Characters Restaurant

Amazing dinner and presentation. Staff polite and efficient. Great for fine dining a group beets. Parking lot adjacent. Stairs /​elevators to go up and down. Have been there before and would go there again :).

Wow! Wow! Wow! Food was Amazing Service was Amazing!!! Best decision ever! I now have a new Character in my life wow! You will NOT be disappointed… book your reservation NOW! Two Thumbs up!!!

I had a really lovely dinner with friends here. The atmosphere is great if you’re celebrating a birthday or special occasion. The servers are very knowledgable and fast. The food was really good! Although the steak I had wasn’t my favourite the other food in sampled around the table was really good. Their starter fries are so delicious I kinda wish I could’ve just eaten them! We split a bunch of desserts and they were all unique and flavourful!

Is it 2001? Seems like this restaurant found success back in the day and then decided to never change. Its menu and décor seems tired and outdated. Although it was very clean, it was lacking the edge and excitement of many other places in Edmonton. And for $ 45 + a plate you would expect perfection but the food drew parallels at our table to a dinner at Original Joes. It was good but that’s about it. Definitely not worth the money. Oh and not to mention that there were maybe 5 tables of diners on a Saturday night. Have other people also figured out that this place has dare I say… lost it’s character?

Absolutely worth every penny, I came here for Mothers day about 3 years ago while I was still pregnant and still remember the taste of the bread pudding in my mouth. The waiter went out of his way to ensure nothing I ordered was unsafe for a pregnant woman. I forget his name but I remember he said he was African. The food was excellent. They only lost a star because my husband tried to book a reservation this past mothers day for me and they said no kids allowed whereas I distinctly remember there was a child’s party going on when I was there 3 years ago in their private room downstairs. Tsk tsk tsk a little contradictory don’t you think? But I’d still be back and highly recommend it because the food is that good.

I have been to Characters three years in a row now for my birthday. The setting is nice, classy in a very unique building. The waiters have been excellent every time, prompt, knowledgable, and very good about working around my food allergies.
The menu has Character for sure. There are some Unique items on the menu, I noticed some comfort food type items with a fancy fine dining twist. It’s a bit pricey, but I feel for a fancy dinner, you get what you pay for.

Went to Characters on the weekend. They served very salty French fries and I asked for bread or buns instead– basically if I wanted fries I would have gone to MacDonald’s. The server looked at me like she had never heard that bread or buns could be served with a meal. I was told that there were none. Found this disappointing. The meal itself was okay at best but not outstanding. I expected better.

November 21^st 2014, 4 of us arrived for a birthday lunch. From the moment we arrived I was so impressed with the décor to the time we left with an amazing lunch experience. I had ordered the special, seafood shish kabob on a bed of roasted vegetables and tiny veggie pancakes. The seafood was fresh and wonderfully seasoned. I have never had more flavourful roasted vegetables and the veggie pancakes light and tasty. My 3 other companions thoroughly enjoyed salmon on couscous and fried chicken with mashed potatoes. 2 off us died and went to heaven after our desserts. We had the banana parfait and pecan pie. Beautiful presentation of everything was a feast on the eyes. I can’t wait to return!

Chef Shonn is amazing. One of my new favorite places to eat. Happened to go at the same time they were launching a new menu. Had the dover fish and chips with veggie fries, steak and the sticky toffee pudding. The whole experience was amazing. One of the best places to go in #yeg and so underrated.

Wow… it’s been a few weeks since I dined at Character’s, but the memory of my meal still lingers (in a truly remarkable way).
I knew I was in for a treat when a) Jennie M told me we had a special reservation for dinner, b) Chef Shonn came out to chat with our group and told us all about a special tasting menu he had in store for us c) the service we had that evening was spot on perfect from beginning to end!
Upon entering the restaurant, we were greeted and seated immediately… As I walked to our table, I couldn’t help but notice that the restaurant is spacious but warm and has a classic rustic style. Not too stuffy, which can sometimes be the case with high end restaurants. I was also told that have an incredible private room that was occupied the night we were there, and I took note of the private «Elevator Room,» a smaller semi-​private room that looks perfect for a romantic meal with one or two couples.
Once seated, our group was lucky enough to meet Chef Shonn and he took the time to walk us through the menu he was serving us that evening. From our brief encounter, I could sense his passion for his work and I knew we’d be in for a treat…
What happened next was a combination of culinary magic and gluttony. I think we were there for four hours, and during that time, we had 7 or 8 courses paired with several bottles of fabulous wine. Each course was not only beautifully presented (think culinary art), but fresh, flavorful, creative, and extraordinary. Our dinner was seriously a party; it only added to it that I was in great company with some of my favorite Canadians! The dinner flew by, and it blew my mind that I could leave dinner at close to 10pm and it could still be light outside!
I did take pictures to document, but they don’t do the meal justice. I’ll just say that we didn’t take a bad bite that evening and we had everything from prawns, cured salmon and boar bacon wrapped scallops to rabbit ravioli and bison. I can’t leave out the jamón ibérico… wow. I’ll just say that I don’t regret my decision to try it even though I don’t eat pork often. And the passion fruit soufflé was the perfect sweet ending to our meal.
Character’s is definitely worth a visit if you’re a foodie, if you are looking for a unique dining experience, or you’re celebrating a special occasion. Thanks again to Chef Shonn and staff for an unforgettable meal!

You want to impress? Well Character’s would be one fine dining way to do so. They create a high end experience that I still found comfortable for joe schmoes like me. Maybe you typically live the blue-​collar lifestyle through and through but need a place for an anniversary dinner that is really going to knock your wife (Political correction: girl/​boyfriend, spouse, partner, significant oth… oh you get it) ‘s socks (or any other clothing garment) off, you’re looking in the right direction with Characters.
The room has a warm, rustic feel with plenty of exposed brick and unfinished barn wood style floors. It’s fancy but understated so you’ll feel comfortable here in both your business casual, or full jacket. The black 3-​piece with the cumberbun and bow-​tie might be a tad much, but hey, if that’s how you roll, Character’s serves food high end enough to match your style, you dapper gent (or gentress) you.
Full disclosure: I was lucky enough (SO LUCKY) to be treated to an phenomenal tasting menu for which I wasn’t responsible to pick up the tab. While sure, this might influence my opinion, I also feel like if you want to have the best experience at Character’s you should do your best to leave price out of the equasion. Go here for those special occasions when food, experience are the upmost importance. OR, if you’re ballin’ enough that you can drop $ 65 — $ 80 on a set menu main course in the private rooms on a daily basis — I see no reason not to!
Standouts: The Bison was unreal! It was seared and left very rare (perfect) throughout and is tender without any gamey flavas. Oh, and then there was this time at Character’s when I tried Ibérico Ham… This is the best damn pig I’ve ever had in my life. Ever. And I guess it should be because I’m pretty sure this is the most expensive ham in the world. With a bit of internet research after the fact to find out just what the heck it was I was eating I found out that this ham clocks in at about $ 150/​lb. Worth the price? Well, just like my overall experience at Characters, if price isn’t your main concern — Yes. It’s the best.

One of my fav restaurants. Really good fresh menu that they change seasonally. Nice atmosphere and good service.

I went to Characters on October 12^th with my companion. We hadn’t been here in almost 3 years… What a nice return :-) ! First and foremost, the menu has changed considerably (NO MORE Mac & Cheese – I am sorry, but in my opinion, it wasn’t great or even good for that matter… my motto is that a carb has be worth it, on ALL levels to order it… this dish was NOT, ever…). So, that is one nice thing that greeted me when I looked at the menu.
The second was that they now serve a small cup of fries with aioli instead of the bread… a welcome change, especially since they give you JUST enough to not fill up on them and they are a nice size too. As well, they also served some home made potato chips :-)
For my appetizer, I ordered the Baby Octopus which was very good and not rubbery from over cooking :-) My companion was a bit jealous since he had the Mixed Greens, which were good, however, he loves seafood. So yes, I had to share…
I ordered the Sea Bass which was really good and served with a nicely sauteed gnocchi… these were crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside – YUM! (UNLIKE the ones I had at Cibo a while back… sauteed in Sage and Butter and they were just oily …)
For dessert, my companion had the Passion Cotta and I had the Chocolate & Cake. They were both nicely presented and very delicious end to an enjoyable dinner… all the way around :-)

I went to this restaurant on a recommendation from a native Edmontonian while I was visiting from the East coast, and I am so glad I was sent there!
The atmosphere is cool, the service was wonderful, and the food fantastic. I had boar bacon wrapped scallops as an appetizer, and venison as a meal. Both were prepared absolutely perfectly (I was especially impressed by the scallops, being a Maritimer, I’ve become picky about my seafood and I was slightly wary of how they’d be).
The evening we were there, there were some ventilation issues with smoke from the bar downstairs, so the manager gave us our desserts for free… and we hadn’t even complained. I thought that was a very classy move. We really weren’t even upset, just were having a dinner out with some friends.
It is a pricey menu, I think my entrée was closing in on $ 40, so be prepared for that, but it was a wonderful spot for a special evening out with friends I see rarely.

I went to the place because my friend’s wedding reception was held in their basement. The basement is spacious enough to accommodate nearly 50 guests. I think we were served custom made items for this special occasion. Their food was tasty but I did not find it to be anything out of ordinary. Service was excellent.

One of my favorite restaurants in the city. Great spot, interesting set up includes a private table in an old freight elevator, nice ambiance, and fantastic food. Restrooms are tidy, party room, view of kitchen, street parking, as well as, a small parking lot.
Good service. The servers are knowledgable and the owners are ‘hands-​on’.
You must try the S’mores for Two — complete with your own private fire at the table. Veal was AWESOME. I’ve actually never had a less than great meal here.
The lunch menu is far better than its competitors. You can get a proper meal instead of sandwiches, tapas or lighter fare. Show me the meat!

OVERPRICED!
The food tasted like salt… and not much else. The wine was ok.
I had high hopes for the place because I’ve heard great things about it. However, due to the above I would not go back. The serve was good though.

My first impression of Character’s was, «Holy crap, this is fancy. Am I even going to like this food?»
For my birthday, my boyfriend treated me to a night of fine dining in Edmonton. This swanky little place is a great combination of cozy, classy and modern.
The menu at first glance is overwhelming. There was alot of foods I definitely don’t eat often and to be honest, it had me a little concerned.
But then the appetizers came — bacon wrapped scallops. And it was the tastiest appetizer I have ever had.
By the time the main course arrived, I was warming up to the lofty-​feel atmosphere where the kitchen is visible from almost all angles of the restaurant.
The main course was delicious. I branched out and had sea bass with black rice and pesto and I was more than impressed.
The service was 10/​10, and for dessert: smores for two with your own mini-​campfire to roast marshmallows. Awesome? I think so.
For the entire experience, the prices were reasonable.
I would go back in a heartbeat.
Two thumbs up.

Characters has gone downhill… this used to be one of my favorite restaurants in town so we figured this would be fun to come back for our family GTG… boy, were we wrong! Used to be a solid 4 stars up to 2007, but this is max a 3 star now.
Service is poor. There were enough servers in the restaurant but ours was terrible. Our drinks went low several times during the dinner and he didn’t even know any vegetarian or dairy-​free options on the menu. One main dish came much later than the others and he had difficulty splitting the bill and put incorrect items together, even after we divided it up for him! Duh.
In terms of the food, the bread service is now gone. They do this french fry and potato chip with miso gravy instead which is pretty tasty. The food itself was OK. My beef tenderloin was quite nice and the meat was very flavorful with nice presentation. Other dishes ordered were the duck (great feedback around the table) and a few pasta options (average).
For dessert, the chocolate belgian waffle with ice cream and chocolate dipped oranges sounded like a no-​brainer for me… unfortunately, the batter they used made the waffle quite dry so it didn’t have the crisp shell and light interior that I usually like.
All in all, a big disappointment to come back to what used to be one of my favorite restos when I lived in Edmonton. Perhaps I’ve become a Vancouver snob, but this is definitely skippable, especially when your entrees are $ 35-​$ 40 each.

It’s been a while since I’ve been to Character’s and I SWEAR the next time I go, I will have some of that bloody Glenfiddich.
Managed to get the Shaft… apparently that’s a good thing but I felt a little claustrophobic, so we only closed the doors a weeee bit.
Being between Christmas and NYE, the place was understandably empty that night. I was told I HAD to have the puddaheh = Perogies. They were good perogies, but they perogies so that is all I’m going to say.
Having consumed my weight in Alberta red-​meat that week, I wanted something different. My main was exquisite: the ahi tuna was the perfect specimen. Well cooked with a nice glaze. I had no trouble finishing that — side was ratatouille I believe, which was nicely prepared as well.
Wine selection was strong with a great selection of reds.