Symposium Cafe Restaurant Woodbridge — Restaurant in Vaughan

Very Disappointed – Mother’s Day Visit Ruined

We chose Symposium Cafe to celebrate Mother’s Day with our mom, expecting a special and pleasant outing. Unfortunately, it was far from that.

To start, our server was okay, though we had to repeat some requests multiple times. I ordered a mojito, ribs, and fries, along with waters and other meals for the rest of the party. The mojito arrived and was honestly the worst mojito I’ve ever had—it tasted like plain tonic water with barely any mint or simple syrup. While waiting to speak with the server, we noticed a nearby table also returning their drinks. When our server returned, we declined having another one made.

After a long wait, the food finally came. At first glance, everything looked good—my mother’s steak had melting butter on top, and we were hopeful. But once she cut into it, it was clear the steak was cooked medium-rare, not medium-well as ordered. We didn’t want to make another complaint or cause a scene, so we kept quiet. When the server returned and asked how things were, we explained the issue with the steak. I told him not to worry about fixing it, just to avoid further disruptions.

As I began eating my ribs, I shared a piece with two people in my party—and they both noticed a hair on one of the ribs. At that point, we waited for the server again and asked to speak with a manager. When the manager came to the table, she did not appear concerned at all. She seemed more annoyed than helpful, which was very disappointing.

She asked what the issues were, and we calmly explained: the mojito was terrible, the steak was undercooked, and the ribs had a hair in them. I told her I hoped something would be done about the bill, considering all the issues. As a resolution, I asked if my food could be remade, since I hadn’t been able to eat it.

She went to the back, then returned and said she could: • Offer 50% off my mother’s steak due to the incorrect doneness, • Refund the ribs because of the hair, • But she would still charge full price to remake my ribs.

This was completely unreasonable. The drink was ruined, my food had a hair in it, and now I was expected to pay full price just to get a proper meal? I was already hungry and disappointed, and this just made it worse.

To make matters worse, she accused me of eating most of the ribs and trying to get a free meal, which was both insulting and untrue. We had barely touched the dish. I told her this accusation was inappropriate, and I expressed how disappointed I was in how everything was handled. I asked for her name, and she refused to give it to me.

I don’t usually write reviews, but I left feeling frustrated, disrespected, and embarrassed—especially since this was supposed to be a special day for my mom. The manager (a woman, possibly Filipino) showed zero empathy, and made a frustrating situation worse.

I can’t speak for every location, but based on this experience, I absolutely do not recommend Symposium Cafe. Poor service, poor handling of complaints, and a complete lack of professionalism—especially...

It pains my heart to write this review because it casts a negative light on what is otherwise a decent establishment.

This is perhaps my fourth time dining at Symposium. I enthusiastically recommended this location to my partner for breakfast. I arrived before him and was seated at a table for two near the middle of the restaurant. When I inquired about a booth, I was told that they were being reserved for bigger parties and that they were expecting a lot of guests. I observed that two of the three booths were occupied by couples.

My partner arrived and settled in. As soon as he did that, one of the booths became available. We asked a server if we could be relocated, and she promised to ask her boss. She never returned with an answer. In the meantime, the booth was given to a couple who arrived while we were waiting. We did not see a server for at least 10 minutes, so my partner went to the front to ask for service.

The young man who attended us was pleasant enough. While he was taking our order, another booth was vacated. My partner quickly asked if we could have it. He indicated that they were keeping the booths for bigger parties. We decided then to stop asking and just order. As we waited for our meal, a couple came into the restaurant and was seated at a table for two beside us. As our meals arrived (carried by yet another server), that couple asked if they could have the booth. Guess what? They were IMMEDIATELY RELOCATED!!! No questions asked. My partner and I were stunned into silence.

Shortly after their move, we instinctively looked around the restaurant, only to realize that we were the only visible minorities at that time. We were hesitant to conclude that the treatment correlated with our race, but the thought certainly tickled the back of our minds.

We quickly ate. No one approached to clear our table or offer the check. So, once again, my partner had to go to the front for assistance. In short, we were made to feel invisible and inferior in this space.

Symposium, this was not a good look on your staff or the establishment. In the future, I implore you to carefully consider the dignity and emotional safety of every guest. Despite our unfortunate experience, my partner and I are committed to progress. Therefore, we wish you nothing but success and encourage you to adopt a more inclusive...

I ended up going to this place a while back I've been there a few times over the years and have not had any issues. This time when I ended up going with family and ordering just a dessert and coffee I found their prices to be extremely high. Service was really lacking and the waiters didn't seem enthusiastic to take your order. It was not a busy day as it was during the daytime and it was, I believe a weekday. Once I was done I requested the bill and here's where the confusion came in. There was a switch up with regards to the waiters and the waiter that brought me the bill overcharged me by about $60. Partially it was my fault for not taking notice of the bill but then again I wouldn't have expected it. I paid my bill and left. A while later I took a look at the bill again to verify why I was charged so much only to discover that I was charged for food and drinks that were not ordered initially. I decided to call the store because It was out of my way and quite the distance from my home. I decided to call the manager of the store. Once I explained to them what had happened the response I got from the manager was that we don't retain the bills of sale which I find very hard to believe as it was the exactly the same day with only 2 hours apart. After some back and forth arguments we finally came to a conclusion and they reimburse me but it was quite the hassle. It seems that they like to rip people off and then claimed that they don't have the bill I would say be careful when ordering from this place and also examine your bill before you leave I was lucky this time but I doubt I would be lucky another time if it...