Unfortunately they have gone to the buffet style. I find it kind of expensive to begin with. The food sat around for a period of time. It was nearly cold and stale. There were no take out containers so it had to be thrown out. The service was the usual high standards and the atmosphere was great. But I won't be returning. read more

Great space for a small wedding, food and service were great. I was a guest and found the place had a great atmosphere for a Fall wedding. read more

Temple's Sugar Bush - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Lanark, Ontario

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I had previously reviewed Temple's in Spring 2014 - and had provided some thoughts on areas for possible improvement. Moira, the new front-of-the-house manager at Temple's was looking at reviews online, found mine and reached out to me, letting me know she was their new manager, that she had read my review and that they had addressed many of the items I had noted previously. She invited us to come back and check them out - so we did. (A side note: I *love* when businesses read my reviews and *listen*. I have about 430 reviews at this point, and only about 1% of businesses actually respond - so as soon as they make the effort to reach out and tell me they are listening, the business rises is my esteem.) Today Hubby and I made the trip to Ferguson's Falls and Temple's Sugar Bush - timing it to avoid the crowds and line ups. I thought we'd be able to sneak in, order and eat with some anonymity - however, I was spotted as soon as I walked in the door, greeted, acknowledged as the person who had given them the review with all of the info in it - and whisked away to a table, given menus, and directed to the wifi password prominently displayed on the table (and every other table in my site). If you go read my previous review, you'll understand how really great this was. :-) Special note: their wifi password was a wonderful advertisement for their non-maple-syrup season use of the facilities, when they do a lot of weddings. (I had no idea!) Great use of a password! Loved it. We already knew the food was great from last year. Hubby got the Sugar Bush Pancake Meal (can't go wrong with that) and I tried something a bit different - the Wild Blueberry Special, which is pancakes with wild blueberry preserves and maple whipped cream. My meal was delicious! I also learned that the sausages are made in-house. By the way - their coffee (which we didn't try last year) is delicious too. I'm a bit particular and coffee, and was very happy with the cup I ordered, so that's a bonus. We did note tweaks that made a big difference to our visit, compared to last year: 1) A sincere greeting as we approached the hostess station from a friendly person. 2) Smiles on everyone's face. 3) We paid at the table instead of at the cashier which alleviated traffic problems in the front entrance that we noted last year 4) The baked goods had been moved over to be with the other store items, again alleviating crisscrossing traffic and making the flow in and out much smoother 5) no more grumpy signs. (Yay!) All have been replace with cheerful signs. 6) Staff were pro-actively approaching tables to check if all was well and was there anything more they could do. (Wonderful!) 7) Our server was friendly, smiling and willing to express an opinion. 8) There were garbage cans by the maple taffy, so you could throw out your stick. Maybe they were there last year and (because we were seated in the middle of the room) but also noticed a lot of old pictures related to the property - including one of Charles Temple shaking hands with Prince Phillip, found on the way to sugar shack. (Very cool). Mr. & Mrs. Temple came and introduced themselves. Charles made a point of saying "thank you for the best bad review we've ever received" and that they really appreciated the constructive feedback. He also spent some time on some of the challenges of running a sugar bush and mentioned some of the neighboring sugar bushes that were definitely worth a visit and why. (Love the support of the community.) All in all, I'm happy that Temple's listened to the feedback that was available to them, and reached out to let me know they listened. Awesome customer service, and my rating of them has changed significantly. Hint 1: For the best visit, get there before 9a or after 2p maple season. If you can, go Wednesday to Friday. The weekends are off course the busiest - and it sounds like a sunny day brings out the crowd - so picking an overcast day may be a way to save a wait in a lineup for breakfast. Hint 2: Plan for a walk through the property. Allow about an hour. Grab a laminated brochure in the sugar shack to get the most benefit. Hopefully you are there on a day when the sap is running for maximum impact. Take a look at the holding tank behind the shack - and the other one in a shed further back on the property. Pretty impressive, especially when they are full. Hint 3: Buy their pankcake mix. It cooks up as good as the ones they serve. Would I recommend: Yes. Would I return: Yes. read more

I did really enjoy our morning at Temples sugar bush; when we arrived, we went right the for breakfast! We ordered the Breakfast-for-four special and made good work of it between us even though there was a LOT of food: Pancakes, ham, sausage, eggs, beans, fruit, so much food. We all had endless coffee and one member ordered an apple juice, which came in the form of a little juice box - there was some teasing. The space is beautiful, and would really be lovely for a wedding. My guess is that the location has shifted to more of a wedding venue instead of a "just a sugar bush" - why can't it be both? After breakfast, we enjoyed a little walk around the grounds to see the sap flowing. This would be where Temples looses a star for me, sorry guys. They have some signage identifying trees, and a processing room that looks quite impressive, but the "sugar bush experience" was a little lacking. Even the taffy sticks are made inside. It was still a lovely morning and we are happy to have finally shared something very Canadian with our friends, but it would have been nice if there was someone in the processing room to show explain the process, or even just pouring the taffy outside on such a beautiful day! I would go back, but I think I will search around the other sugar bushes first. The food was very good, but I think we might be able to find something a little closer to Ottawa with the full experience. read more

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Good waffles, good beans etc. Food was quite good. We unfortunately waited 30 mins in line on a weekend. then waited 1.5 hours for food. When we asked to speak with manager we were comped for our food. They now have a buffet apparently where you get seated and can serve yourself right away. I would try it again if they invited me for free but would not take a chance for $20 per person. We had to drive more than 1 hour to get there. Property is nice, building is beautiful inside. It's not worth the risk for us though. Hopefully, if you go, the buffet allows you to eat fast. We went 2 years ago during maple season. They are clearly successful but no one should wait 2 hours to eat. I am not kidding a full 2 hours. Being starved we had to debate waiting more or driving somewhere else 30 mins away to find food. read more

I had a lot of fun at Temple's Sugar Bush and, while it is a little out of the way from where I live, I would go again. Our group of four ate brunch there, and opted to try their "Sugar Bush Brunch" for four people (note: there is an option for six if you so desire). It consisted of: buttermilk pancakes, deep dish omelette & home-fries served with sausages, peameal bacon, fresh fruit and maple baked beans. Given that the theme of the establishment is sugar oriented, our lunch was appropriately accompanied by local maple syrups tapped from their tree farm. Suffice to say, my meal was rather sweet (but in a good way, not in an "I want to die" way). Once our meal had concluded, we wandered on out and went on a walking trail through their tree farm. While it was a shorter walk than I had originally anticipated, it was nonetheless interesting to see all the interconnected tubing that was set up amongst the trees. Inside their main building, before you enter the restaurant, is a shop where you can purchase baked goods, bottles of maple syrup, and even get a stick of maple syrup cooled on a barrel of ice (very cool, pun intended). My wife and I purchased a loaf of cinnamon infused baked bread, and it is possible I have since developed a bread addiction. I strongly recommend picking up a loaf for yourself and trying it out, it makes for a mean French toast at home. The staff were friendly, bilingual and their location was kept clean. Overall, I would recommend this sugar shack experience to my friends. read more

I have yet to come here during maple syrup season, but recently was here for a wedding, and thought it was a stunning venue. Soaring maple beams and beautiful craftsmanship make the inside of the building breathtaking, but it was the outdoor part of the ceremony that really blew me away. Stunning gardens and trails lead to an open space that is surrounded by flowers and trees. There were butterflies everywhere, likely due to the choice of flowers, and it created a perfect scene. Another excellent detail here is the loft seating, which is lovely for those wanting more room. The service was also great, and everything was set up to the bride's specifications, which is always awesome. What really blew me away here was the food. I always find wedding food a bit blah, but this place blows it out of the park. We were served family style, which I love. We still had options (chicken and salmon), as well as roasted vegetables, and other deliciousness. The cool thing was that many of the dishes incorporated maple (maple cheesecake for dessert!), and I thought I was really lovely to tie in the venue's roots. This place is so close to five stars, but the one problem was that the handicap bathroom was out of service for at least half of the event. I thought this was a pretty big deal as the only other bathrooms were downstairs, and anyone with mobility issues would not have been able to get down there. Otherwise, this place was fantastic. I hope to attend another wedding there, and go for the maple syrup season! read more

Excellent venue for a wedding! This rustic chic cabin provides great food, good service, full bar and a beautiful space for entertaining. There are very high ceilings with additional seating in two lofts that allows guests to spread out. Temples also laid out a coffee, tea and apple cider section for guests that was available all night. It appears that my friends picked the same menu as the wedding attended by another Yelper so I will copy it below. Everything was very delicious. The meat was moist, the vegetables were properly cooked and served hot. Nothing was soggy or left sitting around to dry out which can sometimes happen at these large catered events. My personal highlight was the maple cheesecake which was served in a cute little jar. Yum!! Hor D'oeuvres: Greek salad on a stick, bacon wrapped dates, salmon crustini Appetizer: butternut squash soup Main: chicken, salmon, salad, roasted vegetables, roasted fingerling potatoes Dessert: maple cheesecake read more

We came here one snowy and cold weekend seeking traditional Canadian fare for brunch and we got it! We ordered a sharing platter for four which came with pancakes, beans, sausage, ham, and potatoes. I enjoyed everything that came and we definitely got our money's worth. The decor of the restaurant was cute and the ability to walk around the forest after was welcome given how much we had eaten. I haven't been to other sugar bushes so can't compare but this was a fun experience. read more

What I adore about Temple's Sugar Bush is the building, while many sugar bushes are in weathered buildings, Temple's Sugar Bush has a Timber frame structure with vaulted post and beams ceiling and cozy stone fireplace. The menu offers a variety of single plate or family-style sharing platters of all the dishes you might expect to go with maple syrup such as pancakes, bacon, waffles, and french toast. Everything I ate tasted wonderful, my only complaint was the plastic cups the side dishes were served in. read more

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Temple's Brunch was absolutely delicious, but be prepared to pay a lot for it. The shop/restaurant are beautiful, it's true, but the maple sap walk left a lot to be desired. If you're in the neighbourhood give it a go, but we won't be driving there from Ottawa again. read more

Well, sadly, a victim of its own success, I think. Went Sunday morning arriving there at 9:15. We were at the end of "the first wave", and so had to wait 30 minutes to be seated, and then another 15 in the line for the mandatory buffet (the only food option on Saturday and Sunday, the regular menu available on Wednesday to Friday between 9am and 3pm). So, first thing: two of us wanted things not in buffet, notably fried eggs, toast, and belgian waffles with fruit compote. Normally standard, now lost to the mass table of "cafeteria food". To be fair, the line at the buffet disappeared around 10 o'clock, but the next wave of people had lined up out the front doors, which had to be propped open in minus5 temperatures to accommodate the flood. In essence, the food was cold, the coffee was cold, the "frittata" was a massive baking pan with eggs and stuff in it, topped with flavourless melted cheese. The maple syrup "station" had a pump-jug half full of watery maple syrup. It was terrible. I am saddened to report this, because Temple's has been an annual outing for our family (It's just past Carleton Place, on the way to Perth, about 45 minutes from Kanata). It was pleasant. The spring coming back, the rural setting, the lovely log building, the maple syrup lines. The food has never been great, but has not been this mass-produced before. Of course I understand you want to be prepared for an onslaught of customers if you are blessed with one, but I suspect the kitchen is not built with warming lights (or else there is not enough time to warm anything), the coffee pot is set down by harried staff on a cold counter and picked up when they snatch it in passing, that kind of thing. The large bowls of food had to be refilled almost continuously, which means that the pancakes, for example, sat in the kitchen having been fried in advance, in similar large bowls, getting cold and soggy all the while. I love the place. The serving staff seem nice enough. The venue advertises that it is available for weddings and special events. Personally, based on today, I would not book a large event there if I had more than one hundred people, AND if they did the catering themselves. The buffet was $20 per person. A poor value. We sat at places along very large communal tables, reminiscent of Oktoberfest tents. Their maple syrup and products are available for sale on site, but I have found grocery stores in Ottawa with equal quality at lower prices. So I hope you can see how idyllic an adventure this once was, and I can only hope that the financial success this year may lead to better capacity and food quality measures. We won't be back unless something changes here, so thanks, Temple's, for the years of goodness. We hate to see you go. read more