The Waterfront

Got the lobster crab dip with crispy naan $ 14 — tasted amazing. The crispy naan went really well with the dip. The dip itself had great flavours but don’t go looking for chunks of lobster meat cuz thats not what this dish is about.
Also got a poutine for $ 10. Tasted okay. I would still prefer New York fries poutine just because I like the gravy better.
Come on a warm day to take advantage of the patio area to take in the great views. Service was excellent.
Solid 3.5 stars

Came in Mother’s Day lunch, seemed busy, we were greeted by front reception with the «it will take 20 mins wait» however chairs were not available to sit, picture included, patio was open so after my suggestion to have it check a bit chilly but we wanted to basically sit, at this point. Server was attentive, took starter and drink order and brought drinks out promptly. She mentioned she was new, but was very courteous and attentive to my kids as well. Food was pretty good, I would go again food and menu pictures included:
Curry flavour Clams frites
Wild mushroom and chicken Rigatoni
Penne Arrabbiata with 6 mini shrimp
Kids: penne sauce–
Appetizers-​Mac and cheese croquettes
Roasted beet arugula goat cheese salad

I went on Thursday for a late lunch. We ordered drinks. My soft drink came with the waitress/​bartenders hair in it and a floaty. Gross! She was checking my drink after that. My gut said go somewhere else to eat but decided to stay. We got the spinach dip it wasn’t the greatest. We both ordered steak. My roasted potatoes were huge but dry and flavourless, obviously had been sitting for ages. There was two pieces of burnt cauliflower and a mystery vegetable. The steak was over cooked and chewy. I ate my husbands fries and 2 small bites of steak. We decided against dessert. Wasn’t worth the money. Don’t bother going when the patio isn’t open. The service is terrible and the food is gross during the cold months.

Old tired recipes. Food mediocre at best. Be prepared to be disappointed.

I have been coming to this place for close to 5 years. My favorite is their half priced mussel Mondays — curry flavoured! They’ve always been known for their great service, cozy vibe and delicious food. Over the past few months, I’ve noticed that at least one person in my group has had a plate of mediocre food or funky mussels. Last night, when the server brought over my mussels, the whole table noticed the foul smell. I couldn’t even get myself to try one. The server completely discounted my concerns, and although she was polite and offered to replace or bring me something else, she didn’t think anything was wrong and refused to smell it herself. Her response was that she served hundreds of mussels and no one has ever complained. The rest of my party ordered other items off the menu and they were pretty mediocre.
I’m sad to say I’ll probably not be returning to Waterfront. The food and service over the past few months has just been too inconsistent and disappointing.

The food, view, service and price is great. I have been there for multiple occasions and always left satisfied. Also the location being close to the waterfront after your meal you can always go for a nice walk.

I ordered the mussels & frites with a light curry sauce. It was very yummy but maybe the curry was a tad too salty. Love their fries!
Such beautiful views of the Pickering waterfront from here and its patios! However I recommend sitting on the ground floor patio because the second floor one was full of bugs! Service was great though.

Not sure why, but seems as though the hostess purposely makes you wait for a table when there are ones available. They do not take reservations for outdoor tables, but keep 3 – 4 empty tables open. When you ask why they have completely setup tables (with utensils, etc) vacant, they give you attitude and answer quite rudely. Reminds me of a nightclub bouncer and how they treat people — very poor. I think this will be my last visit to this restaurant. I’d rather spend my money where it’s actually wanted.
The management should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this. Prime location can only take you so far.

Great view, staff & food! Recommend fish and chips and their chips are out of this world! Fresh cut and you should ask for side of their dill sauce. Food is freshly made and a great place to have a pint or wine & enjoy the scenery.

Have been here a few times in recent months. The first time my main course was in my opinion not edible but they replaced it at no charge for something that was. The homemade soups tend to always be great. The salmon on the menu was delicious. I was served a huge portion but ate it all because it was that good. Overall, I would go back here in a heartbeat. The location is not as great as Port but the food is better. There is a limited view of the lake since most windows overlook the parking lot. If you go to the second story you have an unobstructed view of Lake Ontario. Many of the tables and chairs are bar height which makes it awkward for anyone who may be mobility challenged like myself.

The best thing about this place is it’s prime waterfront location and excellent view from the patio. They also have a good sized parking lot out front for their customers.
When we first arrived at the restaurant, what seemed to be 2 – 3 hostesses/​waitresses at the entrance seemed very disorganized and stressed out and kept running in and out of the restaurant and up/​down the stairs of the patio to figure out seating. Looking into the restaurant, it was probably ~1/​3 full, so not sure how they would manage at full capacity…
We decided to take a seat inside instead of waiting for the patio. The interior was nice. Our waitress was quite pleasant and served us in a timely manner through our whole experience. They seemed to have a lot of staff for the number of patrons that night, and it was really obvious that many of them were standing around trying to look busy. (It shouldn’t take 3 people to move a 3×3 table over by a few inches).
The food is really the biggest disappointment though, especially for the price that they charge. Entrees are anywhere from approx $ 12-​$ 37.
I ended up ordering a pulled pork sandwich served with a side of sweet potato fries. The presentation was pretty good. But the bun on the sandwich was so soft and limp like it was from a NoFrills Value Pack. The pulled pork didn’t have the best taste/​texture either (like it was microwaved), and there wasn’t anything else inside the sandwich. I basically had to throw the side coleslaw and pickle garnishes inside to make it somewhat better (though it didn’t help much).
The sweet potato fries reminded me of the frozen McCain’s ones you can get from the grocery store. Not in a good way.
Brother and dad both had the fish & chips. Potato fries were okay, but they both said their fish was so-​so.
Would come back here only for the patio/​view/​location, and probably drinks. Would definitely help if they put a little more pride and effort into their food though. It would be really nice to see some improvements and better reviews in the future!

I’d give this place 2.5 stars at best.
Attitude from the server we had was very disappointing. I ordered a pint of Keith’s and when I received it, there was over one inch of head or «foam». I asked the server «Erica» to top up the drink but informed me this was the standard. She had a very condescending tone and attitude for such a simple comment.
My friend who is a bartender told the server they changed the standard from one inch to a size of a «dime». Correct me if I’m wrong but regardless she could have been more pleasant. She was rude about it and eventually took the glass to «top up». But meanwhile I could hear her complaining to the bartender. This left a very dissatisfying feeling and even after receiving the food, it was equally disappointing.
The fish and chips were battered and oily where the grease left a mark on the plate. The fries looked darker than normal, my thought is they need to change their frying oil more frequently.
Overall, standard of quality in regards to service and food is horrible. For the price of minimum 14.00 $ per plate I would expect better quality to say the least. Never again will I come back here. I don’t recommend anyone to go here.
On the upside of things, the view is decent and they have an upstairs patio. However it doesn’t make up for what is lacking.

One of my absolute fave spots is Frenchman’s Bay out in Pickering. Very scenic spot just east of Scarborough that makes it feel as though you’re nowhere near the City so it gives you that nice balance. Here you’ve got your local eateries and boutique shops and of course the Waterfront Bistro, a great spot overlooking the marina and Lake Ontario.
Pretty laid back atmosphere with pretty attentive servers. Last time we went, it was a little windy and there was a chance of showers so a number of servers showed their concern as we were here with a toddler; so yes, very accommodating staff. The food of course is very enjoyable. They also have specials throughout the week which makes it even better. Been coming here for years so their menu has changed a couple of times but there hasn’t been a time where I fell disappointed.
[Appetizers & Salads]
Saganaki Flambé — Can’t go wrong with fried cheese. Has a nice crusty outside with a gooey inside. Perfect to get you started. ⁵⁄₅.
Calamari Frite — Just rightly dusted and fried. Wish the serving was larger and that it had a little bit more taste in the seasoning. Still quite good, though. ⁴⁄₅
Saganaki Village Salad — Perfect side to either share or to have as a meal if you’re not too hungry. You get a huge piece of the wonderful fried cheese which is about the size of a slice (medium) pizza. ⁵⁄₅.
[Mains]
Waterfront Burger — One of their staple burgers. Great with a side of salad, fries or sweet potato fries. ⁵⁄₅.
Fish & Chips — After a couple of menu changes, I’m glad that this is one item that they’ve kept. I believe they use haddock and I (used to) prefer halibut but this definitely somewhat converted me. You get a generous piece of fish as well as a generous amount of their fresh cut fries which are amazing, by the way. If you like Swiss Chalet fries, you’ll definitely love their fries. It has been a while since I’ve last had their Fish & Chips so hopefully this hasn’t changed either. ⁵⁄₅.
Mussels & Frites — Mussel Mondays! If you’re around on Mondays, definitely take advantage of this offer as it’s half price. I’d still pay full price for this dish as it’s bursting with flavour. You get two choices of sauces either a marinara or a light curry sauce. My personal preference is the curry sauce. You also get a side of sweet potato fries which by the way is one of the best out there. I don’t know what they do with it but I hope they continue because it’s one of the best out there. ⁵⁄₅.
Roaster Wings — Size could be larger but the wings are juicy and crispy so this is definitely worth checking out. Tuesday nights are wing nights so if you’re a little skeptical with their wings, then I’d recommend taking advantage of this particular offer.

It is SUCH a shame that such a perfect location on the lake is taken up by this place. Seriously: crummy food at a minimum of $ 14 a plate. None of the menu is exciting or creative (apart from maybe serving mussels). So not worth it. The biggest problem I had here was the service; they seem VERY unorganised. I have no idea who our waitress was because it was someone different any time they made it around to our table.
A beaaautiful location on the second floor patio was definitely nice compensation.

Went there for dinner tonight. The restaurant was very loud. It was hard to talk.
The restaurant didn’t have draft Coors Light so we ordered steam whistle. After a solid 10 minutes, our waiter came back to say they didn’t have it. Strange it took so long to find that out. We ordered Bud Light. I saw the bartender pour our beer, then I watched our beer sit waiting for our water to get it. I actually wanted to get up and get them myself. Not to be rude, but just because we had to been waiting so long.
The owner came around to our table twice, to say hello. I thought that was very nice.
I ordered the King Panini. My boyfriend ordered the prime rib sandwich. I ordered a Greek salad as a side. It wasn’t very good. I did like the peppers that were added to it, but a dot of feta cheese, 2 cucumber slices, a small slice of tomato and 2 olives was pretty pitiful. My boyfriend said the prime rib sandwich was better at canyon creek. My sandwich was good though.
My advice to them, add more veggies, olives & cheese to the Greek salad. Also, offer a side container of horseradish to go with the prime rib.

Love this place for a nice mid afternoon brunch. I have always been a fan of Boat club/​restaurants by the water, this one has a nice view and a friendly staff.
For some reason I always end up getting a bottle of wine and fish and chips, as stated before the view is great. As for the food that is a little but of a different story, I am not that much a fan for the food but I usually don’t go there for the food anyways.
Its a great place to go on a nice summer day to enjoy the lake in Pickering and its a 15 minute walk home for me if I decide to go have a couple drinks.
Overall I will be back, and I would recommend to try it if you have not been there.

I dined here, to compare the experience to Port (in Pickering).
While Port has a nicer view (even in the winter with the large windows), I had a cozier and more relaxed evening at the Waterfront.
The inside is cozier and more casual. The food is less expensive than Port, but in my opinion better — larger portions and more fresh and well cooked.
They have live music on Saturday nights.
While I loved the soft rock/​classics the singer was entertaining us with, my only complaint is they ALSO have recorded music playing simultaneously — which makes a bit of an awkward and irritating evening.
NOTE TO MANAGER: turn off the darn radio/​CD and let us enjoy the singer!

Thought I would try out this place since a fried recommended it. Got the tomato soup and Saganaki salad and it was delicious. I would come back again.

This is in a great location with a wonderful patio overlooking the lake. Food is very tasty, and worth the prices charged. However it only gets a three star rating because of the service. My wife and I have been here a number of times but each time we’re forced to wait ages before being seated, only to go out to the patio and find three or four tables are empty. It’s almost like they have some pretentious idea that making people wait for a table will make the restaurant look better.

Second time I’d been here and I wasn’t all that impressed overall.
Hostess seated us RIGHT in front of the performer when there were at least 10 other empty tables that I saw as we walked in — no way they were all resos. So noisy.
Seemed like they only had one server covering the entire front section and he was taking forever so I snagged what I would guess was the bar manager and ordered through him.
Food and drinks came out somewhat slowly… Ordered chicken parm sandwich which was good but the piece of chicken was about four inches wide and the bread was a ciabatta or something — only an inch and a half so there wasn’t even nearly enough bread for this sandwich = very meet and awkward to eat. Delicious otherwise. Fries were extremely bland, took one bite and didn’t bother with them afterward.
Asked for the bill as well as the food came to the table because I didn’t want to wait. Server didn’t come to check on us once until it was time to process payment. Bar manager checked on us once or twice — he’s the only reason I’m giving this a 2 star eating instead of 1.
This place needs to step their game up. But then again, maybe they don’t. Not a lot of options around that area — I’m just critical since I’ve worked in the service industry my entire adult life.