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Hardware Grill
Categories: Restaurants Canadian (New) Restaurants Canadian (Traditional) Canadian (New), Canadian (Traditional) [Edit]
9698 Jasper Ave NWEdmonton, AB T5H 3V5
(780) 423-0969
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11:30 am - 9:30 pm
Fri 11:30 am - 10 pm
Sat 5 pm - 10 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Upscale
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
15 reviews for Hardware Grill
15 reviews in English
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Review from Laini G.
12/23/2011
When we got free tickets to the live Rocky Horror Show, my husband and I deliberated for a day or so about where to eat beforehand, and settled on the Hardware Grill. Still being new to Edmonton, there are still so many places I want to try, and I've heard great things about it. Someone told me this place used to be a hardware store years ago. Thus, the name.
The decor is classy and understated, and the artwork on the walls is interesting and fun to analyze.
I got the Early Dining Menu, since it sounded decent but not HUGE. I got all the perfect stuff. I started with the Feta-Terranean-- wonderfully flavorful roasted red peppers layered with goat cheese, tomatoes, olive oil, and balsamic. It's like a little explosion of flavor in your mouth.
Next, I chose the Organic Chicken Supreme. Mashed Potatoes are a nice accompaniment, with more goat cheese and creamed onions.
My husband had the Angus Beef Tenderloin with Cambazola Cheese, Cheddar Chorizo Gratin, and Root Vegetables. He couldn't stop raving about it.
For dessert, we shared the 12-Year Old Glenlivet Butterscotch Pudding. Holey moley, kids. Want to try something really decadent? Your taste buds will thank you, and your tummy will do a happy dance. Smooth, not too sweet, and absolutely amazing.
Our server was highly professional and friendly, suggested two wonderful wines to go with our meal, and when he found out we were headed to the Citadel, he hoofed it to get us out in time.
I deduct half a point for the "Street Theater" (that would be the bums making out against the front plate glass window after leaving the bar next door). But not a lot HG can do about that, considering their location. We literally thought they were going to come tumbling through the window and into the restaurant. -
Review from Sarah W.
2/25/2012
The Hardware Grill is absolutely gorgeous on the eyes - beautiful place, elegant but understated decor, great layout. Perfect place to take a date for a celebration or upscale meal - and I even spotted a huge wine tasting room downstairs for (what I'm assuming) planned events or private parties. Very cool.
The food was absolutely divine. I was (unfortunately) very sick the night that I went to dinner, so I was sad that I didn't get to enjoy it to it's full effect, but it's just the kind of food that you know is good. The menu was a decent size, but not overwhelming and not limiting.
We were seated at a cute little curved booth together but the setup was a little squashed. The server had to move the table out in order to get anybody to fit in the booth, and then pushed the table back in once we were seated. I think it was just poor table/booth height matching - my spouse is a very tall person and had a hard time getting his legs to fit under the table. And let me tell you, getting out of the booth from behind the squished in table in a skirt was not at all easy.
Customer service here is kind of hit and miss. Our server was apparently "new" and didn't seem to know a thing about the menu. He was the kind of server that got snooty once he figured out we weren't going to be ordering wine with dinner (they have a huge wine list, but I am not a wine drinker and like I said, I was not feeling all too great that evening). We still enjoyed our entrees and an appetizer but were too full for dessert after that, and he seemed to take that a bit personally as well. I can't stand when high end restaurants (or any restaurants) take on that kind of attitude. I know that alcohol and dessert are great add ons to the bill (and the tip) but unfortunately I can't always fulfill my servers needs like that...
Flow of the meal was very nice and they offered us a refill on the housemade bread, which was very generous. Courses were well timed and the food was absolutely perfect.
On our way out, customer service from the hostess was definitely a little awkward and very forced. Instead of fetching our coats for us she just pointed us towards the rack and made us look on our own, which felt a little strange. I'm not sure, maybe it was just an off night, but I hate spending $150+ on a meal for two people and walking out feeling like you were treated like dirt. -
Review from S L.
Division No. 11, AB
5/15/2012
Took my wife here for our anniversary and from the moment we walked in to the second we walked out this place was top notch service. Our waiter was so knowledgeable about the food and drinks that it made everything simple.
When we go to these more expensive places our goal is to eat only things we haven't tried before. Oddly enough I hadn't tried more than a small bite of duck at this point so I went with that. My wife went with sea bass. We started with kobe beer carpaccio.
Every single item on our plates was eaten and the plates were cleaned. The food was perfect. The only beer they have on top was a perfect medium dark ale and their wine selection was impressive to say the least. The attention we received from our waiter was perfect. He was there enough to make sure there was never a problem and not too much that it got annoying.
This place is expensive, but well worth it. I will be back many times. -
Review from Sarah M.
AB
4/26/2012
Unfortunately, I made the mistake on my last visit to order the "signature" lobster truffled mac & cheese, which I'd been excited to try. It was NOT good, and most definitely not worth $18. It was surprisingly bland, and I'm guessing that the pasta came out of a box. Disappointed.
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Review from Tess R.
4/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
I've been here a few times over the years and the food is generally outstanding. When I eat out, I want to indulge in things I don't make at home or wouldn't have imagined on my own. This place has lots of choices that fit that criteria nicely. If you like trying meats beyond the usual beef or chicken there are plenty of options. There are a few choices for vegetarians, but you won't be blown away by variety if you aren't into meat.
The wine list is overwhelming and the staff isn't particularly helpful when it comes to choosing or making meaningful recommendations. Don't tell me what is popular, tell me why it would go well with my meal or suit my tastes. Better yet, tell me why you love it.
The room is warm and includes lots of dark woods to give a comfortable old world feel. Service is prompt and professional. Prices are at the higher end of the range, but the ingredients support that price-point. We've had large groups there for special occasions and the cost hasn't been shocking if you are already prepared for the cost of a higher end experience.
Is this my favourite place? No, but it is high on my list of places to go for a special occasion with meat lovers. -
Review from Jenna-Marie L.
Edmonton, AB
11/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
Yum yum yum - I think this has got to be one of my favorite restaurants in the city. I have a been a few times and have yet to be disappointed! I was so excited on my last visit to see that they brought back the Lobster Risotto as an appetizer, I think it is my most favorite item on the menu! This place is pricy but rightfully so, it is one of the few fine dining places and as such is great for celebrating special occasions, plus although it fancy it is not black tie, wearing jeans with a nice top is definitely fine. If you can try to get a seat by the kitchen as it is pretty cool to watch the chefs work!
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Review from Kathy H.
Edmonton, AB
1/11/2012
5 Star food
1 Star service
1 Star management that did not respond to my email
I would like to start this by saying our food was absolutely wonderful. Now for the not so good, our waiter was dreadful. He offered us drinks when we arrived, we ordered a glass of wine and then indicated we would like to do a pairing with our meals. I had a great view of the bar so I saw our wine sitting there but we did not receive it until after our appetizers had been delivered. We watched him repeatedly check his larger tables but he was a no show at our table. He did come once more to our table before mains were delivered and that was it until after we had finished eating our mains and I flagged him over since I had been out of wine since before my main came. Even then he stopped at a table beside us to refill there sparkling water that they could have done themselves. At this point he realized I was angry so he offered to comp our dessert and became more attentive but too little too late and he should not have been using your profit to try and protect his tip. Since we both have been or are in the service industry we would have understood a little if he had been swamped however at best count he had approx 4 tables and was much more attentive to the other three (believe we had lots of time to watch). This was my daughter's birthday dinner so we were very disappointed. I emailed this complaint to the office and would have let it be if they had bothered to respond but they did not so I will not be going back. -
Review from Robyn W.
3/11/2011
I've been to Hardware a couple of times before and have left happy, but my most recent visit left me anything but.
Some co-workers and I went over for lunch, excited to try their downtown dining week menu.
When we arrived, the restaurant was close to empty and we were seated and presented with their regular lunch menu. When we questioned our waiter he advised that we were seated by "the new guy" and went to grab us the correct menu (which was still different than the menu presented online).
We placed our orders, and the waiter brought out a basket of bread and an already scraped-clean butter dish that was obviously cleared from another table.
After an hour and 15 minutes we were finally brought our entrees. I'm not sure what caused the long wait, the restaurant was far from busy, and in fact, most of the kitchen staff spent that time standing around chatting. Our waiter made no apologies or attempts to explain the wait.
Once we received the food, it was OK - the lamb burger was good, the meatloaf was a bit dry - but we had to eat it so quick to get back to work that the taste barely registered.
When the bill was brought - it was incorrect (we were charged for soup that was included in the special), and no compensations were made for the albeit small but numerous issues.
This was certainly what I have come to expect of a restaurant of this calibre. -
Review from Caroline K.
Edmonton, AB
10/16/2011
I think this place is not only overpriced, the food is not very good. The decor is very cool but the food is too greasy and too complicated. They have nice ingredients, they should keep it simple so that you can actually taste them. A good wine list selection.
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Review from Liv V.
Edmonton, AB
3/16/2011
Sleek, sharp and suave, Hardware Grill sits like a sentinel on the corner of Jasper Ave and 96 St. The Grill's interior is at once well-lit and draped in elegant shadows, and comfortable booths house well-heeled guests. The "hardware" theme repeats itself with subtlety, for example, hammers as door handles, but is never obnoxious or over-the-top. The food is pricey, but the kitchen exercises considerable skill with meat and seafood. It is small wonder that the Hardware Grill is deemed one of the best restaurants in Edmonton. I concur.
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Review from Pete S.
3/29/2011
It has been almost 3 years since I dined at the Hardware Grill, but the fact that it seems like yesterday is a testament to the food. I started with a bison carpaccio that melted in my mouth and had my taste buds doing the happy dance. I followed this with a 42 day dry-aged grass-fed Alberta filet served blue accompanied by creamed spinach. I can honestly say it was the best steak I have ever had.
Listed in: My Hall of Fame
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Review from Don R.
Barrie, ON
6/29/2009
Manfred from the Hilton suggested this fine restaurant, and he was right, this is one of Edmonton's finest.
Started off with the torchon of French Canadian foie gras, with an onion marmalade and blackberry gastrique accompaniment along with toasted brioche. There were two different foie gras on the appetizer menu; the one I selected was almost embarrassingly large and rich.
Great wine list - I mean great. Had a bottle of Kettle Valley Meritage, excellent Canadian wine from the Okanagan. One nice touch for the budget conscious was a category of less than $50 offerings.
One page menu board with mouth watering options; it was a tough choice between the duck, lamb, pork, venison, sea bass, and of course a well aged steak with blue cheese butter, grape tomato-pea shoot saute, red wine griddled onions and prosciutto wrapped asparagus, which eventually became my choice for he evening. Edmonton is cattle country, I couldn't resist. Steak was cooked perfectly, and whole meal was delightful.
Location was not the best as the restaurant is on the border of the seedy side of Edmonton, however the ambiance once inside was most comfortable. Kyle was an ideal waiter with great timing. The little things like automatically placing the Voss water in an ice bucket......I know way too spoiled, was just that nice touch that gains stars. -
Review from Monika S.
Edmonton, AB
6/19/2011
We had a lovely dinner here last night. We stopped by for an early dinner prior to the symphony and our server, Gary, was accomodating enough to time the arrival of our appetizers such that my husband could walk over to Winspear to buy our tickets before we ate. Gary was a great server, pleasant, efficient and friendly. The lovely girl who took our reservation when we called was the same one who showed us to our table. Everything on the menu sounded good, but we settled on the Blue Crab Cakes and the Goat Cheese Tortelloni for appetizers and the Lacquered Duck and Chile-Coffee rubbed Flat Iron Steak for entrees. The Chipotle Aoili on the crab cakes had a nice bit of a bite to it and the Proscuitto Crisp and Pesto Aioli added a nice combination of flavours to the Goat Cheese. The duck breast was served with an orange sauce, duck sausage with a bit of thyme ( I think) and creamy blue potatoes. My husband didn't care for the cherries in his butternut squash and mushrooms, so I happily took them from him. My flat iron steak was tender and perfectly done to the medium well that I requested. It was served on small cubes of roasted potatoes and sweet potatoes along with bacon, mushrooms and dried cranberries. I'm not a huge fan of red meat but I ate every bite except the one I couldn't keep from my husband. For dessert we shared the Glenlivit Butterscotch Pudding with Coconut Macaroons. The macaroons were tasty and no different from most other macaroons that I've tasted, but the pudding had that delicious scotch whiskey flavour mixed with cream. It was just the bit of sweet that we needed to finish off a very nice meal.
Two Courses and a shared dessert and one glass of wine was $120 including tax. It certainly didn't leave us overly full, but we did enjoy everything that we ate. I think what we liked as much as the food was the relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. No pretentiousness here, which is just fine with us. The only possible con would be the size of the glass of wine offerred, which at 5 oz is rather a small pour by some restaurant standards. However, they did offer 2.5 oz glasses so that would allow you to try many different wines and I thought that was a nice touch. All in all, a lovely meal. -
Review from Amy and Tanner S.
Edmonton, AB
3/14/2009
This is seriously one of my favourite restaurants! This is a restaurant that is excellent for a romantic dinner for two, as the decor of the restaurant is elegant, classy and romantic. The dinner menu is fairly expensive, especially if you and your dinner party are going to get appetizers, salads, main courses and dessert.
The downside is that it's located on the border of the safe part of the city and where the city starts to get really shabby. You definitely have to be cautious when the parking on the street at night, when near the restaurant is full. Because if you park on the street a block away or so, be prepared to walk past homeless people asking for money and the occasional prostitute (including ones in drag).
However, if none of that bothers you or you find a great parking spot, this restaurant will impress you with its unique and utterly tasty dishes. Also this restaurant has excellent waiters who offer their knowledge on what wines that will compliment chef made dishes like the rack of roasted lamb or porcini crusted sea bass. -
Review from Steven W.
4/18/2010
Hmm, hard to decide between 4 and 5 stars. This is the second time I have eaten here. We were there for dinner with a customer.
I had the 'meat and potatoes' which is Foie Gras and a mini baked potato. While it was good and prepared well, I thought the flavour of the potato overwhelmed the flavour of the foie gras.
I also had the demi roasted lamb rack. It was probably the best lamb shank I have ever had. It was done perfectly.
The food was a bit on the expensive side but was worth it (luckily I was not paying).
They also have a great wine cellar
Would definitely go back. One of the best restaurants i have found in Edmonton
