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Spencer's at the Waterfront
Categories: Restaurants Modern European Event Planning & Services Venues & Event Spaces Modern European, Venues & Event Spaces [Edit]
1340 Lakeshore RdBurlington, ON L7S 1B1
(905) 633-7494
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Upscale
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
19 reviews for Spencer's at the Waterfront
Review Highlights
19 reviews in English
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Review from Jane C.
Toronto, ON
4/17/2012
I must herald my Mum for sourcing this fine establishment. She is a fan of the Ancaster Mill which is owned by the Landmark Group (who also owns Spencers).
If you want to treat someone who truly appreciates great food, service and atmosphere then this is the place.
We had a party of 4 for the Sunday Brunch. I was wowed from the second we pulled in. Though it was foggy and raining, this place impressed.
The look of the building itself makes you feel like you're in a glass house! With its floor to ceiling windows throughout I couldn't help but to imagine if this was my own maison.
We had made reservations for noon and just about every table/booth was taken.
Sitting near the buffet itself is the KEY.
I can't say enough of the wait staff who were knowledgeable, courteous, professional and proactive. Our glasses were never empty and every question we had was answered well. Whoever does the hiring for this place really knows how to find quality staff. This is almost as important as the food itself.
Fresh shucked oysters at it's best. Couldn't tell what kind they were but did not seem like Malpeques. They were a bit smaller and thinner. But tasted like Malpeques. Should have asked. Either way, topped with the vinagrette, it was fabulous.
They served dim sum steamer style, Duck Confit. Like a fried panko rice ball with duck inside. Presentation A1.
I didn't get to try the pulled pork slider but I heard it was heavenly.
Authentic lobster bisque as well. No cream added. I think I like my lobster liquified from now on. No lobster pieces, only essence. Not overly salty like most out there.
Not a sugar fan but the homemade marshmallows take the cake. Great alone or dipped in the massive chocolate fountain.
Along with the buffet you get unlimited (though limited I'm sure if you start slurring your words) alcoholic drinks from a set menu: champagne, mimosa, kir royale, bloody ceasar, bloody mary - the true tip off to a champagne brunch!
Fresh berry fruit juices, smoked salmon, crab legs, lamb shank, rainbow trout, waffle and flan station... too many to list. There are over 50 items.
Looks like their menu changes slightly seasonally.
Will get a patio seat next time and face the lake. Would also like to try their regular lunch and dinner menu.
Perfect wedding venue -- Need to get married for an excuse to eat here again -
Review from Natalie T.
East York, ON
3/25/2012
4.5 stars
I was out to see a friend in Burlington and she said this was one of the nicest restaurants so a friend treated us to wonderful meal.
VIBE
We were here on a Saturday night and the location is prime, right by the waterfront (in case you couldn't tell by the name of the restaurant...). It was a bummer that we couldn't see the view, but I'm sure this patio is THE place to be in the summertime and will be back for the spectacular view.
High wooden ceilings with modern oval lamps permeate throughout the restaurant. It looks like your typical modern bistro - kind of like Milestones. Seating is great --lots of booths and banquette seating. Clientele is sophisticated but what I love is that you can dress a little more casual than higher end restaurants in Toronto (not THAT casual...wear a nice shirt but jeans? go for it!).
Service was fantastic. We had two servers. One to set us up on the menu and drinks --even though she wasn't our main server she came back and told us what was popular and followed up on how we liked our meal. Very seamless and friendly.
WE ATE
CONFIT DUCK DUMPLINGS ($12) with pickled cucumber, orange, ginger caramel. Yum, Yum and YUM. Cooked perfectly and the sauce adds a kick.
SEARED CALAMARI PIRI PIRI ($14) with chorizo, mango, hazelnut, lambs lettuce. The mango was super fresh as was the fish and it was in a oval shape as opposed to a lump. The hazelnut and chorizo added a great texture and flavour with the fish.
SCALLOP & PORK BELLY ($15)soubise, chanterelle, Brussels sprouts, pearl onion Delicious! The Scallop and pork belly were cooked PERFECTLY. I highly recommend this!
ELK BURGER
My friend opted for this. Elk is a very delicate meat; it's not really my taste but she loved it. So if you love gamey meats, this is a good bet.
OBLIGATORY CATCHY REMARK
Win Win Win! Food and service were fantastic. It was a nice change from the Toronto scene. -
Review from Cooper W.
Dundas, ON
3/19/2012
This place is what I like to call Top Shelf Product.
Sunday Brunch, yesterday, all the way around good. We were a party of nine with five kids, and not one of us was disappointed. There's such a variety on offer with their Sunday Brunch that even the fussiest of a child is entirely satisfied.
The salad station is amazing - the root vegetable salad in particular was outstanding (with all that was available to try, I went back for seconds on this salad!). Fresh oysters, crab legs, cold-smoked salmon, all good! The hot offerings of prime rib, lamb, grilled salmon - amazing. I tried the goat cheese ravioli with a pesto cream sauce - so good. I wish I could have taken more home for dinner.
The pastries and chocolate fountain were the perfect finale leaving nothing left for want.
The room, the view, the service - all stellar. Spencer's at the Waterfront is clearly owned and operated by consummate professionals from the chef and cooks to the hostess and bussers. I've eaten here more than once and always look forward to returning.
It may be pricey, but it's DEFINITELY worth it! -
Review from Shasta K.
Toronto, ON
One of my absolute favourite restaurants in my area!
The food is fantastic and service is usually solid. Plus, anyone that follows my reviews will notice I am obsessed with lake-side, lake-view restaurants and just water in general...lol.
I have been to Specners 5 times + (???) and have never been let down.
It is part of the Landmark Group - same outfit as the Ancaster Mill, Cambridge Mill and Earth to Table Bread Bar...all good places I'm told.
On my most recent visit, I had the beer battered brie to start (yummy!!) and a 10 oz rib-eye as my main. Everything was nicely prepared...just as requested.
Only thing that would have made the visit better was to have sat on the patio overlooking the lake. Sadly, it was totally full. While I did make a reservation, they were quite explict on the phone that this did not guarantee patio seating...so that was appreciated. Had the next best thing - window seating with a gorgeous view!
TIP: This place gets very busy on the weekends - recommend you make either an online or telephone reservation if you want a spot. -
Review from J P.
4/26/2012
Great food, great service and an amazing view!!!
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Review from Connie B.
10/27/2011
Spencers has consistently great food, with a diverse menu. The view is nice and the service is very professional and the servers are very attentive.
I had a salad, soup, main course, wine and espresso- All of it was satisfying. It can get a bit noisy, but if you go earlier in the day its not too bad.
Will be back for sure. -
Review from Joe N.
8/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
Great location with great views of the Great Lake, bar, dining room, and outdoor seating.
Best burger I had in three months of travel in Ontario (among about 5 other attempts). The problem is it is still Ontario, and provincial law requires ground beef to be cooked medium-well or maybe even well done. They really like their hockey pucks! So no investment in quality meat can really overcome this cooking requirement handicap. That being said it was nice to see anything truffle on the menu so I went for it. Sadly the truffle flavor was too mellow. It was cooked to hell as promised. The lettuce was shredded (not torn) and limp. The tomato, brie, and mushrooms were good. And the service was dreadfully, dreadfully slow. The best in Canada? It might in the running. But so far Provincial burgers can't hold a candle to this grilled delicacy in nearby America.
Parking is free in the adjacent lots by dinner time (they are paid lots earlier in the day). -
Review from Ana W.
5/30/2011
Sunday Brunch special was awesome!
The food was fresh and tasty!
The highlights...
Food
1. freshly shucked oysters
2. the anti-pasto station (especially the quinoa salad)
3. smoked salmon
4. waffle and omelet station
5. king crab legs (too salty for my liking)
6. fresh marshmallows
7. apple cider juice
8. bread pudding
Everything Else
1. gorgeous view
2. beautiful architecture
3. great service
The downside...
1. 1-hour drive from Toronto (I need a car)
2. no free parking (free street parking on Sunday)
I can't wait to come back! -
Review from Alvin V.
Toronto, ON
1/10/2011
4.5 stars if I could choose that....
I'm not going to make comparisons with this brunch place (better or worse than Hoof Cafe?!) because it is a different experience all together. As an entire package, this place is beautiful and the food is off the wall! (brunch-wise) I've never been here for dinner so I can only make my review based on the quality/experience of the brunch service (only served on Sundays)
Being a Torontonian, the trek to Burlington is quite the distance (about 70km) but ohh boy is it worth it just for the experience.
Decor/Atmosphere:
This restaurant is on a slight elevation, nestled right beside the water with an ice rink below which acts as a water feature in the summer.
There's a deck beside the restaurant where you can dine during warmer climates as well.
Tables and seating are fitting for a more upscale dining experience but it was a bit tight getting back into my seat (or maybe I ate too much).
There's a live musician with a keyboard playing the oldies to keep the atmosphere mellow and 'lax. Think EZ Rock 97.3.
Food:
Brunch is served buffet style here. Don't immediately conjure up images of Mandarin buffet! It's far from it (not that I'm knocking Mandarin because once in a blue moon I wouldn't mind going back)
The "buffet" is split up into a few sections with one area being some plates of salads, charcuterie, smoked salmon, etc. Then you have a waffle/omelette station made in front of you. There's a counter were more of the 'unch items belong such as roast beef and pasta and lamb all cooked fresh.
But there's this counter for seafood. Something magical emanates from this table top. I can't make out what it is because of the sun reflecting of the ice and these shells filled with some sort of slimy substance? Oh my, can it be? Freshly...shucked...Oysters! Did I mention this is a buffet style brunch?....ergo, concurrently, vis-a-vie...unlimited oysters! Yes Neo, you can control your destiny...take the whole plate because more will magically appear after and after and after.
Just a small comment and probably why I took off 0.5 stars. During busy times, the service is a bit spotty. Some people on our table got attention and some didn't (like me! What, do I have something in my teeth? Probably...but still!). Also, the waffles and some of the pastries did not taste particularly fresh unfortunately.
Oh and lets not forget desert! Chocolate fondue, home made marsh mellows...YUM!
Drinks: Mimosa, Ceasars and some other drinks are unlimited...yipee!!
This Buffet all for 39$. Steep yes, but for what you get, well worth it.
Overall:
'see above...'nuff said...
Okay fine I wont be so short breathed...here's a fragmented summarization:
date-worthy with panoramic views of water and appetites will be satisfied in proportion to amount spent. -
Review from Vivian L.
North York, ON
10/25/2011
I'm going to keep this really short!
Food: EXCELLENT
Scenery: GORGEOUS! (facing the lake)
Service: OUTSTANDING!
Price: PRICEY but WORTH IT!
I live in Toronto and I drove an hour to go there!!! Totally worth it! -
Review from Laura C.
Toronto, ON
7/22/2010
3.5 review
What a wonderful date/romantic evening place! Who knew Burlington had a really nice man made waterfront area like this looking over Lake Ontario.
My boyfriend surprised me with a short road trip here on my birthday.
The restaurant overlooks the lake, with big glass windows that you can see out at almost any angle in the restaurant. The high and wooden ceiling made you feel like you were homey in a very modern cabin house.
The clientèle seemed mostly upper middle class locals or out of towners like ourselves. Casual dressy attire.
Drinks. I got one of their signature cockatails. The Waterfront - Alize, blueberry vodka and lemonade. It tasted great, but I'm wondering if my tolerance suddenly got higher (usually by half a beer I'm tanked) or the alcohol content on this was very low. I didn't feel anything.
Food. Everything on the menu did look really good. Things were mostly $25-$40 a plate. I broke my dietary restrictions that night because the beer battered brie was too tempting to avoid. And was it good! Crisped to a perfection, not too oily, and melting cheese oozed out of the shell. Served on arugula and strawberry compote.
I got the rack of lamb. It was the only dish that didn't have a lot of cheese or wheat type things. 3 big pieces of local lamb at Medium. Tender and it was rubbed with some herbs. In the middle was "veg root gratin" and essentially layers of cheese and some type of sweet vegetable. Underneath was some secret pieces of Lamb Shoulder. the best part. Melts in your mouth, almost.
My only complaint was that there was mustard on the side, but they smeared it nicely on the plate as if it was a garnish. If you weren't careful, you wouldn't notice it was there, and I got shocked by a couple bites of mustardy spiceyness which I hate and cannot take.
Would rather it be on a nice pile on the side, where I can avoid it easily.
My boyfriend got the pickerel and he said it was the best fish he ever had.
For dessert, I got the almond three ways $9. Chocolate macaroon, creme brulee, and nougat.
The creme brulee was a little undercooked and runny. The nougat was like a sticky paste just smeared on our plate. Looked cool, but not the most practical in terms of eating.
They put a sparkling bday candle on the side, which was nice. When she put down the plate, she immediately grabbed my phone and tried to take pictures (but my phone was locked!) and my boyfriend handed her our camera and she just snapped random shots.
Friendly? yes, invasive? a little The camera was on manual focus, and if my boyfriend took the photo I would have gotten a nice shot instead of the blurry mess it turned out to be. *sigh*
Yes, the staff was really friendly. Took their time getting our plates on a few occasions tho.
The place was good. Would I be dying to come here again? Probably not. But it's definitely worth a try. And I would come here again if I were ever in the area. -
Review from Richie S.
1/20/2010
The only reason I found out about this place was when I was tricked in to running a 5km race for work on the waterfront down in Burlington. I no longer work for that company.
Awesome space to look at from the exterior, as it is all windows. The interior is all wood and stone work. Partial open kitchen and bar section with a clean look.
Dinner menu contains a good portion of fish/seafood and from what I can remember, they use local farmers for produce. Good food, plated fantastically. I had red meat for a change - rib eye and b/c some jerks at the table voted to share dishes, I didn't eat most of this perfect specimen.
That said, I got to try elk sausage (giggle) and burger, duck and pike? Pickerel? All were beautiful creations and mouthwatering.
Desserts consisted of sticky toffee pudding and cheesecake which again, I had to share (who the Frick brought in this rule?!). Both were perfect ends to the meal.
Wine list - one of the best mixtures of international / Ontario wines I've seen in a while.Listed in: Mmmmeat
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Review from Tara L.
Oakville, ON
4/28/2011
Seriously the best brunch buffet around. A huge assortment of food and a great view of the lake. It's the perfect way to spend a Sunday morning. It is a bit more expensive than most other brunch spots in the area but the quality of food and the atmosphere make up for it.
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Review from Jen I.
Mississauga, ON
5/10/2011
I haven't been to many fancy-pants restaurants so I don't have much to compare this place too, but WOW. I was impressed.
It was beautiful inside, and had a spectacular view of the waterfront. I can only imagine it would be even better to eat on the patio when it's open.
I tried to copy/paste what I had there from the menu, but it seems that it has changed since I visited in the fall.
If I can recall, I had a goat cheese appetizer that came with some sliced tomato and other things that I hadn't heard of before but tasted good.
My meal was a roasted chicken breast in a gravy (actually gravy seems like a dirty word to describe this magnificent juice that it was in). Apparently the juice was simmering for days or something like that to give it flavour. I believe it came with mushroom risotto. It was THE BEST chicken I have ever eaten. I guess when you're used to Swiss Chalet, that's not a tough feat but I thoroughly enjoyed this chicken to the point of being sad when I was finished.
The menu had a lot of local items which I loved. Gotta support the local guys. I didn't know what a lot of items on the menu were, but the waitress was great at explaining everything to me without making me feel like a dummy. (If you don't ask, you won't know!)
It's too bad that this place is so far, because I would definitely like to visit it on a regular basis. -
Review from Parv D.
Toronto, ON
8/8/2010
The one thing that sets Spencer's at the Waterfront apart is its spectacular setting. Nestled right on Burlington Bay, an intimate table on the patio promises peaceful views of Lake Ontario as far as the eye can see.
Although our party did have a reservation (for three), we really wanted to enjoy the great patio weather and views, and so ended up waiting a good 40 mins for a table to clear.
Being a Friday evening, the restaurant was packed to the gunnels, so service was a little slow. But given the great weather, we weren't bothered too much.
The menu is very fairly priced given the type of restaurant, and offers a wonderful selection. Our starters of Pan Fried Cod Fritters and Seared Scallops & River's Edge Goat Cheese were great on the palate.
My only disappointment was a misheard order -- I received a Pasta with Chicken, instead of what I really asked for, the "Pasteured Chicken". That could be on account of the one-man band in the background! He was good though!
Finally, they have a very decent wine and cocktail selection.
Given the rarity of good waterfront dining locations in this region, Spencer's is a welcome treat. The food is passable, but the restaurant is highly recommended for its stunning setting and the ambiance. -
Review from James B.
Burlington, ON
1/30/2010 1 Check-in Here
Spencers is currently one of my top restaurants in Burlington. I've taken family, friends and colleagues here so many times that I've got a "record" in the system and they now know my seating preferences and those little extra special items I like with my meal.
The menu changes with the seasons but they've always got wonderful favourites. They recently added a medley of home made artisan pizza - they even make their own dough. And while I'm thinking on it - check out their new daily past special.
While I'm more of fan of evening meals (less younger kids present) I do enjoy the weekend brunch. The tower of chocolate, the tables spread with foods from all corners and a mixture of culinary delights to tempt the most jaded of palates, you have to try the weekend brunch.
And before I sign off, you need to know they have an awesome selection of Wines - Craig the Sommelier has chosen a wonderful array to suit almost any budget, taste and temperament.
Drop by some time, you'll be glad you did.
PS. While you can get by on about $20 to $30 per person, you might want to consider a budget of more than twice that if you add in drinks and dessert. Typically when I go with a friend we have cocktails, a starter, the main course, a bottle of wine, dessert and/or coffees ... it typically costs about $80 per person. -
Review from Peppe R.
9/16/2010
The location is amazing, right on the lake, but unfortunately a super-thick rail right at the height of the average person's eyes obstructs most of the view.
The food is supposed to be amazing, but if you're used to big-city amazing food, this is very average.
I had the pickerel, which was "a-ok". It came with overcooked risotto, and a lot of chick peas (which I happen not to like).
The service is impeccable.
I prefer good food to the rest, so I will look for a seafood-and-no-frills place next time. -
Review from D B.
Burlington, ON
5/21/2011
Nice place to dine.
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Review from Tom W.
North Vancouver, BC
8/24/2010 2 Check-ins Here
The setting is so ideal that we almost didn't notice the food. Overall I would say that the food is above average, but, not spectacular. The menu is somewhat limited. However, what is offered is good. We had a pizza and it was flavorful with a nice crisp crust. I enjoyed the whole meal, but, the star of the show was the spectacular setting right on the lake. Go there on a warm summer evening and sit on the patio. You won't be disappointed. Tom
