The Church Brewing Co — Restaurant in Wolfville

If you have any dietary restrictions, I would avoid dining at Church Brewing at all costs.

I’m gluten-free and, as always, I made sure to speak with the server before ordering. I asked about my options and about the fryer, to which he confidently responded, “It should be illegal not to have a gluten-free dedicated fryer.” Feeling reassured, I ordered a sandwich that he confirmed could be made on gluten-free bread.

My sister ordered the same sandwich but with a different side. Like most of us who are gluten-free, I instinctively checked her bun to make sure mine looked different. It did, so I assumed all was well. The server who dropped my meal even set it down saying, “The gluten-free sandwich.”

Halfway through my meal, the manager rushed to our table and told us the server had taken the wrong plate; I was given a potato bun and my gluten-free meal was still sitting in the kitchen.

Obviously, panic set in. The manager offered an effusive apology and said they would comp my dinner, but by that point, I was embarrassingly already in tears, knowing exactly what was ahead. I went straight to the bathroom to try to make myself sick, even knowing it was too late.

Because I wasn’t at the table, my sister and friend were left to deal with the situation. Both were still charged and one even received an incorrect bill (which was rectified by a server handing her cash?), which is shocking considering the seriousness of their mistake. This was not just an inconvenience? I was visiting from out of province, and three days later I'm home and still sick. Our plans were cancelled, our evening was ruined, and I was incredibly uncomfortable for the rest of our vacation.

What bothers me most is how easily this mistake happened. A server should never have so much responsibility without safeguards in place or without a heads up about the possibility of such extreme mistakes. (Many kitchens use simple systems like flagged toothpicks in restricted meals to prevent this exact type of mix-up)

While we greatly appreciated the managers honesty, the server was not apologetic and overall, they did not do all that could've been done. None of this should have happened.

If you have any dietary restrictions, I strongly recommend avoiding Church Brewing until they put proper procedures in place to ensure this never happens to...

Top marks for beautiful plate presentation, unique restaurant design located in university town, very comfortable seating if you're lucky enough to get one of the cozy love seats, a great beer selection. Lower score for the small servings, high cost for appetizers, noise level of the music. My personal experience: I met up with a friend yesterday for lunch here at The Church Brewing Co. We chose this location among several in the beautiful town of Wolfville, Nova Scotia, for its gluten-free menu options and unique appetizer menu. I have dietary restrictions I'm following, and my friend is following a gluten-free diet. We were also looking for a unique dining experience as we were both traveling from different parts of Nova Scotia to meet in a central location for a leisurely lunch. My friend had never dined here before, so it was a novel experience for her. Overall, we enjoyed The Church Brewing Co. Our server was sweet and helpful, and she knew the menu well when we asked questions. She was attentive to our needs. We did feel a bit rushed along, but when we explained we were meeting together after not seeing each other for a long time, then we felt we could relax and enjoy our after dinner tea. It was quiet when we arrived but did get busier over the lunch hour. There was no wait line, and plenty of tables were free, so we didn't feel guilty taking our time. Parking is limited to the street parking out front, so be prepared to walk and use stairs. I was fortunate that the one handicapped ♿️ space was available, but my friend had a bit of a walk. There are stairs as the Church Brewing Co is perched on a hill. The interior is beautifully designed with lots to look at. You can't help but take a picture or two! The large Gothic chandelier is impressive . We did not order alcohol but this business boasts an impressive craft beer menu. The food presentation was visually creative and well thought out. As mentioned above, portions are small per cost, in my opinion. The meal, however, was satisfying, and we felt satiated. Being on a restricted diet, I did not mind the portion size. No food waste. The deconstructed apple pie dessert is genius and well done,...

Made a reservation for 130pm. We were seated right away at the front of the restaurant and were super excited where it was our first time and heard great things. The menus were already on the table which was fine. No kids menus and we had 3 kids under 10. No one came and offered us water until 2pm. This didn't happen until someone complained. A server came to the table said that OUR server was swamped and the bartender would be taking over. He was great especially with the circumstances. Once he came to the table is when we were told they had kids menus and paper and crayons. Still didn't get them. Ordered kids food by looking at online menu. Finally we got our water and then he took our orders. We waited a little bit, at which point he returned and said we'd have our cutlery as soon as he wrapped it.. Maybe the one positive was the server came to the table to apologize for the wait and offer ONE guest wings. Another guest got complimentary pretzels. The entire table shared these. Finally the table received the food at 255pm, 1 hour and 25 minutes after our reservation. Kids meals came first. Chicken fingers were extremely dry and flavorless, and all of the batter was falling off of them. Everybody at the table received their food with the exception of two orders (mine included) being completely wrong and having to be sent back. They eventually delivered our food, which, at this point, was after everyone had almost finished eating. Burger was flavorless and dry and the brioche bun was unacceptably dry and stale. No seasoning at all, not even salt and pepper. Under the circumstances, our server, who was actually the bartender, was lovely. Four out of the 6 children at our table got kids meals, yet only 3 desserts were brought to the table, and he made it seem like he was doing us a favor by bringing them. We didn't get out of the restaurant until approximately 345pm. This was a reservation, table for 12, booked ahead of time. To not have a server greet us, set a table, have simple condiments or salt and pepper, or be available until the bartender swooped in is rather unacceptable, even in a...