I attended a RBC conference. Food was terrible. Services were acceptable If I had to pay I would…read morenot come again

Maybe it's because I had my prom and high school graduation at Crystal Fountain, but my feelings…read morefor this place were filled with teen angst and a general feeling of "meh". Revisiting it for a friend's wedding as a proper adult (lol), I'm now able to say that it really is a "gem" in Markham, and I'm not just talking about its crystal fountain. With banquet halls, you really need to fulfill a few criteria: food, space, and service. No, you're likely not going to have a beautiful, lush outdoor environment as it'll be in some commercial area but you will have plenty of parking! No, it might not be extraordinarily unique, but you will know what to expect and it'll come at a more affordable price. Food: This is not the bland chicken I remember from prom. Or maybe my school was cheap. My married friend really decided to treat us that night with the lobster tail and roast beef combo. The lobster tail was very fresh and had great texture. The beef was soft and tender and the veggies were surprisingly flavourful. The variety at the dessert table was abundant with 4 cakes, a fruit platter, and a variety of smaller pastries. Things were quite tasty, though predictably on the sweeter side. The one thing about the table was that the lady attending to the cakes had no idea what kinda cakes she was serving, which was a bit odd. Space: We were in one of the smaller halls so we didn't get the headlining "Crystal Fountain" but it was a lovely space nonetheless! If there were other weddings happening at the same time, we wouldn't have known. The lobby was perfect for mingling, photos with the main couple, and pre-dinner drinks while the banquet hall itself was absolutely beautiful. I guess I never had an appreciation for these things before. High ceilings, gold chiavari chairs, elegant decor, wooden dance floor. Gorgeous. Service: Overall, not a problem! But there is one small incident. In my mind, staff at banquet halls should be the background performers. If you notice them as little as possible, that's a good thing. After the groom popped champagne and sprayed it around ceremoniously, a lady went and started wiping the floor...WHILE things were still happening on stage with the bride and groom. The photographers had to hurriedly tell her to stop and do it later. We used to make fun of places like this. Oh haha the food is always so bad at things like these blah blah blah. But that's just our stupid teenage "too cool for school" attitude getting in the way of reality. Crystal Fountain has been consistently delivering no matter the occasion. With all the events I've been to, there have never been any showstopping incidents, no horrible service experiences, no cold and flavourless plates. If you're looking for a quality banquet hall uptown, your choice should be...crystal clear. ;D (86/100) - 2017

DO NOT BOOK THIS BANQUET HALL - Horrible Experience from Start to Finish…read more Our experience with this banquet hall was a complete disaster, and I would never recommend it to anyone, especially not for an important event like a wedding. Let's start with the bridal room -- or what they claim is a bridal room. When I asked Jeet to direct me to it, he told a staff member in Hindi to "clean it before taking her." I was then led down to the end of a dirty basement hallway and shown a few tiny, stuffy rooms with no AC and one barely working fan. It was one of the most disgusting spaces I've ever seen -- completely inappropriate for any bride. Next, the decor situation was a mess. We had hired a third-party vendor to decorate, but Jeet failed to remove decorations from a previous event. Our team had to work around their leftover decor, which made setup extremely cramped and chaotic. As guests began arriving, the carpets were still dirty. I had to ask the manager 3-4 times to get someone to vacuum, and by the time they did, it was already too late -- guests were walking in as a worker was vacuuming the floor. Jeet actually told us to keep the guests outside while they finished cleaning. Unbelievable. We were also charged extra -- a few hundred dollars -- for microphone and speaker use because we had organized speeches. However, the sound system didn't work at all. When we notified Jeet, he brushed it off saying they were "working on it" and asked us to wait. Obviously, we couldn't delay the entire event while they took their time trying to fix it. As for the food, we were told we'd receive authentic Afghan food from their partner, Riaz Catering. What we got was anything but Afghan cuisine. The food was bland and disappointing -- most of our guests didn't even eat. Later we realized that another Indian party downstairs had been served the exact same food, falsely labeled as Afghan. On top of that, they just left the food out all night without properly storing or managing it. To make matters worse, the temperature inside the hall kept rising throughout the night. While the AC was working in the beginning, it was clear they were turning it down (or off) to cut costs, making the atmosphere uncomfortable for all our guests. In summary: 0/10. Jeet and the entire management team were completely unprofessional and disorganized. From the venue conditions to the service and food -- everything was below acceptable standards. Do not waste your time, money, or peace of mind booking this hall. You will be disappointed and frustrated, just like we were.

This is Perry. I am using my friend's phone to write this review. I have tried 3 times but it's not…read moreshowing. I attended the Fundraising dinner for Palestine at the Estate Banquet Hall, on Dec 17, 2023. It was an AMAZING experience. The food was DELICIOUS and all waitresses were very NICE and FRIENDLY. Mr. JEET, thank you so much, for donating 5,000 dollars for the Palestinian cause and giving special discount. I sincerely appreciate it.God bless you and your business.

I've attended 3-4 weddings at the Grand Cinnamon... and although it's not my favourite, it does…read moreoffer good service for decent prices. Over the years I found the food and service to be pretty inconsistent. There have been a couple of well executed dinners, and also chaotic ones. One that comes to mind: a self-serve wedding cake station, where the cake was hacked to pieces and some smeared into the floor/carpet all around it. A couple of events were well staffed and a couple weren't. But people were generally nice and helpful. Overall, I did notice the venue was cleaner and well organized during my most recent visit... so I hope things are turning around.

It was ok for a local venue. But the facilities are a little worn down like the bathrooms. And the…read morefoyer tiles, as shiny looking and attractive (with majors cracks at corners) they are really really difficult for ladies walking up and down the hall with fancy heeled shoes. Terrible. People and staff were super helpful and nice though. Would recommend. Take flates, sandals etc in car for a quick change. That will help combat that terrible foyer and main throughfare.

I went for Mother's Day. Lovely table setting, friendly…read morestaff but the food was not so good. roast beef was good, yorkshire pudding tasted like cardboard,stale croissants, crabcakes with no crab, cocktails tasted like watered down fruit juice. For approximately $100. per person we expected better quality. Will not go again.

We were there for New Year's Eve and this was our 4th year attending this function. There was no…read morehesitation as in the past, we have had a good experience. Unfortunately this was not the same for that night. It was the largest group we have seen and it would seem that they underestimated the staff required to serve that many people which is confusing considering the amount of weddings that are held there. The entertainment was excellent as we were excited to hear that Port United would be playing and the couple that were singing when we arrived were also very good.Dinner was very late being served and thankfully the food was good and the only complaint was the timing which was the delay in serving. There was 8 in our group and the only thing that saved the evening was the music.

This was my first time attending an event at Village Loft, operated by Oliver and Bonacini. Wow!…read moreThe venue, food, and service were all on point The venue, located on the upper level of a standalone building in the parking lot of Bayview Village, was a warm and inviting space, with brick and wood walls, large windows, and very intimate lighting. We used two of the three available sections and it was more than enough space. The event was a baby shower luncheon and the menu was very appropriate, with a variety of roving hors d'ouevres, salads, sandwiches, and desserts that satisfied everybody's appetite. The salads were all colourful, fresh, and tasty, with a good variety to choose from. The sandwiches - salmon, chicken, pulled pork, and vegetarian - were all delicious, as were the desserts. Personally, I would have preferred a tad less dressing on the salads but maybe that's just me. The service was also excellent, from the moment I walked in and was greeted with smiles by all the staff. Used plates were cleared from the tables very efficiently and the buffet table was replenished quickly. Overall, this was a great experience and a very enjoyable baby shower!

Came here for a friend's wedding. And this place is pretty modern in design. It has an earthy tone…read morethrough out the building. I liked the fact they got an elevator to get us to the 2nd floor, as the venue is there. Then I found out this venue is part of the O&B group, there's a certain aura this venue signifies as well as a standard O&B represents. I like! I like the setup as the food came in the middle, and we serve ourselves. I like that configuration. I can control portion on my own. First came the appetizers and there's risotto ball, and warm salad. Surprisingly they taste quite decent even though it was mass produced. Then the mains came after about half hour and there's all three choices of beef, chicken and fish. So I am not stuck with one. The biggest surprise were the beef and fish. As I mentioned earlier, banquet food tends to flop when it is mass produced. But not here, the beef came out soft and juicy still and the fish actually tasted good. I didn't have chicken as I was full by then. Dessert were homemade doughnut balls and a tiramisu. These were dynamite. I had an extra serving of these wonderful goodies. Overall experience is very nice. Food was good and service is quite good.

I recently had the pleasure of attending the wedding of the daughter of dear friends, with the…read morereception being held at Parkview Manor. It was my first time being here and I was impressed with the venue and the service. The name, Parkview Manor, suggests something exotic or traditional, maybe like an old mansion. Instead, it was a rather plain looking grey building with a large parking lot, in the middle of an industrial area. It was clean and in good repair but really had no character to it. Stepping inside, however, told a different story altogether. The reception/bar area was a bit small and cramped, making it a little hard for all the guests to move around comfortably. The passed hors d'oeuvres were plentiful, with a decent variety but tasted a bit ordinary. The main banquet room, with the head table, dining tables, and dance floor, was very spacious and beautifully decorated, with intimate lighting. Our meal was very good, maybe even excellent! We started with soup and salad, both served tableside. The main course had a properly cooked piece of salmon, a very tender steak, potatoes, and veggies. Dessert was chocolate mousse tart and creme brulee, served alternately. Other than the dessert being a tad sweet for my taste, the food quality was good. Kudos to our server, who was very friendly, engaging, and efficient! Having worked at one of the top banquet facilities in the GTA for ten years, the food and service here was top notch! If they had an area, indoor or outdoor, for photos, it would be perfect! The wedding, overall, was fantastic! Congratulations, Melissa and Brian!

I was teetering into 3-star territory because of how unimpressed I was with the entree. But then I…read morethought about everything else, the antipasto, the dessert, the food stations, the service, and the insider info from my friend about how great the coordinator is. So I'm thinking...meh, why bring down a decent venue over some overcooked steak? Parkview Manor, like every other banquet hall, has a fairly boring exterior, but the inside is clean and well-presented with your typical banquet hall decor and chandeliers. TONS of parking, which is an advantage of being in a bland commercial area. The building is split into two areas so it's highly possible there are multiple events happening at the same time. Food, of course, is the number 1 priority as a wedding guest. As stated up front, the entree was bad. Really bad. The filet mignon was tough like leftover meat from boiled stew. The chicken, already expected to be underwhelming at a banquet hall, was especially bland. I suppose that's the risk of a 2-meat plate. But everything else made up for it, I think. The antipasto was plentiful and delicious, especially the smoked salmon and the giant parmesan cheese wheel. The dessert was a wonderful creme brulee. The oysters at the oyster bar were fresh and shucked before your eyes. Even the sweets table had some tasty cakes. Servers were quick and unnoticeable, which is a mark of a good banquet hall server. You don't want plates clanging against each other during a speech. The bottom line is I had a wonderful time here as a guest; food, service, and coordination being a huge part of that. So I can live with a little chewy beef. If you are planning a wedding at a banquet hall, I wouldn't pass on this. I hear the guy that coordinates the venue is fantastic. (50/100) - 2018

Beautiful convention center that is perfect for any special occasion. I recently got a chance to…read morevisit this place while attending a friend's wedding. It was a traditional Srilankan wedding and the hall was decorated tastefully reflecting the occasion. The silver mandap and Shiva Parvati statues were elegant. When the event started, they turned from silver into a delicate golden hue. I think it was done with the carefully arranged focus lighting around it. The chairs and tables fit the ambiance. The large chandeliers throughout the place were gorgeous. The bride's room was upstairs. It was small with an attached bathroom. It serves the purpose. It is a large place to hold a little over a hundred people comfortably around large tables. Maybe a couple more hundred for a corporate meeting depending on the seating arrangements. There was another wedding at the same time next door in the centre. There was a bit of confusion among the guests. Other than that, I didn't notice any inconveniences. The lunch was served outside the event hall and it was a big enough area to fit guests.

Went for a brief reception held by York at Markham Convention Center. It is a grand impressive…read morevenue which is the likely host to numerous functions. That evening, the reception served the standard coffee. bencerage options and cookies for the younglings. The wifi appeared a bit spotty based on the load of folks signing in at once, but well over 200 participated in a Kahoots game. Parking was fairly decent and merged with the plaza. Overall, a grand option for venues in a good area of Markham. -Zuk

Fantastic experience planning two events at Brighton with Sen and his team! We've now hosted two of…read moreour largest events ever at Brighton with resounding success. As with most live events, there was a lot of moving parts involved but we were able to lean into their expertise, trust their guidance and pulled off something very impressive. In fact our event at Brighton was so impressive that it's lead to other opportunities for our small business. We hope to make our June show a yearly tradition at Brighton and look forward to partnering with them again in the future.

I was at the Brighton Convention Centre for a work conference last week. It's not a massive venue,…read morebut it's not tiny as well. The parking lot is large; I was running a little late, but managed to find quite a few spots. The decor is not super fancy so I'm not too sure about backgrounds for photos. As for the food, I was quite impressed. It wasn't your typical rubber chicken dish; the chicken was juicy and quite tasty. I'm not planning a wedding or large event any time soon, but the Brighton Convention Centre does the trick. Good for: large events, conferences