Starfish Oyster Bed & Grill

Good: The atmosphere was nice, lively and cosy. Oysters were fresh and delicious.

Bad: Oysters took forever to be served (as an appetizer) but patience was requested on the menu so we were prepared. However the mains took even longer to arrive, and the food itself was unremarkable. The beer I wanted to order was sold out. We all ordered drinks but the server had to be reminded twice to bring us refills of water on the side. They brought us free desserts because we waited so long for the food, however by that point we were still hungry, restless, and just wanted to get the bill and leave. We arrived at 7:30 and didn't leave until after 10.

Conclusion: Food was reasonably priced, however the terrible service ruined the evening for us. I will not go back again.

The atmosphere was nice and cozy and I enjoyed the ambiance of the restaurant. We had some Malpeques to start and they were absolutely delicious and extremely fresh. They're served with cocktail sauce and horseradish. Just yummy.

The fish and chips were not made in the traditional way. They were not beer batter but covered in Panko crumbs and they came with potato chips not french fries. The potato chips were home made, but I would have preferred more authentic fish and chips.

The portions were on the small side and at the prices we paid, we likely won't come back.

I found the service to border on rudeness. It just wasn't great, the servers seemed stressed and over-worked and it showed in how you felt you were treated.

If the service was better and the portions bigger for the price I would go back. Given that there are many restaurants out there to choose from, I won't go back, mainly because value for money wasn't there.

What makes the customers enjoy dining at a restaurant? Good food and good service. At Starfish you may find fresh seafood. However, it is not the case when it comes to customer service. The waitress who served us was NOT professional and incompetent. It all started with a quiet night at Starfish. Starfish was not busy and the waitress only had to serve 2 tables, which includes our table. She only had to serve the 6 of us at our table with our main courses and the “oysterlicious plates”. She was doing okay all along… until BILLING time. She had orders on the bill that we never ordered. We informed her in a polite manner regarding that matter, so she can re-do the bill. She immediately swore and stormed off to re-do the bill. I do not consider her manner as being professional. When we received the bill back after correction (“supposedly”), we found another mistake. On the menu it stated ONE oysterlicious plate costs $44, but on the bill she charged $45. We addressed the issue to her so that she is aware of it and will not make the same mistake to other customers’ bills. She was really frustrated with her own mistakes and gave us some extremely rude comments. Not only did she storm off again after those comments, she did not follow up with the issue. Tips should be given according to the food and service. We paid the tips according to the waitress’s performance… of her being unprofessional and her incompetence. After she received our bill she complained to us that she was startled with the tips. Will I ever go to Starfish again? NO. NO. NO.

Here is something for you to think about: Dishonest with the customers regarding false pricing on the menu or was it just an honest mistake on the billing? Mind you that she did NOT give us an explanation when we addressed the issue……

The service was slow and inattentive, and sometimes rude. Ordered a total of 60 oysters and it took over 45 mins for us to get them, thought they had some fast shuckers but I guess they were having an off night. Never had a water refill until we asked. After the oysters were ordered our mains which took anther 30 mins to come, and when they came they were 1 main short.

When we pointed that out the waiter just said "well I just heard one". WTF? we told him we ordered 2 but he said again "I just heard one". Drinks were running low and he never inquired if we wanted another, we had to track him down to reorder.

Steak was over-cooked and part of it was burnt, making it unedible.

All this for a mandatory 15% service charge that is stated NOWHERE on the menu. Would not go again.

Went for summerlicious and I called twice, the first time the owner put me on hold (cell phone on the side) and he was having a conversation with his friend which I heard, very unprofessional!!! Second time I called and advised him that I couldn't make it, he was rude about it. We went anyways the next day, and the service was horrible, she advised us you could only have a limited time to eat, also a mandatory 15% gratuity, I would have given 20% if the service was good, but the plates were just dropped on the table and we had to pass the food around ourself(not busy btw), they didn't feel like they had to work for the tip, in my opinion if I pay in a restaurant I would expect to be served!!! A Rude comment was made by the waitress!!! "We'll be right with you" and she never did!!!(empty still) The oysters were good, if there weren't any shells in them, I understand that they have the fastest shuckers record, but hey I have to eat them!!! The shucker didn't even smell them...Shells is a NO NO!!! The shrimp chowder, well shrimps are tiny no bigger then your nail, you can buy them for $2.99 for 500pcs. I found 4 pieces, and you call it shrimp chowder...mmmhhh funny!!! Bread was as hard as a ROCK!!! You could have broken a window with it!!! Pork belly, you mean just FAT!!! Risotto mussels, 4 pieces again, small as your nail, I see a trend going!!! Deep fried Quail, mmmhhh can I say dry as @#$T!!! Seared Arctic Char, very dry and flavorless...the dessert was okay, the best thing was their famous ceasar and the Patrick stout!!! Overall I would never go again due to their poor service!!! Food was very poor!!! If I had to rate it out of 5 stars...0 stars!!! Worst summerlicous ever!!! Tips should never be included, you need to work for it!!! Value for your dollar...Don't expect it!!! Good luck!!!

Waited over an hour for our table past reservation time. Staff had to be prompted for an explanation and seemed put out when we asked. Owner was there and watched the entire time never personally offering an apology or any comp. We had planned to have a full meal but the experience simply caused us to lose our appetite's. Oysters were good as was the oyster chowder but not best I'd ever tasted and the service plain out sucked so we won't be back.

My friend and I came to Starfish for dinner after reading about it on a website (sorry, don't remember which one). We went for dinner last Saturday, and in spite of the fact that it was very busy when we arrived, everyone was very nice. We wanted some oysters, but don't know that much about them, so our waiter suggested that we allow him to choose for us. He told us what they were and where they were from when he brought them to the table, and we were surprised at how different they were from one another!

I'm not a food writer, so I don't feel that I have the vocbulary to properly describe the food that we ate, but suffice it to say that it was one of the best meals we've ever had. We were very happy with it, and the next time we're in Toronto, Starfish will be our first stop!

This was an excellent choice for seafood and especially the Oysters! Patrick has an amazing selection of Oysters that must be tasted to be believed. I recommend it for all who love seafood!

Really nice seafood restaurant ..small , intimate and the food is amazing..Pricey though but worth it