Reviews of Hooded Merganser Restaurant (Restaurant)

Carla Taylor

Service was extremely slow, took over 15 minutes for drinks. Food was a resounding average. Staff was not attentive or happy to be there.

Hello Dolly

Great food. Great view of the lake

Tyson S

The beef dip and wonton soup are adequately named favorites as they are delicious! Wine selection is good & they have their own gardens/farm. Sitting right on the lake is quite fun and original.

BC Valley Guy

To be completely honest I was surprised at how amazing this restaurant was! I didn’t expect much from , what I thought was, a tourist attraction (since it’s right on the water next to a big hotel). The burger was amazing, tuna sandwich was good and I probably had the best butter chicken in the entire BC! Wine list is great and very very affordable. Service was on point! Would definitely recommend :)

Marcus L

Loud, slow service and poor food (I had the curry dish and had to return it to the kitchen. My friend also had to return his dish and he vowed never to return). Prices are high. Nice view of the lake from most of the restaurant. Too bad the food was not up to the setting.

Remco Coesel

Incredible location with a wonderful view of the southern most tip of Okanagan Lake. Great food. Friendly, helpful and efficient service. Great experience overall. You won't be disappointed.

Chelsea Wagner

I usually don't write reviews, but I wanted to this time since I used to really enjoy your restaurant. We've been coming to your restaurant for 10+ years as locals and have always been impressed. We haven't been here since COVID-19 began and the menu change, however, we came in for dinner recently because the menu got some new items. We were quite disappointed with the food. Everything else- service, atmosphere, etc. was exceptional though. Some of the things we ordered were the calamari and poke bowl. Sadly, the calamari are completely different than they were in the past years- rings, burnt to a crisp, odd tzatziki. The rice in the poke bowl had giant clumps and was cold. We ordered other dishes and were not impressed- but I won't get into that. I gave a 4 star because I don't want your rating to go down, but I was not happy with the food or the menu change over the past few months. Please bring back past items to the food menu! We used to love your calamari (strips!), flatbreads, green thai curry, seafood pasta, smoked black cod, duck confit, creme brûlée, the list goes on. I, as well as all the other locals, would be very happy if you brought back the customer favourites. Until the menu changes once again I am sad to say I don't think I will be coming back :(

Ryan Moraes

Overall pretty solid food. Not everything was cooked absolutely perfectly but truly very good. Exceptional views and nice staff.

John Barclay

Wow - stunning views of sunset from almost every seat inside and out on the deck. Food was also top notch. Romantic vibes

Sherry Popke

Fantastic meal. Some of the other reviews seem disparaging and I don't understand why. I ordered a tenderloin steak, cooked Chicago medium, and the chef nailed it. Perfect.

Kerry Myers

Great atmosphere in a beautiful setting. I don't think you can get a bad seating since everything faces the lake. We opted for a booth as it was elevated above standard tables. Staff were friendly. Good selection of wines and beers. Salmon was a bit overdone and dry but other than that, everything was great.

Talid Jalbout

It was okay. I went in late August. It appears to be quite upscale. I found the menu jumped all over the place. There was sushi, a burger and fries option, then a few Italian pasta dishes. It felt like the restaurant couldn't decide what it wanted to be. The sushi was okay. And my main italian entrée was okay. I found the waiter took a long time to notice we were ready to order and even longer to refill our waters. I wouldn't go again.

Lori Goulet

Members of our party from Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver descended on this venue based on stellar reviews. Sadly, it did not live up to expectations. Service was abysmal; borderline arrogant and without remorse. None of us would recommend this restaurant. Buyer beware.

Samantha Lenz

Had a wonderful birthday meal here with my hubby. It was a little tricky for us to find it..especially with wonky GPS, but once there, it was well worth it.The view was gorgeous and the service and food was excellent. It was surprisingly reasonably priced. Our waitress had a great sense of humor, which was a bonus. We will likely come back again when in town.

Bradley Taylor

Cold winter night on OK lake. Had their Wonton soup to warm up....excellent!! Summer invites. Back for more ... and excellent attentive service !!!

Andy MacDonald

Went for a get together with some friends last night. Our server Josh was excellent and did a great job. The food was great. I am trying to switch to a vegan friendly diet. Lots of options. I had the chick pea curry and asked them to spice it a bit more than normal. They did an excellent job. Thanks to the staff at the hood for a great experience last night. We will be back!

Kristen Kemp

The food was spectacular and the service was great. We had a reservation during the evening which results in a slightly less spectacular view because it was dark but even the lights on the hills were nice. Highly recommended.

Michael Sidoni

So although I enjoyed the chicken club sandwich thoroughly my partner had the steak....not so good...it was tender but very bland...small portion for price and the whole dinner was bland....the staff seem to have lost the team spirit they had last year....i will go back but this was my partners first time here...he was disappointed...Josh still makes the best drinks tho

Lenore Mann

Location is really beautiful, the service was excellent, as was the wine selection. The staff tried their best to accommodate my allergies which I appreciated, but more menu options would be even better. Specifically, a vegan option would be amazing.

Miles Overn

3 of the 4 appetizers ordered, they did not have... The entree I saw online and went to the restaurant for, they did not have. This is a pandemic we are living in, not a drought. The wait staff did their job, and did it fine. It was a management issue and lack of planning. They just have to try a little harder.

Sandra Krauer

Great service, and a wide variety on the menu. Lots to look at out on the water. We didn't have to wait long for our table.

Dunkin Sailor

Service was excellent. Location scenic and serene. Food quality and price were very reasonable. A pleasant and enjoyable visit.

Kent “TnekNevram” Marven

The Hostess who was seating us could improve but once seated the waitress we had was so wonderful. I even told they girls at the front as we were leaving to please tell the management how awesome she was to us.

Taryn B

When I have company visiting from out of town I will always make sure to take them to The Hooded Merganser! The view is the best in town and the food is amazing. The only complaint that I have is sometimes the food takes a very long time to be served even when they have more staff than customers, but if that's my biggest complaint than that's a pretty big win for The Hood, and the food is always warm when it is served. I used to live very close so I would visit often, and there was never a time where I was unhappy with the food or service. It's not a perfect restaurant but I gave it five stars because it's the best one I've been to!

Gillian Evans

Beautiful location right on the water! Been coming here for years, consistent good food and great local wine selection. Call beforehand in Summer as they do get busy!

Mike B

My son and I were looking forward to eating here. However when we walked in we were told our only option would be to order takeout because..... in 30 minutes they would be at their peak busy time and be full.

Claudia Ruiz

Outstanding location but not up to par for a restaurant of this price point. If you think Covid measures are overblown then this is the place for you, no masks on staff and plenty of socializing between tables. Server was preoccupied with the younger tables power drinking and the food was meh. I won't go back.

Monique Th

Rude and refused to sit a party of 7 one day and a party of 6. Staff were rude and short with patrons in a place at 1/2 capacity if that! 10/10 will not go again !

Anita Bowles

Dinner

Angel Boss

Beautiful view, great food, beautiful and comfortable interior. Not too expensive and definitely worth the date night.

Andrew Henyecz

Great view but portions and taste have decreased. As a local, I bring lots of visitors there but that will change. Far too pricey now.

Ellen Boyes

Come here for the view, not the food. However, the entire promenade is so lovely, you need not be at this place to look at it. The food was unremarkable.

Tyrell Boake

Fantastic location with a great view. Food was... good

Percy H.

The food was just ok, nothing special and a little overpriced. The service was lacking, and on our particular visit, it wasn’t overly busy. We watched the server apply her lip gloss with her finger without sanitizing or washing her hands afterwards. The fake plants were covered in cob webs, which is very unappetizing. The general cleanliness of the establishment was seriously concerning. The views were about the only part of our visit that were worth the experience. -Sincerely, four unimpressed patrons.

David Dungey

Went for takeout. They're doing takeout/delivery 11am to 7pm during COVID. Order at reception in the lobby of the hotel.

Alison Sun

With the patio doors wide open and a nice breeze, we just enjoyed another breakfast at the Merganser. The poached eggs on avocado toast were perfectly cooked and the side salad had a very nice light dressing. My husbands ham and cheese omelette was perfectly cooked. His potatoes were slightly overcooked but he enjoyed them. Another person in our party had the waffle with blueberries. The waffle was really good but i would pass on the blueberries until fresh blueberries are in season. They were hard and not juicy. The whipping cream made up for it. Update:. Another great breakfast. Potatoes were cooked perfectly this time and the fresh cherries were enjoyed by all.

Rory Turnbull

The location and views from the restaurant were beautiful. The food was well presented and very tasty. We ordered a salmon burger, artichoke pizza, chicken tex salad, and ahi tuna salad. All very delicious. The only ' issue ' was that there was a group of people on the deck that appeared to be drinking heavily and they were quite loud... at one point there was a gentleman singing into a broom handle.. and at another point there was a young lady lifted and the man teased he was throwing her in the water. (I think alcohol should have stopped being served sooner? For everyone's safety - the restaurants too) Other than the situation outside the lunch was enjoyable... we were bringing my 82 year old father there for Father's day lunch.. the maitre'd seated us at very nice table and the staff were pleasant. I would like to try coming again. Maybe it was a once in a lifetime event.. Lol

Don McCormick

Service very good. Food poor. Sent first choices back-inedible. Second choices mediocre at best. Will try again next year.

Braeden Billey

I nearly always eat here when im in penticton. The brunch is amazing and the view is spectacular.

Joan Barron

Great view from patio. Relaxing atmosphere. Spicy green beans A+ Beef dip was a C at best.

Tori Smallwood

Beautiful view from the patio, great place to go for a bachelorette ???? our steaks were a little overcooked (ordered a rare and medium rare, got two medium rares). Overall, great experience!

Luke Smith

Great restaurant - period. The food was excellent and good-sized portions. Everyone at the table - 9 in all - enjoyed their meal although the pizza oven wasn’t working for the kids’ meals - they don’t count! The view was amazing, went for a nice stroll from the restaurant onto the lakeshore walk. The leftovers were just as good the next day according to my wife. Highly recommend - you won’t be disappointed.

Richard & Liz Bergeron

We have been here approximately 20 times over the past 2 years .we are from lower mainland but make a point to come here whenever we are in okanagan .They keep the food local for the most part ( correct me if I'm wrong )and the service is by far outstanding . The atmosphere is amazing even in the winter . I 100% recommend this as the best place to come for a nice meal in Penticton.The only thing that is disappointing is they had to cut the menu BUT this is everywhere because of covid ....so we have seen this everywhere but still like to go there and eventually I'm sure it'll be a bigger menu .

Alym Amlani

Service was great, the little ladies rack of lamb was perfect, my stuffed lamb chop was 30 sec over cooked but very close to being perfect. The atmosphere was nice and I would go back.

Reza Heidari

This restaurant has great views both from indoor seating and on the patio. Staff seemed nice. However, once I noticed that they serve foie gras on their menu, I chose not to stay and eat there. I understand the quick killing of animals for their meat, but foie gras is a controversial process of force-feeding geese and ducks with a tube to fattened them up to make the meat "very tasty". I didn't talk to the chef to get details about the foie gras they order in.

Veronica Shields

Best views, good menu, reasonable prices considering the location. You need to stop in at least once, if not repeatedly.

Tracey Savage

If you looking for amazing views of Okanagan lake while sitting over the water this is an awesome place for a quick stop for a beer or glass of wine. I cannot recommend the cocktails, they sound good in theory but they just aren't mixed well, really not sure why but some fairly basic drinks were very uninspiring. Food is ok, nothing to write home about but also not terrible.

Brandan Lee (DJ Lightz)

Beautiful views, lovely inside atmosphere and great quality food. The service I have recieved has always suited the place. If you're looking for a bit of an upscale night out you should give this place a try.

Bryan Birn

Great vegan food and a marvellous view in the daytime. Reasonable price too.

Jason D

Drove all the way out for the plant-based menu with our family and was told there is absolutely no vegan options because it was too early. Waitress said she didn't know if they could make anything vegan for us. Very unhelpful and poorly trained. Restaurant is not accommodating and I have a car full of disappointed people.

Donna R

Great service! Interesting menu and they are great with food allergies.

Sydney Pimiskern

The halibut dish was amazing and the service was fantastic. Sat outside with the heaters on and the manager brought us all blankets as well.

shari-lynn sare

Delish food, good breakfast, great service, and lovely scenery as you are literally on Okanagan lake ????

Linda Bird

The Hood Merganser We found this place by accident on the Aug 2nd long weekend, very busy everywhere else. The place is amazing, we sat on the Patio and the view is spectacular to say the least and even more so as the Sun went down. The food was excellent and very hot and their selection of BC wines was incredible. THAT SAID.... the service was inattentive to put it mildly and the server seemed to go everywhere else and forget about us. He bought water with him when we arrived but not once did he refill our empty glasses, I sat there waiting for another beer (they only sell sleeves or bigger for Guinness) and when I went looking to get another one he said ok np, 10 minutes later still no beer, I went up to the bar his answer was a little rudely, well the bars backed up right now, would have been nice if he told me that. When we paid the bill my wife was talking to him and he just left mid sentence. It would probably have been funny if it was a comedy skit on tv but not in a better class restaurant..

Michael Kostashuk

They are awefully late in service and does not even refill water. Today i went there on my son's birthday and they served the food 1:20 minutes late.... The food is not special either... Only thing one can go is for the view. Would not go there again.

Alex Suleiman

What a great place. Salmon was baked to perfection and the whole meal was an event. Outstanding.

N R

Very nice location on the lake. Very helpful waiter. She never made us wait. We will go back for sure.

Gregory Saunders

I loved the Ambiance and the location of the restaurant, but was disappointed in the food and length of time it took to get our meals. Very average food for what could be a high-end experience.

Jan Timmers (VE7JBT)

The view of this restaurant could bring me back over and over again. Take that into account and top it up with a bonus of having great food and great service. This is definitely a place to take people, knowing that the conversation will rarely get dry. Last time I went, I was just drinking water with my meal and it never made it to empty. Only complaint is the lack of sea taste in the calamari. Coming from Australia I expected a little more flavour. However, they came with dipping sauces and deep fried onion and peppers which helped the taste along. ** Recommended for daylight hours to take in the openness of such a surreal view.

R B

Amazing view Service was attentive Vegan foods options, lacking. Disappointing because it was one of the reason we wanted to check out the restaurant. Their vegan fondue was basically a bowl of their cashew mix with veggies. Not worth it. Their poke bowl was dry and flavorless. If you want vegan foods, Salty is the best place to go.

Eric Formo

The service and view were great. The food was tasty, but the quantity we got in our seared Tuna plate didn't match the price. The Korean dish was a big serving of mostly rice. Otherwise, I wasn't sure what they were going for between the price point of food and drinks and the dance music. I somewhat thought I was going to a fancier restaurant until I was surrounded by families.

Chanelle Dupre

Nice location at lakefront and in the hub of Penticton's tourist area. Romantic sunset can be seen from the patio. You do pay a premium to be at that location with prices a little higher than most other restaurants and menu selection is ordinary. The food was okay. It was really the experience to be at the tourist hub and be right next to our hotel that drew us there. But overall, a number of people including myself, say the food is very bland and tasteless. Nothing extraordinary. Good marketing to draw people there but not the best food experience.

Dora Decosse

The food was so so at best. The waitress left us waiting 15 minutes for the bill and then sent someone else. They really need to get someone more non small townish in charge of the staff.

Janine

The patio on the lake is the best in the Okanagan in my opinion. There is also a great wine selection here to go along with a fantastic menu. Definitely recommended!

Holgard Group

A huge shout out to Megan and "Moonbeam" for the outstanding service on our recent trip to Penticton. We had such exceptional service from Megan while sitting in the lounge. She was outstanding; friendly, personable, helpful and truly had a commitment to delivering an outstanding guest experience. We enjoyed it so much, we extended our stay at the resort and went back for dinner the following night, where we also met Moonbeam who delivered the same outstandingly friendly, personable service! We were so impressed, we shared our experience on our walks and know at least a couple other guests went based on our recommendation...and loved it! Thank you girls!

Sophia A

Was there last weekend with family. Loved the Cauliflower Steak. It was yummy. But our waitress was awful. She didn't know what a lime is and even ARGUED with us when she brought us lemon slices when we asked for lime slices. How can someone get to be a waitress in a nice restaurany without knowing the difference between a lime and lemon. And to be so rude as to argue about it?? But keep up with the vegan food. Thank you.

Maple Scot

Food tasted very good and reasonable prices. Located in a nice spot on the water. Good selection of food on the menu. Service was friendly. I will come back again to try some other items.

Josh M (tycrek)

Love everything about the place. Waitress was nice, not sure what her name was. Appies were great, dinner was delicious! One of our favorite places to go.

Joshua Zandbergen

We love it here! We come every year when we visit Penticton. Something on the menu for all of us in the family. Burgers to sushi to beautiful hearty salads. Service is really great here, attentive and knowledgable as I am gluten and dairy free. We continue to be impressed.

Organized Creative Design

Staff was nice. Food was disappointing for the price. Salad tasted very earthy, perhaps the lettuce wasn't washed properly? Chicken club was just okay and a bit soggy.

Francisco Rivas

Nailed it! After a poor experience elsewhere our evening was redeemed by Jefferson before heading to a concert. Great spot on the water!

Ms. Fancy

Amazing view and venue. Staff is super friendly but the food leaves much to be desired.

Louise Desabrais

Great location, server was great. Waited 1hr and 25min for foods to arrive. Slow as molasses. Food was awful. Not recommend .

K Angel

Service and server (Wendi) were awesome. Portions are small and need to be seasoned better.

Paul Nazareth

Fantastic food, great service and price Went here for breakfast and lunch on different days - consistent unabashed delight. Great espresso drinks. Food was high quality, well priced and portions were good. Atmosphere is wonderful, right on the water with lots of windows and vista views. Can not recommend more highly.

monturbo

Been here many times. Always good service andfood is 5 star. Was there early August 2020 and no servers were wearing masks. I ve been wondering why not ever since I was there.Ambience is great and is big reason why we go.

Cameron Wilson

Reservation made and as we arrived we were not escorted to our table but merely pointed to it. 20 minutes later still no one took drink orders. Complaint made and drink orders finally taken. Another 10 mins and still no drinks. Formal complaint made to manager and given another server. Amazing service for one round then back to previous server. She was much better but manager never did come to check if things were better. Will not ever go back!!!

Courtnay Boateng

The view is nice, the hour+ wait for eggs and toast is not so nice....while there are maybe 7 tables occupied.

The Remi's

View was nice, food was not. The waitress recommended the "spicy chicken" when I asked which one was better between that and their burger. Food took a long time and my dish was bland, other than the chilli flakes. Slow service at best... But a lot of dropped dishes. Food & service was overpriced and not really worth the view.

Nitish Nayak

One of the worst dining experiences I have ever had. Not to be snobbish or entitled, but when you charge your customers $80 for uncooked, bland food, then it's a shame to call your place as a restaurant. Their roasted potatoes that was supposed to be 'seasoned' with rosemary is nothing but baked potatoes with absolutely no flavor of rosemary or even a hint of any other taste. The jumbo prawns that was part of the "special" dinner had no taste whatsoever. The gravy was watery and I had to literally add salt and pepper to everything. My wife had ordered a vegetarian appetizer (which was btw the only veg option from the whole menu), where they literally cut and served raw broccoli and radish. I wish it had not been this awful after a wonderful day post beautiful day at the wineries, but it was indeed a very forgettable "fine dining" night out.

Jason Sixsmith

Lovely restaurant overlooking the lake. Great food abd service

Roja Andii

The balcony view and the restaurant decoration was really nice. The foods was good too, specifically the pasta that they have and I forgot its name. It was quite delicious!

Jenn Bergerman

Food was delicious and the view was spectacular! Great place for a romantic dinner.

Sonya Sokolova

Hooded Merganser - what a disappointment! We waited for 2 hours and watched people give up and leave. We were promised an hour of waiting so that we got a table inside. An hour and a half later, when it was already dark and cold, we were offered a table outside. After another half hour, we finally got a table - and another half hour waiting for the menu. When we finally got served it was clear some of our food had been done and gone cold. Cold mashed potato. Not even like warm steak. The waiter (very friendly indeed) offered to warm up the food, but the thought of steak in the microwave terrified me, so I went home hungry. Never again.

James Traynor

View great food good. Ordered a glass of Pinot Gris. On the menus it said $9. My friend and I had 2 On the bill they came to $28 for 2 glasses Maybe it was a bigger glass of not know but did not ask for a larger one. 2 wine came to more than the dinner. Not going back lots of better places in Penticton

okanagan1010

Not bad. Nice service and location, but the food is not great as other reviewers have commented. I would put it below that of cactus club or Earls in the city. Reasonable price and decent appies.

Grant Robinson

Worst service I have ever seen, it was empty and we got told there so busy. Waited around for 20 minutes with no server, then had to ask for server, waited another 10 mins, and had to walk out.

Tracy Wong

A great place ,lovely food very good value, great friendly staff,and a great view of the lake.

Linda Schmidt

Sat outside on the water, the heaters were nice and made this possible. The food was absolutely delicious, all four of us loved our meals. The cocktails lovely. Most importantly our server Megan was wonderful, best service on this entire trip. She was funny, informative, and made our evening.

Joseph Peterson

Megan was a delight, what a great, attentive and caring server! Enjoyed our lunch very much. The new menu is a hit!

Mark Karstad

Accommodating staff, good food, beautiful view, has outdoor patio

Blake Wagner

We went for dinner on our stay in Penticton. A very nice restaurant right on the water, unfortunately it was already dark being November. This is a great restaurant to have a cosy dinner. We started with some calamari it was served hot and came out of a fresh deep fryer. We ordered a bottle of Shiraz from Jacobs Creek which was aged and very good. For dinner we selected the lamb rack and a seafood dish. Both were served hot and well presented, some chefs really do care! For dessert we picked a chocolate dish which was excellent. the service was very good and friendly. the prices are pretty steep but then it is a tough going everywhere. I can recommend the Merganser for any special occasion, and we will be back next time we are in Penticton or in the area.

Angie Luu

based on the wait list we thought this would be the best place in Penticton. We waited 1 hour to get in. Surprisingly, while outside was a couple arguing with the manager to get a table, they had over 5 empty tables on the patio. I guess, letting people wait for a long time, it is their marketing strategy. Food was not that good. My steak was cold. And the focaccia too salty. The chicken wings...not far from KFC, lots of oil in them. The service, terrible. We were sitting outside and we saw the lady 4 times, once when we place the order, once when we got the drinks, once when our food was brought and with the bill. They were very busy with the young single guys inside... And to top it up...i had a spider in my plate the whole time, and i saw it when i picked up my last pc of meat. Horrible experience...

Sins Of Wanderlust

Amazing restaurant with fantastic views of the lake. The space is open and airy with choices for sitting outside, in the bar area or the restaurant proper. Food is fresh with many locally grown ingredients. A very flavorful and varied plant-based menu featuring Beyond "meat". Full bar with a large selection of local wine. Friendly and attentive staff.

Drew Hoeree

I go there for breakfasts and love it . I go there for dinner and love it. Down to earth real people staff. A good experience out . Great views ..

David La Rocque

Our waiter was great. The food was ok but not what you would expect from a restaurant of this statue. Pricing is what you would expect.

Andrew

Could be described as the nicest restaurant on the waterfront of Okanagan Lake. Great food and service. Reservations are a must, especially when it's the busy tourist season. During windy days, get a great view of sailboats out on the lake. In the evening, for supper, go a bit later and catch the last light of sundown on the water. Outdoor seating on the deck is nice when it's not too breezy.

Darce Man (Darceman)

The patio and lounge are beautiful. Staff were super friendly and attentive. Ordered the Thai Green Curry Bowl and it was absolutely delicious.

April Janele

The server was great but he seemed like he had way too many tables though he was running all over the place. I ordered the ribs and they were terrible. They were dry not tender and over spiced. There was barely any meat on the bone. However they redeemed themselves I sent it back and had the butter chicken which was fantastic and faultless. The server was nice and looked after us.

Shirley Buchanan

The emotional instability with the workers is a serious problem here.

Russ Philip

Excellent food, great views, exceptional service. Celebrated a birthday here and the staff were very accommodating.

Greek Filipino

Amazing restaurant that offer a nice view of the okanagan lake. Food is great and very affordable. It was our first time here and we are amaze of the inside and outside settings. The servers is very polite and friendly. Washroom is clean. This place is good for family and kids. Will definitely come back next year visit to Penticton.♥️♥️♥️

Jim Stickney

My first time in Penticton B.C, this restaurant was recommended to us. It was my birthday and I was with my fiancé and his cousin. When we got to the restaurant, I am not going to lie I was tired and a bit grumpy because of the time difference. Within seconds my mood changed, the atmosphere of this place was very lively, warm and welcoming. We got seated and Megan was our server WOW!! Love her she was great, she was friendly, on the ball and recommended a few things on the menu for us. I had the lamb from New Zealand, it was so good the meat melted in my mouth. My fiancé and his cousin also loved their food. Hooded Merganser exceeded my expectation, I would highly recommend this restaurant.

Paul Croes

Tried to go but the paid parking machine was inoperable. Doesn’t take cards. Took my $2. Wouldn’t take my $1 coins. Then wouldn’t give change. You can have my $2, and I’ll go eat elsewhere I suppose.

Larry Maguire

Our waiter was very good. Food was excellent and enjoyed our dining experience very much.

Christine Lawrence

Wake up every morning and go for breakfast at this place. I've never experienced such a luxurious breakfast place in my life thank you

Alex Miller

It was ok. Bread was too small for the chicken sandwich, avacodo was too thick for the sandwich, fell apart...

Brenton Holswich

Fantastic! Everytime i have gone its been great. Went in for dinner last night, had the Seared Tuna, and it wss cooked perfectly. I had such a great dinner i had breakfast for the first time there this morning, and again it was great. Atmosphere,service, scenery.... best restaurant in Penticton for sure!

Yahao Zhang

2 out if the 3 stars is for service, and the other 1 star is for the one dish. All other food taste not good. Some food even taste not fresh.. good location, but hard to get good seat.

Kat C

The Hooded merganser is a lovely place to enjoy lunch, overlooking the beautiful scenery of Okanagan Lake. Staff was very friendly and attentive. Service and food were excellent! A must for all!

Daria K

We were told about the restaurant when we were staying at the Penticton Lakeside Resort & Conference Center about it being one of the best in Penticton... that is definitely NOT the case. The views are stunning and it's a gorgeous restaurant. However the food is sub-par if that. We had Earls the night before and had a way better meal. My husbands pasta 'cream sauce' tasted just like straight skim milk without any salt and their chicken is literally pulled off of a rotisserie chicken as if I was buying it at the grocery store. Nothing about that meal was great by any means. I left thinking why did we spend that money when I could make that and better? I also didn't like the drink I was made and didn't drink it and she still charged me. Trust me if you want something quick and easy and you're at the resort fine, but I'd suggest going anywhere else before I'd go back here!

Glen Willmot

Nice views of lake. Not a lot of covid precautions. The service was excellent. Salmon good. Chicken club hard to eat with some gristle good local wines.

Jim Green

Absolutely delightful. Right on the water, 270 degree view of the water. Doors open in the summer to create a fresh open air environment. Incredibly well priced delicious meals.

Simon Moore

Lovely views of the lake and a marina. Great food and friendly staff. Half chicken and rib rack was awesome.

Leanna Booth

Grant (Greg?) was very rude to us. We showed up in a group of 7 and many tables were open. He alleged that they were completely booked up; he clearly didnt like how we looked and was discriminating against us as the restaurant was nowhere near booked. There were at least ten tables open.

Ricardo Melgoza

Excellent restaurant inside the Penticton Lakeside Resort. This restaurant is right on the lake Okanagan and has magnificent views. Food is great. The service was ok during our stay but that changes depending on who is serving you that day. It was a bit pricey too.

Arash Salamati

This is a place I come to visit every single year we go up to penticton. As you walk in you get a feeling walking on the surface of the water. The staff are kind, helpful and welcoming. The choices for items on the menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner are excellent and so elegantly presented it adds to your overall experience. If you go to penticton go to this place.

Csaba K

The Hooded Merganser is one of our favourite restaurants. It has a lovely setting on the lake, nice décor, great staff/service and excellent food at a good price. The menu has options for everyone. Executive Chef Chris Remington does a lot for the community besides taking care of the restaurants at the Penticton Lakeside Resort. We are fortunate to have the 'Hood' in our city.

Tyler Mcloughlin

Great view, I had the creole chicken and it was OK. Chicken was cooked slightly overdone and presentation was simple at best.

John Haslam

Tried to book a reservation for this evening, we did so 2 days ago and had no issue. I was told this morning not a chance. Not usually a big deal but my father is in a wheelchair and has very little mobility. For someone to not even try and understand is aweful. He requested to go back to your restaurant for his last evening here and an effort could have been made.

C. R.

Excellent service and ambience, let’s establish that. We were seated right away. However it took forever to get our main dishes (1 hour 15 min from the time we had our appies served). Food was too fresh, I never add salt to my food but I did to everything served here. Drinks were mediocre, had better Moscow mule at Red Robins. Nice place but I definitely won’t be eating here again.

Moody Moose

Came here for the Thanksgiving Dinner 2020 and it was so good decided to come back. Got the Hood Burger and I suggest it if you're a burger fiend such as myself. Nice staff, tasty food, good beer.

Jason Walsh (Golden Gecko)

Went here for breakfast after staying at the "resort". You pay for the view - food was overpriced for the quality, it wasn't bad, just didn't meet expectations. The atmosphere was good but the service was the worst part of the experience.

Christopher YEUNG

Very good experience at the Hooded Merganser. Food was top notch - amongst the party we ordered the tuna, halibut, and a very tasty grilled cheese w/ mango sandwich. Kids menu selection was very good and the kids loved the cheese pizza and vanilla ice cream dessert. Our server was very attentive and was quick with all our crazy requests. Will definitely mark this as a spot for us to come back to the next time we are in Penticton.

Trent Stopa

Great restaurant and have been several times since moving here in early summer. Highly recommend.

Alex Wolf

Location is nice, but the food service is brutal. Takes 15 mins to get a drink not to mention sit time and 2 hours for an average meal without desert.

Taylor King

Had a great meal and the staff was extremely helpful and pleasant. The view was beautiful

Zara Lau

This is our favourite restaurant in Penticton. The views and excellent service keep us coming back!

Phoenix Notenboom

Have heard nothing but exceptional things about this beautiful lakeside dining experience. How ever the experience we have just experienced will forever steer us far away from this establishment. Servers wearing tennis shoes, golf shorts and t shirts or tank tops. First red flag; we had ordered the half chicken meal and the 12 oz ribeye steak entree with a bottle of wine to share. The chicken had a film on it similar to a cold grocery store chicken, coleslaw had absolutely no dressing, and the cornbread was cold and very chewy. The steak was over cooked, greens were cold and mushy, and gravy poured on my $45 steak. Overall presentation was similar to a red lobster or Montana’s. This was a very disappointing experience and we will never be coming back. Stay away!

Kirk Chantraine

Daughter and son in law got married on the SS Sicamous and all the guests had arranged to have breakfast there in the morning. They had to deal with about 60 of us all coming in at the same time. They hurriedly put tables together for us and Carol was amazing. Thank you.

Jaden Leach

The food here is usually average, but it's pretty hard to beat the view over the lake.

Terry Trojan

Never had a bad meal here and the staff is excellent. If you cant get a reservation, its because they are busy, not because they lack empathy to whatever situation caused you to book late. If you have a problem with your meal, ask a supervisor, they can't fix it if they don't know you're unhappy. We get a lot of family and friends coming to town and trips here are always a highlight.

cindy schmidt

Can’t beat the views. Great ambiance - lively and loads of fun. The food was excellent for the most part. Highly recommend the Brie and roasted garlic as well as the prawn appetizer. Dynamite roll was good but I’ve had better.

Donna Burton

Quality of food has taken a serious dive over the past year. Its really overpriced average food. Service was ok, but lacking compared any major Canadian city for the price. Used to be better. Definitely avoid if you can.

Devious Vixen

Decent food at a cheap price! Unfortunately your desserts were terrible and not worth even half of what they cost. Overall good experience and good service. A formally trained pasty chef would have justified the high dessert prices and execute on the quality expected.

johnny mccloy

Nice lake side restaurant in Penticton. Good vegetarian options, and nice wine list.

Andrew Bethel

Good food, good cocktails, beautiful view of the lake.

Jonathan Colvin

we had my sons rehearsal dinner at your restaurant Friday June 12, and we had a few people that did not get there steaks the way they wanted, and sent them back and still one person did not get it the way they wanted, my son was very disappointed and said the price was too expensive for what you got he thought maybe he would at least be compensated for the mistakes but nothing at all and he spent a lot of money at your restaurant,he told me he probably would not come back, we are from penticton, but he had a few people from the UK and he is now living there as well. just wanted to let you know we were very disappointed.

Carrie Venable

When the restaurant is not very busy their staff should be more attentive. Food and drinks were good but their staff need some training on customer service.

Lucas Achtem

Service was slow as molasses on a frosty winters day. Took a long time to order drinks, longer to receive them. Food was okay. Had the sashimi, pad thai, spicy roll amd crab cakes. Pad thai lacked spice and sushi was poorly rolled, over riced and skimped on the tuna. Should be called rice roll with a touch of tuna. Scenary was amazing!

Nicole Mehner

Went here for lunch with my man. Fantastic place, my first time there. My server was a lovely blonde lady, very sweet, attentive and prompt! We bonded over out doggies. …

K. Amsler

We hadn't been to the Hooded Merganser in Penticton for several years. The former menu which was excellent has been replaced with very limited entrees (September 18, 2020) which was disappointing as it did not provide a lot of options. The food was good but the prices were high, especially for a glass of wine, which ran in the $14-18 range. The halibut portions were small for $34. It is in a great location at the waterfront, and they were following Covid guidelines with proper spacing between tables. I don't think we would go back or recommend this restaurant unless the menu has a significant upgrade.

Alia Ramsay

Fantastic place for date night! The food is amazing and the service is excellent.

Kyle Alec

Had a review written before but changed it after my most recent visit, the cocktail menu has a good variety, I would recommend the “Isra’s sour” the calamari was perfect although I feel that the portion was a bit small. For the mains my girlfriend and I got the steak and salmon, both work seasoned amazingly and good perfectly, would recommend for a nice brunch or dinner.

Fixit Drunk

Ridiculous how great everything was here. Food, staff, views everything was phenomenal and we were a big group. A must

Elena Shevchenko

Magnificent setting (especially with patio dining), attentive and friendly server, good food (especially the brownie dessert). So why not a higher rating? We were dismayed by their policy of no masks and probably wouldn't have made the reservation knowing it. When questioned, they said they observe distancing but in fact that's impossible when serving a table. This is the first time we've encountered that policy in B.C.

Sarah Voigt

Great location, good food with a lake front view

Marcus Watson

We went here on September long Sunday. The food and cocktails were excellent. We had calamari, ahi tuna stack and the ahi tuna poke bowl. Because it was a long weekend the restaurant was very busy and due to that the service was very slow. I previously wrote a review and pointed this out. A couple days later the GM (Jed) reached out to me to hear about my experience. He was really nice on the phone and it was obvious that the team takes their customer experience very seriously. I can understand slow service due to a crazy weekend and the personal touch of explaining it on the phone was refreshing. I would go back to this restaurant again.

Jesse Hudson

The hood never disappoints. Very delicious and fresh! The beautiful view never gets old

Connor Fesenmaier

liked it. beautiful location. food was above expectation. had a really tasty warm brie and roast garlic appy. shared the 10 oz filet mignon blue rare, perfectly cooked warm in the middle tender and well aged. Came with some excellent roasted rainbow heritage carrots and a peppercorn demi. service was also excellent. recommended

Danielle Woroniuk

Elegant, expensive restaurant with great view but not so great food. Actually I had the most tasteless (and smallest) steak ever. Smoked salmon on chips appetizer was rather nice looking, not good tasting.

Jenna Bajus

I didn't go there but for the pictures looks delicious ¡!!

Lee McCarthy

The food is awesome especially since they have a vegeterian menu. The staff was funny and great

Paul

Just ok at best. Ordered the ribs and received more fat than meat. My had the teriyaki salmon bowl which look like something you would have received in a cafeteria. Prices were ok. Service was ok(although when the waitress took away our plates of mostly uneaten food she didn't even ask if everything had been ok) we have been here before and remember everything being much better! Ps still can not beat the setting!

Sharlette Plato Williams

Our waitress Wendy was super awesome. Thanks Wendy!!! Food and drinks were all delicious and beautifully plated.

Shilan Harper

Mediocre food, poor service. Not recommended. Consistently inconsistent. Occasionally good, more often not so good. Never better than a 'B' grade experience. Recently, a solid 'F' We have eaten at the 'Hood a few times, but likely never again. Certainly no time soon.

Jessica Morra

Very diverse menu. We have gone on numerous occasions and have tried many dishes and they have all been excellent. Last night we experienced the best service we have ever had in the Okanagan in 25 years with Katie. Highly recommend you ask for her.

Spartanfred 104

Awesome patio, great wine, yummy food and fantastic service.

Peter Larsen

Just had the Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner for take out and was oh so good. No room for the ice cream on Apple Tart desert. Well worth it. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Pat Cisar

Great food, small portions. With a view that sells the experience.

J Burns

Amazing food great service! I proposed to my fiance there last year and my fiance said she has never had that good of a steak ever and she isn't a steak person! Overall definitely reccomended it! We are driving down next week for a 3hr drive just to order steak!

Jennifer Knotts

I am currently seated at our table for 8. We arrived and were seated at 9:50am and didn't even have a staff member approach our table to offer even water until 10:25am. At 10:56am and we got our coffee, at least. I will not be returning to the Hooded Merganser, and neither will the rest of our group of 8. The only reason I am giving 2 stars is because of our server, Melissa, who really deserves 5 stars, but the restaurant does not. The serving staff had ABSOLUTELY no support from the manager, Grant (who, by the way, appeared to be berating his serving staff in full view of customers at every opportunity.) I've read lots of reviews raving about the food, but when it arrived, the hollandaise was overcooked and congealed, very vinegary, and tasted off, quite frankly. We all agreed the best part of the meal were the Chocolates that came with the bill. I don't want to support a business that clearly doesn't support their employees, period.

Dianne McComb

Great service and a wonderful meal. Good wine selection. Will definitely be back.

raelene hanson

The setting and view are beautiful, unfortunately the food was terrible and the service no better... not to mention over priced.. we won't be back!

Linds B

Absolutely amazing! Our server Meagan was amazing!! Super friendly and gave great recommendations. Our dinner was absolutely delish! The dessert was blueberry panna cotta and it sure blew our minds! Thanks for the great service and delish meals!

Guy Sykes

Food and drinks were amazing, beautiful view the raspberry cocktail was one of the best drinks I have ever had. We will be back!

Laura Elena

The staff were very friendly, good service, and the place is fancy with a view of the lake. However, my soup, which I don’t recall the name of, was kind of tasteless. For the price, you would expect better.

Bren Leclerc

Took my dad and step mum for their birthday dinners! The food was delicious, the atmosphere friendly, portions filling! Highly recommend it!

witsteve

Great spot, on the lake, great atmosphere. The dynamite rolls and braised beef were excellent

Gianluca Pizzaia

Great service, big portions for breakfast, and great views of okanagan lake!

Lyndsay Brennan

The view alone is worth the meal especially on a sunny day! The restaurant sits on a jetty in the lake and is surrounded by windows. Most seats have a wonderful panorama to look at while eating. Locally sourced products make it that much more appealing. Good vegetarian options.

Alicia Peppler

Soooo disappointed! Beautiful restaurant, gorgeous views, extremely limited menu. Not much to choose from from appetizers to deserts, one of the few entrees already sold out! Dry salmon. Drinks - unless you drink wine your options are basically cocktails, no ciders, coolers, etc. The tourists seem to like it, but we are local and won't be going back.

Zoe Kirkham

Tried the pizza. I think they tried so hard to make it fancy they forgot to make it taste good. Service was good.

Paul Trustham

Pizza was great. I personally had the Thai Green Curry - real green garbage. Tasted like water - I had to ask for Tabasco to put some flavor on it. The servers all seemed nervous and continuously banged cutlery on the glass tables. For such a high class seeming place, it was a real let down.

Stacey Donovan

I ordered the Hood Burger. The patty was somehow both dry and greasy at the same time. The bun was small, flavourless, and tough. All I could taste in this burger was the condiments. They charged me extra for a slice of cheese that was so small that I am not even sure it was actually even there. If someone had given me that burger and asked me what I think it should have been worth I would have said $3 or $4. It was more than 4 times that amount.

Jay Timothy

Tune Burger is delicious, and they have a good view.

Nouroz Islam

This was such a wonderful lunch! Excellent service by friendly staff. Beautiful view and the food, the food was incredible!

Allan Perera

Bartender excellence Pleasant atmosphere while at bar Good conversation with customers hosted by bartender Some original drinks created to my liking so personal attention will ensure return visit

Sherwin Hinds

It’s 10:25 AM and they said they aren’t receiving anyone else because they are serving lunch in an hour. Saw a whole bunch more people walk in after we walked out with no issues, about 10 in the next 5 minutes. Went back in and asked why I see a bunch of other people walking in and was told they have reservations. I guess I don’t get it because there was a lot of seats available. They are going to serve the people with reservations but not someone off the street, that doesn’t make any sense? So whatever policy they have, I find it rude.

Shay Jordan

Great beef dip! As good as it gets for views of Okanagan lake. Beer was nice and cold.

TBA

Server Terri is wonderful, thanks for the wonderful experience

Ken Ferguson

Unfortunately cannot give a good review. For extra info, we had a party of around 20. First issue: it took around 45 minutes until we we're asked what to drink. In that time we had no water refills (the first refills came AFTER the drinks had arrived). Second issue: The ceaser salad was very confusing... Why do I need a knife to cut my entire lettuce head? That should be done in the kitchen, salads are meant to be casual, not difficult! As well, I wasn't sure if the little brown bits were burnt croutons or wierd bacon. Third issue: 1 and a half hours had gone by by the time food was ordered. People were getting pretty hungry! Fourth issue: I ordered the margarita pizza. It was bland, dry, and looked nothing like an authentic margarita pizza. Google italian margarita pizza, then Google a New York dollar pizza slice. I got the dollar pizza slice. After years of good experiences here, tonight was a major disappointment. If there was an upside to the trip: someone in our party guessed the wifi password (its "lakeside").

Shannon Taylor

Extraordinarly friendly hostess whom recommended wonderful places for us to visit and see. I really value such great guest connection she strived to make. You represent a great value to the restaurant. Thank you

Chadwick Hopper

Girlfriend had a chicken burger that was unedible as it was so soggy. I had a burger that had a wonderfully fresh bun but completely tasteless otherwise. Good waitress but disappointing food and expensive. Guess your paying for the view.

Rachel Yu

Food and service are excellent! One minor criticism; when two guys order $40, 12 Oz rib eye steaks, please bring out two 12 oz steaks, not a 12 and a 6. One of our cuts was literally half the size of the other. One of us was still hungry!

Matt Taylor

If you go here get the full rack meal. Unbelievably good

Sharilyn Alexander

As someone who has to eat gluten free I was extremely disappointed in the menu options. My only options were a power bowl or fish. The ambience in he restaurant is wonderful and we used to always go there for a nice higher end dinner. A couple of years ago they had an amazing menu with lots of good gluten free options. Now they don’t list any gluten free options and as mentioned there were only three things I was advised I could have. We won’t be going back and we won’t be recommending the restaurant to others.

mark carey

The views are beautiful and our server was amazing and super friendly and helpful. The food was not bad but mediocre at best. We got the chickpea and potato curry and it was good but a bit too sweet. The Santa Fe salad was bland and had absolutely no taste. The bibimbap also very bland and the only sauce or seasoning is the spicy chilli oil which is just spicy.... I have had better versions of each of these dishes at many other restaurants. I would likely not return.

luke Neenan

I had the thai green curry, it was nice and spicy. BF had the rack of lamb with parm fries yummy. Pretty much had the place to ourselves ???? 430 we must have missed the rush.

Casey Johnson

Pricey and small portions for big guys. Great unobstructed view. Food was just Ok.

Suzy Finley

The food was good, fry portions were fairly sparse (seems other tables portions were normal though) but the issue was the service. The server was cold, didn’t clear plates, fill waters or drinks and when she was at the table she seemed bothered by our requests (refills or another beer). Food was good tasty ????

sarah bakhmoutski

You can't beat the location, sitting on the deck on the shores of the Okanagan but the salad I ordered had two key ingredients missing and were replaced with something else. They were the reason I ordered that particular salad. I should have been advised ahead of time so I could reconsider my order

Hannah Green

The food was great but the service was disappointing. We were left to sit out on the patio in a rainstorm getting us and our food soaking wet. Even after asking to be moved inside, not one staff came to help. We ended up grabbing our plates, walking inside soaking wet and finishing our meals in the lobby. Even then none of the many staff around offered a table or help. But the food was great though.

Gary S

Had a basic roasted chicken dish, sent it back as it was not quite cooked. After I asked two other friends to check, they both agreed it needed to go back to the kitchen. Waited for replacement to come, was abit more cooked. But at that point I was hungry, would not order again though. They graciously took 50% off the dish, but you should not be sending back chicken in the first place. Good location and great view, service is decent. Would try again as a family member loves this place and said it was a "one off"incident. So I would try again but another dish.

Scott A Smith

Good food, great service, lively atmosphere. Would like to go when the sun is out next time so we could see the view.

Scott Breier

So this one was a toss up between a 3 and 4 star. The location and our good server got this place out of the 3 spot. Out of 7 meals 3 were good (ribs, ragout and half chicken), unfortunately three salmon meals were ordered and they were all very dry, had a weird sour sauce and the lentils tasted a bit of dirt, so clearly this is just the way it's served. Avoid the salmon.

Loni Bryant

Great place with a beautiful lakeside view. The food here was excellent and they have a pretty good wine list with both local and international wine. It can get pretty loud with the acoustics though and costly depending on the visit.

Rick Yates

Absolutely my favourite restaurant. I always tell people "It's on the water, not next to it." My personal favourite dish is a medium rare steak with garlic mashed potatoes. The portions might look a bit small when they bring it out, but don't let it surprise you; they know how much to put on your plate to get you to comfortably full.

Andreas Jukic

Great food, interesting menu, reasonably priced, sensational Lakeside view, friendly and helpful servers.

Zook Ariaa

What a precious find! Consider finding the rainbow's end at the end of the path.

Joshua B

Decent food, a good view. I've returned a few times. It's not a super high end place, but it's super fun, and the staff is great.

Karen Holman

Perfection! Wonderful restaurant by the water with service that is second to none. The entire dining experience was thoroughly relaxing and enjoyable with an incredibly fun and friendly environment and fantastic food. Definitely a must-go place if you're visiting or nearby this area!

Julie Komant

Good food but noisy and expensive for what you get. Three stars because the chef is decent and bar menu is good. Not a place to take a family and probably not the best for a quiet date or private celebration with a significant other.

Laura Cottingham

I don't get down to Penticton often enough to enjoy this eatery as much as I could. Beautiful view of the lake, wonderful ambience inside, slightly upscale with appropriate pricing. Simply put, I've never had a meal here that disappointed me.

Amanda Mcgregor

Food was terrible, the pizza was very thin, yet it somehow managed to retain enough water to be soggy. The only thing thicker than the calamari was the manager, who blew us off after asking him about the poor excuse of a dinner.

David Lawrence

Amazing view! Service is top shelf and so is the food.

Graham Bradley

Great location! Usually pretty good food. Ask for Rusty, he is an excellent waiter!!

Monika Kuczaj

Lovely ambiance. Good service . Menus was a little common with items like beef dips , sushi , and parmfries however the prices were upper scale . I felt they didnt match . Had a great evening with family and friends . Will continue to come for lunch .

Joy Full

Dine in

Kristy Stroud

Service

janet trimble

Incredibly rude service. There are so many good places to eat, don’t waste your time here. Was told “we’re too busy to seat just one person”. I then watched them seat groups of two, three and four after turning me away.

Susan Rowbottom

Amazing food and perfect service. Our server made us feel like we were at a much higher-end restaurant with how well she treated our group but the prices were still very reasonable. This was the best restaurant we visited in Penticton.

Sarah Tardif

Such a lovely place. It is so classy and so many beautiful views. It really isn't that expensive for what you get.

Kat

With a group of hockey parents, in town for our kids tournament - we had the best time here! The food was amazing, great wine selection, the staff was great! Great location over the water - we were there in December, so I'm sure the summer is picture perfect!

Jim Bennett

When my wife asked if they could make some cocktail that wasn't on their menu. The guy went over to the bar next door to get what was needed. Awesome customer service! Door was great too!

Irena K

The food was fast and excellent our server Chris was amazing and we will definitely be dining again.

Donny van Dyk

Had a great experience here. Very good food, very attentive and friendly staff and a beautiful view from their patio. By far the best food we had while we were in town.

jay yuen

Friendly staff, delicious drinks; gotta try the mango colada!! We sat at the bar, feel the cool summer breeze from the lake. Beautiful view with patio. Try the Lamb next time :) definitely come back.

K P (kpower17)

Food was excellent, Chris was an amazing server from start to finish. Seating outside was picturesque, however there are a lot of spiders running around on the floor and railings so if that bothers you sit inside.

Les Spielman

I would say the food Is decent, the outdoor views are spectacular however the staff members I found were slightly disorganized and a little self opinionated. Overall it was a good experience

Travis Brittain

Right on Lake Okanagan! Excellent food, excellent atmosphere with excellent employees! Chef is top notch as well! Reasonably priced for a fine dining experience. Beautiful views on the lake!

EnglishPhil1

My husband and I have had a couple of wonderful dinners here. Interesting menu options - our server sold us on the cricket pizza and it was great. Service was outstanding and food exceptional. We will be back.

Anthony Quinn

Excellent food and service. Everything was cooked to perfection. Great atmosphere

Alicia

Great meal tonight, it was my mothers birthday And Chef and staff did an incredible job taking care of my family. Thanks chef and staff. If you happen to be in penticton check the Hood Merganser. A Great place for drinks and meal.

SJ Kee

We booked for Lobster Fest in January and anticipated the event to be as great as it was last year. We were mistaken. The service was slow, disinterested and unfriendly. The Lobster was tasty, but extremely chewy. One of the members of our group mentioned this to the waitress. We were not looking for a free meal, we just wanted the Chef to know. He came out and when we asked if he had tasted the lobster, he said no, and he also mentioned that that he didn't farm it. He then apologized and offered to buy us a round of drinks. I personally had a glass of wine, he bought me an on tap beer! Thanks, but no thanks

Ian Smillie

Can't beat the view, decent selection of draft beers, great food

Darrell Lizotte

Over priced. Friend got a Margarita made with syrup for $7. My tiny drink was $10. ????????

Ryan Hardy

Great service ! Great experience ! Amazing spot on the water .

Amy Cobb

Believe the hype. This place is truly special. Make a reservation with plenty of notice. Worth it.

Laurie Drew

First time here. Food was fabulous and well protected from the - 18 celcius and 40 knot winds. It was fun seeing the water spray onto the windows were we were sitting.

BRM

Extremely poor customer service. We went early in the night and were told they were on a wait, which is normal. The hostess was on Her cell phone and didn’t seem to care about much. She told us about an hour at the most. We waited an hour, no text so we went back. Two new hostesses who also seemed to care less about anyone told us we weren’t up yet. I asked how much longer and they said there is no way of knowing (pretty sure that’s their job). They said they will just text when we are ready. I could see several empty tables. We finally got our text now, it’s 9:14 pm. That was almost three hours. We would have never waited around for about two hours if we were just told an accurate time to begin with. The last time I went the food was really good. I don’t think I will be going there anytime soon.

Jordan Nameth

Went there for supper on New Year's Eve; my birthday. Great ambiance and fantastic server! Folks with me were very disappointed with their 'special': apparently the meat was tough/improperly cooked, the veggies were more raw than 'al dente', etc. I believe no one wanted to ruin the occasion, so no one spoke up/complained to management. Cannot typically afford such establishments, and all previous trips to H.M. have been great....food, ambiance, and service. Bummer for ushering in our 2019 (:

raj aujlay

Loved coming in for breakfast! Great service, yummy food awesome atmosphere (even if the music was a little cheesy) Thanks for the recommendation Francis!

Braydan Curtis

I am in love with the pot roast sandwich, but *really* wish they would bring back the sweet potato wedges.... the one thing that brought me back time after time after time!

Dan Sparks

Service was excellent. Food (Wonton Soup) was fantastic. View, classic Okanagan....priceless... joyous experience.

Chaos Thedestroyer

Good Eggs Benny..could improve on potatoes..lovely fresh GF bread

Mary Moroso

It's all about the view best in town. Wings were good ranch dip was watery though :(. The bottle of dominion pear cider was delicious, great over ice.

Janette Rees

Awesome view from the waterfront. Food was super fresh and delicious. Service was very fast. Definitely would go back

Leanna Meszaros

Such a friendly family restaurant ???? There's a family room with a change table. Very clean. High chair is available. Lots of room for kids 4-7 years ???? colouring is available. The tables are big for a family. The view is fantastic ???? including in January ???? The food is awesome. The onion soup ???? The lam ???? Rice and salmon ???? the sauce is like home made. Fresh vegetables. Great choice of tea. The staff is very attentive and kind. Would like to visit them again!

Allan Schaffer

Good dinner, friendly service, nice atmosphere at night.

Leslie Rae

We ate here as part of a romance package with the hotel. Great restaurant, right on the water, good service, good food. I had the arctic char, which I am still thinking about a month later, it was that good! It's a restaraunt that can work as a casual or special occasion place.

Justice Brinston

View and atmosphere are amazing, staff is friendly and efficient, the menu has lots of variety and is reasonably priced! Only complaint was that our entire party found each of our own dishes somewhat bland. Will definitely go again!

Erwin Adam

Ate outside with a beautiful view. There is a heater on above and blankets offered. Steaks were tasty but due to being outside with dinner presented on a large plate we had to rush to finish as it became cold quickly. Chef - Maybe for the outside meals consider an oven warmed cast iron skillet to help keep everything warm a little longer? Flavours were great and the cook was to our liking. Lemon mascarpone cheesecake was swallowed whole by my lovely date before I could take a picture. Last but not least Triple berry sour was tart but super tasty

Tony Schnare

The food was more than good, the view stunning and early dinner was the perfect time to go. The servers were experienced and portion sizes larger than I'd expected. When leaving the bar atmosphere was getting busy but didn't notice it much when in dining space; that was nice! Would love to try brunch or lunch here as well!

Larry N

We went there for brunch and were seated fairly quickly (we did have reservations but that doesn't always matter at some places, here it worked). Our server was pleasant and knowledgeable. She was a little slow to come over when we were seated, but it was busy so not too bad. She took our order and the coffees and teas took a bit, with the food arriving soon after. She checked back a couple of times but that trailed off a bit. The food itself was very good. We had a range of preferences for the cook on our eggs (runny to super done), and we all got what we ordered. The prices were as expected for a resort hotel restaurant, which is to say a little high but worth it.

Kenny Wilander

Lovely setting, great server (Chris) but what a dining disappointment. Both of us ordered the ribs which were leather like and completely lacking in flavour. The corn bread was bland and the baked beans were as hard as bullets. The cole slaw did not appear to be dressed and was flavorless. We left more food on our plate than we ate. A sad ending to our Penticton visit where we had enjoyed every other meal we had. The meal was discounted after our complaint but it discouraged us from returning or recommending it to others.

Traci Penn

Service was very slow, even though we arrived at 5:00 pm and restaurant wasn't busy yet. I ordered the ahi tuna, which I couldn't taste at all with the browned seseme seed coating (way too much coating). My husband ordered the $40 rib eye steak, medium rare. The rib eye didn't have the eye - the fat was around the medium well steak (it looked like a $34 New York steak cut) and it was a bit chewy. When my husband asked the waitress if she thought it was medium rare, she said she didn't know meat. He decided to just eat it. We ordered dessert and after 20 minutes asked about it. The waitress looked into it and advised there was a mixup in the kitchen and asked if we still wanted it. My chocolate mousse was thick like a stew and was hard to eat, as it constantly poured over the sides of the small spoon. It was sickingly sweet and sat heavy in my stomach for hours. We were very disappointed, as we have enjoyed our meals thete when we have come to town on our holidays for several years. Not sure if we want to return after our two and a half hours spent there.

Richard Millard

We made reservations via OpenTable for a table for two. We arrived on time but they didn't have a table ready for us. Instead, we had to wait over 20 minutes for our "reservation". Eventually, after 20 minutes of waiting, we decided to just leave. When I told the man at the front we were leaving, he told us our table was just about ready, they were just "waiting for them to settle their bill". Perhaps someone can correct me but isn't the point of a reservation to have a table reserved for you at a specific time? I'm sure there's a whole Seinfeld bit about reservations (which is exactly what we experienced). I can't write a review about the food since we never actually got seated.

Hudson Schneider

Meal type

Jehad Abu-Ulbeh

We use to love this place for breakfast. Dinner was a big disappointment. The best thing was the lamb chops for appetizers but way too expensive for 4 small pieces. My fish was dry, my husband chicken was tasteless. Service was somewhat ok but you can tell that the waitress was not thrilled serving us. We won't be back unless they starts opening for breakfast. The food was not worth the money.

Sarah Harvey

Sooooooo good the food and service here are top notch recommend.

Jane Shaak

excellent local eatery. creative menu and good offerings from the bar. The view of the lake is spectacular. in summertime ask to sit outside. this is a must try place in Penticton

Austin M

The Hood is the nicest place I've been to eat in the city. Whether it is brunch or dinner, the food is very good and service was great as well. The view is spectacular outside as well. It is a very popular place so getting a table at night or for prime time breakfast hours may be difficult. I'll be happy to go back and eat there again!

m t

We got there at 7:15 we didn't get our expensive meal till 9:45 My wife odered the best steak money can buy ( tenderloin) and it was serviced with gravy poured on top of it who does that to a expensive steak the vegetables were stringy and chew not good at all.this a meal you are paying 35 $ plus. I had chicken and ribs the ribs were over cooked and salty with to much pepper it also was served with french fries on very tiny plate as the chicken was thrown on small plate by itself. This meal was a whooping 45$ .We have been to this restaurant many times before and really enjoyed our experience there be fore covid .The menu has changed and not for the better.If the head chef is supposed to be so great he should address these issues. We will visit the restaurant again as we are locals and it WAS one of our favorite spots to eat. Whoever goes there i hope you have a better experience than my wife and i had.

Derek Qualtier (DQ)

The Hooded is a "must do" for anyone visiting Penticton. The views from the restaurant are stunning and the food is both excellent and excellently priced. You can get local wine both by the glass and by the bottle and they have a good selection of cocktails. The only negative thing I can say about the restaurant is that the beer selection is dreadful and "safe". If you visit my "must try" food items are: 1. the calamari and, 2. the plate with the roasted garlic, brie cheese, and pate.

Brianne Holden

We booked for our anniversary. 1st off our booking through open table was for a time they werent even open and 2ndly THEY ARE NOT COVID SAFE !!! Every other restaurant in Penticton (including burger joint and ice cream shops) all wear masks and have other measure in place to prevent the spread of covid 19. The Hooded Merganser did not. When I asked I was told that they found everyone was touching thier masks and it didnt protect them.....ah hello what about protecting the customer ???

Greenbridge 1

Went here for dinner. The service was prompt and friendly. My partner was delighted with the halibut. I enjoyed the ribs but found the accompanying sides a little bland. The portions are generous. Nice meal, great view.

Marlene LeGates

Came here for our 3 year wedding anniversary, we had asked for a outside seat with our reservation 2 weeks prior, didn't get one. Then the food took a little over an hour to come, wasn't hot and didn't have much flavor at all. We decided to get a dessert and ended up waiting 50 minutes for it to come.We read the reviews so had high hopes but definitely won't be coming back. Not to mention tables around us were complaining about their food as well. When we left we realized we got charged to much....I got the featured pasta, add chicken. Pasta was $18.00 + $8.00 for the chicken. We were charged $24.00 ,+ $8.00 ..

Daniel Rocha

First time at this spot and I was blown away by the view. The hostess was very welcoming and the excellent service continued with our server Erin. She was very genuine, warm and knowledgable about the menu. Also the plant based taco bowl is life! I will be back for sure! Love it.

Lindsey Bishop

The food was good. However, the service was not very good the waitress did not come back to ask if our food was good or if I wanted another drink. The only reason I am giving 3 stars is because she offered 50% off on the food. Otherwise this would have been a solid one star EDIT: Decided to come back a second time and boy am I glad I came back. Kyle was amazing server, gave amazing suggestions based on our preferences for both food and drinks. The jalapeno drink is perfect. Rating went from a 1 to a 3 to a solid 5!!!!

Kat Eleanor

I’d really been hoping to love this place, but it ended up being pretty average to me. The food was okay, but not great, especially for the price. Staff were friendly, but unfortunately they were either very understaffed or just incredibly inattentive, as we rarely saw our waitress. Both food and drinks took a really long time to come out, and since we didn’t see our waitress often, it took awhile to order either in the first place. There are better options around, especially at this price point.

Enda Sheil

Celebrated our wedding anniversary with a lovely table with a specular view of Okanagan Lake. Menu was limited but food was amazing. I had salmon and my husband gobbled their fantastic 5 star pork chop. Cheese cake and sage cake deserts were yummy!!! Good value for money and service was excellent. We appreciated their covid protocol.

Jeffrey McCurdy

The view is unbelievable and the service was good. Food is decent; wouldn't say spectacular but overall very good. Worth stopping in have been here a few times now.

Alyssa Welters

Great view! Eggs Benedict was good too!

Terry Pellatt

Really good food and service. A Little slow at bringing coffee refill but very nice.

kendra carlson

Had a great late dinner here tonite. The restaurant was busy, but we were seated quickly and our food and drinks were served quickly. Food was amazing and our server Chris was super attentive and friendly. We will definitely be back!

Carmelita D

Awesome place. Great food with excellent views.

Jesse Olinyk

This place was amazing. The staff were attentive, but not intrusive. The outdoor setting is simply beautiful, granted on a stormy day only indoor seating is appropriate. The food was spot on, and their selection for beverages was above par for most establishments of this type. Prices are reflecting the traffic of tourists more than locals, but are not unreasonable.

Robert Overland

A great place for all meals. Great tasting and great service and friendly staff. It's we'll worth it.

Richard Ford

Such a easy choice when looking for a beautiful setting for special occasions!

Casper Caspers

Professional staff make meals in this beautiful location so enjoyable. The food has never disappointed us. Their prime rib is nice but if you prefer lighter fare, try the ahi tuna salad.

Shaun Marty

Good drinks beautiful view

Brooke Reister

Great brunch, amazing view and our waiter Francis was wonderful. Will be returning for sure.

Louise Robert

Excellent service, wonderful food and great atmosphere! Couldn't recommend them more!

Michael Rempel

Beautiful setting on Okanagan Lake to celebrate 37 years! The food was delicious. Wonderfully presented. Megan is an amazing waitress. A memorable evening to look back on with fond memories.

Brittney Vieira

There was a group of 8 of us just before dinner. the service was great but the food was below expectations. I have been there for lunch couple of times were it was good. Patio is always is good with a great view.

Arvin Jassal

Went there tonight and we were not disappointed! We had two good burgers and the chicken club which was amazing. Our waiter Chris was also amazing. He was very friendly and kind and didn’t hesitate to start up conversation with us which was appreciated. The food came out very fast and it tasted very good. The view was phenomenal even though it was raining. We will definitely be back!

Sandra Hovey

Awesome location for sure, service was prompt and friendly, and food was very good. I would definitely recommend it to visiting friends and family.

Amanda Lamberti

I have had the poké and the Korean bowl there and they were both really not good, just a bowl full of heavily salted rice. But the people I was with really enjoyed their dishes including the butter chicken and the teriyaki bowl. The patio is also beautiful and the service is good.

Darian Dallmann (DangerCat12)

Amazing restaurant with fantastic lake view. Food was so delicious. Highly recommended. Must try their pasta dishes!

Cheryl Lytton

The Hooded Merganser is a beautiful restaurant situated on the edge of Okanagan Lake. Tucked away behind the Lakeside Resort. It has a touch of higher class dining, with friendly, small town service. My girlfriend was adamant on trying a certain drink (which was not on the menu), and the bartender was happy to make it for us. The service was excellent and the large portions of food were great. I would recommend the Hooded Merganser for anyone; from those who are out for an awesome view, to the couple's who are looking for a beautiful, romantic evening.

Amanda Danielle

Had one of the best salads ever ! Creative menu. Lovely setting. Classy, Good service. We had lunch, lots of smiling faces on other clients faces. Will go back for dinner when in Penticton. Thanks JP

Barry Jarl

Elegant dining at lakeside. Fantastic views. Watch the sunset as you enjoy a delicious meal. Perfect for romantic dinner or special occasion.

rosso 7259

This is a lovely restaurant, and has been one of our favourites for a few years now. However, on our last visit, we waited for over 2 hours, from the time we ordered, to receive our expensive entrees. The new menu was also a disappointment. The food presentation was poor, and the new choice of green vegetable was chewy and just not palatable with an expensive meal. The calamari tasted old, the broccoli was fried to a crisp, and they poured gravy on my "small portion" $35.00 main entree!! The static from the outside speakers was so bad that you could not hear the music that was being played. We hope that the menu and meal presentation will be corrected in the future as we have always really enjoyed this restaurant.

Brad Caruso

Best way to describe this place is a on the water slightly below average joeys. Food is ok. Menu tries a bit to hard to sound fancy only to deliver average food.

Sean Beintema

Great setting, good menu and fantastic service.

Michael Anctil

Fantastic restaurant with lots of vegan and non vegan options. The grilled calamari was great and the views were great. Highly recommend

Kathy Tait

Delicious food all around!! Had three courses, all vegan, which almost never happens.

Robert Rice

The food and cocktails were excellent. As was the service. And a beautiful view of the lake.

Gary Schatz

Great cocktails and amazing views. The food could use some refinement

Richard Hartman

Outstanding location with amazing lake views. Wide selection of meal options will keep you coming back for more. Staff are friendly and go the extra mile. A must visit if you are staying at Penticton Lakeside Resort or even if you're not.

Kimberly Atienza

My husband and I ordered the 1/2 farmcrest chicken and 1/2 rack Saint Louis style BBQ ribs. For pretty standard dishes they seemed to have messed it up. The chicken was extremely dry and the sauce for the ribs tastes like it was straight out of a bottle. Cornbread? fooled me...It was just tasteless slab even butter could not save. I did not want to take home the 70% of uneaten food because it was simply unpalatable. I do not mind paying good money for good food. I am honestly INSULTED that they charge that amount for such sub par food. Whoever runs this place clearly has no passion for food and is looking for the tourist buck. While our server was nice enough, it is clear that the younger members of staff are clueless or just not interested. For example, the hostess out front did not bother greet us when we arrived even though we were the only other party present. She did not bother get off her chair and was intermittently checking her phone instead of calling on us to ask if we had a reservation. Clearly it is a summer job for some of these servers and it shows. At the very least, if servers cannot act professionally, they should at least look the part with an appropriate dress code. It is very odd to see such a beautiful view and nice interior, which such unprofessionally dressed and incompetent waiting staff. I am not surprised to see several poor reviews in the past month or two for this restaurant. Whatever this restaurant was before no longer deserves their overall high rating.

Don Gowan

My husband and I visited hooded mergansa for lunch today. We were very disappointed. I ordered the blackened tuna salad. When it arrived at the table and it had no avocado. When I asked about it the server said they did not have avocado today but offered no remedy for the situation. I asked him why he didn't tell me before ordering the salad and he said he didn't know they were out. I feel like servers should be informed about food items they are out of so they can inform customers. Also Avocado is an important part of the taste and price of the salad so I asked him what he would do to fix it. He eventually came back and said he would take $2 off. I feel as though a manager should have visited the table I would have been much happier with a new salad and an apology which I never received. I was still hungry after the salad so I ordered some yam fris. This menu item is normally one of our favorites but these fries are done super thick so the inside is like mush, not crispy at all, not even on the outsides. I could not eat them. The server never asked why we didn't eat them. He just brought the bill and we paid and left. The service was poor and the food was gross. We are spending the weekend at the lakeside hotel so we would love to able to utilize the restaurant it's to bad we won't be able to.

Danielle Yearley

Had the burger and some local brews. Both were excellent! And very impressed with the range of prices on the dinner menu.

Amanda Robins

Cool location, decent food, good service

Kaley Cruise

My husband and I went here for our anniversary and were very excited to come back to the Hoided Merganser and had made Reservations over a month prior. The Hostess was rude and refused to seat us on the patio when we had requested patio seating in our reservation over a month before stating that they couldn't accommodate requests. People behind us were catered too and had their table moved to accommodate their request but they wouldn't accommodate ours?!? Front off house staff need a lesson in customer service. The menu is limited due to Covid and not very exciting. Was expecting at least one grilled steak option but all they had was a sous vid flat iron. Burger was good but not what I was wanting when going to a restaurant like this. Overall we were extremely disappointed and upset with how we'd been treated and the low caliber menu. The old menu was amazing, the new menu and host staff left much to be desired.

Michael N

Excited to see the the Plant-Based menu section however, some items have eggs and yogurt!!!!!. Be sure to check and ask if you are ordering so that you get what you are looking for. The actual plant-based items were good, although small portions.

Charlie Chuckles

Lovely setting, amiable and capable service, but laughably atrocious food. The "caesar salad" was some funky old lettuce and bottled dressing. The beef burger was worse than the frozen aisle at Safeway. I easily cook a better beef patty on an electric stovetop, from frozen, in a fry pan, at home. I can't really tell where the beef patty came from. A wood chipper? A cement mixer? A hooded merganser from the back pond? The "meat" was so over-cooked that it was hard to tell. A lamb burger was a similar, complete, disaster. So, drinks. Right. All the beers are from Stanley Park Brewery. Which while a decent brewery, doesn't really cover all the bases. How about a martini? The promoted "drink of the house" is, quite literally, vodka with fruit juice. Admittedly I didn't sample anything else on the menu. But if this shop can't get a truly basic burger and salad right, do I need to?

Tyler Henderson

The hood is a go to spot for friends and I. Food is great & the views are amazing. Just wanted to say thanks to Erin for being the best server ever today at brunch.

G Sandhu

Excellent food and service. Pretty fair price for a high end meal.

Marc Veerman

65 birthday party for sister-in-law and brother-in-law. Party of 20. Great food. Great service. Alice did a great job looking after us. Thanks.

Joel

Absolutely stunning views as you eat some of the best food. Easily one of, if not my favourite spot in Penticton for an elegant dinner. Staff are super nice and the service is top notch. The food is the best in Penticton when it comes to having a nice dinner. Had a really nice dinner and quite a few drinks as it is conveniently located right beside the main hotel in Penticton. Highly recommend to anyone wanting a nice dinner or a romantic night out.

Charlene S

Food is okay. I do think the food has gone quite down in quality over the years - lunch and dinner, brunch is just fine. It used to be a premier restaurant especially with the location but now while the atmosphere is fantastic, the poor server was run off her feet and had to bartend as well... We had the thai green curry, pot roast, lamb, bibimbap, club house and ahi tuna and aside from the tuna, everyone's food was very bland - we did let our server know but its not for her to apologize about. This was the third time in a row the food wasn't great so while you can usually chalk it up as an off night as a local I won't go again unless they do a serious overhaul with their kitchen.

James Georgeson

Yum! Great food Great service my starter of scallop and pork belly was fantastic! Ask for the patio as its right on the water

shane g

Amazing spot on OK Lake with great food and cocktails, as well as excellent service!

Heidi Thomas

Beautiful restaurant. Food was delightful and service was excellent. We sat outside overlooking the water. We will definitely return!

mihainede85

The food was OK (skip the burger, it had almost no taste to it), but the service was awful. We had a waitress bring lemons instead of limes as requested for our water and when we asked if we could please get limes instead she insisted that we were wrong and was incredibly rude. My suggestion would be to choose one of the many other restaurants where the food and staff are both more tasteful.

Kari Hen

Over priced, over sold and under quality. Sounds like a tourist trap to me. Maybe change your sun eaten sign on the highway.

Jason Wong

Tldr: unsatisfactory experience from start to finish. Sadly, our experience here was honestly a terrible one. It was the beautiful views and acceptable 4.1 rating on Google that brought our party of 7 here but the entire experience from start to finish was subpar. The hostess at the front seemed preoccupied on her phone for most of the time. While waiting for our table, when we asked her about where the best place to park is and details about the hours of parking, she had no clue. When we were seated, we had asked 2 other people, both of which said they'd get back to us after asking their colleagues. They never did. How does an entire staff not know anything about details on parking, especially at a restaurant that won the Tripadvisor "TRAVELERS' Choice" award? Disappointing. Since we drove in seperate cars, we were not impressed by the communal lack of knowledge, which also set the tone for the rest of the evening. While our waitress was a nice lady, service was slow. We were left parched for most of dinner as our water cups were small and water refills did not come by nearly enough. Twice there were even floaty bits in the water. There also must have been some covid protocols about not being able to leave a jug of water at our table because they didn't allow this when requested, but oddly every other restaurant seems to do this without asking. As for the food, it was all-around mediocre, at best. Not disgusting, but does not warrant the price tag. I suppose you're really paying for the view. In which case, it's still too expensive given there are other options we could've and should've gone to that had the same views. Lesson learned: look at the most recent reviews and not overall score. Clearly a lot of the newer reviews have not been good and seems to be in line with what we experienced (bland tasting food, undressed coleslaw, slow service, etc.)

Cory Tretiak

The food and view from the patio here is amazing. The wait to be served and receive the food however took a big bite out of our enjoyment. Understandable to have delays but it felt like the staff didn't seem to acknowledge it or care