Reviews for Old Vines Restaurant

03/07/2024 - MenuPix User

02/23/2024 - MenuPix User

02/14/2024 - MenuPix User

01/07/2024 - MenuPix User

11/30/2023 - MenuPix User

10/02/2020 - Bland
Subpar food. The old vines restaurant really needs a new chef. The atmosphere is amazing, the wine is great, even the service is exceptional, but the food is subpar especially for the price. I love Quails Gate so much and I hate that I am constantly disappointed in their food after going time after time. To be honest I have been many times over the last few years and can honestly say I have not enjoyed one meal. Their truffle fries are about the only thing that is actually seasoned properly with a nice texture. Oysters are good too. Everything else on the menu is bland or the flavour don’t compliment each other in the dish. Most recently had the mezze platter- one of the worst I’ve had and I’ve had many. Sauce had no flavour- middle eastern cuisine is usually packed with garlic and flavour- this had none. Lentils were bland as well- just like poured out from a can. Usually you get nice hot pitas that are still puffed from the oven at other restaurants- these were worse than a grocery store. Ordered the pork duo- again bland- flavours were terrible. Also had the tuna appetizer with olive- flavours terrible together and again under seasoned. Had the hen prepared a different couple of ways a few different times and it was dry and under seasoned. Seafood pasta— bland bland bland. The one scallop I had in it was good- not even sure if there was a sauce all I tasted were plain noodles. The mussels I thought I would love- how could mussels with chorizo not have flavour but somehow they manage to pull that off. I’m about to give up on quails gate. Sad because I love the people and the wine and the atmosphere. But the food doesn’t hold a candle to restaurants at Mission Hill or Cedar Creek or Indigneous- heck even the ramen food truck at Black Swift have better flavours and quality of food. Literally no comparison to Home Block at Cedar Creek or the Terrace restaurant at Mission Hill where even the smallest of bites are heavenly. If Quails Gate had a new chef with a new menu the restaurant would probably be unparalleled. Sadly it doesn’t compete with others in the area. I‘ve been a wine club member for years and tried so hard to love it but they have lost me. I will now be spending money elsewhere.