Garlic's of London

Our first time being to Garlic's since their new menu and emphasis on everything "local" and "sustainable".

A few notes about this philosophy:
1. They have clearly done a fantastic job at sourcing and recognizing a wide variety of local suppliers.
2. It automatically means you will pay a bit more
3. If you're used to giant restaurant serving sizes of meat and fish, don't expect it here: natural, georgian bay pickeral and trout are simply smaller.

Anyways, both of our appetizers (poached garlic and bisque) were probably the highlights of the meal. The mains were both decent, however nothing about them struck us as really special. There was very little puree with the trout, and because the vegetables were cut so thin, the dish was overwhelmed by the flavour of the potatoes (which were overly chewy for some reason).

The service was a bit inattentive when we came in, however once the theatre crowd left it improved.

Everything was exceptionally flavorful. Menu had great selection with very unique choices.

Both entrees had beautiful presentation and were by far one of the best meals we have had out. The chefs did not stop their magic at the meat when preparing our dishes. The filet, vegetables and mashed potatoes were step above and were a delight to the senses.

We are looking forward to out next visit.

I've been here several times, but I'll write this review based on my last visit.

A bustling little restaurant that sits a surprising amount of people given the small area. Dark decor that is clean and modern with dim lighting and candlelit tables that add warm and welcoming ambiance.

The maître d' has always greeted me and my guests with a smile, sat us quickly, taken our coats, etc. He is quite an asset to this place. Overall, the service is always bang on when I have come here. I couldn't really ask for more. Efficient, quick, considerate, and they try to look after your needs and seem to know the exact time to come by the table to check on everything.

My food has always been excellent as well. I enjoy lots of tings on the menu, and by now I think I've had about 3/4 of the menu, but my last visit I had the brie and garlic bread, and Garlic's Linguine. They are simple dishes, but tasty, and satisfied my craving for garlic at the time. I've never had to wait very long for my food either, even when the place is at capacity. I had a Leffe Brune with dinner, and it was fresh.

A neat concept and certainly a must try for anyone visiting London, especially if you are going to the Grand Theatre, which is right next door.

Many people have misconception that EVERYTHING at garlics is made of garlic. This just isn't true... Maybe one or two things on each of their menus are based on garlic. I went with a friend. We started with the onion garlic bisque, which WAS quite overwhelming at first (as it has a garlic base) but that quickly subsided. We also had the fusion, which came with a great sauce. We had some sort of chicken breast as a main, with rice pilaf and a mango salsa... I was stuffed by this point but we went for a banana split which was probably the best dessert I've had in my life.

It wasn't busy when we went in, so we had excellent service, but that isn't saying it wouldn't be different when it was busy. The server was quite helpful, and it was a great location. We'll be returning when we have some extra cash!

My wife and I tried Garlic's for the first time, and while it was a great experience, it was very loud and crowded. We ended up being stuck with a tiny table right beside the door. This most likely has to do with it being Homecoming weekend, so I can't base my entire opinion on just this.

The service was excellent, the food wasn't what we expected; we expected everything to have a garlic theme/taste -- It worked better that there was hints of garlic throughout the meal. The garlic ice-cream was the strongest flavoured item that we'd tried --- it's worth the experience.

We'll definately be checking Garlic's out again --- will just be waiting for a less busy time of year.

What can i say...WOW !
Hands down..by far the best meal out i have ever had.
I had ordered a steak with potatoes vegis and local corn.
The steak was cooked to perfection.
The light sauce with garlic that accompanied was outstanding. Desert was a CHOCOLATE dish with homemade ice cream..Imagine an entire dish of chocolate
that is not overpowering.
The decor was very pleasant.
Staff was like family and you felt right at home.
I've traveled the east coast and the UK and have paid far more for far less .
If you do not try this little place in london ontario it is your loss and my gain because i would love to keep this little gem all to myself.
OUTSTANDING.

My family and I happened upon Garlic's after walking aroung downtown(not our area). Some friends had told us recently how good everything was so we thought we'd check it out. I don't think I would categorize it as "casual" dining. It was pretty busy and the service was prompt, friendly and the manager even came by to tell us how they change the menu regularly and check on us. I was surprised to hear this but also intrigued as I used to work in a restaurant kitchen. We sat near the kitchen to watch them busy in the back and the kids(not so little) loved it. My daughter was especially excited about the blueberries that came with her pork dinner. I was surprised also to find out they serve brunch and lunch prices look very reasonable. Thanks to my friends for the recommendation and to everyone at Garlics for a great night, service and meal!

I have gone to Galic's of London twice, and I was disappointed both times. The first time was with my mother, and it was shortly after it opened. We went because it was new and I figured by the name (Garlic's) that it would be a trendy and tasty place to go. We went in during lunch, and we were blown away by the prices, which were on par with the dinner menu. We stuck around anyways and each had our own personal pizzas. While they were exotic, they were not worth the price we paid-bland and small.

I went again for two reasons: I was informed that they had changed ownership and were a completely different restaurant and because I was asked to join a guy I was seeing for a date. Figured I'd give it another chance. I arrived and even though the place was pretty much empty, we were seated in back in a noisy corner by the kitchen with not a whole lot of lighting. Not my idea of a romantic evening. The waiter was polite at first until we placed our orders, at which point he rolled his eyes at us and ran off. We received our food, and my date made a comment about how he now understood why these types of places had three course meals. Both his lamb and my fish were less than the size of the palm of my hand, and each meal ran around $25! Needless to say the date was short and was finished across the street at Williams were we got a sizable dessert in order to fulfill our appetites. Unless something drastic happens, I will not be going there again.

We were all blown away by the food, atmosphere, and service!!
WOW! Organic. local, fresh food was not what we were expecting in downtown London Ontario. Most of us have dined all over the world and this was by far, one of the best, if not the best Restaurants we have ever had the pleasure of dining at. Garlics would blow New York or Paris away! Honestly...truly perfect!

It all began with our Waiter coming to our table after about 10 minutes of sitting there and apologizing because he was "so" busy. I took a quick look around at the restaurant and 4 tables (3 tables of 2 and one of four) did not seem too overwhelming if you ask me. After getting us water, he left us alone for another 5 minutes while we patiently waiting to order at least a drink.

When we finally had the chance to order our food, I asked for a simple suggestion of what to eat between two items I was interested in, only to get no help or advice what so ever and a look like I should know what the heck I want.

After antoher 10 minutes our drinks finally made it to the table and awhile after that our appetizers and finally our meals. We had about 10 minutes to eat our meal before having to run out.

My pad thai was not pad thai at all it was more like a terriaki stir fry, quite good but they should not call it pad thai.

The fresh rolls were delicious.

I don't want to be overly rude but I think there waiter needs to make another career choice as waiting tables is not his thing. You should not be overwhelmed with 4 tables in your restaurant.

Overall the food was good but I don't care to go back anytime soon.