RiverHouse at Northern Lights Winery — Restaurant in Prince George

The Bistro at Northern Lights Winery is a beautiful restaurant at an even more beautiful location. I recommend checking it out just for the experience.

The bistro is a bit higher priced which is normal for winery restaurants but unfortunately the food doesn't quite reflect the price. For example, the naan pizzas are many days old, store bought, naan bread with some ingredients warmed up on top. Something anyone could make at home for just a couple bucks. In contrast, other wineries make the crust on site and cook it in an outdoor, wood fired pizza oven.

My wife observed that it's like they looked at what's on other wineries menus and then tried to duplicate that using a toaster oven and a microwave. I believe they just need to think about what they can do well under the "bistro" setting and stick to that.

(On a side note, I've found that whenever I see the term "bistro" that translates to "we haven't invested in a kitchen or all the staff it takes to run one, but we still want to charge you like we had.)

Our server was very attentive and pleasant while she was around. Unfortunately she disappeared from the restaurant at one point and after 20 minutes my wife had to go inside to find someone else to continue serving us. Then when it was time for the bill she returned like nothing had happened. I get that people need breaks but we felt abandoned.

All that said, with some tweaks this place has the potential to be a favorite. I hope they continue improving. As a final tip, when ordering stick with the things bistros can do well like charcuterie boards and...

Unfortunately the service and quality of food have continued to go downhill. My husband started the meal with a tray of drinks spilled on him. We ordered the truffle fries for the table and my FIL ordered a soup to start and they didn't arrive until after we were served mains. The mains took 45 minutes to be served. The fries were dried/old. The buns for the burgers were stale. We asked for the bill for the table and only got brought one half of the table and our wine club membership was not applied despite reminding them twice of it. It was a celebration of my FIL 70th birthday who was in out of town. It was such an embarrassing experience and we were mortified we had brought him there. Furthermore, it was not worth the $120 we paid for poor food and poor service. I gave two starts for the ambience. We used to come her on a fairly regular basis living just down the road and unfortunately this is the third time in a row with disappointing service. But also now the food has taken a turn for the worst.

Edit: Upped another star from response from management who personally called to apologize. Was very impressed with the professionalism and willingness to...

We made the trip up from Prince Rupert and booked our reservation online —super easy and convenient. As soon as we arrived, we were greeted with stunning colours, blooming gardens, and total riverside chill vibes. The staff? So warm and welcoming, making sure we felt taken care of right from the start. Chatted with all the staff throughout our lunch.

Walking through the gardens was a lovely little escape—short in distance but rich in atmosphere. You just want to linger, soak it all in, and reset.

Now the food… WOW. As someone in the fitness world, I loved the balance—whether you're fueling up with a power bowl or treating yourself to a juicy burger, the options were on point. Everything was fresh, full of flavour, and thoughtfully prepared.

Love the selection of wines and snagged a few bottles to bring home.

From start to finish, the entire experience was pure magic. We'll be back for sure—and...