The Keg Steakhouse + Bar - Mansion — Restaurant in Toronto

I am writing to express my deep disappointment with the service my family and I received during our visit to The Keg Mansion on October 13, 2024. We were celebrating a very special occasion, my parents’ 55th anniversary, after they traveled from abroad, and unfortunately, our experience was far from what we expected considering that we came to this location specifically.

The issues began early in the evening. After placing our order and receiving our drinks (water), we waited over 25 minutes without being served the bread and butter that typically accompanies a meal. We called a manager, Kelly, to address the issue, but instead of responding courteously, Kelly was dismissive and rude, questioning whether we even wanted bread and arguing with us. This attitude set a negative tone for the rest of the evening. In addition, we noticed that bread was being served to other tables for customers who arrived after us, which did not seem to showcase the priority of serving us well.

Unfortunately, the waitress assigned to our table was similarly unhelpful and rude throughout the night. Her lack of attentiveness and dismissive responses added to our frustration, and it became clear that there was a serious issue in service and management overall.

The delays continued, and when our food finally arrived, it was cold and incomplete, with several items missing from our order. Each time we tried to address our concerns with Kelly, her unpleasant and unprofessional demeanor made the situation worse.

At the end of the night, another manager named Stephanie approached our table to ask if everything was satisfactory. We were surprised to learn that there was another manager, who was far more courteous and willing to understand and address our concerns. Had Stephanie been involved earlier, I believe the situation could have been handled much more effectively.

Overall, the poor service from both the waitress and Kelly was unacceptable and severely impacted our ability to enjoy what should have been a memorable family...

I went to the The Keg Mansion mid-week (with a group of 5 adults) for birthday dinner celebrations. Our group had all dined at this location before with very positive experiences, so we were excited to return to this location. Unfortunately, the food, service, and atmosphere this week were incredibly disappointing.

As we made our way to our table on the second floor, we noticed other diners wearing their outdoor jackets while seated. The air conditioning inside was noticeably very cold. When we asked about the air conditioning, we were told the building is very old and they need to keep the air conditioning on for the kitchen downstairs. It was 13 degrees outside and raining on the evening that we went. I understood why the other diners wore their outdoor jackets while eating. I did too.

The appetizer we ordered (calamari) tasted fresh and delicious as it always does, but our steaks (the main reason we choose to eat at The Keg) were surprisingly disappointing. My meal, along with 2 others at our table, were cold to the touch (the cook on everyone’s steaks looked great, but once you cut into the steak, the meat itself was cold on the inside). The 3 of us who received cold food had ordered medium rare and medium steaks. Not once did any staff member come to our table to check on us, so we did not have an opportunity to ask if it would be possible to heat up our food. We ate cold steaks.

Mid-meal, our server Lindsey pre-emptively brought the bill to our table (we hadn’t asked for the bill yet as 4 us were still eating our meals). When the person at our table paid for the bill, Lindsey stood next to them and watched over their shoulder as they punched in the tip. In our experience, staff usually engage in friendly chit chat with the other guests at the table or step away when the bill is paid. We felt very awkward as we waited for the terminal to process payment.

Our dining experience at The Keg Mansion was terrible and I would not recommend this...

Our server never introduced herself upon the greet — and from there, things only went downhill. I asked her name, which was Charisma. She barely interacted with us, didn’t take our order when menus were closed, left empty wine glasses sitting through multiple section passes, and only offered refills on the third table touch. Her tone and body language felt checked out the entire evening. Whether she was having a rough day or just uninterested, it felt like she didn’t want to be there — and that energy really affected our night.

I noted in our reservation that we were celebrating my girlfriend’s master’s graduation — something that should have felt special. We were seated right beside the bar, and about 45 minute into the reservation, once the Blue Jays game audio came on, the cheers and noise made it feel more like a sports bar than The Keg Mansion. It completely killed the atmosphere for what was supposed to be a milestone celebration.

The one saving grace was the general manager, Angie, who went above and beyond. She personally came to the table to address a celiac allergy, explained the ingredients in detail (including things our server hadn’t mentioned, which could have been an allergic reaction waiting to happen), and genuinely made us feel cared for. Angie positively changed the tone of the evening.

The food itself was excellent — hot, fresh, and perfectly cooked. But service this poor just doesn’t belong in a place that prides itself on being high-end. Our table collectively rated the poor service a 4/10. The three stars are only for the food and for Angie’s kindness and professionalism.

I was excited to make this graduation dinner something memorable, but it ended up feeling flat and unappreciated. Thank you, Angie, for generally saving the evening — we’d come back just to...