Craft Farmacy — Restaurant in Ontario

This was one of the best meals I have ever had, and I don't say that often. My boyfriend and I have decided this will be our new favourite spot.

I went with a group on Saturday the 21st of November. I had never even heard of this place which is such a shame and I've been telling anyone who even mentions food about it since. We started with the steamed clams and they were FANTASTIC. The were served with this amazing white wine, butter and fresh herb sauce that we couldn't stop eating all on it's own. The dish came with some bread but we were literally sipping it like soup with spoons until our amazing waitress Kim very smartly asked if we would like some more toasts to dip. We, of course, said yes. Our friends ordered the chili lobster which we will be ordering next time because, while they did not share the lobster (completely fair) they did let us try the sauce it came in and it was just as perfect as the sauce from our clams.

For our mains 2 of us got the crab cake, 2 got the duck confit and 1 of us got the burger

The crab cake: I usually avoid ordering crabcakes at restaurants anymore just because I'm usually disappointed (cold in the middle, too much filler and barely any crab meat, too dry, too soggy, etc.) This did NOT disappoint. It was a perfect ratio of meat to tasty extras, perfectly cooked and the garlic tartar sauce (I'm guessing) was sooo good. Even the salad it came with was so incredibly tasty. The dressing wasn't too sweet or tangy and the added ingredients were perfect.

The duck confit: my friends were nice enough to share and I was truly blown away. It was decadent without being too sweet and cooked perfectly.

The burger: my boyfriend had the burger, as he often does when we go out to eat. He usually is known for wolfing down his food - this was the first time I've seen him truly SAVOUR a meal. starting with the garlic fries that came with his burger. The burger itself was cooked exactly as requested, was juicy but not so juicy is soaked through the PERFECT SIZED brioche bun (I feel like ecery time we order a burger anywhere anymore it comes with this huge brioche bun that we can't even hold on to, let alone eat). He said the toppings were perfect and not overpowering and he ate every bite.

We were so full at the end of our dinner that we decided to take our dessert (the white chocolate lemon cheescake) to go. One of our friends decided to order a dessert to eat then and while we were chatting we decided to "taste" our dessert (that Kim brought to us all perfectly packaged up with a lovely berry sauce and fresh blackberries). That was a mistake and we ended up eating all of it rght there still in the restaurant.

Final thoughts: We honestly enjoyed every aspect of our visit. The food was beyond compare, the service was perfect (Kim was amazing and I'd happily come back and ask for her to serve us specifically if possible, although all other staff we interacted with were extremely polite), the portions were generous but not ridiculous, and the pricing was extremely reasonable for what we were getting - you pay similar prices at The Keg for a thoroughly bland meal. I also want to mention I appreciated how the meals weren't overdone - The burger wasn't a mess of extra fancy ingredients on a huge bun and 3 sauces, my salad wasn't filled with all sorts of random ingredients that make the greens look like a decoration. It was just simple ingredients that made sense combined to absolute perfection resulting in truly GOOD food.

We won't waste another penny at a "fancy" chain while this place (and others like it) exist. We will absolutely be back.

ALSO: they were correctly following all COVID guidelines including social distancing and I saw them frequently & thoroughly cleaning & sanitizing - all staff wore masks and...

felt like i was eating in somebody's living room. so loud couldn't even hear myself or anyone from my table talk. service was extremely slow. waitress took our drink order and gave us more time with the menu. after waiting for her for about 20 minutes we waved her over to order our food. when she came over she denied to take our order because she was "still waiting for our cocktails to be finished". never heard or had a waiter/waitress need to "wait" for our drinks to come before taking our order and sending it in. waiting to grab a waiter/waitress in order to ask for the bill is the same thing.

burger was solid 10/10 as was the raw oysters but everything else was not great. the vietnamese chicken wings aint nothin vietnamese about em. was thinkin they was going to be coated in some fish sauce coating or something like that but they were simply panko breaded plain wings served with "kung pao sauce" on the side in a dish shaped like a wok. IM HALF CHINESE AND VIETNAMESE THIS AINT NEITHER OF EM!!!

$70 wagyu tenderloin ordered medium came cooked well done and for some reason was bastardized even further by being butterflied in half. also idk why they served our san pellegrino in a cheap plastic bag with ice on the bottom. seemed like it was a bad idea for a unique presentation. cocktails were mid.

for dessert the chocolate stout cake it was just chocolate, no stout. if i put it in a box and said it was from sobeys you'd believe me.

$400 for the group of 4 felt like a robbery for the experience this place was trying to give. initially, i thought it was a fine dining spot with a good cocktail program but seems like...

So, let me begin by saying that I've been coming to Craft Farmacy on and off since the summer of 2017 with family members, colleagues and friends. I'm not the type to leave a review unless it's warranted - positive or negative. However, after my eighth overwhelmingly successful visit, I felt a review was not only deserving, but earned.

The atmosphere is always excellent with the right type of energy and the staff an appropriate level of attentive, without any pretense whatsoever. Never too pushy but more than welcome to elaborate if you ask about a particular dish and recommend if you're unsure.

The food, and I say this not to contribute to the hype, but to be completely honest and fair, is remarkable. I've been fortunate enough to eat at some of the finest restaurants in North America thanks to my occupation / former clients, and the selections here rival if not exceed some Michelin-star awarded venues. For example, the duck confit being served at the moment could double in price and still be worth every penny.

One last thing that I noticed, and this is a small but important detail, was that despite masks - there were familiar staff faces (behind masks that is). Though it isn't always a guarantee, this generally means the people working there enjoy what they do and appear to be well cared for by their management.

These people are the real deal.

Try them out for yourself if you haven't already - They're one of the best-kept secrets in Southwestern Ontario and I couldn't be prouder to be a patron. Support local, not just because they're great but because they're among the best...