.

Matthew, our server on every occasion, was incredibly attentive and welcoming to us all, and was very accommodating and chatty with the children which was nice. Times between being seated and ordering food and drinks is perfect, it didn't feel too long or too short. Food quality was superb, with everyone thoroughly enjoying all the dishes we ordered (eggs benedict of various kinds, caramel banana French toast, and some kids' meals of bacon and egg breakfasts). Everything was well-presented on the plate, portion sizes were good, and the quality and taste was excellent. Matthew was also happy to accommodate some custom requests we made, and was also quick to fix a small issue we had with one of the orders on one visit.

Cost of the meals is average when compared to other dining experiences, however given the quality of the food at the Symposium and the level of service from their waiting staff, I would gladly go back here....