Come savor a delicious meal at Rundles Restaurant. Their atmosphere has been described as casual. They offer an extensive wine list and are reachable by bicycle and public transit. Come visit them in a location known as stimulating.
As dessert connoisseurs we can say the bitter chocolate hazelnut torte was to die for. The food was great, the decor eclectic (in a good way). The wait staff were so very courteous and helpful - and gave just the right amount of attention.
Dinner at Rundles was a wonderful experience. We will be back...
We held our mother's birthday dinner at Rundles last summer, and it was truly special. All the details were looked after, from the moment I picked up the phone to make our reservation (they even offerred to make a special chocolate cake), through the entire lovely meal, to even opening the doors for us on our departure, saying good bye and seeing us into our limos. They made us feel so special, and my mother was so impressed by the experience. She cannot wait to go back!
Rundles has long been the best restaurant in Stratford (and the new bistro makes it affordable, or at least not over the top expensive). The cuisine is imaginative, and exquisitely presented. They have an excellent wine list, too. Their gardens are impressive.
Rundles has long been the top restaurant in Stratford, and the new bistro makes the spot even more special as a culinary destination.
The food is always imaginative and exquisitely presented. Breads baked here are the best I have ever tasted, served with creamy butter that is homemade, too. All elements of cuisine served here is impressive and noteworthy.
There's a good wine list too. Best to let their sommelier pair wines for you - he's brilliant at it. The service is always professional and friendly without being overbearing.
And the garden outside is stunning.
We loved this place, it's FABULOUS. Design and architecture is out of this world. A must visit dining experience in Stratford - nothing compares to it, nothing.
This is Stratford's best dining venue. And I wasn't overly impressed with other fine dining restaurants in town. All things considered, the tab was big at the end, but, I think it was worth the expense. Food was fabulous; service was first class. Funnily, there is not one fine dining restaurant in Toronto, that approaches the Rundles standard.
I decided to give this restaurant a shot, and I'm glad to have done so. It was expensive, but, not really when compared to similar fine eateries in Toronto, or, in Europe. Best to call ahead for a reservation, as this place is seasonal, and it does not stay open the entire length of the theatre schedule at Stratford Festival. (I learned the hard way last year, when I tried to revisit them in October, when they had already shut down... Darn it!)
My girlfriends and I have been going to Stratford for years now, and we always book a table at Rundles.
In fact, I'd go so far as to state that dining at Rundles is a highlight of our Stratford theatre outings, as they are so consistently the best in town. Their senior service staff are all wonderful to us. We also like knowing that the owner is always there to greet us, and make sure we enjoyed our meal.
Simply, there are no restaurants like it in Stratford. From the moment you walk through their door, to when you leave, you'll feel how lovely this place really is in the world of restaurants. Rundles is refined, truly special.
I have be going to Stratford to enjoy theatre now for two summers in a row. As far as I am concerned, Rundles is the finest establishment to enjoy a formal dinner in town. Some of my friends say it is too expensive, but, you get what you pay for dining here, i.e., professional service, inspired cuisine, and great ambiance. There are other fine dining restaurants in town, yes, but, somehow, someway, they just do not do convey and offer what the 'Rundles experience' from start to finish.
My partner and I, along with our friends, dined here pre-theatre back in August, 2011, and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The design of the restaurant is stunning, quietly minimal and sleek, sophisticated and confident. Ordering from their 3-course menu, we enjoyed the playfulness of the cuisine, especially, the 'lids' that accompanied our main courses. Duck leg 'confit' was excellent, better than other lesser versions we tried dining around town during our visit. Their lemon tart was so good, too. Service was accomplished, and not at all snooty; their excellent sommelier paired wines for us with precision and finesse of the highest order (he was not "tipsy" as described in a review posted here!). Our dinner outing was all so lovely, bubbly, and what you would expect from Stratford's best restaurant.
Visited this past September, 2011, just before they closed for the season. This place keeps getting better and better. Nothing comes close in Stratford to Rundles.
In the days of yesteryear Rundles was a culinary hotspot. This is no longer the case. Our meal was a disaster—one unforgivable blunder after another. I had the pork picatta (basically “dolled-up” weiner shnitzle) and it was dry and tasteless. And the portion sizes were comical…you’ll need a pair of tweezers instead of a knife and fork. The snooty servers treated us with disdain. As we ordered our food, they kept smirking and exchanging smug glances…
Also, our austere “know it all” sommelier was a little bit tipsy…I think he had been into the schnapps.
We dined in the lower dining room in a space which felt more like the entrance to a museum of modern art than a restaurant. It's not that it's not a nice space, I just prefer something with a little more warmth.
The whole place had kind of an off-putting vibe for me. The wording in the menu is pretentious. The host was pretentious. The service is pretentious. The metal plate covers are needlessly overwrought. Everything about this place was pretentious to the point of being silly. That may play to the elderly tourist crowd that seems to go there, but I found it a bit much.
Where to begin with wording your soup of the day like this: "An IMPROMPTU SEASONAL SOUP to be announced" Impromptu?
That said the food here is very good, although I have had comparable meals, and better meals in and around a number of Toronto restaurants, for half the price. But I knew what I was getting into before I went there so it's unfair to complain about the price.
I had the ROASTED GOLDEN and RED BEETROOT TERRINE. The sweetness of the beets went well with the tartness of the goat cheese in the croquettes. Nicely executed.
For my main I had the VEGETARIAN, GRILLED EGGPLANT "in the style of Capri" (another needleasly pretentious wording) which was excellent, very subtly elegant and well seasoned.
My companion had the COLD-SMOKED ALBACORE TUNA and the halibut, both of which she said were very good.
All four dishes were dusted with chopped chives for some reason. Odd.
I had the seasonal fruit (peaches) for dessert, which was nice. My companion had the cheese plate, which was plunked on the table without so much as an explanation. After over ten minutes we finally found someone who was able to explain them all. Marks against them for this.
Overall it wasn't a bad experience, they just need to not take themselves so seriously. If they did manage to do that and dropped the prices in half I would go back. Otherwise, not so much.
ETA: After reading Richard Maloney's condescending and rude responses to the reviews on Trip Advisor, I wouldn't take a dump at Rundles, much less eat there again.
The food was very good and the service was excellent!..I really liked the fact that they hire a lot of young people an train them in the proper way to serve food. The service was really impressive and the food was among the best ive ever had. Yes - it was expensive so i dont go there weekly - but once a year to be able to go to a fine restaurant as this is a treat!
I love restaurants. I love good restaurants but I do not go for the architecture. I go for the atmophere, to be made to feel welcome. Otherwise I could just stay home and eat!
Rundles is way to pretentious for me.
The funniest part was when I looked for my potatoes that were suppose to come with my meal. There were 5 of them all the size of blueberries!
Year after year, I have dined at Rundles, and I have to say it is the best restaurant in Canada.
Cuisine is fabulous. The architecture and design of the restaurant superb. The service is outstanding. Wine list amazing.
It doesn't get any more polished than Rundles in Stratford. Every thing they do is perfect, and well planned, and the details really show.
Over the top, and wonderfully so. Best meal in Stratford this past weekend. I don't know how anyone could not like this restaurant, it's one of the best in North America.
Rundles 'proper' is always on my list of restaurants to frequent when in Stratford.
I've been going here since they opened in 1977, and have never been dissappointed.
Wine list is well put together, with all sorts of gems available.
Cheers to Rundles!
Rundles is my favourite restaurant in Stratford...
Rundles is my favourite restaurant in Stratford, and one of the best restaurants I've ever dined at in North America. j (You can't dine this nicely in supposedly modern restaurants in Europe... All the elements at Rundles are finely tuned.)
The cuisine is so forward-thinking, the service staff are brilliant with amazing uniforms sourced from haute couture houses in London and Paris, to the ecclectic wine list that matches the food so nicely.
You either get Rundles, or, you don't.
If you know nothing about modern architecture, and think cheap tablecloth rentals and linens with silver adorning tables is fine dining, well, don't waste your time visiting Rundles, because you'll entirely miss the point.
So what if the washrooms are on the second floor, it is good exercise!
Rundles is not for everyone, and that is it's charm.
Cheers,
J.M.
Amazing. This was my best culinary experience to...
Amazing. This was my best culinary experience to date. It has obvious French connection, which is apparent in the serving sizes, but it was quite enough. Anyone complaining should think about that first. The meal was obviously to please, and it did so easily with me.
Service was excellent. There is no other way to describe it. The servers knew all about the food and wine, and were very attentive.
The drinks were nothing short of amazing, and I commend the Bartender with utmost respect.
Rundles is easily the best in Stratford, and beats all others by a longshot. Well done.
