4.5 rounding up to 5 I've been a patron for decades and in fact thought I'd left my two cents on the table here years ago. I've been in a little more often recently, so here we finally are. The restaurant is situated in the heart of southern end of Colossus plaza, along with ample parking and patio tables that are sheltered by solid plexi partitions and umbrellas. When you go in, you'll be greeted and invited to choose a table. Water and menus arrive shortly. Recently, they've developed a rotation of daily specials which are quite a bang for the buck. On my latest visit, I opted for the $9.95 Friday fish and chips, which came with cole slaw and of course, tartar sauce and lemon. You can also choose from regular or malt vinegar. I was really impressed with it. The portions were not skimpy, except maybe the slaw, but I really liked the dressing on it foe being neither too salty nor sour. I like that their fries have the skins on. They are cooked nicely. My daughter went with the Philly cheesesteak sandwich and an upgrade of poutine, which she ordered because she liked it so much the last time. It's not a bad deal for $26. She also had a strawberry daiquiri, $10, which was up to and over the brim, and very tasty. The lime and strawberry garnishes were super fresh and tasty. I stuck with Coke Zero. I appreciate that it comes with refills. The staff are friendly, attentive and professional. While our server took care of most of our needs, two other different staff also filled in to bring out food and drinks. I like that they work as a team to ensure customers are well taken care of. My biggest recommendation for improvement would be replacing a number of the bench seats that need either surgery or to be put out of their misery. I know this place has been around for ages, but it doesn't need to look like it's gonna die from neglect. The rest of the decor is actually beautiful, and I love the mix of windows and low light. So long as prices don't get higher, I can keep looking forward to enjoying this venue. It's a solid return-to place for me. read more

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We met friends for lunch and had a mixed experience. It was Thursday and the dining room was maybe 1/3rd full. Two servers were on for the lunch service and they seemed busy without being overtaxed. Our friends got there first so we walked right in and there were menus already on the table. We ordered soft drinks and our meals and became engaged in conversation. Drinks arrived without undue delay. Regrettably I can't say the same about our entrees, it felt like these took somewhere around 15-minutes between ordering and the meals at read more

I wonder why this place only has 3 stars. It is great. The food is hot and was quickly delivered to my table. I ordered a rice/ chicken bowl and a caesar salad. Of course some wine as well. Great experience. This place is a great date restaurant. Just saying. The staff was fresh and accommodating. I Highly recommend this place. read more

This was my second visit to this Symposium location. I was apprehensive about coming here again because the first time, pre-pandemic, the service wasn't good. Happily, service has improved immensely. The waitress was friendly and attentive. We were allowed to linger after dinner since they weren't too busy on a weeknight. The patio was large with a variety of high and low tables. Not all patio tables had shade. With the burger, you have a choice of a single or double patty and it comes with a Mediterranean salad. The burger was thick and had plenty of toppings to chose from. I liked that the salad dressing and other condiments were on the side to let you personalize your meal. I asked for no onions on the burger but still got onions. Oops! Since the Woodbridge location is surrounded by stores and other restaurants, there's plenty of parking. What's with the sign above the main entrance? It looks terrible and needs to be replaced (see photo). read more

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Surrounded with other stores, one might visit the restaurant before or after shopping. The decor is similar to other another Symposium that I've been too. The tables are separated due to the pandemic. The waitress was friendly. The washroom was alright. Many choices for food item, but apparently don't order their salads. I had the salmon salad which was not filling and not fresh!! The white mushrooms had brown dots on them and some where just brown. Scary uncooked mushrooms! The salmon piece was small fora $22 dish at this type of restaurant. Yes it was pricey for the portion that I got. My partner had their seafood pasta and the sauce was the best part he said. However he realized not everything described in the menu (of seafood) was cooked in his dish. Missing ingredients?? Yikes!! I think they are known for their desserts. So maybe just go for desserts not food. I honestly wouldn't go back anytime soon. read more

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We arrived around 11am for brunch on the patio and it was still pretty empty, but traffic picked up around noon. There were a lot of options on the menu and we were happy with our choices. The Cuban sandwich was tasty and had lots of fillings, but the pulled pork was a bit dry. The breakfast potatoes were seasoned well and very crispy, but I was very thirsty afterwards. The waitress was friendly but disappeared after we finished our food because I think she knew we were catching up and wouldn't need anything else. However, this made getting the bill difficult and took quite some time. read more

Symposium Cafe Restaurant - East Meets West crepe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Woodbridge, Ontario

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I used to give Symposium excellent reviews, but not anymore. A couple of recent experiences have made this the worst restaurant ever. It's too bad, because the food us really good! First, I tried to book a brunch just before Christmas for a large group. Symposium refused to take my reservation. I ended up booking this elsewhere, and they were more than happy to take my reservation! We spent quite a bit of money there too that day. Second, it was my birthday, so I thought I would take advantage of the free dessert I have always received at Symposium in the past for birthdays. Recently, the waitress charged us for my complimentary piece of cake! When I asked her about this, she said I must have misunderstood something?!?! My husband and I have spent hundreds of dollars at Symposium over the past 10 years and sadly, we will NOT be returning to Symposium in 2023!! read more

We had lattes and a shared strawberry short cake slice. I thought the presentation of the latte was unique in a tall flute glass, I just found it pretty hard to drink lol. I think a beer mug would be easier. The cake was not dry it was served with drizzled sauce and icing sugar. I would have preferred a serving of vanilla ice cream or something it just felt like I was missing something. Service was attentive but I never got his name... No crying babies here, great place for meetings. read more

$4 Martini on Wednesdays with 32 different ones to choose from!! Which one? Which one? I really know where I am going to hang out to wait for anyone on Wednesdays!! Symposium Cafe!! Not to mention Unsecured WIFI connections and I got seated right next to the outlets.. I really don't mind that anyone to show up whenever ...take your time. The tables though are weird it being a little high,, or maybe just me being short? Espresso Martini - Vanilla Vodka combined with Kahlua and a cold espresso is just delicious! What should I try next! Noise level is high but manageable. But that nice smile of dessert : freshly made crepes/waffles are the hardest to resist. Services though is a little slow..but full house on a Wednesday night! read more

Symposium Cafe Restaurant - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Woodbridge, Ontario

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Great restaurant to visit! Customer service is amazing! Everyone is so friendly! Our server Aldo was extremely attentive and took great care of us, and met all our needs! Always have a great smile on him! The food was pretty as good as well. Maybe a little on the salty side on a few things, but overall it's above your average full service restaurant. The atmosphere was nice especially they get a lot of natural light. I would definitely visit again, most likely would request in Aldo's section again if I could, highly recommend! read more

Good place to go for a drink or too. This place is much smaller compared to the pics online. I didn't have any but the desserts looked really good! Great presentation! I will come back to try their menu. read more

My friend and I came here for a quick dinner before the movies. It was on a Friday so the special was fish and chips, Two pieces and a side for 11$ I believe. The service was pretty quick and the server was pleasant but the food was slightly below average. The battered fish were more soggy than crispy and The fries were okay as well. I most likely won't be back as this cafe isn't really my cup of tea and there are plenty of food options in the area. read more

Symposium Cafe Restaurant - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Woodbridge, Ontario

This restaurant is open for patio service only due to current COVID restrictions. We came in for Brunch last weekend and we had a great time. Our server was wearing a mask and the restaurant appeared to be doing their due diligence in following the necessary protocols. We had some challenges getting into the establishment - their front patio set up prevents wheelchair users from accessing the entrance using the slope. We got in by lifting the wheelchair over the curb which was difficult. There is a Wheelchair accessible bathroom inside, if needed. The brunch menu had a good variety, and we loved having boozy drink options. We tried the mimosas and would highly recommend the Sangrias (White). overall is was a pleasant experience. read more

Came for brunch on a Sunday afternoon place was packed!! They have a pretty extensive breakfast menu including omelettes, French toast, waffles and poached eggs, and we were able to try all three types of eggs Benedict as well as the avocado toast. The food came out quickly and the eggs were cooked fresh to order. The avocado toast was tasty and a lighter alternative to the eggs Benedict. The hollandaise sauce I ordered on the side added some fantastic flavour although was not worth the 2.95 I was charged for it! Aside from that the eggs Benedict, Benjamin, and Florentine tasted great with no complaints! I would recommend ordering the waffles to share if you're in a large group. Overall, great breakfast option in Woodbridge! read more

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Food was ok and hence there's still 2 star. But the service at this particular cafe symposium was bad (other ones I've been to were ok). The waitress mixed up my friends order and it would've been ok if that was the end of it. But then our food came out late. Then nobody came back to serve us and we had to tell our waitress to come over to clean things up and we had to tell her to give us the desert menus. And then after that, more waiting... At the end, more trouble with the bills and we had to tell them to fix it. It's not just the waitress, it's the poor management. The manager was not very good at handling the situation, instead of apologizing on behalf of the entire restaurant, he threw the waitress under the bus for all troubles. Sad. read more

We came here on a lunch meeting spontaneously, believing it would be wayy better than we experienced. It wasn't my first time here but the experience was definitely a downer for everyone involved. Food; the food was OK. And no more than that. Nothing special. We started with water, all of our cups were super dirty and looked like it had been drank from before. I had ordered a Greek salad with Salmon - it looked good but the salmon was over cooked, very dry, and had absolutely no flavour. My bf got a breakfast meal and he was content with his. Our friend got the chicken pesto, and he was satisfied with it as well. We also ordered 3 Cesar's, they all came out differently, one was more watered down than the other, and the little toothpick with the pickle, olive and lemon also had zero taste. Never had such a terrible Caesar. Cleanness; the seats were wet, I'm not sure with what, we cleaned it ourselves. Like I said the waters given were all soo dirty, and to top it off, the utensils were DISGUSTING! We sent them back three times! One of the utensils looked like it had some kind of ear wax - mold growth on it. The waiter kept saying it's water marks but I really wish I had taken a picture to show how distrusting it was. God forbid someone put that in there mouth without checking. Service; was terrible. We were greeted and told to sit anywhere. It took a very long time- over 20 mins for sure- until we placed our order. Our server took our order, finally - then disappeared. She did not say she was leaving or on break or anything at all. It got to a point that we called on another server to help us, and he just took over taking care of us because we just kept calling him. He wasn't that attentive to us, I suppose since we weren't really his table to take care of. Price; definitely more on the pricy side for what we got. We go to 'nice' restaurants because we expect good food, clean utensils and good service - this was definitely not the case here. The portions in the meals were mediocre, and I do not feel that they actually cared for the presentation of the food or the reputation of them as a food supplier. We ended up paying $100 for everything, I usually don't care for the money if it's worth it, but I do not feel like my money went to a good place at all. I gave them a two because the food was decent, definitely has room for improvement. read more

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I've embarrassed myself. I stopped in for breakfast looking for Eggs Benedict, my common measure of a good breakfast restaurant. Symposium does not look like a typical breakfast joint, with its cushy padded deuces and quads, warm, rich decor and an enticing desert counter. I asked the friendly waitress if the Hollandaise for the eggs benny is fresh or synthetic. She advised me that it depended on the day. I suspect not all the cooks can pull off a stable Hollandaise. I settled on the Banana Caramel French Toast. A few minutes later, six perfectly done slices of French Toast robed in a succulent caramel sauce with a generous punctuation of hot banana slices arrived at my table. The side of crisp bacon was exactly correct. I am a sucker for a good caramel sauce--not too sweet, with a rich buttery flavour and the right consistency. This was a handmade caramel, perfectly ambered without charring, and almost exactly the right amount (I always want just a bit more). How could this be any better? Maybe a dollop of fresh, stiff whipped cream on top. If this cook can pull off a caramel this good, why not Hollandaise? If this was a canned caramel--no, that is not possible. If I ran the place, the only thing I would address is the worn seating, and the gash in the leather couch at the entrance. It sends the wrong message about such a good restaurant. This is a great place. I intend to try it for lunch or dinner next time I'm in the area. By the way, if you don't want to be embarrassed like me, DO NOT lick the plate clean unless you are the lone diner... read more

Symposium Cafe Restaurant - Banana Caramel French Toast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Woodbridge, Ontario

I've been stopping in and out of this location for years. It's really, much like all other Symposium Cafes, the perfect catch all for all spot for all sorts of occasions. Whether you're coming for breakfast/brunch, coffee, a little work time, dessert, a meeting, lunch, dinner and even more recently cocktails and drinks. I've always enjoyed visiting this location due its central location, conveniently located near a lot of big box shopping, access to the 400 and 407 highways. I've never had the cocktails here but the food is always good. Is it super gourmet, not necessarily, but it hits the mark and you're never really disappointed. The portions are decent but for some of the meals the price to portion size can be a little expensive. They have a new menu coming soon which I've excited to try and I think even I could be persuaded to bump this to a 4 or 5. Nothing really wrong, nothing that is best in class but consistently consistent Eatcrest Out read more

Symposium accommodated our large group, however, the mojito pitchers were weak and unflavorful, and everyone's dinner was awful. The fish fry was soggy and mushy, the chicken and waffles was underwhelming, and the California sandwich was tiny and tasteless. This is not a gluten friendly restaurant, the gluten free pasta was served with bread on the noodles in a nondescript sauce. To top off a terrible meal, the womens room had a bloody tampon on the floor amongst many used paper towels. read more

Tried this place with family and friends on a Saturday nite for dinner and desserts. The service is mediocre, they are not warm and inviting, not even with kids. Ordered the veg flat bread, wasn't impressed and would rate a 4 out of 10. The steak bites were terrible and we sent back for not cooking the way we ordered, medium. Cocktails were ok, Moscow mules. Desserts were good. Crepes and waffles, would rate 8/10. read more

I never ate at Symposium before and one cold Sunday morning, we bundled up and headed on over. The staff was good, not super friendly but they did their job. The atmosphere is okay, It just didn't feel like the usual places I got for brunch but rather would probably enjoy the night scene alot better. I got the waffles with caramel banans and eggs. It was good, sweet and was what I wanted. No complaints. My bf for the crab cake with eggs benedict. The concept was good and it tasted good. The problem was that the crab cake was very thin and just didn't have much to it. It was a miss. The food was okay. I'm not jumping to go back to Symposium for brunch again as they are a lot better places around Toronto. I would go again to try the martinis for a girls night. read more

Symposium Cafe Restaurant - Mississippi Benedict... Poached eggs on top of crab cakes. Okay but very thin crab cakes - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Woodbridge, Ontario

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Great cafe/lounge, with a large selection of apps, entrees, sandwiches, desserts and drinks. Would have been a 4 stars but they ran out of hamburgers. The waiter mentioned that due to the hamburgers being a Monday special they got sold out of them at lunch time?! C'mon that's lame. So we ordered wraps instead, a steak wrap and a Symposium chicken tomato wrap. They were ok but nothing amazing. The place on the other hand is very nice. Candle lit tables, free wifi access here, cool roman murals on the wall, comfortable chairs, good R&B, top 40 mix playing in the back makes this a great place to chill. We'll be back.. read more

Symposium Cafe Restaurant - interior - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Woodbridge, Ontario

I have been here for brunch twice and their portions are large and they have a lot of options. As you walk in it smells amazing, but sometimes the lines are very long. The only negative is that their service is a little slow. read more

Worst customer service. Just to let you know they take their last call 40 minutes before..FOURTY MINUTES BEFORE..seriously.. Horrible manager. Rude service. Been a loyal customer but this one ruined my experience with Symposium. Would not recommend going to this branch or Symposium. read more

Thouroughly enjoyed my desert at Symposium last night. The fruit waffles dish was amazing, light and flavourful, a good mix of ingredients. read more

Symposium Cafe Restaurant - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Woodbridge, Ontario

Hasn't been updated in years! The chairs are falling apart and worn in.. the restaurant looks sad and dark inside. The staff are not very friendly .. Why are all the photos on here from the business?? Not big portions at all!! Won't be coming back. read more

Came here for an early breakfast, had NO idea they served lunch until I was already full. Great atmosphere, feels like a traditional cafe and not like a quick-service restaurant. The staff were super friendly, although they rarely checked on us throughout our meal (BIG pet peeve). I ordered some waffles with a chocolate sauce on top. The waffles were fresh, did not taste like any store-bought frozen food. Plate came with fresh fruit which was a nice addition to my already delicious meal! Would definitely go again now that I know that they serve lunch. 4 Burps out of 5. read more

atmosphere! i love it, nicely decorated, dim, and a good place for a chat/lounge. it's nice to be able to order drinks, food or dessert and not be obligated to buy food but if you do, it's definitely worth it. went for a monday special, burger night! i think around $3.75. wow i was surprised. not a disappointing burger at all for this price. fries need to be ordered additional though. also, dessert is a pretty good selection as well. MUCH better then nasty demetres. i'm sorry, but this place blows demetres to the dumps. two thumbs up! definitely worth a try. refund guaranteed if you're not satisfied! okie, well, that's something you should work out with the big boss there. but in all seriousness, drop by for some midnight dessert, b/c they do have pretty decent hours and decent food, plus it's a franchise! i'm sure you'll find one in your area. atmosphere: 5/5 (dimly lit, busy, couches) food: 3.5/5 (love that it's got a lot of variety - great desserts, drinks-coffee, bar drinks etc) price: 4/5 parking: 5/5 comfort: 5/5 (nice couches there) wait time: not really (packed, yes @90% full - i just hate going to dead cafes sometimes. and this was a MONDAY night. place pretty decent size) weekly specials: monday: Burger and Draft Night 3.75 each tuesday: Pasta Nights 9.95 wed: Martini and Mussels 4$, 9.95$ thurs: Date Night $40 for two sun: Two 4 One Cake Slices read more

I LOVE Symposium's all day breakfast!! I always get the egg breakfast and either a cappuccino or a chai latte, both made fresh and to order (personally I find them better and more authentic then Starbucks pricey version). The portions are big and the prices are pretty good. Also for the burger lovers out there, Monday is their cheap burger and draft beer night. Each under $4!! Not to be forgotten is their extensive martini menu, offering martini Saturdays where you can get a martini for $4! Personally, my favourite is the frozen chocolate martini as it is to die for. These are one of the places I will be back to time and time again :D read more

My boyfriend and I always come here! It has a nice atmosphere and feels like a cafe or lounge. They have the most delicious cripsy chicken wraps and their Asian salad is good as well. Their smoothies are also made from real fruit and tastes fresh. Only complaint here is that they serve their chicken tenders as an appetizer, so it does not come with a side. Their service is quite decent as well. read more

Symposium Cafe Restaurant - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Woodbridge, Ontario

This is a great place to grab drink on a Friday or Sunday night with a great selection of cocktails as well as appetizers and pizzas. If you need an espresso or latte with some dessert in the morning its also great for that. The crowd is mostly young except for the mornings where it's a big mesh of all ages. read more

My wife and I came here for a casual brunch and found the place to be a little nicer than I originally thought. We turned out to be a tad under-dressed, but that's okay. I can imagine this would be a popular place for dates because of the relaxing atmosphere, chic decor, and evening drinks / desserts. Anyway, we had brunch, Eggs Benedict and Tuscan Benedict were delicious. The Hollandaise sauce was so good that it didn't overly stand out and blended into the dish real well. We were also very surprised to find 3 poached eggs on our plates instead of the typical two eggs. Nice touch! The home fries were crispy and flavourful and came out piping hot. We also ordered an additional dish to share (we were starving), french toast with a salad bowl. The French toast was very tastey, and already sweetened so we didn't even need to open the syrup container. Service was friendly and swift. A much better experience than another Symposium location I've been to somewhere in the east end of the city. read more

BUSY! Especially on weekends. A group of us came here Saturday night (10-ish) and the lines to get in were long. We ended up waiting for 45 minutes-ish until a group finally left. Despite that, I can see why people still wait. The atmosphere is cozy but modern and even though with lots of people chatting, it's not so loud that you can't have a decent conversation. The menu is full-some as you can get a meal, or just dessert, or just coffee/coffee drinks and of course wine's and shots. This makes Symposium Café a any-time place to meet. My friends just wanted coffee and cake (by the way, on Sunday's they have a 2 for 1 cake special). The 7 layer carrot cake is MASSIVE! I tried a bite of my friends Strawberry Shortcake and it was sufficiently creamy with lots of white chocolate. YUM! Service was very attentive considering how full house the place was. The only downfall for me is that this place is soooooo far away from my boring uptown home. I would recommend this place as a great group-coffee-dessert-get-together place except the reality is often long lines on weekends. read more

Food was yummy!! We got a pitcher of white wine sangria for $13.99 which was great too.. If u like pineapple. Steak sandwich wS a little fatty but had good flavour. Onion rings were perfect. Service was ok. A little too much personal tlk between staff. Didn't bug me too much tho; ill def go back . read more

Symposium Cafe Restaurant - Crispy chicken wrap & Greek salad - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Woodbridge, Ontario

Great place for coffee and dessert! I have also been for dinner but would not recommend as there are many other places around for better dinner options. I would say a great place for casual date night or chill night out with friends- great place to chat and catch up. read more

This is honestly the worst meal I have eaten in years. I had the chicken souvlaki dinner which was under seasoned rubbery chicken and a side of souvlaki with no garlic. My husband had the jack Daniels steak which was overcooked and smothered in a sickeningly sweet sauce. Perhaps their breakfast and deserts are good but quite frankly I've lost my appetite. I would advise against eating dinner here. read more

I've only been here for breakfast and while the food was very good, I found it to be a bit on the pricey side considering what you get. Due in part to it's location and the fact it was a weekend, we had a nominal wait at the door. Certainly not the problem of the restaurant. Our service was not stellar....our server was over quickly enough but the wait time it took to order our food was abnormally long. We waited and waited while our server spent her time telling another employee how she spent the previous evening. Once our food came out...we never saw our server again and had to chase them down to get our bill. No offer for a coffee refill....no refill on tea.....nada. Considering there are so many other places for breakfast/brunch, I opt to go elsewhere. read more

By far the best symposium location I have been to. The manager who greeted my friend and I at the door yesterday at lunch was super friendly. My friend has a 2 month old so we came in with a stroller and the manager made arrangements for us to be seated comfortably which I thought was very nice! My friend also had to do a diaper change and this location even had a change table in the bathroom (bonus!) which you don't see often at many restaurants. Our server was nice too. She attended to us a few times throughout our meal (just enough times that we weren't like umm where's our server? or feel bothered by her check-ins). We grabbed some breakfast and the food was cooked just right! I'm always game for symposium breakfast!! read more

Symposium Cafe Restaurant - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Woodbridge, Ontario

Everything about this place is 'meh'. Not terrible, but definitely not good. It's like a great idea, poorly executed. You'd be better off to visit an actual greasy spoon if you want breakfast, or an actual italian restaurant if you want pasta. I mean geez, it's Woodbridge - you can't throw a stone without finding a place that makes a top notch pizza or pasta dish. This is not one of those places, though. read more

This place was better than I expected. The food was ok, but the service was really slow and they messed up my colleagues order by serving it to someone else first! So 4 of us were served while 1 was left waiting! Definitely a faux pas in my books! The food was ok, the atmosphere is nice, but I can tell why there's not too many of these around. read more