Andy S.

Food: 1. Steak and eggs: I ordered the steak to be cooked to medium rare and it looks like it is cooked to what I want from the color of the meat but the steak is very dry (as you can see - there is no juice from the meat on the plate), the steak is warm not hot as I would expect it to be if it is cooked fresh. It makes me think if this was meat from leftovers. Also I don't like my meat served cut. The pita is also dry, cold and tasteless. There is supposed to be 3 eggs - I ordered it scrambled but it looks like the portion is closer to 1-2 eggs - perhaps they will really tiny eggs? 2. Egg Benedict tastes normal but it is missing some fruits. Benedicts are usually served with fruits in most restaurants during brunch hours. Service: Decent experience. Server was polite and attentive. Patio is nice but it is facing kennedy road so it could be noisy. Cost: Fairly priced but the quality of the food isn't very good. Verdict: 3 /5 but if it wasn't for extra efforts during pandemic. I would give it a 2-2.5

Chris C.

I remember when this location just opened. I was working across the street at the time and came here a few times for lunch and dinner. I'm not sure why I haven't written a review before now. It's never too late. On this occasion, we came here for a late dinner. Most of us ordered the Chicken Wings or the Fish & Chips, the special of the day. It seemed to take a while for our food to arrive but it gave us some time to chat among us. The wings, a one-pound serving, came with carrots and celery. Although the various flavours were good, my friends who ordered this would have preferred less saucy versions, maybe even sauce on the side. The Fish & Chips were available with two or three pieces of fish and we ordered two pieces. They did make a mistake and brought one of the orders with three pieces. With each piece being generously sized, I would have to be absolutely starving to eat three pieces! Taste-wise, it wasn't bad but the batter could have been crispier. We had a slice of cheesecake and chocolate cake to finish our evening. Surprisingly, they weren't overly sweet. Not bad. The food and service were above average and the ambiance was nice but the temperature in the restaurant was freezing! It felt like they had a door propped open, with the occasional gust hitting us. This contributed to the food getting cold quickly.

Michelle T.

It's too bad that the aesthetic was nice and the food passable, but it's the small things that would make me never want to come here again. My mom and I came for lunch yesterday (Tuesday 1:50pm). There were only 3 tables of people, and maybe 3 staff (2 wait staff and 1 manager type). Very not busy. And yet, there was a dirty crumpled napkin under a table. We were greeted then seated. We were asked what to drink and we both said water with no ice. The water came in plastic cups with no straws. We had to wait 10 min for her to appear again to order AND ask for straws. And when she gave us the straws, they had no wrappers, were the cheap red/white striped ones, and she placed them on some napkins. You'd think à place like symposium wirh à classy aesthetic would have had better straws. Or at least do paper straws to be trendy! We waited 22 min for our bowls to appear: shrimp carbonara and peanut satay chicken. 22!!! Don't come if you're starving. My mom says that this would be a good place for uni students to study because nobody would come to serve/bother you. Lol. Food was passable. I can't believe the shrimp carbonara had no veg. At least add a few pieces broccoli to add colour! Or some slices of carrot. Yikes. Présentation was pretty meh and not thoughtful. The sauce from peanut satay didnt even taste like satay... Had no kick in it. Overall disappointing. I don't know how they could stay in business so long.

Isabelle C.

Food way okay, portion size was reasonable. Menu is extensive. Service was good. Nothing very special.

Sharon M.

Symposium Cafe feels like the embodiment of the "Canadian Dream". Imagine taking a stroll (or driving your minivan) from your suburban home on a Sunday morning, and ending up at this restaurant. Oh look, right next to you, the rolling green hills of a golf club. You are greeted with average-tasting North American brunch items, but also the smiles of servers that soaked in the essence of Canadian friendliness. If there's one word for Symposium, it's cozy. It's situated in a cozy plaza on the edge of a cozy suburb. It's got a big, bright, cozy feeling inside with high ceilings and great decor. Large groups can sit very comfortably. Even the people are cozy. Speaking of the people, they are the reason this Symposium is my go-to place for large brunch groups. Exhibit 1: I've never been told no when I call in to book a group of 10-20 people for brunch. We've also never been rushed out of the restaurant. Now, I don't know if it's because they never seem that busy, but hey, it works to my advantage! Exhibit 2: One time, the manager very kindly called me back after I made a reservation and informed me another large group had booked at the same time. It's not that they can't accommodate us, he was worried that we would get our food a little slower because the kitchen has to handle two large table orders at once. So he asked if we'd like to move our reservation by 30 mins, which we did. Good Service 101: this is it. Exhibit 3: I've never had to wait an unreasonable amount of time for my food. Whether it was 2 people or 16 people, the food came at a reasonably staggered pace. Exhibit 4: They're all really nice. Like they actually want you to be there. Amazing. Food? Well, like I said, It's average. My pants are not blown off but I'm not angry at my plate either. Plus, they have the calorie count on the menu for all you macro counters out there. I've never been here for dinner, but the brunch prices are aligned with my expectations for brunch food. Things range from $8-$20 with a beverage option at $1.95 (e.g. tea, coffee, americano, latte, hot chocolate, etc). If you want alcohol, they've got a nice, long list of cocktails and a nice, tall wall of liquor bottles. No, their eggs are not the smoothest, their waffles are not the fluffiest. Their benedicts are not the most impressive and their lattes are way too sweet and don't taste enough like coffee. BUT, I have and I will come back to Symposium again and again. No, their food is not the best, but where else can I book in a party of 10+ for brunch with such ease and comfort? Nowhere. (75/100) - 2017

Mark K.

After covid allot of these places got hit hard and staff got cut. Even with the lack of staff we got decent service. we ordered broccoli and cheddar soup, butter chicken poutine and tried the new classic bacon and onion perogies. I ordered a unique to symposium alcoholic drink and the bartender didn't get it right but went back and fixed it. Turned out great. The menu is not as big as it used to but nevertheless there is something here for everyone!

Jessica C.

Me and my friend came here for drinks on the patio and we did not enjoy our experience. Setting: the restaurant was pretty much empty when we came in at 1:30 p.m. There was one server for inside and outside. We asked if we could sit on the patio and he seemed hesitant to seat us out there but allowed it anyway. It was evident that others have been out on the patio before us as garbage from the table beside us was still there. Our table was caked in a layer of dust, probably from the fall/winter so we wiped it down ourselves with wet naps. A freshly chewed piece of gum was stuck on the back of a menu and when my friend set it down, it stuck to the table and left a sticky, minty mess. Drinks: We ordered a pitcher of margarita for $22 which doesn't sound too terrible. We got around 1L of margarita which came with 6 oz of tequila and two glasses with salted rims. The margarita came out a bright turquoise colour and when I tried the drink, it straight up tasted like tequila water with food colouring. None of the triple sec or lime flavours were evident at all, as stated on the list of ingredients. I have never had a drink taste this bad in my entire life. Service: The waiter was nice but unprofessional. He saw us once to seat us, once to hand us the drink menu and our drink and then never again for the hour and a half we sat out there. Conclusion: Symposium is not where you want to be to get a cocktail in Markham.

Annie C.

Bad experience. Decided to try this place out for their early bird breakfast (weekdays before 11am). My husband got their regular eggs breakfast and I got their western sandwich. It states on the menu that all early bird sandwiches come with your choice of a fruit cup or breakfast potatoes. I opted for the fruit cup but they said they were out of fruit. No biggie, I said I was fine with the breakfast potatoes. A few minutes later, the waitress comes back and apologizes and says that the chef said my breakfast sandwich did not come with breakfast potatoes and that it would be an extra cost if I wanted them. I was a bit confused and mentioned that the menu clearly states that they do come with, and she continues to say "the chef said no" - she then said that their computer system wouldn't allow the breakfast potatoes to be "free" and that they were going to change the menus that day to reflect "their new early breakfast sandwich without the potatoes"... I didn't want to argue or pay for potatoes that I was technically owed so I said no to the potatoes. Also - the waitress had asked if I wanted cheese or tomatoes with my sandwich and I said yes to the tomatoes. After what happened with the potatoes, I asked if the tomatoes were an extra cost and she said yes 35 cents, which was fine so I still opted for it. Again not a big deal but I would have appreciated it if she was transparent about the extra cost from the get go. Overall a negative experience and left feeling super nickled and dimed. We will not be returning.

Cherrie T.

I'm surprised that I have never heard of Symposium Cafe. Apparently, they are all over Ontario, and with many more stores opening soon in the GTA! They also have fantastic daily specials posted on their website - '7 reasons to keep coming back' - awesome deals! Located in a small plaza on the SW corner of Kennedy and Major Mackenzie, this lovely cafe has a cozy, causal and friendly atmosphere. You can definitely smell the sweet aroma of crepes and waffles right when you walk in :D Super packed on this Friday night, be sure to make a reservation! Overall, food was quite good. We ordered a few items to share :) I really enjoyed the pulled pork flat bread - it was very delicious - made with a thin crispy dough topped with lots of pulled pork and cheeses *must order flat breads*!! The marinara mussels had a very tasty broth; I shall come back on Wednesday for their mussels special ;) Salmon with pesto sauce on rice was nicely presented, and the sauce went well with the salmon (I'm not a big fan of salmon, but I will give this a pass!) And lastly, we ended our meal with waffles topped with fresh fruits and vanilla ice cream :D #spoiled Okay, on to service. I liked that fact that the manager always addressed me by my name and made sure my party of 9 was doing alright from time to time that evening. However, I was not too pleased with a couple things that had happened during dinner service - minus the minor issues of slow service and that my salmon order was missed (I understand that it is still a relatively new establishment, so I'm not too picky about that.) 1) Chairs were missing from our reserved table. A couple of my friends had to awkwardly stand and wait for chairs to become available while others were seated. Offer temporary folding chairs or stools perhaps? 2) Ordered a bottle of rosé wine, but waiter decided to give me a dry red wine instead because they ran out of rosé and said that it is similar to a rosé. Uh, no. Please don't make that decision for me. I would rather pick something else; I dislike red. I will still come back and give this place another try... they have such a large menu from breakfast, lunch to dinner and late night desserts. I'm sure service will improve over time and with more training. Keep up the good work, Symposium!

Vannesa A.

This cafe has daily menu specials. Food has been good and service as well. I ordered Eggs Benjamin. The refilled coffee is not the same as the first one. It was light in colour, doesn't taste coffee. I thought they gave me tea but it's coffee and taste water with colour.

Jennifer K.

I got really excited that Symposium open up right in my neighborhood. Why? Now I can get a $3.75 burger with $3.75 beer every Mondays! $4 Martini on Wednesdays with $9.95 mussels Date Night $40 for 2 and 1/2 L of Wine for $10 Daily Early Bird Breakfast and Dinner Specials on top of Happy Hour Special. Opens till 2 am on weekends and 1 am on weekdays when no one else really opens around here. The dining area is a little smaller the other locations I have been to. Just hope it won't get super busy. If you want to come catch a sport game, there are only 3 tv at the bar area. $3.75 Caesars from 11~3 pm... I love Specials! Btw, the burger was juicy and really good and so was the service!

Karrie C.

Been to several Symposium locations, but the best one I've been to, hands-down, is the Markham locations at Kennedy and Major Mackenzie. Before I moved to Toronto (from Markham), Symposium Cafe in Markham was my go-to spot for late night eats and drinks -- but today, I decided to head over for their 2-for-1 cake slice special on Sundays! The staff has changed since the last time I visited the establishment, but the manager (or supervisor -- not too sure) was very good. He made sure that all customers were attended to and that the service provided was efficient and friendly (even though he was busy training new employees as well). In addition to the good service, the cakes were delicious. From the Hummingbird to the Brownie Chocolate Cheesecake to the Tuxedo cake, all portions were adequate (and they did not serve smaller slices of the cake than usual because of the special). Definitely miss this location -- and will be back again soon! P.S. Their flatbreads were also on special today -- be sure to try it if you get a chance! They are delicious!

Alexander S.

Incredibly careful and clean environments inside and out. Probably the finest spinach dip served with warm triangle squares we've had. Jumbo hot wings like you would have in your favourite pub, and the world according to me was revealed in the most incredible carrot cake, served with what they are known for - incredible coffees.