Chanterelle Bistro

My wife and I visited Chanterelle Bistro for the first time last month for dinner to celebrate my birthday. The restaurant had been recommended by a number of people in a community group we are part of. We were very excited for our visit to this well-known establishment in Bowmanville, but unfortunately, the experience was somewhat underwhelming.Upon entering the restaurant, there was minimal space for guests who have arrived to stand. With only one couple ahead of us, I had to awkwardly stand pressed against the door, and when I considered opening the door to stand outside, a loud contraption (likely a heater of sorts) above the door let out a startling loud sound. The ‘crammed’ feeling continued as we were seated. The table we sat at was very small, and close enough to the table next to us that we felt worried that we would elbow the people at that table. The setting feels like that of a re-designed home (both based on the exterior and interior), but lacked the comfort of such an establishment. The noise was a challenge for us. Other guests in the restaurant seemed like they were practically yelling, but the volume was seemingly amplified by the tight surroundings and lack of background noise. My wife and I had difficulty maintaining a conversation with each other because of how loud it was. Much later in the evening when the majority of the guests had filtered out, the staff began playing some soft background music, which I think might have had a strong positive impact on serving as a buffer for people talking and managing the sound of loud voices in the restaurant.On to the food, We tried the crab cakes (pictured), and they were very disappointing. We try this dish in many restaurants, and we found the cakes themselves were not very good, and the corn relish that accompanied it just did not taste good. Our hostess was surprised when we shared that with her, but assured us our mains would be excellent. We ordered two different steaks along with a lobster tail. The steaks were fantastic. This was the highlight of the visit; they were an excellent quality and cooked to perfection. The lobster tail was also good. The sides that accompanied were not impressive at all, in fact the potato side they provided was an absolute disappointment. It lacked flavour and tasted quite odd. While the options looked intriguing, but we decided to cut our losses and skip out on dessert. The hostess who helped us was very friendly and the presentation of the food was well done (see pictures attached).To sum it up -Pros: Presentation, staff, steakCons: Volume, space, sidesGiven the cost of eating here and the cons we encountered, it was disappointing to not have a positive experience, but we definitely fondly remember the delicious steak we enjoyed.

Phenomenal spot! So friendly and accommodating, and great atmosphere. They are able to accommodate vegan/gluten free! I had the vegan mushroom risotto which was out of this world delicious! Also the grilled beet salad sans with oil & vinegar. Top notch!

Delicious French Cuisine! Been a couple of times, great variety of foods on menu. Staff have been very sweet and professional. Went for a nice meal out then left with my stomach full n’ happy. I look forward to going again.

Extremely disappointed!We had dinner here last year for our Anniversary because we had such amazing experience. Our server was fantastic and she made it very memorable. We even got dessert with fancy writing on the plate, so we decided to return.Last night, when we arrived the hostess acknowledged our Anniversary but once we were seated our sever never even asked how we were doing or if we were celebrating anything.We waited almost 45mins for our meals to be told they made a mistake, then watched other tables being served that arrived long after we did. I don’t think Ive eaten so much table bread in my life.Not sure how you screw up spaghetti and meatballs? Plus there was no buffalo mozzarella in the meatballs.We paid over $100 for an unpleasant experience on our anniversary, which only comes once a year.We will definitely not be returning.

Derek, I wanted to thank you and your staff for another outstanding meal from your restaurant. Last week we decided to pre-order from the Valentines Day menu for pick up - since we aren't able to dine in at the restaurant at the moment. Being in Courtice, we were a little concerned about the drive home and whether the food would survive it) but we decided to risk it and try it anyway.It's important to note that we have been visiting your restaurant for years (and have never been disappointed with the food or the service - both are top notch) but this would be the first time we would be picking up and driving our food home.Last night we arrived at the restaurant at 5:20 (our pick up time) and the food was packaged and ready to go so we could leave almost as soon as we arrived. Everything was individually packaged in take out containers and was ready to eat as soon as we got through the door.All of the meats (beef and chicken) were cooked to perfection and my fish delicious. I was surprised to see you included your bread and hummus in the package (which is always included at the restaurant when dining in) and the desserts were to die for.We definitely plan on doing another take out option in future (if we aren't able to dine in) because the process of picking up and bringing the food home did not take away from the quality, presentation and taste of your food.** Update since new owner Becky has taken over: The team at Chanterelle Bistro continue to impress me with their high level of service and quality of food. Becky has been working hard behind the scenes to introduce some new things to the restaurant (including a Saturday tea service) and many take out options. Thank you Becky for continuing to build on what Derek started! We love coming to visit and you are by far our favourite restaurant in Durham!

Attended the Afternoon Tea at Chanterelle and it was a great experience.Lots of tea options so everyone was happy. Beautifully arranged and lots of options for the food menu. You will leave full and having had a great unique experience.

Disappointing. Had the pickerel special however must have been a small catch as it was an extremely small serving. The potatoes were suppose to be scalloped however no one at our table recognized them to be such. My husband had the fettuccine and said it was good and my mother had the tenderloin and she really enjoyed it.

This was our first visit to Chanterelle Bistro! We were so impressed with the friendly greeting by the hostess. We did not have a reservation but we got a table quickly. The table was a bit tight but for not having a reservation we were just happy to get a seat! I would advise to make a reservation if you are concerned about space for seating as some of the tables are close together. The atmosphere is warm, clean and there were a mix of families and couples. Our server was lovely and helped with letting us know about the menu, specials and making a wine selection. We had bread provided at the table and that came with a homemade hummus so delicious. We ordered the crab cakes which came with a corn relish, they were very tasty and had good presentation. For dinner we enjoyed shrimp and scallops and prime rib. Everything was cooked perfectly and arrived hot. We will definitely be back again and appreciate having such a little gem so close to home! Thank you for the great service and food!

First time going there on Saturday and I can safely say it will not be the last. Me and my partner both decided to order the duck breast as our main and we were not disappointed. Looking forward to next time.