HEIST Restaurant + Wine Club — Restaurant in Ontario

Okay, okay, okay! We’ve been waiting (and waiting, and waiting) for a dining experience like this to come to Kingston. Drop everything and get to this experience (it’s more than a restaurant) as soon as possible. I can understand some reviews are mentioning things this very new restaurant is working through, but don’t skip it for the imperfect reviews. If you’re looking for a dining experience that makes you feel like you might be in Europe, this is it. The cocktails are made with precision, and we learned so much about their craft and the passion that goes into their drink menu and wine list. We got the chance to spend time with the bar manager, who’s the coolest, and he educated us on the concepts he’s aiming for when creating the beverages his guests will experience. He also mentioned he goes to conferences and experiences wines from around the world, which assists him in building his wine list. They poured me a very generous glass of Prosecco, that was crisp, light and the bubbles lingered and lingered in my glass. A delight! We thoroughly enjoyed a very unique red sangria and a classic, old school amaretto sour. We order a half bottle of red and loved every sip. We tried the burrata salad, which reminded us of Italy with its classic elements, but with some modern, delicious twists. We shared an eggplant Parmesan, which was also made in classic style, and came with some beautifully done haricot vert and asparagus. We also tried a pizza and a veal dish. The pizza dough is reminiscent of pizzerias in Italy. Beautifully thin yet pillowy, flavorful, moist and a wicked chew. It was soooo easily digestible. The tiramisu is THE MOST authentic tiramisu we’ve had outside of Italy and we’ll be back over and over and over. The service was attentive, yet not intrusive. We had lovely interactions with every staff member. The decor is done in a crisp, modern, airy take on mid-century styles. Brass, black, and velvet done in a highly elevated way. Every seat I sat in was comfortable, which is often overlooked in reviews. It wasn’t overly loud, even though conversation around us was lively. Acoustic panels and beautifully separated rooms help here. Heist … is our new favourite… and we’ll now go here before we go to the restaurants we’ve been going to faithfully for years. They’re doing something special...

Typically we celebrate our special occasions at The Keg BUT, I decided to surprise my husband and reserved us a table at Heist for his 39th Birthday. We got dressed up and set out to celebrate! Upon arriving we were promptly greeted, but quickly disappointed as we were seated directly inside the door at a booth that gave "McDonalds vibes" and had constant entry/exit traffic... not quite the special romantic evening I had in mind! The waiter was nice, though he was not knowledgeable about the menu options when we asked questions (had to "ask someone and let us know"), nor did he offer up any specials or suggestions (like The Keg does) especially when we explained this was our first visit to Heist. The signature (overpriced) drinks were tiny but good... enjoyed the creative names. We ordered the cesar salad to start, but regretted it the rest of the evening... not sure what dressing they use, but it did not agree with our digestive systems. It's also the first time I've seen corn in a cesar salad? 🤔 For our main course we chose the striploin steaks with an extra side of mushrooms. At $60 each, our expectations were high. Unfortunately, after waiting 45minutes for our meal to be served we were VERY unhappy... the 12oz was equal parts 6oz of meat & 6oz of FAT -- yuck! I'm not even sure why they would serve it? It should have been thrown out. The mushroom side was forgotten, so arrived late (they did give this for free to rectify) but was tasteful, as were the regular plated compliments (vegetables & smashed potato). To top off our experience (not the restaurants fault of course -- but apparently something you should be aware of for the area) - while eatting, a homeless man came up and "relieved" himself outside our window! It was at this point we decided to opt out of reviewing the dessert menu and put an end to our "celebration". I felt like bursting out crying... what was meant to be a special night for my husband at a cool new restaurant turned out to be a completely unbelievable expensive, disaster. Kudos to the waiter who did try to redeem our experience by bringing a complimentary "Happy Birthday" cannoli with our bill... The only reason I am giving 2 stars instead of 1. (Side note -- we were also surprised the interior design didnt resemble a bank as the name suggests?) Sorry, we...

Went for a date night and had a lovely experience. Our server was kind and attentive and the same can be said for each staff member we interacted with.

For drinks we each had a cocktail to start and later had their take on an espresso martini to finish with dessert. They were all well made and the garnishes looked fantastic.

To start we shared the carpaccio; beautifully presented and great quantity, but felt a bit light flavour wise.

For entrees we had the 8oz tenderloin with lobster tail, chicken parmesan, and fries to split. The steak was cooked beautifully! Could probably have cut it with a butter knife, and the jus was amazing. Lobster tail was good but could have used maybe a side of melted butter to dip or pour over depending on guests tastes and a seafood fork would have been appreciated to make it easier to enjoy. Chicken parmesan was equally delicious and the portioning was quite generous. Pasta was well done and paired well with the dish. Fries were good, not much to say but definitely no complaints.

For dessert we had the banana toffee pudding and the tiramisu. Fantastic texture and tastes for both that paired well with our drinks. We moved from our table to the bar to enjoy them and had a lovely chat with the bar team.

Service was fantastic, the venue is beautiful, and the food and drinks were very well done. Would definitely recommend for a date night or celebration, or even coming by for...