Pepperwood Bistro

Gross, gross GROSS!!! this was the worst experience I have ever had at a restaurant in Burlington. The placed smelled bad, the service was awful and the food was worse. Never EVER go back.

This was by far the worst restaurant experience ever. My boyfriend and I go out to eat a lot and we have always been curious about Pepperwood Bistro, we have been to their sister restaurant "Rosewood Bistro" (which was fabulous) so we figured Pepperwood would be the same. WRONG. We had horrible food and it was grossly overpriced. The restaurant smells old and dingy when you walk in, which should have been our first indication not to eat here. We will never be back and I would never recommend this place to anyone.

The food was average but so pretentious that we will never eat here again. My husband's Caesar salad with all of it's impressive 4 pieces of lettuce, small slice of pancetta and piece of crostini was unimpressive and seriously overpriced. My spinach salad was no better and our children's pizza resembled a no name frozen pizza. There are so many more great places to eat in Burlington in that we won't miss visiting this place. The location is it's only saving grace.

Nothing more than "just average" for Pepperwood.

The inside was empty - everyone was dining outside, yet it took a while for someone to seat us. Slow taking our order, but the rest of the service was good.

The atmosphere was very classy, clean. Lots of indoor and outdoor seating.

The Caesar salad was $9 and four big leaves of lettuce. I had never seen a salad like that, but definitely not worth 9 bucks.

I ordered the Quatro Fromage pizza. Not bad, but not great. Not something I'd recommend to anyone.

As nice as the atmosphere was, the food and service was middle-of-the-road, which will likely keep me from visiting again.

We've been here several times for breakfast. The food is fabulous and the atmosphere is wonderfully laid back yet classy. We have had an instance of poor service which was remedied by the quick thinking and thoughtfulness of a waiter who has served us before. Live jazz/blues music on Sunday mornings give breakfast a nice, lazy feel. Just what I like on my Sundays!

We've also been for dinner. The food was excellent and the service was fantastic. Definitely would return.

What began as a much-anticipated evening with friends soured upon arrival at Pepperwoods. First, we were not greeted at the door, despite the fact that the foyer was quickly filling up with diners. We had to search to find someone to seat us. While we did find someone behind the bar, they failed to make us feel welcomed. We chose our own seat and proceeded to wait to have our orders taken. We were promised they would be taken once our drinks were brought to the table. The drinks came but still we waited to order. Finally, our waitress returned and we gave her our orders.
The food arrived quickly thereafter, so we know that at least the kitchen is fast. The quality of the food, however, left much to be desired. The onion soup with stilton was a huge disappointment. By comparison, the pizza that followed was an improvement but that's not saying a great deal. The evening ended quickly (why linger? sour waitress, poor food).
One thing that Pepperwoods does very well - they write a good menu. Too bad the experience didn't live up to it.

First off, I'll state that the breakfast is advertised on their menu as being thin crust - it isn't. It seems like store bought thick crust. Secondly - for whatever reason, they actually water down their orange juice to the point of it tasting more like subtle flavored water than OJ.

The service is abysmal. I saw many people get seated after us and get served sooner. The only good thing about the visit was the music - there was a fellow playing guitar and singing old decca jazz standards.

Let me start off by saying that the beer options were a pleasant surprise. We had the monkey brown, fambroise and cream ales made in house - all were respectable but the monkey brown was the tastiest. They also had Belgian Leffe - both Blond and Brun - on tap. So major points there.

But I have to agree with other reviewers who consider the food overpriced. First of all - the waitress unfortunately got our order wrong, so my partner didn't get the pasta special they'd ordered. It was ok - but $22. for a small bowl of chicken pasta is far too steep (he'd ordered a prawn and beef pasta). I ordered the squash raviolli - and for $24 I received 2 raviolli, two seared scallops and a single shrimp. Well it all tasted good, it wasn't outstanding and none of it was worth what we expected for the price. The grilled calamari appetizer was a little too tough to enjoy too much, although the mediterranean flavours were nice.

So - will we be back? Absolutely. It isn't everywhere you find a good Belgian on tap. And the microbrews were enjoyable as well. So next time, we think we'll stick to the beer and the appetizers - or order the cheese sampler off the dessert menu. The location is nice - just across the road from Spencer Smith Park and Lake Ontario - so a nice stroll along the lake makes a visit worthwhile as well. But if it's good food you're looking for - head down the road to Spencer's or around the corner to the Rude Native.

Overpriced for the quality of food. Great location, but that can't make up for slow service and mediocre food.
Steak was overdone, pasta was bland, seafood was OK at best.
Been there several times over the years, always hoping it gets better. Never awful, but never good either.

We recently visited Pepperwood Bistro and had an excellent experience!!! The food was amazing, presentation and lots of flavor. The service was knowledgable, friedly and prompt. We will be coming in again for sure!!