Deep City Brunch & Events — Restaurant in Burlington

The place was on a few lists we checked, and got an average 4.7 rating, so the expectation was naturally high. However given the flakiness of the reviews sometimes, and it being affiliated with a brewery, I also tried to condition myself not expect too much. Well, it's safe to say that I did not expect to be this impressed. We ordered multiple light vegan dishes, partly because we weren't hungry (constant problem with being on vacation). All of them were excellent. Calabaza (roasted squash) has just the right amount of tenderness and perfectly matched in flavor with the pureed black beans. The sauteed sugar snap peas were fresh and brightly flavored just enough to highlight the natural sweetness. The roasted beets did not disappoint either, offering a comforting and yet complex taste profile. I had not been a regular vegan diner and was not hungry going in, which made it even more pleasantly surprising how much I enjoyed. My daughter also liked her chicken fried chicken (sandwich), but said she would still prefer a poutine classique to Deep City's version, which has whipped cheese sauce instead of cheese curds. I on the other hand thought the poutine is more fun with the sauce, pickled chilly pepper, and braised pork, a more savory and playfully interpretation of the classic. By the time our server Marie asked about dessert, I felt that I should stop but wonder how good their desserts could be, so I went ahead with the white chocolate pudding. I was very glad I did - the lovely sweetness of the pudding was accentuated by the subtle bitterness from the candied grapefruit. Overall it's a wonderful dinner! The 2 draft beers we had (She Doesn't Need U/IPA, and a fruit sour) from Foam Brewery also added to the excellence. The only small flaw I could find was with a couple pea pods, which were on the stringy side. Last but not least, the prices at Deep City are quite affordable, given its sophistication. There are restaurants charge significantly more in the area that can't offer nearly as impressive quality. So, if you visit Burlington downtown/waterfront, you'll do well by adding Deep City to your list of...

Been here a few times since opening now and I can say with confidence that this is the best new restaurant in Burlington. Obviously, Foam's beers and the House of Fermentology offerings are world-class, so there was never any question the drinks here would be amazing - however, their cocktails are equally as impressive, so if you're going to dinner with someone who doesn't like beer, there's plenty more worth trying here.

For apps, the onion dip and charred tuna are amazing. The poutine is good, and I appreciate the unique take, but it doesn't quite reach "amazing" - real cheese curds would go a long way. I wish they'd offer the wings they sell over at Foam in-restaurant too, as those are on-par with Honey Road as the best in Burlington.

For mains, the double cheeseburger with bacon is probably the best "nice" burger in Burlington right now. It's kinda a cross between a smash and a conventional, so you get some nice pink/red and juice, along with the crispy edges. The pickles are delicious and the bacon is thick. Only downside is that it doesn't come with anything, but you should be getting apps if you come here too so it's not a big deal. The ribeye is amazing, obviously, it takes a lot to screw that up. The chicken sandwich is alright. It's fine if you're really craving one, but Southern Smoke far outdoes this one by a significant margin. I wouldn't come here just for this main, unlike all the others I've tried. Desserts are quite small, similar to Honey Road (this pastry chef trained there, so the similarity makes sense), but the flavors are delicious. It's not super heavy either so you won't feel awful after having a full 3 course meal here.

Overall Deep City was a welcome new restaurant. Prices are reasonable for the quality of the food, the location is killer and its no surprise Foam's restaurant would come out the gates swinging this hard. Looking forward to seeing...

Incomprehensibly bad experience at this place tonight. We had a larger group (around 8 people) that ordered food and waited for over an hour and nothing had come out. No one came to explain what was happening, apologize, or offer any sort of consideration. We continued to wait and finally after probably an hour and 20 minutes asked a waitress what was going on. She said something about the order not being entered by mistake and they were working on it. We waited another hour (after this issue was identified) before all of the food had arrived. Another waitress said the cooks were unfamiliar with the “new menu” (although it doesn’t appear to be that new). Several people had to leave without eating because it took so long and another table with us had all left the restaurant long before our food ever came.

Stuff happens, I get it. What is so incredibly disappointing about this whole situation is that at no point did anyone proactively come and address the situation. It wasn’t mentioned until brought to their attention after waiting almost 90 minutes. No manager ever made an appearance to apologize to the table and provide some reasonable explanation for the debacle. Everyone seemed to be trying to avoid making eye contact and appeared to be doing their best to pretend like nothing was happening. There appeared to be no leadership, no direction, and no coordination. It was probably one of the most discombobulated restaurant scenes I’ve ever witnessed in decades on this planet. Credit to the waitress with the long, dark hair who seemed to be making genuine efforts to address things (after the issue was raised). If I was the manager of this place, I would be completely ashamed of how this situation was handled. There are times you just need to own up to a mess and when you don’t, it only makes the mess...