It was such a lovely Saturday dinner. We were a bit earlier than most other people: right at the opening for dinner (5:30). Most patrons started coming after 7, so we were in almost empty space. And we liked the space all right. When I've called to reserve the table I was offered a choice of Outside, Bistro, or Dining-room seating. I took the last one.

I won't talk about the details of our... more

Made a reservation for 11 people and was accommodated right on time. We were seated in a private room (without needing to request it). Our waiter (Joe? Sorry if your name isn't Joe!) came and greeted us immediately, asked for drink orders, and made recommendations based on our specific requests. He had a great, professional yet personal/humorous demeanor and gave us ample time to decide on our... more

We hadn't been here in a while, but it is a really nice place for lunch. The pizza is terrific. Our perfect go-to is to share grilled calamari($12), a caesar salad($9) and the spicy cappiccola pizza($14.50). The price is exactly to be expected for each dish. The service was terrific and it was just a perfect lunch for the two of us.

Dissapointed with the food

I went to the bistro section of the restaurant last Friday night with my couple and two kids. We found the service quite attentive and the ambiance quite lively including live music.
We ordered from the bistro menu list and was dissappointed with the food. We ordered a foie gras for starters to only discovered that it was in reality... more

Great service and excellent food

We again ate at Jonathan's in Oakville and, yet again, the food, service and coffee were excellent! The salads were very fresh (and I can tell as I don't use any salad dressing). The souffle was cooked to perfection and as good as I have had anywhere, including La Souffle in Paris (France). The servers were attentive and prompt and... more

Mother's Day Brunch Buffet

Think twice about this restaurant. Very poor service and mediocre food for $45 a head!
Coffee brought without cream, no salt and pepper on table, dishes cleared away slowly and no water refills.
A very small mimosa at $14 per glass. Desserts were of poor quality.
For a fine dining restaurant, this was an annoying dining experience.

NYE at Jonathans

Great dinner with my wife. It was a preset dinner menu that was very good. It is very expensive but worth it. I will be back for sure.

Expensive ... but great place (J- Bistro

Started with delicious bread, lovely bottle of Pinot, followed by brie fritter, steak MR and liver.
The food was delicious absolutely nothing wrong with it.... I've just had the same food of similar quality for much less. $205 including tax and tip.
The server was fantastic! So, lovely evening with piano player, great food and fabulous server... just a tad... more

excellent quality food and service

This past weekend we found ourselves in Oakville, Ontario and decided to try a Jonathans of Oakville, a restaurant that we had passed several times but at which we had not previously eaten. It seems that we may have been missing one of the best restaurants in Oakville and in the Toronto area!
The service was absolutely stellar. The waiter... more

Loved it

I'd never been to Jonathan's before, and I was VERY impressed. The food and atmosphere and service were wonderful. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to spend a little more for a lot more!!!!

Piano player in bistro bar was excellent

Good atmosphere - can be a little noisy at times (needs better acoustics) - great food and the pianist was excellent background entertainment.

Extremely disappointing meal

We visited Jonathan's to celebrate a milestone birthday and were expecting a special evening. The restaurant is lovely although half empty for a Saturday night which detracted from the atmosphere. One of our party ordered the sweetbreads and found them to be largely absent from the appetizer which featured a fried egg on top designed perhaps to disguise the absence... more

Classy

First impression was, the place is elegant and probably frequented by affluent patrons. Food's pricey but again, you're paying for the ambience and the quality of food. I ordered braised short ribs with mashed potatoes and the beef was fall-off-the-bone tender and tasty. Waiters were somewhat reserve...could it be Oakville's stuck-upness to blame? It's good that our attire was dressy... more

Perfection

Everything was perfect, from the initial service, to the menu and especially the meal! Even the atmosphere was very classy and warm.

Expensive

My husband and I went on a Tuesday night at around 8:30. It wasn't busy so we had a nice, quiet meal. It was the most expensive meal I have ever had. I had steak and it was very good. The waiter was attentive and we didn't have to wait too long for our food. Although we enjoyed the meal,... more

I've been going to Jonathan's for 15 years. I heard back in the day, this was considered one of the top restaurants in Ontario. I think I said that 20 times or more to my clients when they have been to town and I've taken them there. Over the past years, my frequency has become less, and I haven't been for about a year now. Reason for the lack of support from my end was the brutal service on my... more

Recommended

Go there for doctor educational meetings/seminars. Good food and wine selection. Quality food and good service. Go there with my wife from time to time. Pricey but worth it. Decor getting dated.

Exquisite food, poor service

My boyfriend made reservations at J's Bistro for my birthday and I was excited as I had heard good things about this restaurant. When we arrived there was no one to greet us or show us to our table. We walked through to the bar area and heard some lovely piano music and took in the lively ambiance. We stood... more

Anticlimax

Average food, below average service. Overpriced for the experience they should be offering - amazing location and pretty good ambiance.

First time there and not our last

First of all the food was truly to die for, nothing but perfection! The waiters were all very good making sure that all our needs were met. They never made us feel that they wanted us out of there to serve others, because they did just the opposite and told us that we could take our time and enjoy the... more

Disappointment

My husband and I made reservations for our anniversary and were very disappointed with this restaurant. We were placed at a small table beside the piano and were ignored by serving staff most of the time. The meals were mediocre but the prices did not reflect this - quite the opposite. Once the piano player started (who was facing us... more

Good food, average service

We were in to the Bistro for my wife's birthday with friends last month, mid-week. The Bistro was almost empty but the service was unusually slow. It took a while to order drinks and again to order food. The server was not very attentive. The food itself was good, although a bit over-priced. The location in downtown Oakville is great... more

Descent food, terrible service by our server

I took my boyfriend to J Bistro this past Saturday for his birthday dinner. This was our first time there –I read the reviews before booking, not all great but I thought I’d take a chance cause the menu looked pretty good. The restaurant on the outside and inside looks pretty nice. The manager who greeted us
and seated us... more

An enchanting evening

Last night I had one of the best meals I have had for many years. We started with grilled Calamari
Which was tender and delicately spiced,this was followed by Lobster tomato salad which was fresh and served with a light vinaigrette dressing. The main course was a lobster soufflé with asparagus it was amazing. We finished with a chocolate soufflé... more

Wonderful family event

My immediate family and a few friends gathered at Jonathan's to celebrate my birthday. It was a wonderful evening. The food was exquisitely delicious; the atmosphere was warm, intimate, inviting and the service was superb. I personally particularly savoured the rack of lamb which was succulent and cooked to perfection. I highly recommend Jonathan's of Oakville to anyone seeking a... more

Fantastic Bistro

Jonathan Bistro is priced on the high end of reasonable and is one of my two goto's for Oakville. Souffles are very good and always has nice specials..

Trust their reputation

This restaurant has been voted Top Restaurant in Oakville for something like the past 7 years. It is constantly featured in magazines and at charity events. That says something. Please don't listen to a few people who have decided to take their personal vendetta out on this great establishment. I have been going here for almost 5 years. There's always... more

Terrible Experience

We had been to this restaurant many years ago and we returned this week for my wife's birthday and it was not a good experience. My wife started with scallops......which came with small pieces of sand...they could not have been completely washed before cooking. I had an Octopus soup with lobster. Small bits of both were in the soup. We... more

amazing experience

I had heard nothing but good things about this restaurant from friends of mine, and I find word of mouth is the best way to get accurate information on good places to eat. I’m a little bit of food nerd or foodie if you will, so I was very excited to check out this place that my friends were talking... more

Serving meat to a vegetarian

We visited Jonathan's bistro for an anniversary dinner with our parents looking to have a lovely night out. Unfortunately we got the exact opposite. Having been to the Bistro various times before and having solid food and service we did not anticipate having our evening ruined by the carelessness and obnoxious attitude of the management at this restaurant.
We arrived... more

Disappointing

I gave clients a gift certificate to enjoy dinner at Jonathan's. They did not receive a pleasant greeting and were told to put their wet coats on the backs of their chairs. Service was poor despite the dining room being almost empty. I actually went in to complain the following day and was basically given lip service. The person i... more

Disappointing

This was to be a special dinner for my husbands 65th birthday. It was a total let down. From the lack of a warm welcome upon our arrival, and everything in between!!! The waiters appeared to be running around, not quite sure which table they were supposed to be waiting on. All in all, we had 4 waiters waiting on... more

Not Worth the Money

I have heard great things about Jonathan's for years. I had never made it out until recently. I was very disappointed by the food. I had oysters for an appetizer and they brought out 3 of the 2 types of oysters they had. I have never seen such small oysters and the presentation was rather poor. The beef tenderloin that... more

Same as usual

Always a good choice on a nice summer's evening as you can sit on the patio and chill out. Food is good, we've been here many times and it's always consistent. Only faux pas was that a couple of their regulars showed up and the staff catered to them favorably. We had to remind them that we'd like a refill... more

Overpriced

A little stale in taste and atmosphere- will be back after retirement

Service Well Below Par

I dine in Toronto (and other cities) on business regularly. We had to take two business colleagues out to dinner this weekend and were looking for a high quality restaurant in the Oakville/Mississauga area. I called and left a message seeking reservations. The responding voicemail (at my work) was off-putting, not welcoming and, on that basis, I cancelled the reservations... more

delicious

especially like the souffle and seafood bar area. excellent service and delicious food. A little pricey but usually worth it.

Quaint Restaurant

Great food, excellent service, hidden on backstreet off Lakeshore

$2,800 CAD for a bottle of wine?!

As foreigners who did not know about the Bistro, we were seated at the Jonathan's section. It would be nice if the waiter could give a brief explanation as to the difference between the super expensive side (Jonathan's) and the fairly expensive side (Bistro). Our party looked a little ridiculous moving from Jonathan's to the Bistro- almost like the morning... more

Service lacking in a number of areas

We were at the restaurant as part of a group of 8, celebrating a special occaision. The waitor didn't seem to take cues from what was going on at the table. For example, in the middle of a toast, he arrived with menus for everyone, and instead of stopping what he was doing, he carried on! The person making the... more

Poor service, average food

We tried this restaurant for the first time during a special promotion, Taste of Downtown Oakville. When we arrived, they were cleaning a screen by our table with some sort of spray, oblivious that we were sitting nearby waiting for a menu. They brought their regular menu and didn't include the promotion. We had to ask for the special menu.... more

Over priced and disappointing

Ate in the bistro for lunch. Considering the prices the food was disappointing. The desserts were particularly below quality and incredibly over priced!
Only go there if some one else is paying.

Disappointing on a number of levels

I took my wife to Jonathan's for her birthday after getting a recommendation from a friend. It was obvious when we arrived that the restaurant was busy due to the lack of waiters to seat us and when one did arrive the sweat on his brow. My starter scallops were fine but my wife's goats cheese salad was bland and... more

Awful

I should have read the previous reviews on tripadvisor before going here. This place was awful, over-priced for what you get and un-hospitable service. Our waiter was continuously forcing us to buy wine by the bottle (never have I ever experienced this in a restaurant). He did not give our children, kids menus because he felt they were big enough... more

Extremely disappointed

I wish I had read the reviews before chosing this restaurant for lunch. As mentioned this restaurant is extremely loud. The dining room was not being used and everyone was seated in back of the restaurant where the bar is (first clue). After we had been seated a business group was placed in the centre of the room and then... more

We went there for Valentine's day and had an excellent meal. I had the beef, and it had an absolutely amazing flavor to it, I was thoroughly impressed. It was better than other similar priced restaurants that have failed to wow me in the past. Having said that, it is a very expensive restaurant (around $180 for the two of us), one I would keep in mind for maybe once a year on Valentine's day,... more

"$1500 bottle of wine?! Do you take third-party, out of province cheques?"

Don't worry, the Bistro portion of Jonathan's also has a 1/2 price corkage fee on Tuesdays! Only $17.50.

One of two...maybe three...fine dining establishments in downtown Oakville. Jonathan's has been around for 30 years and appears to still be going strong.

Although I've never seen signage(or looked for it), the... more

Bistro too noisy and quality erratic

The ambiance of the Bistro would be very nice, were it not for the extreme level of noise, particularly at times of the year when the exterior screen doors are closed. The quality of the food is inconsistent. The restaurant appears to operate most effectively when Jonathon is present. The waiters are very competent and hard-working. The Bistro has so... more

Overpriced and under-serviced

Arrogant old waiters with no charm and friendliness. Food is ordinary at best and although the restaurant room is very nice, the whole experience is disappointing. Go somewhere else

Nice place for a special dinner

This is a nice restaurant with attentive service. The menu is rather continental however we have always enjoyed the fish and lamb when we go. The seafood is very fresh and I can recommend the oysters without hesitation.
If you like it, the chocolate souffle is a must. We tell our waiter when we order so we know it will... more

OUr Favourite in Oakville

When we head out to dinner, it usually Jonaothon's. WE sit in the Souflee Bar, where the action is! The chef does magical things with fish, whether it is salmon or fresh caught stiped bass or halibut. Pure bliss. And the sides are always so inspired. I especially love when they have sea beans! Soups are always imaginative and served... more

Been a number of times, both lunch & evening. good service; however, have the impression that food is frozen &

Been a number of times, both lunch & evening. good service; however, have the impression that food is frozen & microwaved? They try, but not my favourite, but is for my friends?

Very good food. Like the

Very good food. Like the piano bar.

I'm salivating just thinking about it - best $16 martini I've ever had

I'm salivating just thinking about it - best $16 martini I've ever had :-)

good

good