The Carriage House Restaurant

Just One Question: When Will It Close Down?

We have been going to this restaurant since it opened in 2003/2004. It was so nice to have a "proper" restaurant open in Burlington. A place where they had the budget to buy proper kitchen equipment, proper dining tables and chairs, proper flatware and stemware. Upon enetering, you'd smell the pleasant sweetness of mesquite charcoal and your mouth would water at the display of fresh fish and game meat on display. This was the place! 7 years later, nothing has changed. Including the menu (Tasmanian Ocean Trout has been a nightly special for 2,372 nights running) and the insufferable service headed up by the "Franz" the aloof manager. About 6 months ago after a particularily agonizing exchange with Franz, we finally realized that the cons of this restaurant have outweighed any pros and have decided never to return. From driving by on various weekend nights, the parking lot appears empty. Has the rest of Burlington come to the same conclusion we have? I look forward to the day that the Carriage House closes their doors and someone who cares about providing all facets of a good restaurant decides to take up occupancy in this perfect location.

Favourite Place

My sister and brother-in-law visited us from Holland - so it was my absolute intention to bring them here. My husband and I visit every couple of months and we love it. The food is fabulous and the service second to none. Bread, water and wine replaced when needed and you're made to feel very confortable. My sister and her husband said it was the best meal they had ever had - looking forward to our next visit :)

One of the best meals ever

I was extremely impressed by this dining experience. Service staff was fantastic and very attentive. We were never left wanting for anything. Bread and wine was filled as emptied, with a smile. Meat was cooked to perfection, and presented well. A great selection of wine was available. The atmosphere was comfortable and homey, while the mesquite grill warms you with it's aromas. And perhaps the best testament to it's quality is that everyone in there seemed to be having a great time. Highly recommended.

amazing food, great service. I was there the same night as previous reviewer and I witnessed the incident. The owner handled herself great. The complainers were very rude, if I was the owner I would shove the lamb down their throats and kicked them out. This is the best restaurant in Burlington and the owner was right not to allow to be bullied by ignorant, rude people. Way to go, I love you. See you soon.

We visited Carriage House on the advice of friends. First impressions were good. One of our party received a meal that was overcooked and asked that it be replaced. The owner promptly visited our table but disappointed us by challenging the interpretation of medium rare. The replacement meal took over 30 minutes but it arrived blue rare. When the meal was sent back a second time the owner came back to our table and placed the meat from the original entree in the middle of our table. She proceeded to scold the table and make a scene in the restaurant. I have never been so embarrassed and disgusted with the utter lack of customer service skills, where did she get that piece of meat from, the garbage??. The owner of this establishment had the opportunity to address a complaint in a professional manner but her sense of entitlement got the best of her. I'm sure other people have had positive experiences but I suggest you keep complaints to yourself, it is not worth the wrath of the owner.

My date and I ate there Saturday night. It is...

My date and I ate there Saturday night. It is upscale and so are the "regulars". Anyone who thinks this place is snooty has obviously never been to Ottawa. Someone mentioned the baseboard heater - i had to move because it was cooking me since i was seated directly above it. Our waiter John provided some of the best service i've ever had. We sat in the front room on the main floor, by the end of the night we ended up meeting most everyone around us. Everyone was friendly, the service is perfect and the food is excellent. The decor is awesome too.

risotto was mushy. scallops were under...

risotto was mushy. scallops were under seasoned,fish was full of bones and over cooked, mashed potato tasted like they came from a bag,dessert was uneventful server where were you all nite when i have to pour my own wine ?????hope this wasnt any wat to try to attract new clientelle by participating in this taste of burlington. you dont have my vote

The food was excellent. I don't have a single...

The food was excellent. I don't have a single complaint about the food at all. Very, very, tasty. Our server was very polite and informative , so no complaints there. The only complaints I have is everything seemed to take forever to happen, eg. cocktails, wine, appetizers, main course. It took over 3 hours start to finish. I suppose it's a price one has to pay for a great meal. One HUGE complaint that almost ruined everything was, we were seated at the front windows beside the baseboard heater which emitted an absolutely disgusting smell all night. It reminded me of sewer gas. Other people who sat near the heaters were complaining as well. I would definately recommend this restaurant, just make sure when you make your reservations, that your table is no where near the baseboard heaters!

I decided to give the Carriage House a try on...

I decided to give the Carriage House a try on Valentine's Day based mostly on online reviews (a decision I would come to regret). So now, I'm writing an online review to give a fair and balanced perspective. I made a reservation, but that didn't seem to matter as, without even being able to mention the name it was under, we were whisked upstairs to a row of tables. The lighting was nice, and the building itself was attractive. But space became an issue. A supplies table set up in the narrow entrance to the washrooms made navigation a chore, as was going up and down the stairs (the same staircase was being used by wait staff and as a result, felt a little claustrophobic, not to mention the obvious clash of pacing with relaxed diners and more frenetic staff moving up and down). The crowd was mostly older, and I gathered this is usually the case. You could definitely catch more than a whiff of prentiousness in the air, which I usually don't mind so much as long as it's accompanied by great dining. Alas, with the great dining part missing, it was sound and fury, signifying nothing. Without a mention on their website (or even over the phone when I was making the reservation), they were using a special Valentine's Day menu -- special mostly for its omission of many dishes I had seen on the regular menu online. With not much to choose from, I went with the lobster bisque (the best part of the meal, though minimalist in presentation) and the puttanesca (not even on the regular menu). The puttanesca was overly spicy and was garnished with random flakes of parsley. The pasta was not consistent (some soft, some rougher). The scallops and shrimp were not objectionable, so I ate them and left most of the pasta. My girlfriend, not being overly happy with the limited selection of main dishes, went with the cured salmon and the baby arugula salad. She said it was OK, but after the meal, we went to the Thai restaurant down the street and had something more edible. I would recommend The Carriage House to older, pretentious people who value atmosphere above food quality and don't mind going to another restaurant afterwards to satiate their appetite.

Went there for a christmas party. 20+ people...

Went there for a christmas party. 20+ people. The food was excellent along with service and surroundings. Would recommend for a nice quiet upper scale dinner!

service was great,except the server who dropped...

service was great,except the server who dropped butter in a fellow diner's hair. i asked for penne with tomato sauce. the penne was overcooked, the sauce was bland. luckily the chocolate cake for dessert was fantastic, and the staff even sang happy birthday to the recipient.

Food and ambience were great...reception and...

Food and ambience were great...reception and service a tad stuffy...great cappuccino

attentive, professional service wonderful...

attentive, professional service wonderful variety of foods

That smoky mesquite hits you as soon as you walk...

That smoky mesquite hits you as soon as you walk through the front door. I quite like that, but I could see where it may be a little overwhelming for the "salad" crowd. The oysters were very plumb malpeques (come on, you can do better than Tabasco Sauce!), fresh horseradish and a half a lemon make up for the uneventful and oily sauce served. Red meat, smoky and very properly flavoured. The sauces were bland given the broad grilled flavours that are pared with them. I like this little place. It's unpretentious and accomodating staff in a quiet setting make it perfect for celebrations or just a great dinner after a hectic day. Good job.

The atmosphere is interesting and the decor was...

The atmosphere is interesting and the decor was contemporary.The food was great. My 10 year old son still begs to go back for the clam chowder,and was treated like a somebody.My wife (birthday)loved it as well.A bit expensive but worth it for the all round experience. Certainly did'nt leave a bad taste my mouth.Whoever described it as pub fare must have been sitting in the bar only.It is multi-atmospheric so look around for the right ambiance before you sit.

Sevice and food were excellent. Beef was a really...

Sevice and food were excellent. Beef was a really good cut, done to perfection. Fish was excellent also. Could not of asked for better.

We took our European visitors out and had dinner...

We took our European visitors out and had dinner in one of their private rooms. A rich and warm ambiance, excellent food and polite and attentive service made it and evening to remember. Thank your for a job well done.

The Carriage House offers a fine assortment of...

The Carriage House offers a fine assortment of foods for all pallets.On any given visit you can view your food before it is prepared in the display case which is at the entrance of the restaurant.I have eaten here on 3 occasions and the food and service has been consistently good.I have to say if you like wild game that the Elk was fantastic and the fish was fresh. The Carriage House is definately worth trying.