My wife and I went to Dianne's on a Thursday at about 530pm. It was overall a great experience.

We walked over from beautiful Confederation Park in historic downtown Kingston and were greeted by the hostess. There was no line, and we were offered indoor or outdoor seating, both of which had several available tables. The outdoor tables on the east side of the building had a waterfront view. We chose to sit inside simply for the weather conditions at the time. The indoor atmosphere was lovely and reminded me of being at a beach. The music was appropriate and wasn't too loud. The mood was well set, and the tables were comfortably spaced from one another.

We immediately served water, and our waitress (Harper?) presented herself well and was very friendly.

I ordered a spicy Pineapply margarita, which was unique and delicious (shaken with jalapenos for the spice but the pepper itself not included in the drink). My wife ordered the Sangria, which was refreshing. They were served promptly, and our food order was taken.

The prices were wide-ranging, so there is something on the menu for a lavish date or a budget evening. We chose shrimp and Baja fish soft tacos, both of which were flavourful and light. I preferred the baja fish to the shrimp...the shrimp were good, but the fish was delicious! I liked that you could pick how many tacos you wanted instead of having a fixed menu. Sides were not included, and the tacos were fairly small, which made the price somewhat unbalanced.

My wife ordered a side of the house slaw, and I had a side of fries and gravy. The slaw was good but seemed to be vinaigrette based. The fries could have been crispier but were very well seasoned. Unfortunately, the gravy was not good. They say it was beef gravy, but it didn't taste like it. The gravy was gelatinous and tasted weird...

How did the staff take the criticism? Very well! She apologized for the gravy, removed it from the bill, and let the kitchen know how it was received.

For dessert (I forgot to take a picture of the menu), there were 4 options, which all sounded heavenly. We chose to split an order of salted caramel cake with whipped cream and fresh berries. Let me tell you... wow! It was $14, but it was very large and extremely rich. Very, very good, but we had to box half of it for later.

The good: The location*, the wide-ranging budget menu, great service, delicious food.

*given the location, if there's a festival or something downtown - good luck getting in. Maybe plan to come another day.

What I'd fix: A candle would have been nice at the table, and a larger portion for price. All meals should come with a side, even if you only include a scoop of slaw with the tacos.

I included my final receipt, and tipped 20%. Highly recommend 👌.