Seagulls Restaurant & Lounge — Restaurant in Rural Municipality of Gimli

We arrived at 2 for lunch and were told it would be a 35-40 minute wait. We asked if we could be seated on the outside deck patio, the entire reason we chose this restaurant. They said they were closing the deck in a few minutes. I asked why they'd close it on such a beautiful day (first gorgeous day in a week). They said they were short-staffed. We accepted that reasoning and said we'd wait and peruse the many shops in the hotel as they said they'd call us when our spot opened up.

We got the call by 2:30 and got the next best spot by the window. I noticed several people out on the patio but assumed they were stragglers so didn't ask about eating there. After we were well settled and our orders were taken we noticed multiple parties being seated on the patio. I was a bit put out but we didn't complain. (the outdoor photo I posted was taken from our indoor window seat)

The food: a very mixed bag. Our food came quickly. Hubby quite enjoyed his beer-battered fish and chips. No exclamations of "wow" like he does in some restaurants. But he did like it. I asked him how it compared to the fish n chips he used to get in England on the south coast on the English Riviera where we used to live and go to the most renowned place on the south coast (Hanbury's). He said he couldn't remember that very well so couldn't compare. I'd say that is a good sign then, that he couldn't remember if that famous place was better!

Our kids enjoyed their chicken fingers and Mac and cheese kids meals. The star of the show in my opinion was the Baked Mac n' Cheese my older daughter had with three cheeses and chorizo (adult menu, not kids). Very tasty. Not 5-star, but good. My chicken fettucine was the big 1-star let down. The chicken tasted as though it was pre-cooked, frozen, and microwaved. I have no doubt that was the case. It was dry and rubbery and completely disgusting. At $23 (not much less then Olive Garden but no endless soup and breadsticks) it was a disappointment. My pasta didn't have enough sauce and the sauce was just okay. I can make way better at home. It tasted like it could have been created from a powder. I ate it and was satisfied but it wasn't worth $23.

The decor: very dated Smitty's or Denny's style. Last updated 25 years ago perhaps? It felt a bit like a cafeteria. I forgot to take a pic so the best example is the one with my daughter eating an onion ring.

Our waitress was very sweet and lovely and kept our drinks full. If we were to ever return here, it would only be for a seat on the patio and maybe a drink. Due to location, I'm sure they are never short for...

This place was in the weeds when we were there. Here are the important points summary:

-Server opened with a warning that they got a rush of ppl in, and we should order asap to avoid waiting 45 minutes for our food. So we ordered in a rush, thinking he would punch it in, then take the next tables' orders. Well he said the same thing to the other 4 tables and took their orders too before punching it all in at the same time. This made me wonder what the point of rushing us to order was. We're they just trying to turn over tables before they close?

-Cream of broccoli soup was a broth with no broccoli.

-I ordered a 90z steak medium rare. I asked what the vegetable was and was told Cauliflower and Broccoli. The server came back and said they have no 9oz left they can give me the 7oz at a discount. So I said fine. Well that 7oz steak is for their sandwich, not a dinner entree, which made me worried it would be an inferior quality. When the plate came out they had some kind of vegetable medley that looked like a salad but was cooked. Cooked grape tomatoes, julienned carrots, and cucumbers! Who cooks cucmbers?!?!! Yuck! What happened to the cauliflower and broccoli?! The steak was not great either. It was thin and overcooked, and really only 3oz was edible because the rest was grissle.

-the pickerel entree consisted of 2 tiny pickerel fillets. Exactly 5 baby potatoes, and I mean BABY potatoes sliced in half. 1 piece of broccoli and 1 piece of cauliflower (they were larger florettes).

-We were on the patio and it started raining. Went I side to tell the staff they may want to lower the awning be because of the rain. 2 managers came out to see if I was telling the truth, to test to see if it's raining! 10 minutes later the server returned to our table to tell us that the awning is not waterproof to they can't open it as rain will just go through it.

-We finished at about the same time as the table next to us. We asked them how their dinner was. One lady said her fish and chips was undercooked and tasted like the fish batter was raw in parts. She also told us her friend didn't like her dish either.

-They did discount the bill but I wasn't there for a discount I was there to...

Arrived at 4:45pm and was advised that no seating was available due to an hour wait time for food. No wait list was being done until 5pm.

Arrived at 5:03pm and was advised that they were closing the patio in order to catch up on orders, but they could seat us inside. Wait...what?? Yes, that was the illogical reasoning for not being able to sit on the patio.

My guest and I sat inside, with a window seat adjacent to the patio. Yep, a much better way to catch-up with the food orders.

On to the meal... Pickerel Cheeks to start with a Marble Rye Rueben with fries for me. My guest ordered a Club Sandwich on a tortilla with poutine.

The Pickerel Cheeks were spot on. They were warm and provided the right amount of flavour and texture mixtures.

The Marble Rye Rueben with fries and a side of gravy was a bit of a let down. The Rueben was hot and flavourful, but this was ruined by the salty and soggy fries.

The Club Sandwich wrap was tasty and warm. However, it too was offset by those same salty and soggy fries...only made worse by the heavy beef gravy that drowned the entire bowl.

Parting comments: Our food was served in a reasonable time, while folks continued to be seated. The waitstaff were overheard commenting on how "they were glad that summer is coming to an end..it couldn't come soon enough!" Such an odd comment from a staff member who makes their living off of a...