Shaw Cafe & Wine Bar

Beautiful exterior, friendly service. Great location. The food is fairly average and pretty expensive for what it is.

We planned to eat inside this restaurant. The restaurant does look beautiful, it looks like a restaurant and terrace in France. The server was really kind! Only once we had our table, we noticed that the music was só loud. You couldn’t have a normal conversation, and the choice of music doesn’t fit the ambiance of the restaurant at all. I would say, if you like club music - please go and eat inside. If you do not, I wouldn’t go in. We kindly asked if it was possible to turn the music down just a bit (we were the only customers inside), but that wasn’t possible. We won’t be back and we left to dine at a nice Italian restaurant down the street. With good music

Bon repas sans prétention et serveuse au top! L'accueil à l'entrée est peu professionnel et la note peut vite monter (on paie le lieu qui est exceptionnel). A essayer!

Same experience than another reviewer: We were seated (party of 5) at around 4 pm and mentioned that we wanted to have coffee and cake… which they offer. When we were about to place our coffee order, the waiter mentioned that unless we have mains, he can’t serve us. There were plenty of free tables! We were asked to leave! Ridiculous.btw: In Europe people actually go to the cafés at this time of day for coffee and desserts - just saying since they claim to be „European“. Clearly no clue about their coffee-culture.

We came into town to go to this Cafe and Wine Bar, told the hostess we were there to have coffee, dessert and wine and were seated. The server came to take our order and refused us saying they could only serve us if we were ordering dinner entrees. It was 4pm, there were plenty of empty tables. We were told rudely ‘this is not a cafe’, and we had to leave without service. So disappointing all around.

I was skeptical going into this place at first due to some of the reviews I have read. Maybe it was a bad time for the staff or the store was overcrowded and overwhelmed I don’t know. But for my experience

The service was great, the server was on top of everything, checked in at the right times and was overall very nice.

The food was good, I wasn’t expecting too much. Even though my expectations were low the food was surprisingly well made, I’ve had the house burger and my family had chicken wings, fish and chips and lasagna respectively. Those I would say were defined an easy pick and I would recommend those. The dessert was also better than I had expected as well so I would recommend it as well.

The atmosphere was great, the aesthetic of the building was with it’s surrounding was very pleasing. NOTL already is relatively quiet so it was an enjoyable experience for sure.

Unfriendly staff, our server constantly tried to push us out because they were "serving lunch" and we weren't ordering mains as there weren't any vegetarian options for us. They claimed it was super busy for lunch service while 7 tables around us were empty, at least the ones visible from our table.
We were told, we'd have to be quick if we wished to be served which we agreed to but we were brought the bill and machine before we could even enjoy half of our 5oz glass of wine or the fries we ordered.
The restaurant may be nice from the outside, but the staff definitely isn't nor is the way to do business.
As a food business owner myself, I have never and would never rush a paying customer through their food or drinks just so I could sit someone else who'd have a higher $$ bill.

Ate on the patio. No reservations allowed. However the wait was short. Good food but slow service.

Saying this is a “cute” place is an understatement. It’s very well decorated facility that fits with the vibe that Niagara-on-the-Lake is going for.

We have the lasagna that was good. Granted it was not the best lasagna we have ever had, but the atmosphere makes up for it.

Good service without all the interruptions a patron usually gets.

I randomly dropped in to the Shaw Cafe for the first time. I ordered the cheese platter appetizer and cheese broccoli quiche for entree. Both were a major let down.
The presentation of the cheese platter was lacking- I could make a better looking platter at home. Random cheeses cut in squares served with basic Breton crackers. Cheeses were of a cheap quality.
The quiche lacked flavour but for what I could taste, I did not enjoy it. Instead of a smoothly blended mix of ingredients, I was pulling out whole leaves of spinach and mushrooms not quite sauteed properly. On top, it looks like they melted the pre-shredded mozzarella you get for pizza toppings at NoFrills. In other words, a mess for what I was expecting to be restaurant quality food.
I can look past poor presentation but not crummy tasting food.

Food is ok. Not many options on menu and way over priced for what you get. Atmosphere is ok, nice patio to people watch.

I have been here several times, however today I was informed wine and desert did not warrant allowing me a seating and was turned away. Quite sure my bill would have exceeded that of a "lunch". Such a shame this establishment no longer wishes to serve its wine customers.

Nice restaurant and good food.
No kids menu, and had to bring plates to counter with such slow service. Only give one refill on coffee cups (which are tiny) and charged gratuity when we had four adults and two young kids. No way to show dissatisfied with customer service via tip so leaving feedback here.

We had the fish and chips, the quiche, mussels, and onion rings, and all the food was amazing! Seems they are really good at fried food. The service as also fantastic, and I definitely recommended this place whenever you're in the area!

Lovely patio right by a little fountain and the statue of Shaw himself. Prettiest flowers in town. Friendly service and good food. Highly recommended!

Wonderful place with great food. Beautiful seating outdoor! Ordered rose wine, fish and chips, quiche, mussels, and onion rings. Wine was fairly priced and not so sweet, which was good. Quiche was amazing. The fish and chips and onion rings were wonderful as well. Mussels were great as well.
The vibe and the service was excellent.
I would give 4.5 stars if I can as the washroom was not clean.
In my opinion, this place would be good for young people and families as the serving size of food was very generous.

Another fantastic find. Wonderful food, drinks. My husband had the red wine flyer selection which was great. Will most definitely visit again.

A lovely location with one of the prettiest patios in the area.

It can get quite busy during peak hours, but is often empty at other times (which may be the best time to go).

The service is pleasant and quick.

The food is good (not amazing), but stick to the basics - think of it as a pretty pub, and avoid anything you don’t think would be made well at any local pub. Pricing is fair for the portion size.

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Had a great mid afternoon lunch. Staff was the perfect balance of attentive and friendly. Thanks folks!

We had a great server and enjoyed dinning outside. A few bees tried to ruin the meal but they stood no chance. The portions were relatively good and each of us felt what we each ate was in fact yummy

Une des plus belle terrasse de Niagara on the lake. Le fish and chip est excellent. Idéal pour pour un verre de vin en après-midi. Menu dégustation pour le vin disponible.

Located in Niagara on the Lake. Little further down the road but worth the walk. Staff was fairly young over all but all were attentive and working hard. I ordered fish and chips, I was happy with my order. This location has multiple floors, we went to the highest floor and did not experience a dip in service. Walking up the steps also smelt amazing!
Also ordered a sangria, very good. I recommend this location

The food was delicious! The atmosphere was cozy and romantic. The staff went above and beyond. Amazing experience.

Tout est beau, les fleurs, le balcon, l'intérieur, même les serveuses.un endroit unique et mémorable. Mais je m'attendais à des nourritures plus sains et moins gras

You're only paying for the environment. The food was over priced for its quality. My server was pretty nice but the hostess outside was horrible. She made so much assumptions instead of asking that caused so much miscommunication. I had a party of 7 so we had ro split up which was fine. She assumed that we wanted 2 tables at the same time which resulted in us waiting for over an hour. We already expected to get our tables at different times. It wouldn't have been so frustrating if the hostess just communicated with us and updated us on what was going on. I am definitely not coming back even if their decor is pretty.

They have a mask policy yet the cook had a lowered mask as he handled food.

Disappointing food and ambiance.
The New York striploin was dry, burger was tasteless - both were brought in suspiciously quickly. Food is very bar-like, but the prices are too high, probably because it’s a touristy place and they don’t seem to care.

This is my second time at this place. I had an excellent experience the first time hence I decided to take my whole family this time, unfortunately the concierge lack warmth and enthusiasm. I requested if we could to be seated by the balcony, her reply was “there is no difference being seated here at the patio or at the balcony”, no greetings, no smile.
Begrudgingly, she took us to where I requested to be seated. It took away a supposedly a pleasurable experience for my family.
But Kudos to our server she did an excellent job! A very pleasant and polite lady!

Excellent selection in local Niagara-on-the-lake wines from various winery with a good level of diversity. We ordered the fish and chips from the menu and it was a very good portion. The outside patio is now open and so is indoors dining, both downstairs and upstairs. Great experience overall!

My wife and I went for dinner here and we really enjoyed our selves. The prices were fair for the area and the food was delicious the ambience was great it felt very relaxed. If you go order the ham and cheese it is very good. Just wish they had a kids menu.

Really nice lunch place! Patio is great for relaxing and watching all the action along Queen Street. Nice wine selections.

Absolutely gorgeous. My boyfriend and I popped by this weekend and the staff were so lovely and the food was yummy. Limited menu but with COVID thats to be expected. Was so happy with our time there!

The Only Review You Need

I'm not one to leave reviews, but this place definitely warranted one, and not in a positive manner.

Location: 10/10
Servers/Waitresses: 10/10
Food: 0/10
Price: 0/10

Deceiving. The prices you pay for the food you receive is unjustifiable. Almost makes you feel defeated or cheated. Learned my lesson, and would like to save future restaurant goers from making the same mistake.

To paint a better picture, I ordered the penne pasta dish, and could literally count the amount of noodles that was on the plate. My fiance ordered the lasagne and I did not know manufacturers made bowls that small. I don't think my children, if I had any, would be satisfied after eating those portions.

Go here for a drink. Nothing else.

The manager questioned my identity and picks and chooses who he lets into restaurant
As a small business owner I would never turn away a paying customer in these uncertain times and would respect their customers privacy
I have been going to this restaurant for ten years
And will never go back after ten or more years going there
I am giving a honest review on your site and all customers should question your tactics
Without asking for my ID how would you know if it is accurate or not. Your job is to ask not verify
As you can see this is my name that I used
I deserve apology

We dined here the Saturday before Christmas during the pandemic. Our group of 5 were split up into a table of 3 and a table of 2 due to members of different households not being allowed to form a big group and share a table. Contact tracing was duly documented as well as the proper sanitization measures.

I commend the kind of customer service we experienced during our time here. From the time we were received through the door, to the time we were placing orders, when we were eating, up until we were finished with our meals and are ready to leave, our whole meal time we were adequately attended to. I have no complains here.

The food presentation and taste were fine. I specially enjoyed the sauce dip that came with the onion rings. What left a sour taste in my mouth, figuratively, was that the price of the meal orders were a little high compared to the food portions.

I do understand that the food establishment is not just a restaurant, but also in equal parts seem to also specialize in drinks and wine. Theme of the place and the level of classiness they try to go for is also something to consider in the pricing of the food.

What just does not sit well with me is seeing the number of staff they have which are on several occasions idle and not presently occupied then also seeing the limited menu and its associated high cost.

Me and my husband were diverted away by the host of this caffe a half an hour ago, although the place had many tables available. On my request to be sited for a coffee and dessert, we were told we are not going to be served. We would if we decided to buy a lunch from them. There were many tables available, the place is a bistro type, rather a restaurant.
The host, an asian looking guy, almost made me uncomfortable, by pointing me out of the door, into direction of the other places around.
I am a Niagara resident. We use to go to this place on the weekend, taking our guests there. I haven't been in this place for sometimes. I am shocked to see the changes in hospitality. What a shame. Would not recommend this place to anyone now.

The service is awful. The food is disappointing. We expected more and will avoid this restaurant in the future. Some of the staff downright rude.

Small menu selection but the food was good. Good service. Very busy and difficult if you have a stroller.

Wish I could give a review on the food but the waitress who “greeted” us just refused to make any accommodations to seat us as a party of three (saw a number of vacant tables and wasn’t even optioned to wait a few minutes) I’ve never been refused service/seating in all my global travels so am quite disturbed to have experienced this in my home country.

A little pricey but a good selection of tasty menu items to choose from. Large selection of local wines. Would highly recommended next time in the area.

Anytime we visit Niagara on the Lake, we always eat here. Fantastic food and wine for a reasonable price. Great service too!

The soup was good but it was reheated by microwave which is not how I want my food served! Then while sitting at the table I saw a worm moving on salad. Horrid. No discount offered or free meal!

Quick friendly service, good selection of wine tasting, tasty food (mussels= yumm) all in beautiful cosy location!

We enjoyed dining at this restaurant previously so we returned today while visiting Niagara on the Lake. To our surprise the restaurant was completely empty when we entered. The manager approached us and brusquely asked "Are you having dinner? "
I answered "We are not sure.but we would like a coffee or latte at least. " He answered "We are closing at 6pm. " That left us just 20 minutes to order and eat our dinner. The manager provided menus and we asked if we could just have a beverage since he mentioned closing and he answered "No" abruptly. "Go down the street to a cafe".
. " unless you order a meal here. "
We were completely disappointed that the manager refused our request for beverages since they were closing shortly. He expected us to order a full meal and eat in a rush to adhere to his closing time. Why was the manager so disrespectful and abrupt? Other customers have rendered similar stories. We are shocked that he remains in business.

Very beautiful place outside.very good inside.prices ok.not cheap but not expensive.we tasted the wines.was very good experiance because there were local wines.

There is nothing like Niagara on the lake! This is a must see! Shops are lovely! Such good food, classy, very good service.

Horrible treatment, all the non-coloured customers were seated quickly while we had to wait. Barely any interactions and no apologies.

My family and I were hoping to sit on the patio (which was practically empty) but told we couldn’t enjoy coffee and tea. The hostess instead directed us to Starbucks where we ended up grabbing a drink and enjoying their patio. It would have been nice to have supported a local cafe but was disappointed to be turned away simply because we supposedly wouldn’t spend enough to sit on the patio.

Even 1 star is not suitable for the restaurant.
Low food quality, low service, dirty tables, dirty chairs and unfriendly manager hospitality made me so upset. Despite their worst service, they asked me for a mandatory tip of 18% in small print on the menu. They treated me as a guest who would not meet again at the tourist spot. Dirty tables and chairs, worst service, and worst food are hidden in floral decorations to trick customers. My table menu was different even though it was the same menu of other tables. Like other visitors' reviews, I felt the worst experience of my life with feelings of disregard, contempt and racism for Asians.

Horrible restaurant. Everything is horrible. Surprisingly horrible. If you like to waste your money, you can go PERIOD (I would rather go to Tim Horton's and have coffee and a donut.)

My wife and I went for dinner here and we really enjoyed our selves. The prices were fair for the area and the food was delicious the ambience was great it felt very relaxed. If you go order the ham and cheese it is very good.

Beautiful setting on the prime spot for Queen Street in NOTL. Wonderful selection for lunch, both of us really enjoyed our meals. The cheese plate was fun and the extra caramelized onions and apple compote really hit the spot. Nice election of wine and relaxing atmosphere.

Disappointed with the Cafe ridiculous rules. Visited Niagara the lake today. Went to sit on the half empty patio of this Cafe. We were told that they only serve alcohol on the patio. We wanted to order Coffee desserts and at least one if not 2 beers. The guy seating us said no to the coffee as the patio is made for Drinks.

I asked how about inside he said no, they won't serve coffee. I am thinking what a strange Cafe. I guess the name Shaw Cafe.really means Shaw No Cafes served here & Wine Bar. Strange I say.

Haben Fisch und Chips dort im Aussenbereich gegessen. Es war nichts auszusetzen. Das Essen war gut und die junge Bedienung freundlich. Hat ihren Job gut gemacht.

Went there for a late lunch yesterday, Monday Sept 1.
We decided to go because of the ambiance.
Great place.
My husband ordered the penne pasta, a beer & I ordered a drink as well.
His penne looked good but very small portion.
My lasagna came, looking like it had cheddar cheese on top, watery, not saucey. When I started eating it, it was still frozen!
By this time, my husband had finished his small portion of penne pasta. They offered to give me a new one, but I had lost my appetite.
So we paid $44 plus tip. No lasagna & my husband was still hungry.
We went to a pastie shop & ate there for under $15 & we were totally stuffed
So I would NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE!

If I could give less a star it would. Terrible food. Insanely over priced even for the area. Do not recommend

Staff were racist against Asian. We had to wait longer than anyone else even though there were many available seats. The waitress threw the bill on the table, didn’t even stay for us to finish the payment. The food is so so. Such a disappointment.:)

My 8 & 10 year old daughter and I had a nice lunch here. I especially liked the sauteed vegetables. They were incredibly flavorful! It seemed like the cost was high. The pricing for a child's Caesar salad was way too high for what she got. I also felt like it was overpriced for the amount of salad on my mixed greens salad.

Trop petites portions pour le prix. N'y allez pas si vous avez faim.
Le fish and chips n'est pas bon du tout.

Serveuse agréable et temps d'attente raisonnable.

Absolutely horrible staff. Went to the entrance to ask if we could sit upstairs in the patio area, which was COMPLETELY EMPTY at the time. Was immediately asked if we would be ordering dinner. Well, I wasn't sure what we would be ordering since I've never seen their menu, so I answered that I wasn't sure and maybe we would start with drinks.

The girl then proceeded to whisper in the ear of the other girl, then turned to us again and ask "Will they be alcoholic drinks? " At this point, completely disgusted with being interrogated at the entrance to the restaurant about exactly what we will be ordering, and how much we will be spending, I told them it's ok we will find somewhere else to spend our money.

Keep in mind the upstairs area was completely empty at this time, and yet in order to gain access to this apparently coveted dinning area, we were subjected to a humiliating Q&A about exactly what we would be ordering, and this was on the sidewalk, before being allowed into the building, and before seeing the menu.

Absolutely atrocious customer service. Insulting and demeaning staff. Management may want to take a look at their training. Turned away a paying customer for absolutely no reason. Good job!

Food was bland and tasteless and overpriced. Service was also very slow even though there were empty tables.

Decor and design were very good, the food however did not deliver.

If you are Asian think twice before get in there. First off, they gave you the “ look down ” then slowly looked around and sharply said “ no space”, and no other words even though there were many empty tables around. We got humiliated before even getting inside. Western foods are good, but this Western way of treating people are totally not cool. There are other better restaurants around, go somewhere else that the service is as good as the food. Don’t pay to get humiliated!

There was lipstick on most of our wine glasses and my child's glass. Server said "the manager said she is so sorry. " Wine came back out with crumbs in the glass after we had already eaten our mostly Kraft cheese plate. Manager was nowhere to be found. Totally pathetic.

This place does not welcome you with a smile. When requested to sit elsewhere the dirty look, the well i dont care impression was not acceptable. Waited over 15minutes for no one to approach us for a drink. Walked out! Not recommended