Review The School Restaurant - Markham

We have been frequenting The School for the past 12 years. We are never disappointed at the food or service we receive. It has always been 5 star. The staff is very friendly, and will go out of their way to make the meal and the visit wonderful. Our latest visit was for a family wedding anniversary and the experience was phenomenal. Everyone attending was raving about the food, and the wine pairings were marvellous. I can't stop recommending The School Fine Dining. Go there, you will for sure have an amazing and memorable experience!!!!!!! Thank you to Peter and the entire staff for a wonderful time, every time!

A friend of mine recommended this restaurant, as I was looking for a reasonably higher end restaurant to take my girlfriend to for her birthday. This place did not disappoint. Great atmosphere. Great service. Great food cooked to perfection. I was pleasantly surprised at the bill too. I HIGHLY recommend this restaurant.

They have kept the historical building in great shape. The ceiling is high and nicely decor. I could imagine having wedding banquet at this location. Came here for lunch on weekday and it was not crowded. Waited a couple minutes before someone show up at the reception. Was offered water and bread. The water is served in a crystal glass. Menu is pretty simple, choices are not overwhelming. I opt for the New York striplion and was pleasantly surprised by the nicely charcoal outside and juicy inside steak. They have 8 oz and 12 oz option and I opt for the 8 oz. The service is attentive but the server looks tired and walked slowly without energy. The espresso is pretty good. Great aroma and served in a small thick cup (as it should be). Price is definitely on the high side ($48 for a 8oz steak on lunch menu).

We liked the ambience but the food is overpriced for the quality you get. We ordered a charcuterie platter which was a bit disappointing and for the main course we had chicken and rib eye steak, which were fine but not worth the price. The service was ok but not top notch.

The Chinese waitress Elizabeth(?) is very attentive and details in her work Our group of 8 was very happy with her services; food was good and thanks to Elizabeth and other waitresses service was excellent. Will definitely have your establishment in our preferred dinning restaurant and will recommend The School to all my friends for future get together. 👍👍👍

Very nice place for fine dining. Perfect for dates, socials, and special occasions. Decor is dark, but classic. We tried a great portion of the menu. Best recommendation, escargots, french onion soup, and the sea bass were top choice. The seafood platter was fine, it didn't wow me as I wanted to. The seafood linguine was good, however the lobster had a weird ammonia like taste so we had to send it back. The service was excellent, couldn't be happier with them. They came in at right times and kept a fair distance for covid. Covid protocols were enforced. Would visit again, would recommend to a friend.

A truly great tableside Caesar salad! Rack of lamb cooked medium well instead of medium rare....but an overall pleasant experience. Nice ambience coupled with competent service.

Was looking for a nice place for my husband and I to celebrate Valentine's on Tuesday evening as we were both working late Monday. Tuesday afternoon I called and the gentleman over the phone swiftly accommodated my last minute reservation. Elias took excellent care of us, he was both personable and professional. He also made a fantastic table-side caesar salad...it was absolutely outstanding, definitely recommend. We shared the Chateaubriand, which is finished and sliced table-side. Elias and the manager (or owner?) accommodated our request for different temperatures on each half and did fantastic ensuring we each received what we wanted. The tenderloin itself was incredible. Melt in your mouth, served with delicious grilled veggies. The ambiance is outstanding, definitely a place to return for a nice evening out. Slice of cake was just the *chef's kiss* perfect way to end the meal! Thank you so much to the manager/owner for ensuring we had a great evening, and to Elias for expediting the experience. We will definitely be returning. (Side note to people complaining its pricey..the prices are actually great considering you're receiving fresh food, with a top-notch experience, in a one-of-a-kind venue with service that is actually professional. If you're complaining about prices then you might just not understand, or dine much and maybe better off at a chain steakhouse where you can complain all you want about the terrible food quality) The School Fine Dining is well worth the price point. Cheers!

My daughter & son-in-law took me tonight to The School to celebrate my Birthday. I had the Lobster Bisque & the Lobster Tail. The best birthday dinner I have had. The food was delicious & the  service was spectacular. Peter could not have been nicer. My family & I will definitely be returning & I plan to recommend The School  to all of my family & friends. Keep up the good quality of food & service.

Don't think it's a fine dining restaurant any more. This is not my first time here but I think it may be my last time here. <br/><br/>The service is not up to standard. The way they take the order, serve the dishes, pour sparkling water has to be improved. It's the small thing. <br/>1. They put the sparkling water bottle in the ice bucket. It's very thoughtful of them during the hot season. However when the waiter served the water, he did not wrapped the bottle and the water droplets from the bottom of the bottle dropped on the bread basket. The worst thing was he did not notice it. It happened a few times until we told him. <br/>2. The bread basket was placed on my friend's butter plate. <br/>3. The food presentation was very simple and not appetizing. I could see they just put the greens on a plate, without decoration. <br/>4. The food was so so. My friend ordered a medium steak and it came out well done. He could only finished half if it because the quality of the beef was not good. <br/>5. To prevent further disappointment, we did not order dessert. I only finished half cup of the cappuccino coz it tasted bad. <br/><br/>There was a lot of customers. Perhaps it's my bad luck to have this experience.

Came here for our anniversary. Service was well-rehearsed (not terribly warm but efficient). Food was definitely good: real lobster in the smooth and creamy bisque; piping hot escargot that came to the table almost as soon as the order was placed. The lamb racks were a spot gamey but cooked to gourmet standards; as were the filet mignon top notch. <br/><br/>What reduced the experience from a 4 or 5 star to 2 was getting charged over $2 for an innocent ask to change the ice water to hot water for the missus. I don't mind paying a premium for the fine cooking but a premium on heated tap water, come on, that just makes this otherwise fine restaurant smack of cheap arrogance... At least kiss me or warn me before ripping me off for cheap change!

I like this place more than the Duncan house for fine dining.<br/>To start off, they give you a basket of crunchy garlic bread.<br/>During my last visit, I ordered their seafood linguini. The seafood was cooked perfectly and no creepy shrimp veins were found. <br/>They have a wonderful selection of desserts, which are sliced table-side.<br/>I ordered their creme brulee cheesecake, and my sister tried their chocolate mousse cake. Both were delectable.

Our waiter served us garlic bread shortly after taking our order. The bread was warm with a crisp top and chewy bottom. It was generously buttered and topped with fresh garlic. The only thing I didn’t like was that it was served with foil underneath, which somehow took away from its elegance.<br/><br/>We had Tuna Sashimi for our appetizers. Of course, the serving is what you would expect from any fine dining restaurant--as each order cost about the same as a Japanese All-You-Can-Eat lunch. It was fresh and buttery. You actually do not need the wasabi and soy sauce. <br/><br/>Next, we ordered some Caesar salad which was prepared by our table. It was the best Caesar salad we have ever had in Canada so far (and this includes our Winterlicious and Summerlicious restaurants!). The whipping of the dressing began with a freshly broken egg and ended with the iceberg lettuce tossed with bacon bits, croutons and Parmigiano-Reggiano. After whipping the dressing, our server took out a folded linen napkin with the greens inside. He then let these fall into the wooden bowl with flourish. The salad was creamy and garlicky, and the Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce gave it the right kick.   <br/><br/>Hubby even got extra bacon bits on request. Did I mention how fantastic this salad was? Anyway, the serving was generous and I was getting full. We had wanted to try some Lobster bisque, but we needed some space for our main course.  This is the Best Caesar Salad I've had in Canada! <br/><br/>While I debated over scallops and swordfish, Hubby decided on a NY striploin. As I imagined his wonderful steak, I gave in to the carnivore in me and ended up ordering a Filet Mignon. Ok, ok, next time I will have the seafood! I did get a glass of Merlot to complement my steak. When our steaks arrived, our server also brought some butter, sour cream and horseradish for us to choose for the baked potato. Hubby and I both got sour cream. The Filet Mignon was wonderfully tender and perfectly broiled. The vegetable side dishes came in reasonable portions, but I was too full to even finish these.

Love the waiters dressed up and service is amazing at this restaurant. Food is good as well. Try lunch here if you want fine dining at a lower price.

When I went there two days ago during lunch hour no one else was eating at the plqce, so ivthought the food would be bad. But surprisingly, the food were yunny, great services, good atmosphere, and a great place to eat on a date,

First time coming to school. Atmosphere was pleasant and concept unique. When I arrived there was a wait list. For 2 was 40 min wait I was told. We actually got a table within 15 min. After eyeing all the fresh pastry selection we got sat. Server promptly came to our table. Very timid like it was his first day and didn't seem confident in his role to serve guests. No introduction just a simple " would you like something to drink". Servers should be prepared and start with a favorite or specific item to sell to a guest He returned within 2 min with our drinks( apple juice And lemonade were amazing and fresh. We ordered the famous chive biscuits. Which came quick. Delicious to say the least. Could be served warm so the butter melts For our entrees. Eggs Benny and cheese French toast. I'll comment soon as it arrives. As its now been 25min and still waiting. Execution and delivery in a timely manner should be a focus. The Server did approach us to tell is we are next. Thanks. Bruch arrived and it was amazing. The chipotle hollandsise Is delightful. Again, it's served on the chive biscuits which were cold. It off set the warm eggs which were done perfect Cheesy French toast I will say hands down I will order again! Service was medioccur and food quality standard. But fresh and delicious Server gets bonus points as he reeled us in with the end note" anything from the bakery today". Who could resist. Of course! I would recommend to anyone based on my first experience.

Always a favourite. Regular diner here and the waitstaff are incredibly kind and professional. The table side Caesar Salad is amazing! Not to be missed! My favourite is the prime rib, which comes with veggie and potato sides. Take your time and enjoy a leisurely dinner inside or on the new patio when the weather is nice. Also a local favourite when it comes to Mother's Day. Don't forget to grab some jelly beans on the way out!

Best in the area for fine dining.. Wow, the food is good here .. Probably the best in the area. Our waiter Tommy was really nice and we'd go back just because of him. Also liked Jimmy. Calamari is unique and excellent. Beef is best here. Drinks generous. All this goodness has a price .. Figure on $75 a person for dinner but I don't think you'll regret it. Free parking.

I kept thinking how it would be a really nice place for a date (good food, great service and it's pretty quiet do you can actually have a conversation).