Essence of Unionville – Hilton Toronto/Markham Suites - Markham, Ontario

UPDATE Mgmt response below they give illusion that they are looking into my situation.... however NO ONE called me or posted pls provide your information below to have us contact you. FYI warning to their type of reaction or response. False. DO NOT COME HERE! I wanted to post this ... as a warning of our poor experience June 11 2024. I did reserve a table for four adults celebrating my mom's bday yesterday. The only reason gave service a 2 star is because the gentleman the male server who greeted us yesterday @11:15am was very kind professional and easy to talk to. We left closer to 12;25pm or so.... I ordered 3 salmon lunch meals poke bowl and one lobster roll coffee and one tea..cranberry juice for my niece. $257.64 TIP: $36.00 Total: $292.64 total Avg costs per adult for four of us was $60-70 per person pretty expensive lunch for Horrible bad experience by female server when we were almost done.. I provided decent and generous tip considering level of horrible experience only because I appreciate servers & hard their work is.I didn't want to fault him on the female server brief but horrible interaction with us....(The nice gentleman served us before this female server started by time we had our food he ended his shift)By @noon the gentleman said hisshift ended and he would be leaving. I wanted to ensure that he would receive my tip and asked about tipping. He advised that the lady who is now here will take over and they do share tips and he kindly thanked me for thinking of him... As we were finishing our lunch I took out of my bag a small dufflet chocolate cake. The lady server saw it and said you cannot bring cake into the restaurant if you want it will be an additional $25.00 additional charge like a corking fee! I wasn't aware of this policy and i said Oh I didn't know of this and i was surprised. I told her that it's my mom's bday officially today. She said that the restaurant can give her a slice of cake . I didn't know about this policy. She said to me in a rude manner all restaurants charge you if you bring a cake in.I told her that I had few b-days with friends one of my friends took me to an Italian restaurant she brought in a bday cake small size one and it wasn't an issue Markham this past Feb 2024. She just gave me a rude look...*Btw there was no one in the entire rest we were there 11:15am 12;25pm yesterday empty We are almost finished our lunch but i can tell you our interaction was minimal with her as she wasn't as friendly or even cared to ask if we needed anything before i brought the cake out..**She rudely said to us as well some people come in to order coffee only and bring out a cake... Well, we would never do that and obviously i ordered 3 salmon lunch meals, one poke tuna lunch bowl and one lobster appetizer one cranberry jujice one coffee one tea subtotal bill: $257.64 and i added $36.00 total: $292.64 I know most people would not even to TIP if it was her alone.. she may get 5.00 tip but out of respect to the male server who was kind and friendly and asked if i needed anything when we got our food.She gave my mom a slice of bday cake. We Thanked her a few times... but we couldn't light the candle she left for 5min trying get lighter stating no one had a lighter....making the bday experience further worse... When we were leaving she ODDLY Said Happy bday to my mom yet she never addressed that to her during our lunch and my niece said no one was in the restaurant i guess she doesn't like people she had many opportunities to ask if we needed anything.or even wish my mom a happy birthday but she was too focused on being rude and had a stern look on her face at all times..I dont see how you can treat people like this and for those wondering why I didn't ask for the manager ?? No one was there and i didnt' want to make an issue out of the policy she stated. its' how she treated us and her look and demeanour that i felt she could've been nicer as well my niece said to me when we left how odd out of bar staff and kitchen no one has a lighter. very strange why bother asking? Read more

Quiet weekend brunch spot that serves up delightful dishes in the heart of Markham. Afternoon tea set is ~$50, it includes 5 x finger sandwiches, a scone with homemade cream cheese and raspberry jam preserve, plus a small selection of sweets. I liked my PEI lobster roll, it's on a homemade brioche ... and the lobster meat was fresh and had right amount of mayo mixed in. Cappuccino in almond milk was normal, decent coffee blend was used. The beef shank risotto had the perfect amount of cream and it's not overly seasonsed. High ceilings, lots of space and tables to choose from. No background music is played. Makes conversations with your table mates a breeze. Decor is contemporary, all the dining ware and furniture are clean. Servers were friendly and courteous. I prefer the Essence of Unionville brunch/lunch experience more than nearby IG worthy brunch spots. Read more

Attended the 2024 Markham Jazzlicious Winterfest with the Prix Fixe Menu at $65 per person, fantastic jazz performance with Matt Dusk and his trio jazz band, beautiful presentation of dishes by Chef Jitin Gaba, excellent service by friendly professional staff.

I came here with my significant other for the new year’s eve buffet dinner which was around $332 after tax and tips for two people. We booked our seats through opentable in which our time slot was 7:45 pm. When we got there at 7:50, the food was 2/3 empty ... at the buffet bar. The hot food was not hot. The crab legs were not fresh. The carving station meat was very dry and tough. All the food prepared was very similar to their lunch buffets. There was raw oysters however no one informed us that it had to be ordered from the waiter. The buffet was over at 9 pm. Everyone sat around on their phones from 9pm to midnight to wait for the balloon drop and count down. They didn’t have any activities in the meantime. We all gather at the dance floor waiting for the DJ to count down however that also didn’t happen. Long story short: mediocre food and service , definitely not worth the price. Read more

We’ve been to brunch at Essence of Unionville many times and for the most part it is a great experience. The food layout is organized and attractive. Everything is kept clean and tidy around the buffet areas. There is something for everyone from seafood, salads, hot entrees (fish, chicken and roast beef) ... to breakfast with made to order eggs or omelettes. Finishing off with fruits and various desserts. Overall the food is delicious. Wait staff is attentive and accommodating. I would recommend brunch here on a Sunday to mellow out from a hectic weekend. Read more