The Griffon Gastropub — Restaurant in Town of Niagara

This is mostly a typical diner containing most of the usual diner fare with the additon of wild game options. I had an order of the Wild Game Burger. Venison was the featured game meat they have that day. I enjoyed the meat and the gaminess of the flavor. It was not too strong or off-putting. The rest of the burger was also well put together. The crispy onion straws was a welcome touch that adds crunchiness to every bite.

Under Creative Entrees, we tried Just the Tips (prime angus reserve steak tips) paired with yukon gold mashed potatoes. It all came together with a good serving of the mashed potatoes cradling the pieces of steak tips which was drizzled with some creamy white sauce and sliced green onions. The steak could have been just a little bit more tender for my liking, but it was otherwise fine.

The amount of mashed potatoes in the meal was a lot more than the protein and we had a hard time finishing it all. I called for the waitress attention, motioned at the mashed potatoes, and could specifically remember requesting for some gravy to add to the mashed potatoes. She acknowledged this request and left. She came back with 2 dips of sauces which were clearly not gravy. The manner in which she handed off the sauces was also something I am not pleased with. The waitress just dropped off the sauces beside me as I was eating without even acknowledging it and waiting for me to look back up. She then scuttled away after. I asked about it later after trying it and she said they don't serve gravy and those were the sweet (or caramel?) sauces for the steak. Without some gravy or a nice complimentary sauce to the potatoes it made it much harder to finish. The sweet sauces she did give was just OK and does not perfectly compliment the steak tips either.

The overall service we experienced was rather disappointing. In addition to the abovementioned affair with the gravy request, and the manner in which it was carried out, there was also another similar issue. We ordered for soft drinks and it was likewise served very curtly. There was no looking up or informing us customers that our order request has now been served. The drinks were just hastily left at the table's edge with no...

We went here for dinner one night, and liked it so much we came back for lunch the next day! The service is great, our waitress (got lucky and had her both times) was so sweet and she gave absolutely killer recommendations. Everything we ordered was incredible, drinks and food. I'm gluten free, but intolerant not allergic. They have a great selection of fully GF options (no cross contamination/shared fryer), but also have a bunch of stuff that is technically GF if cross contamination isn't an issue for you, the staff was really knowledgeable about the menu and allergens and was able to answer all my questions. So if you can handle cross contamination/shared fryers, ask them what dishes would be okay for you!

We tried: The Game Burger: it was Lamb when we went, we both got it and absolutely loved it. The Bacon Jam Burger: my boyfriend absolutely loved this The pot roast sandwich: super tender meat, delish The calamari: this is so good, I can't describe it. Super buttery, and served with a little bit of spicy peppers. It is divine. The sweet potato fries: crispy and delish, and the honey butter is next level The Chocolate Oblivion: it's their only gluten free dessert, but it is so good. I was nervous when they described it was a "dense" flour free torte, but it has an amazing smooth texture almost like a mousse and a cheesecake had a baby. It is rich and decadent, we split it and CRUSHED it. 😂

Drinks: My bf enjoyed a few beers, and their beer list is HUGE. great selection. Bourbon maple smash: strong, but super tasty. Not very sweet, but I prefer that Vanilla Chai White Russian: this was my favorite, not super sweet but absolutely incredible. It's very well balanced, and just so freaking good. Cranberry Gin Fizz: Made with my favorite gin (the botanist) and it is SO tasty, perfectly sweet and tart and just a refreshing easy sipper.

Just go here, it'll...

The only positive from my experience at this place was the service. Our server was amazing and this poor rating is not at all due to her. This rating is entirely from the perspective of a vegetarian, as there weren't many vegetarian options and those that existed were horrible. To begin, the black bean burger on the menu from google maps doesn't exist anymore, it's been replaced by some vegan smash burger that uses an impossible meat style patty -- when will companies/restaurants figure out that no vegetarian/vegan likes this?? Please bring back the black bean burger. Anyway, the only other vegetarian/vegan entree option was a vegan ramen soup (which I wish I'd ordered now) and a Mac n cheese style dish. I didn't go for the Mac n cheese style dish thinking it would be too cheesy and instead got two vegetarian appetizers, both of which were extremely cheesy (woe is me) and I couldn't finish either of them. I'm sure the alcoholic drinks were much better, but the mocktail that we ordered was unpleasantly sugary and taste basically like sugar water. The salad and the side of guac was fine, and I'm glad I had at least that.

Coming to the atmosphere, unfortunately the floors were sticky and the table and chairs also felt a bit sticky. I just immediately get put off by restaurants that are not clean, even pubs. This place seemed super highly rated and we waited nearly 40 mins for our table, so I just had higher expectations I guess.

TLDR: If you're a vegetarian, maybe avoid unless they bring the black bean burger back. If you're not, you're...