Lot 88 Steakhouse & Bar — Restaurant in Ontario

My godmother took my mom and me to Lot 88 for my birthday on Saturday, June 14th. We arrived at 5:55 PM and were promptly seated, as my godmother had a reservation. Unfortunately, our experience quickly went downhill from there.

After being seated, we ordered our drinks — a Diet Coke, a ginger ale, and a carbonated water. About five minutes later, we received only two of the three: the carbonated water was missing. We pointed this out, and the server assured us she’d bring the drink — but she simply forgot, and it never arrived. At that point, I had a feeling the service at this restaurant was going to be disappointing.

We ordered our appetizers and main courses at the same time. Our starters — Caesar salad and calamari — arrived about 15 minutes later. The Caesar salad came with pre-shredded Parmesan and artificial bacon crumbles like those sold at Food Basics. The calamari was topped with jarred pickled jalapeños, also reminiscent of grocery store quality. Once we finished our underwhelming appetizers, we waited over 35 minutes for our mains.

I asked a server about the delay, and she replied, “Our kitchens are really busy — I’ll see if I can find Justin.” She never returned with any update. I then spoke to a man who might have been Justin (he never introduced himself), and he offered the same excuse. There was no ownership, accountability, or attempt to improve our experience.

When our meals finally arrived, my top sirloin was burnt and tough, and the fries were overly salty. Over the course of this two-hour ordeal, we witnessed several other customers walking out or complaining about wait times.

All in all, I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant. You’re better off...

Celebrating Valentine’s at our favourite restaurant, Lot 88 in Orillia! We’ve never had a disappointing meal here and the service is wonderful! If you’ve never been there, it’s quite the dining experience. We generally order the Surf & Turf from the menu with Calamari to start. You get choice of sides and veggies plus a dessert for their special. The 8oz top sirloin steak comes out very lightly grilled on both sides. So you don’t tell them how you like your steak. The steak comes out sizzling on a unique lava rock grill that is super hot! It also comes with jumbo shrimp 🍤. Eating Tip: I immediately take my certified Angus AAA steak from the hot lava stone and put it onto my side plate. Then, I slice off pieces of steak to cook on the lava rock. I love my steak medium rare so every piece I put on and cook… is cooked perfectly to my liking 😘. Some people prefer medium or medium well or whatever. You’re in charge as the steak cooks perfectly as you munch on the sides. Every piece of steak you cut from your side plate & put on the 600 degree Fahrenheit lava rock is super hot and delicious! I cut a slice off the thick steak then cook it. Eat it along with sides. Then, slice another piece and let it cook. Only takes seconds to cook because the stone is so hot. No piece of steak 🥩 is ever cold. The desserts are so yummy. The xaingo dessert I highly suggest. Our server and all the servers go above and beyond expectations. Nigel Soares is one such server. Great dining experience and wonderful staff. Chefs are incredible. 🥰. Btw. Dinner special that included apps, main courses and dessert plus a full bottle, yes…full bottle of wine was a little over 100 bones!...

What a cool steakhouse in Orillia. We got there ans service was very good. Staff and manager greeted our party on time.

The menu is very typical with items expected in a steak house. But the twist was the hot stone. Over half the entrees required you to cook it on a hot stone. This is typically found in Asian restaurants but my first for steakhouse.

The appetizers were very good. The wings were delicious soups were hot, oysters were fresh, Yorkshire beef was amazing, and so is the baked brie.

For the kids they had great options including hamburgers, 5 oz steaks, and chicken fingers. All including pop and ice cream as part of their meals.

The main entrees we tried included the lamb, seared salmon, and seared filet. They were all extremely fresh and very yummy.

Concept around the hot stone is very nice but not for everyone. You get your meal seared blue and it is your discretion to keep cutting away and turning your meat so that it Cooks through the way you want it. So at the end of the day it's a bit of a cook your own meal and you better be ready to wait even after you get your food. If you enjoy this type of entertainment it will be worth your while.

Desserts for the most part were pre-made and brought in including Bailey's cheesecake, peanut butter cheesecake, creme brulee and a few other items which looked brought in.

I would overlook the desserts since the mains were all excellent. And it would definitely not deter me from coming back.

Overall this is a fun experience and was worth making a stop at this restaurant. I would make this a special occasion stop and or when you get the craving for...