The Marlowe Restaurant and Wine Bar

We were here for valentines day dinner. The atmosphere had a winter wonderland feel with the snowflakes and the dim lighting but not in a cheesy way lol. There was a set menu for the night. I had the seared scallops, braise short ribs, and for dessert tiramisu. Unfortunately, the scallops were overcooked and the vegetables – accompanying the short ribs – were frozen and overcooked. I enjoyed the tiramisu, and the bread w/​olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

If you’ve ever been to east beaver creek on a Thursday evening, you know that every restaurant is busy busy. When I walked into Marlowe to meet a friend… it was dead. That should have been clue #1…
I would never choose to go to Marlowe, b/​c I’ve heard it isn’t worth the trip, but my friend suggested it, so I went along and kept my thoughts to myself.
My friend arrived before me. When I walked in, the girl pointed and said, ‘over there, third booth on the left’. So, great service off the bat (not). We ordered wine and then shortly after, ordered our mains.
We waited quite some time for the food, not a long time really, but about 45 second before we got our food, they brought us some bread. Why not bring the bread after the drinks? This was a second indication that the service is weak.
I ordered a steak and truffle fries. Friend ordered the swiss chicken. I was not given a steak knife, so i had to wait about 5 minutes until I could flag someone down. My steak was like a leather boot, truly unenjoyable. The fries were just OK. Better than frozen, but still just average.
And, that’s really all I have to say. The food is sub-​par at best. The place is dead, the service is not terrible, but it isn’t acceptable either. kwim? I will not go back.

I wish there was a negative star to give
We went there because It was last resort
We were not welcomed properly
Given attitude when we wanted to change spots in an empty restaurant
Then when giving our fish taste and experience at four seasons in Santa Barbara the waitress tried to tell us that THE FOUR SEASONS GAVE US BAD FISH! Like seriously !!! You are comparing ur restaurant with four seasons ! Then she started pretty much arguing with my guest !
We ordered about 200 $ and she had nerve to point out the tip section on the interac! Though we left her 40 $ I will never ever come back this place has seriously gone down !
Oh next day my friend did get food poisoning !!!
Never again !

The «Marlowe bruschetta» contained soft black kalamata olives and plum tomato chunks on an olive oil brushed white baguette which was very tasty compared to most bruschettas being served on just plain bread.
The spinach and goat cheese dip was pretty good but I think it was a little too thick. It contained a lot of ingredients in it like cream cheese, parmesan cheese, goat cheese, mozzarella cheese, artichokes, jalapeños, and roasted red peppers. The nacho chips were just average crispy chips. Read more at

Wished I had checked first to grab the free appetizer.
Planned to go to Izakaya tonight but there hear wasn’t working so wandered over to Marlowe. Marlowe said they were full on reservations, but if we were okay eating in a two hour time slot then they could accommodate us.
We had been here before, but I have to say that tonight the service was extremely attentive. I’m pretty sure the dinner rolls were from Ace as we sometimes get them at home for a treat. Had some drinks, mussels, jambalaya (bit over seasoned maybe) and yummy Swiss chicken. Ended with tea.
Solid dinner.

Service always good and staff are friendly and welcoming all the time. But one thing I felt disappointed from last visit was the tips stamp. Marlowe suggested pay tip on original price ($ 320 for 4) but not on the groupon price ($ 180 for 4). They even stamped the tip value on the receipt. $ 50 tip for 4 guests ??? Way too much although service and food were good. I’m a big fan of Marlowe even recommended friends about this restaurant but they noticed that tip stamp too. It was their 1^st visit and felt they were forced to pay it even server told them it’s just a recommended tip value.

Came here for a birthday dinner and I have to say-​food was great. The service-​EXTREMELY POOR. I have to knock off stars for this one… because at one point I feared that our server must have suffered some kind of medical ailment to prevent him from showing up!
The dinner was with a groupon which I must say was a great deal-​four courses plus wine… and the food was quite delicious. Dessert was disappointing.
Will not return for the purposes of a dinner. perhaps for a drink and lounge atmosphere.

I went to this place on Friday … The place was good with great music … The light and stage was amazing … If you know how to dance salsa make sure to come on wed as I did but I am not good in salsa … It is nice to have place close by than going all the way to downtown … I have not tried the food here but my plan is to get booth next time and give it a try.

Wednesdays are Salsa nights
Fridays are Ladies nights
If you live near this area and don’t feel like going all the way downtown then you should check this place out. Spacey dancefloor. Great DJ and even live band. Mature crowd. There are plenty of booths if you prefer to sit down and have a bite.

I am only able to speak for the meal that I just had there, I was invited for a business meeting and saw the Unilocal reviews and thought this was going to be bad. But I had the Cajun Greek Salad and it was excellent. The chicken was spiced really nicely and was just nice and warm and not dry at all. The salad was great and I did nibble on one roll that was fabulous. The other person had a penne pasta that he said was excellent.
Overall I have to give this 4 stars. Service was great but the place was pretty empty.

Dinner Dining Dancing that was advertised on the outside of their establishment. Guess they wanted to inform everyone they’re a supper club, but was dining necessary?
First time here (and most likely last time) as I usually don’t venture up too far north of the city. Attended a friend’s birthday party on Saturday night and apparently lots of other parties happening that night as well, so it seemed like a very happening place.
Wines per glass varied from $ 10.50 to $ 19 and bottles from $ 25 and up. I had ordered a bottle of red from Sonoma for $ 35 which I thought was a bargain considering the pricing of the wine list. The waitress had to come back to confirm my order and when she finally appeared with my bottle I was disappointed it wasn’t a full sized bottle but a half sized bottle. Perhaps it was me not reading correctly, but I really didn’t see any indication of size except bottle written. Guess it was too good to be true a bottle for $ 35. It was a decent bottle so I didn’t mind too much, but it was definitely not worth the price as I got two glasses out of the bottle.
Since we had a large group we had opted for a prix fixe menu for $ 40 inclusive of tax and tips which was a great deal. Choice of two different salads or a soup for appetizers and choice of steak, fish (tilapia) or pasta for the mains. No desserts, but choice of tea or coffee included. It was okay since we had brought our cupcakes and a cake for the birthday girl.
I had the caesar salad which was well presented and tastewise it was flavourful, not too zesty, and bacon topping cooked to a nice crisp. For main dish, I had the steak which came with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables.
Upon making my first slice into my steak, I noticed it was not pink in colour which you would expect from a medium steak that I had requested. It was definitely overcooked, but I was very hungry and took a bite. After the second bite, I just couldn’t stomach it and was hesitant to send the steak back since we already waited a significant time for the mains and I was hungry. Plus it didn’t help that my friends were teasing me to not send my dish back or they’ll spit in my food.
The server was nowhere in sight, so luckily for me the busboy was around and I told him my dilemma and requested a medium steak in exchange for the welldone steak on my plate.
By the time I got my steak, most of my friends were done their meal, and one friend didn’t even get his main dish yet, so it was quite the wait. My second steak was cooked exactly medium to my liking and the busboy followed up and asked how it was. No sign of our server anywhere and you would expect it was the server’s responsibility to ask how the meal was regardless of the situation.
Service was a bit sporadic because it was quite busy that night, but when a diner has a wrong food order you would expect them to be more attentive ensuring that everything was okay.
One would expect with an establishment that specializes in prix fixe menu with Dinner Dining Dancing advertised, they would have their service down to perfection.
The DJ appeared around 10pm and the main dining area was cleared of tables and chairs for the dancing floor. I’ve been to many supper clubs in Toronto in the past, so know what the protocol is, but Marlowe just doesn’t seem to know what they’re doing.
Dancefloor was busy and the music varied from Spanish, R & B, hip hop and top 40s… really a mix of everything. Half our group left after the cake cutting, but the remainder of the group stayed and tried to make the most of the night.
Considering the location, wine pricing and lack of service, I most likely won’t go back. The original Marlowe restaurant located on College Street in Little Italy many many years ago was great and they should have just stuck to the restaurant business.

Had a late mid-​week dinner out on the patio with a couple of friends. We were told we were seated in the «non-​smoking» section but another patron lit up a cigar. We had to asked the waiter to intervene, which he was quite reluctant to do, claiming that after 9pm smoking was permitted. Not sure how that would change based on time but we certainly weren’t told that upon seating. He finally asked the patron to smoke in another area.
While the food tasted good, the portion sizes were pretty small and the margarita special definitely tasted watered-​down. I can’t remember our server’s name but he was not overly friendly.
Visited July 2013

Went here with a date. Service was horrible first of all. The bus boys were way better than my server. My date arrived first and got a table, but the hostess was clueless and said for me to go look to see her (also there was a whole 3 ppl tables here… how do you not know that there is a girl by herself at at table for 2 is waiting)
I think we saw our server 3 times. Always waiting to order a drink, a meal, get the bill. Also there was a fruit fly in my date’s drink (which honestly. sometimes that does happen.) No complaint about that, but we didn’t see our server for 15 minutes, and had to tell a bus boy. who got a drink right away. The waitress eventually did come by and joked oh you don’t like protein in your drink.
Food was good. Nothing I would rave about, but it was solid. But a 2 star was the service was horrible.
BTW people got bread here??? how come I didn’t get bread?
Pros:
nice look
Good drink selection
Cons:
Service. You can have the best tasting food in the world, but if your service is awful, it is not worth it. I honestly didn’t feel like tipping a minimum 15%. (yes i did still, but decent service i give 20, and great service 25%)
No bread!

They are pretty inconsistent here. A few times I had excellent service and the food was amazing, and then there’s other times when it’s the total opposite. So im giving it a humble three stars because the food is quite delicious. I really like when they gave a special menu for the seasons or just the catch of the day. They make fantastic sauces to accompany their dishes and the seafood has yet to really disappoint.
Service wise, sometimes we got welcomed right away, others, I had to go get someone to tell them we were at the door. It’s a little frustrating because the restaurant is pretty well lit… Though they do have that dimming atmosphere. But at the door, it’s so much darker. Kind of puts you off when you walk in cause then it makes it look super fancy when inside, it’s more if an upper scale casual dining restaurant.
Some servers remember to check up on you after a minute or two of giving you time to review the menu, others tend to just stand there and stare at you and over load you with information until you order. Some just say they’ll be back and don’t return until twenty minutes later. Fine by me though cause the seats are comfortable and you are slowing down your own turnover.
Would I return? Probably… Cause the food is pretty good… But the service really needs work

This was our first time here and I have to say «Great food, drinks and a chill environment» for a Friday Night. The DJ played top 40 and some old hits but could of done a better job at mixing the songs .(some songs ran to long in time) … Reasonably priced drinks and food menu. The service that night was average like most restaurants. Didn’t wait long for food or drinks considering they were very busy too.
Would definitely go back again …

Totally wasn’t planning on coming here but was pretty much forced here because Touro Churrascaria was too busy to take more customers and the wait time for a table of two was over an hour. Marlowe was pretty busy themselves at about 1:00pm on a Thursday but they didn’t turn us away and found us a nice booth seat. One thing I really hate about this plaza is the parking. Literally had to circle around for about 25 minutes to find a spot. People were making their own spots and parking on curbs and even handicap spots. So frustrating and its on a normal Thursday afternoon at around 1:00pm. I know there are a lot of office workers around during this time but still.
Anyway, now that I have finish complaining; on to the actual review.
Meal came with complementary bread. No butter for some reason but still tasted good.
For appetizer got the lobster poutine $ 13.95 — didn’t really like the taste at first but it grew on me and there was a healthy portion of lobster meat which made me happy.
Prime rib dip with mash potato $ 15.95 — looked small but by the time I finished the complementary bread and lobster poutine and this sandwich I was quite full. Good portion of meat. The dip was pretty good but definitely had better dip sauce before.
Lunch special sandwich and soup of the day $ 12.95 — basically a BBQ sauce sliced beef sandwich and crème of mushroom soup. BBQ sauce was a bit sweet and once again a good portion of meat. The soup was really good but got a bit boring towards the end. Maybe I was feeling too full.
Even though it was really busy the service was pretty efficient and very friendly.

I recommend the lobster grilled cheese. It’s got some kind of truffle aioli thing going on. Super tasty. Also, the side of gravy (which I requested with my fries) was well above average.
Ahi tuna salad was like $ 18.95 so we expected a dinner-​sized portion. Not so. It was fairly dainty, however also very tasty. Apparently they just launched a new menu (November 2014)…and surprisingly they have a wide selection of fresh catches, if you’re a fish fan. But they ain’t cheap.
Service was mixed. Nobody came to check on us after serving the meal which I really hate, because we needed stuff (ketchup etc) and had to wait far too long before someone finally walked by.
Also, it gets super loud in here… but I guess that’s not a bad thing if you enjoy a lively atmosphere.
Food tip: Thursdays after 8pm their «tapas» menu is half price.
Drink tip: If you like vodka martinis, order them «without vermouth». Otherwise you’re getting a nearly 50:50 vodka/​vermouth ratio and far less buzz for your buck :)

Place has gotten a little better since the last time I was here… a few years ago. They have expanded their outdoor patio which is a PLUS for the summer, as well there’s some added parking spaces which was well needed for the area.
Anyhow our gang of three decided to come here for some drinks after 10pm on a Saturday night, Marlowe transitions from a restaurant-​lounge into a club at 9:30. Cover is $ 10 and they start charging after 9pm. I’ve got to say that being a fellow UnilocalER has its perks, and upon checking-​in our party received a free appetizer of choice, so we went for their spinach dip. One word, YUM! served with lightly salted chips, the cheese was decadent! and complimented our drinks. overall rating for the spinach dip was about ⁴⁄₅.

It’s been a while since I ate here and this used to be one of my fav restaurants as they have amazing catches of the day. They have changed the place and menu quite a bit.
They seated us at one of the middle tables between the bar and dining room area. I’m pretty sure that the table for two as it was very crammed. The server was friendly and came to help us right away. We also got a free app courtesy of Unilocal,and we ordered lobster and crab spring rolls ($ 14). It was delicious but definitely not worth the price as there were only 3 pieces. For mains, we order Ahi Tuna Salad (~$ 18) and seafood pasta ($~20). The presentation was very nice, however the salad portion was a bit small. Yet the pasta was very delicious and the portion was generous as well.
It was overall a good experience. Yet I wish the portions could be larger.

Long overdue review (about three years too late). $ 99/​person for New Years Eve for the 2011 NYE bash. It was basically a 3 course prix-​fixe menu with dancing afterwards.
I remember having the beef wellington and it was delicious. Nice crispy outside, medium rare on the inside, just amazing.
So why 3 stars instead of 4? Because I found the crowd a bit too uptight and «douchey». Oh well.
Would I visit again? Sure, why not… food was decent.