The Gallery Restaurant

The Gallery and its Portuguese menu is definitely out of the ordinary, but there doesn’t seem to be anything «ordinary» about Leamington. Worth a visit just to sit on the lovely patio with a drink and enjoy some Portuguese snacks. Can’t speak to the quality of the entreés, but what kind of idiot orders a chicken Caesar salad at a place like this?

Respectable but uninspiring food, in an odd half-​tiki-​bar-​porch, half-​old-​church location.
I demolished some grilled large sardines; each of the three fish was nicely oily (like any good sardine), but a good 7 inches long. The first one I ate (hot out of the pan) was delicious; as they cooled, they became less interesting (the end of the third was just fine). Definitely a dish to pounce on.
During a blustery, drizzly evening in shoulder season, we had the choice of a hot-​and-​stuffy inside table or a windy outside; we took the tiki porch, but were the only ones to do so (and had some related waitress-​chasing adventures as a result).
The sangria was heavy on apples, and the white port cocktail (the «chef’s invention») was oddly harsh, like from-​the-​pouch lemonade.
Some delicious fish, but that might not be enough to bring me back repeatedly.

excellent food, good service (it could have been a bit faster — we were the only ones in the entire inside, i had to ask for water refills). the best steak i’ve had in many many years in a restaurant (rib eye), perfectly cooked, excellent sear, great seasoning. seafood risotto was excellent also. ambience is nice too :) we were here on a wednesday evening — the side patio was also nearly empty.

This restaurant was within walking distance of the B&B where we were staying during our recent trip to Ontario. It was a mostly Portuguese menu, the kitchen and one dining area in a restored church property but the real winner was the expansive double patio and bar area to one side of the building. The outer patio was uncovered and the weather not nice enough to use when we were there, but the inner covered patio adjacent to the bar and water feature was wonderful. The place felt quaint and tropical, unexpected by us for this part of Canada.
It was a quiet night, not quite in full season, and yet the staff was prepared and the food fresh and excellent. I must say that the house special sangria was one of my favorite takes on the classic and was stunning in appearance as well as tasty. We had a table for four and everyone loved their meal. I had a spicy preparation of sautéed, tender squid with a saffron rice. There was a classic fried sardine plate with an interesting potato and another plate was an offering of pasta with plentiful shellfish, ordered by two other of my companions. The only weak point were the desserts. Sadly, they were out of their house special, a coconut pie, so we ordered a couple of other choices to share. The pecan pie was tasty and a bit less sweet than southern American tradition and was the favorite of all. The other dessert, a crêpe dish, was not well described to us and turned out to have ice cream as a major component, too much dairy for me, and a chocolate sauce lacking in depth and richness.
I expect that in good weather during the summer season, this place would be packed. If you get there, definitely go for the patio experience.