The Purple House Cafe — Restaurant in Ontario

We reached there at 7 PM and were told the wait time is 30 minutes for a patio table. We put our name and phone number and went for a walk to the river side; the St. Lawrence River is just steps away. Even after 45 minutes there was no message, so we went back to the restaurant to check if everything was alright. Then we were told two groups are still ahead of us. While standing there another group of four young people came and they were also told it would take 30 minutes to get a patio table. So they put their name and went for a walk. We also went back to the river side again and found that group of four were also waiting there. Another 45 minutes passed and suddenly we found the other group stood up and started walking towards the restaurant as if they got a message from the restaurant. We still did not receive anything. We were surprised and followed them to the restaurant and to our dismay the host seated them in a table right away though they put their names 45 minutes after us. We were hungry and a little worried as the restaurant has a sign that it closes at 9:30 PM and it’s already 8:30 PM. This was our first time in Gananoque and were not sure where else we could go in such a short time. When the host returned after seating them, seeing us standing there she asked our name, and told us she just got an empty table and would get it ready for us. Rest of our time in the restaurant went well.

Our server was a very nice young lady. The food was very delicious. We tried butter chicken pizza and caesar salad, all made with fresh ingredients and the pizza was made in a custom wood fired oven just in front of us; and finished with coffee and vanilla bean creme brûlée. The ambience that night was magical. It was a moonlit night. We were surrounded by beautiful flowers and lush gardens. The music was awesome. The only downside seating in the patio was mosquito bites.

Once done eating and before we left, we had a short chat with our server and she was surprised to hear that we were told 30 minutes but had to wait 90 minutes and also the other group was given table before us. That group was seating just next to us. We were group of two and they were group of four, could it be the reason for discrimination? But all tables in the patio we saw were for four people and many were occupied by two guests only. So that should not be the reason. Our server appreciated for expressing our concern to her and she said she would have a chat with the host. If it was not for that incident, I would have given it a five star rating. Delay part I understood, it's hard to estimate, though 90 minutes in place of 30 minutes was a bit too much. Our major concern was why the host seated the other party (who booked 45 minutes after us) before us when she was clearly noting down everyone's booking time. It's still a...

It was very surprising to observe double-standards this evening I hate to use the term racist behavior but certainly felt like one of those bad experiences. I was sure this is because of my Indian origin. I never had this experience in 25 years living in United States of America mostly as an immigrant and an American now. Today around 8:05 pm me and my family of 4 people tried to walk-in for a quick dinner at this restaurant after having a wonderful time at Joel Stone beach and 1000 island cruise also not being aware that many restaurants close early around here. I was told to wait for 10 minutes by the girl staff in the front ( I wish I would have noted her name) and it felt odd when few tables were clearly empty, the wait felt forever, my frustration and hunch was proven correct when 2 white couples( 4 People ) who came after us, were seated immediately also she was about to allow an older white couple as well who arrived about the same time but they were very kind to point at us noting we were waiting before them, for that this girl answered to them “we have already spoken about it”. I finally decided to intervene and questioned “why we were waiting” and why she allowed the 4 before, for that she said the 4 already in waitlist and hurried inside informing the older couple it will take 5 minutes. My 8 year older daughter pointed ‘no reservations’ in the chalk board placed in the entrance, my wife wisely said let’s go somewhere else and we walked away. I feel terrible that I didn’t call her manager and asked her to explain the situation, how they were in the waiting list when there is ‘no reservations’ !!, if you look like me please avoid this restaurant to save from bad memories. There were other nice experiences here which I want to remember conversing with wonderful people at cruise front desk and with cruise crew also in the restaurant we ended up...

After being turned away from a local pub at 7:35 PM due to their 8PM closing time on a Sunday in the middle of the summer season, we found ourselves at the Purple House Cafe - one of the few places in Gananoque still open that evening. While we were initially told there would be a 45-minute wait, it ended up being over an hour before we were seated. The pizza, which some previous reviewers have described as mediocre, lived up to that reputation. The dough had the consistency akin to frozen pizza that detracted from the overall quality. On the bright side, our server was pleasant and did her best despite how busy the restaurant was. We were seated near the entrance of the restaurant - the table closest to the street - and when we voiced our uncomfortableness our server did attempt to move us closer in to a slightly more comfortable table. Table itself was weathered and could have used a covering of some sort or even replacement. It’s worth noting that if the restaurant is full, it’s the large parties that are seated in the prime spots near the word burning oven on the patio where the picnic tables are used. The patio itself has a lovely ambiance - and the “house” is quite charming to be honest. One person in our party opted for one of the salads and added chicken on it but the chicken wasn’t grilled, which was a bit disappointing. But with a very limited menu offering only pizza and salad (a few appetizer options would have been appreciated) I doubt we will return. Overall, the Purple House Cafe offers a charming setting but falls short in food quality and...