1847 Wine and Beer Bistro

Was really look forward to coming here after being on the website. I did read some bad reviews, but figured it would be okay I mean people have different tastes.
The appetizers I had where amazing, the scallops are the best.
However, the butter chicken not so good! We actually sent it back. We did tell the waitress we did not enjoy it… she did comp our meals but did say «oh ya I have heard that alot tonight» I guess other people did not enjoy it either.
It’s a shame, it’s a beautiful little place, but the food was so so.

My biggest regret about my visit here is that I didn’t find out the significance of «1847».
Overall the experience was very good. The atmosphere and décor is really nice and the staff are friendly, attentive and talkative. The atmosphere flirts with being relaxed and casual but with a classic wine bar feel.
We started our meal by sharing the Poutine which caught my eye because it was made using a port jus and thyme. The combo worked extremely well and I’d definitely go back for this dish alone. Elsewhere in the group, there was the house salad served with a shallot vinaigrette which, I am told, was also good.
For the main a couple in our group ordered the Veggie Wellington which stole the show. It was served with carrots. My girlfriend ordered the salmon with a risotto which was pretty good. I ordered the butter chicken. I eat a lot of curry and I have to say I didn’t really enjoy it. It was served with bok choi and red pepper (both weird choices in my opinion) and overall the dish lacked a bit of flavour which is unforgivable for an Indian dish. I wouldn’t order this on a repeat visit.
For desert we ordered the chocolate and orange crème brûlée which finished off the evening nicely.
Overall I would definitely go back.

We had our wedding reception at 1847 this past summer. Its a nice place, the patio was excellent. Generally I have received comments from others that the staff is rather cold. That was not our experience at all. Service /​staff was excellent.
However, in the end, it was not good value. We served appetizers only and an open bar. The bill was over $ 100 per person. I think that was probably about 30% higher than what it should have been.
In dealing with the owners leading up to the event we had growing concerns about how the evening would go. All in all, it went OK. The owners assured us they would be there the entire night and they bounced at the first chance they had (maybe 30 min’s after arrival).
We have not returned nor ever spoke to the owners since the event and we live in Brooklin. Sort of sums up the entire experience.

So we just went to the new bakery at 1847. WOW what a disappointment. $ 17 for 2 ham and cheese croissants and 2 tarts. One tiny slice of ham and half a slice of cheese. no condiments of any kind. The tart has barely any filling. Selection was poor. Won’t be returning. Highly recommend not to bother trying it.

Wo

We will not be giving this place another try. Some local friends of ours made a reservation at 1847 Bistro three weeks in advance for us all to meet for dinner. The night before our outing, our friend called the restaurant to ask a question and was told our rez was cancelled because apparently they had a wedding or reception dinner that night, and that he should have received a prior call.
He hadn’t.
Upon calling other restaurants to try to find something decent last-​minute, it seemed no one was surprised that 1847 had blundered our reservation.
And they didn’t even offer a gift certificate to smooth things over. Au revoir, 1847.

Lovely patio, great service and great food. My wife and I shared a bowl of mussels in Thai broth that was one of the best Thai curries I have had. Very flavorful but not overly spicy. For my main course I had a pork tenderloin that was cooked to perfection. Others in our party said they enjoyed their choices. One raved about the chocolate crème brûlée.

We love this place. The live music was a treat we weren’t expecting. Just the perfect sound level and playlist.
Our meal was delicious. Duck wings to start off with were so crisp and tasty and the lamb shank on polenta was the best I’ve had.
Love the atmosphere. And the servers were attentive and knowledgable with the food and drinks.
Great evening. Highly recommend!

If I could give it zero stars, I would. We booked a lunch there for 3 people, and had to wait 40 minutes for sandwiches. The waitress brought out my colleague’s sandwich and placed it on another table, where the customer touched it. The waitress then tried to serve the same sandwich to my colleague. The food was bland, cold and my colleague’s turkey sandwich had funky meat. They argued with us about the quality of food and reluctantly took the turkey sandwich off the bill. The table next to us was given the wrong change.
The whole operation seems like they are cutting corners and sacrificing customer service for profit. I will not be coming here again and will not recommend this place to anyone, particularly those who wish to have a business lunch.

The pulled pork poutine was delicious. Fries were cooked perfectly; pulled pork was in a tangy sauce with some crispy bits; cheese curds on top; I couldn’t tell if there was gravy (they weren’t saucy, which was nice) but the tangy BBQ sauce from the pork went great on the fries.

We had a great meal on the deck in the back of Bistro 1847 last night. The menu is somewhat simple, but the Apple and cheddar salads we ordered as appetisers were well executed and very fresh. I had scallops for an entrée, and they were well done and seasoned nicely. My wife had all 3 of the sides as an entrée. The sautéed mushrooms were the best of the bunch, very flavorful. The green beans were very nice, but the beans in tomato here not heated through, and seemed microwaved. Service was very good overall. We’ll be back.

My husband and I have made several attempts to have drinks here. The sign says open till 10 on Sundays, and every time we go it is closed. A girlfriend and I went for drinks and snacks and feel like we were rushed out after we had just ordered our second glass of wine. The door says they are open till 11 but two gentlemen tried to come in just past 10 and were told it is closed. We were hurried out of there at 10.30…didn’t even get to finish our snack.

It was time for a meal with my cousin, who is always willing to hit a new spot. She had been to 1847 before and recommended we go. Off to Brooklin, I drove by it 3 times. *facepalm* Their Twitter feed said that the week after my visit, they had a new awning installed making it more visible. Glad to hear it!
It used to be the home of a bank, complete with a vault, now set up as a party room. The décor has an expensive pub feel. All of the furniture is dark wood accompanied by high ceilings and large windows that let in lots of natural light. The atmosphere is cozy and comfortable. They also have a patio. The tables were a little close together if you were sitting at a table for 2. The bar is stocked with a great variety of beer and wines, including brews from the local brewers, 5 Paddles.
1847 is known for sourcing locally. I’m not just talking about food! Local musicians frequently play here. Anything from blues to rock can be heard. The menu changes as the seasons change. They source locally and seasonally to ensure the freshest ingredients. This is not your common pub!
Feeling the need for apps, she chose the Local Green Salad and I picked the Goat Cheese. The salad was fresh and crisp topped with radish, cucumber and cherry tomatoes and smothered in a sherry vinaigrette. Meant to be a starter salad, it was a decent size! The pistachio goat cheese was warm and rich. Whenever I’ve had goat cheese, it’s always come with some sort of bread; I expected it, even though the description didn’t say it. This dish made me rethink appetizers, goat cheese doesn’t NEED bread. The local beets with walnut apple slaw was delicious. I never thought of putting all of those foods on one plate! A pleasant surprise!
As for the main dishes, she had the Roasted Chicken with Butternut Squash Risotto and I had the Pork Tenderloin. The roasted chicken was so tender and juicy, it almost fell off the bone. It was atop a pile of creamy butternut squash risotto. It’s official, butternut squash is amazing in everything! My pork medallions were savoury and perfectly cooked. The potato pancakes that came with it, weren’t like I’m used to. They were breaded. I’m not sure if that’s normal, but the jus from the pork made the breading soggy. I was sad. I love potato pancakes! The roasted vegetables smothered in the jus disappeared rather quickly. Yummy.
The table next to us had an issue with one of their meals and the server took care of it in a very professional manner. He made sure that it was corrected and that they were pleased. It’s nice to see how restaurants handle kitchen or service issues and they did well. Except one thing. Since our server was busy handling the next table’s issue, he just brought us the bill without offering us anything else. We wanted dessert! We even snagged some dessert menus! Oh well, will save room for the next visit!
Yes, there WILL be a next visit, even if I have no other reason to be in Brooklin. :D
It’s a delightful place with great staff and chefs. Check it out! Farm to Table ALL THE WAY!

Went for Mother’s Day brunch yesterday and sat on the patio. It was absolutely great. There was live music outside. And although it was a bit to loud at some points he was pretty good. Service was amazing. she was so helpful and very friendly. Had a great experience meeting the owner Kathryn. She went around to all the tables to check on people and was very friendly. Nice to see owners still doing that. Food was great. I would love To go back and try to regular menu Atmosphere was great inside was beautiful. Really great Mother’s Day brunch experience

Once a month, I get together with my high school English teacher Ms. B (yes, I was that nerd in high school). And since we both live to the East of the city, we usually don’t venture downtown for our monthly gathering. Having tried most of the reputable restaurants in Durham, I was starting to get worried that I might be in a bit of a rut for restaurant choices. I stumbled across the Whitbylicious lineup and found 1847 Wine & Beer Bistro.
1847 doesn’t have anything to do with its street address; it refers to the year. One of the first things you notice when you drive onto Baldwin Street in Brooklin, Ontario is how historic the buildings look. It gives the strip charm very much the same way Unionville does (although right now it looks more like a blizzard tore through it with all the ongoing construction). Many of the heritage buildings were built in 1847 and so the namesake pays homage to that. The restaurant itself is housed in 2 heritage buildings; one formerly a hardware store. In keeping with the overall theme, the furnishings consist of hardwood, antiques and vintage posters.
The wine list is regrettably short, but well-​chosen. I personally enjoyed a class of Anselmi San Vincenzo, a white wine from Veneto, Italy which boasted exotic aromas of pineapple and peach without actually being sweet. A healthy selection of craft beers is available, including the newish Northwinds Brewery from Collingwood, ON.
The food can be described as «Canadian-​inspired» with a French flair, reflecting the cultural roots of executive chef Rob Marchand.
We didn’t end up ordering off the prix fixe menu as we felt the food choices were limited so we just ordered à la carte.
Escargots ($ 11). «Bourguignon» garlic butter, flat leaf parsley, Chardonnay wine.
Definitely not the presentation I was expecting, but nonetheless tasty. You can’t really screw up a dish that is drenched in butter. It was extra-​garlicky so I wouldn’t advise you order this if you’re on a date. It almost guarantees you won’t be getting a goodnight kiss.
Goat Cheese ($ 13). Pistashio-​crusted herbed Ontario goat cheese, local beet pavé and walnut apple slaw.
Goat cheese lover’s will embrace this dish because there is a pretty generous serving of it. The beets are slightly cooked and reduce some of the tartness of the goat cheese and the Granny Smith slaw adds a great bit of crunch.
Pork Tenderloin ($ 20). Herbed Ontario pork tenderloin with a red wine Woodland mushroom sauce and Yukon Gold potato latke.
I myself generally shy away from pork (unless it’s pork belly or Porchetta) because I find they’re usually bland and one-​dimensional. The pork tenderloin here was a pleasant surprise as the jus and mushrooms gave it more character and flavor than just having a «milky» flavor to it.
Foie gras and sage stuffed chicken ($ 25). Chardonnay rosemary pan jus, butternut squash risotto.
While I would’ve much preferred duck; I’m glad it was chicken because otherwise this giant plate of risotto would’ve been much, much too heavy. The chicken was perfectly browned and the pan jus made for a rich risotto. The butternut squash thickened the risotto without adding weight. I could only finish half of the half chicken but it made for tasty leftovers the next day.
Lindt Chocolate Terrine ($ 8). Chocolate truffle bar with vanilla ice cream and raspberry coulis.
The undisputed best part of our meal. The truffle «bar» was luscious and went perfect with my espresso. It was almost the texture of cheesecake, sans the fromage and was velvety smooth. The raspberry coulis did a nice job of cutting through some of the richness of this dessert and who can say no to ice cream?
Overall, an enjoyable meal at 1847. While it doesn’t compare to restaurants in the downtown core, I enjoyed the ambiance and the food is at least trying to be «downtown» which is often difficult in the suburbs where diners may be more harder to entice to branch out in culinary adventure. Portion sizes definitely need some down-​sizing but the food was yummy (even sans finesse of fancy plating and abstract techniques). Classic is the word I’d use to describe it. Definitely worth trying if you are in the area, but nothing to drive up for. My go-​to restaurant in Durham is still KB Food.

As a group of 6 women from the Durham area, we celebrate each others birthdays by trying out restaurants in the Durham area, and supporting our local businesses. In December we booked a reservation for 6 (about 3 – 4 weeks in advance) on a Friday night to celebrate my birthday. When we arrived we were seated next to the entrance to the kitchen, and also a walk way to another room.
There were numerous tables available that were empty next to our table, so we enquired about moving to one of them as 2 ladies in our party were being constantly bumped as the servers went to and from the kitchen, along with hot coffee pots hovering over their heads as the servers went by. We were told that all the tables were reserved and they could not accommodate us.
We sat and had our dinner, but unfortunately the tone had been set and it was not a pleasurable experience. We were finishing our dinner and noticed that the table of six we had asked to be moved to was being broken up into a 4 and 2 table setting. You can imagine our dismay when we could have sat there and enjoyed our meal in comfort. When we asked to speak to the manager to let him know how disappointed we were, he told us that, «its a busy time of year and they had only just been notified that there was a cancellation and that was why the tables were being split» Again we told him how disappointed we were, as we had booked over 3 weeks ago and that we were celebrating a birthday. His answer was basically, he did not care, and he did not care if we gave his restaurant a poor review as it was a busy time of year, and if we didn’t want to return, that was just fine by him.
As you can imagine we were speechless, our server was also speechless, and she looked at us and apologized for her managers’ rudeness and unprofessional ism.
Unfortunately we came away from the restaurant with mixed feelings, The food was OK, that we can remember, our server was terrific, but the attitude of the manager, which we found out later was one of the owners, marred our experience so much that we would not recommend this restaurant to any of our friends or family.
A small request could have been fulfilled and made our visit memorable in a pleasant way; instead it left us all with a bad taste in our mouths and one we soon won’t forget.

We had a great dinner for two tonight. We had the filet mignon and the rack of lamb, which was on special. Both dishes were delicious.
We enjoyed every aspect of our dinner from appetizers to desert! The service was very friendly and attentive. We will definitely return and recommend this restaurant to others.
What a great addition to Brooklin.

I feel like an outlier with my review. I have heard wonderful things regarding 1847, however I am not sure the restaurant lived up to the expectations that were set.
The service was amazing, and our server was extremely engaging and knowledgable. I think my challenge was with the food. While it was good, I was challenged on the quality compared to the price.
I ordered the pork medallions and expected delicious most morsels of juicy pork goodness but I found my pork to be dry, over cooked and a touch bland. I appreciate the difficultly of consistently cooking such a lean cut of meat for a night’s service, however my expectations were elevated based on the cost and the reviews. The rest of the food ordered was consistent with this review.
That said, I would ask that you try the restaurant for yourself. Next time, I will most likely take a pass.

Perfect overall dining experience. We would recommend this place to everyone in Durham who can appreciate really good food. Great atmosphere, without being pretentious. Food is fresh and in season. Staff are friendly and fun. We went in a group of 6. Between us all, we shared a lot. All of our dishes were top notch. Will totally return.

Wonderful meal at a beautiful restaurant.
We sat outside for dinner, the patio is very cute.
Our server was so sweet and very helpful.
My husband had a seafood stew which he enjoyed and I had mussels (soo yummy!) and a beet salad which was lovely.
We had the «flights» of beer, you pick 3 different ones.
For dessert we split the beignet which was amazing, it’s a special so don’t miss it!
We will certainly return. It’s obvious that the people running this place want it to be special and they’ve done a great job so far.

AMAZING!!!
I could leave it at that, but I won’t. This is hands down the best restaurant in Brooklin!
I have eaten here several times and it has been fantastic each and every time!
Ambiance 10+, Service 10+, and Food 11+
From apps to entrees this place has nailed its quality down, the micro brews on tap are sure to please too!
The salads are incredible, I have to say I have never had a better one anywhere… and these aren’t your cheap «chef salad» or «Caesar» in fact they don’t have either.
Wine selection is priced well, could do with a few more «mid» priced selections but the owners are super friendly and aim to please, so no doubt they will up the selection soon.