The Hooded Merganser Bar and Grill Reviews

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

Wonderful setting with views of Okanagan Lake. Fine food and friendly service

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.

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!

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

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

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.

Great service, fabulous food and beautiful location

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.

Good food, reasonably priced meals for a hotel restaurant.

Pretty good, but insanely expensive. If you're looking for a pretty view it's nice though.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

On the water looking out at okanagan lake. Great food atmosphere and reasonable prices

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

Thanks for the recommendation Francis!

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.

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

Good martinis, amazing food , great views a bit pricey but worth it

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.

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

Wonderful place to stop for a beer. Fantastic service!

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 More

Best eggs benny in Penticton. Great view of the lake while eating.

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

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!!!

Excellent food, great service, wonderful view and atmosphere

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!

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!

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.

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?

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

Great service and great food. Spectacular view of the lake

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

The first time we tried a seat for 5 people. They told us they are booked for the evenning.. So we made a reservation for the following day. We speacially asked for seats by the windows. When we got there the next day. They told us the seat still occupied. They did offered us another seat, but we decided to wait for the seats we wanted. We told we'll come back when it becomes available. When we came back. They ended up putting us at a seats where they originally offered to us which was in the middle of the isle. We asked the girl. This is no where by the windows. The girl told us that whats the computer tells her. We started to feel a little disappointed, and surprised as there were other available seats which is more closer to the windows, but we decide to go on our way as its not the end of the world, but from there on. It was a chain reaction of a bad service. We didn't get our order for drinks til about 20 mins later if not a lot later. Our second of order of drinks took them 20 mins to come around. It was about an hour an a half before we get our meals. The Service is slow but worse of all is the staff and management has no common courtesy. They are not fit ideal location.

Service was good, tuna was well cooked. Bathrooms were clean.

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.

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

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

Beautiful location and good food with gluten free options

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.

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.

Nice Food, amazing service, and the view... oh my god, the view!

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.

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

This place is amazing! The food, the views, the service, the location, the drinks, everything was great. All the plates were delicious and not filled with butter, oil and rich sauces but all tasted fantastic!

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

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 .

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!

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.

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

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!

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

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.

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.

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

The Servers in the Hooded Merganser are consistently very good. Chris who served us has exceptional customer service skill. Polite, excellent mannerism and is a credit to this establishment. They must receive thorough training to be this good. We have been here lots just recently and the food is consistently very good and the service is polished!

Very Well done!

High quality food right by the hotel. You can't go wrong.

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

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