Courtyard Cafe – Windsor Arms - Toronto, Ontario

Disgraceful Christmas buffet experience! We rarely write reviews & usually to highlight top notch experiences. As sad as it is to admit & warn, the Windsor Arms has fallen on hard times in terms of service, quality & the most basic of hotel operating standards. We had to search out a ... server twice before managing to place a wine order for 4 people...imagine! And imagine our surprise to find chafing dishes either empty or 80% depleted at the buffet, and guests having to inform the wait staff about the empty dishes. I took the heel end of the turkey as it was all that remained, and both containers of jus were empty. Most hotels push aside the heel of any roast and carve into a fresh one, but there was no other. There was no chef with hat in sight, only a disheveled and out of touch appearing man who occasionally inspected the buffet and the black rubber gloved young carver. Service was non existent; we had to pile our own dinner plates to the side to make room for our dessert plates. Said dinner plates were never removed during our stay. Coffee was buffet style with cups but no saucers., sugar or cream...not even the basic niceties here. Music was lovely but a touch too loud for easy conversation. Washrooms were unattended with overflowing wastebaskets, etc. Time to raze this place, remember only its past glory and avoid it at all cost. Read more

Christmas Dinner 2019 We just had the most amazing Christmas buffet dinner at the Courtyard Café, Windsor Arms Hotel. Amazingly horrible experience and the biggest disappointment of any Christmas dinner I have ever had in my 78 years! After a group of us spent hours pouring over restaurants that served a Christmas ... dinner, with great anticipation from bygone days we chose the Courtyard Café. No one offered us the eggnog. Just noticed it on the emailed menu this morning. After a long wait we had to summons a waiter to order wine. The next clue was the “Hummus / Crudite / Crispy Pita Plate”. Two of the smallest dishes for table of 6 which contained 4 broken pieces of pita along with a small crudité. When we went to the salad bar there was barely enough food to serve a dozen people….a few tablespoons of blue cheese, a handful of other cut cheeses surrounded by a cup of scattered cranberries and a half dozen slices of meat. The romaine salad had an empty small dish beside it which should have contained Caesar salad dressing. On to the rest of the lukewarm sides. Again barely enough in any of the serving containers to serve a dozen people. Roasted vegetables mostly depleted as was the salmon wellington (5 pieces) lumpy mashed potatoes, soggy, unrecognizable turkey dressing and on and on. At the carving table people were waiting in line for a dish of pasta to come out. There was a small piece of turkey breast available and 2 empty pitchers meant to contain Jus. Through all of the buffet line there was no one to ask for assistance or additional food. Dessert table was equally sparse. The chocolate log was recommended but there was only a partial slice left.. Again, no one available for assistance. I was ready for a good cup of coffee that had run out earlier. When I finally did get one there was no cream or milk left! Finished food dishes never picked up. It should be mandatory for kitchen staff to have an educational tour of their local Mandarin Buffet with heaping trays of hot food, regularly replaced with attentive staff ready to assist at every turn. A dessert table to put any restaurant to shame. The greatest insult was the suggested tips with the highest amount as first choice. On leaving, I chose to use the ladies room. There were 3 large paper waste containers all overflowing. Obviously, absent of cleaning staff throughout the evening. The whole Christmas Day was spoiled for us and we will be sure to pass the word around to friends and family. Read more

4 of us went to brunch today and were sadly disappointed. The pancakes and french toast were cold, not luke warm, cold! There was not a lot of variety as you'd expect when paying this much for brunch. They rarely came by to top up the "bottomless ... mimosas" and coffee. I asked for salt & pepper and never got it. We had to wait for things to be replenished. They have made to order eggs benedict that no on tells you about until well into your meal. We then had to wait for 30 minutes for them, this after reminding someone we were waiting. As said, selection was VERY minimal. Expected lots of breakfast pastries, at the very least scrambled eggs that are already made. Beautiful atmosphere but won't be back. And to top it off they gave us a bill that had an 18% tip on it; for a buffet and service that was far from stellar! NOPE! Read more

Service was slow. Was in busy back room. Coffee and mimosas and water service was seldom. Food was cold and the server had to fire up the warmers on the buffet after 45 minutes and we were never asked how things were. Had to ask to take plates away. Could ... have been better. Disappointing. Read more

The Windsor Arms was once a place I took my family. An excuse to get nicely dressed for a Sunday meal. Times have changed boy! The Courtyard Cafe offers brunch on Sunday for $50.00 a head. Sounds reasonable right? Don't even think about it! The King Eddy is by ... far the better choice in the city. In fact my wife laughed and commented that she would prefer Mandarin!! The server was mixed up and clumsy which set the tone for the entire meal. But the reason I am taking the time to write this is because the food was just so bad. I felt like the items were sitting out for hours. The buffet selection was small so there was no way around the bad dishes. We ended up with the made to order eggs benedict which were just fine. But not worth $50! The room was half empty so I guess word is slowly getting out. No longer able to rest on their laurels I sense there will be some changes forthcoming. I don't celebrate this. Both my wife and I were saddened by this fall from grace. Nice room to visit but I wouldn't want to eat there. Read more