Review The Bistro At Hillside Winery - Penticton

Drove from Calgary to Penticton and after the long haul I was tired and very hungry so I asked my son to find us a restaurant that had a good steak dinner. He met me at the Cellar and I ordered the 10 oz sirloin with crispy onions and a blue cheese butter. It came with fresh seasonal vegetables that were grown in their own garden and delicious mashed potatoes. The steak came to the table on a sizzling skillet with blue cheese butter bubbling away under it. As I cut it it he steak I was able to drizzle the butter over each bite .. simply amazing! Each bite was more spectacular than the previous one! My son ordered the Mousakka dinner and it was also extremely delicious and a very generous portion. He was unable to finish his meal and had to take part of it home. The ambiance of the place is very nice and contemporary and the staff is very friendly and attentive. I will definitely go back again next time I’m in Penticton

My group waited almost 1.5 hrs for the entrees to come! The server was so poorly trained. When we complained about the long wait time, he didn’t acknowledge our frustration. Instead, he asked if we would like to order a drink while waiting ?! I told him I did not want to order any drinks. We only want the food to come. Then he proactively offered the manager to come to our table. However the manager never came to my table. Food wise, the appetizers were mediocre. Entrees were in higher quality

Excellent restaurant. The Mediterranean and Greek dishes are really authentic. We’ve been for lunch a few times and dinner as well, have never been disappointed. The sockeye salmon in the 007 sandwich or the Mumbai salad is amazing so fresh and perfectly cooked. Chicken and Brie sandwich is another favorite. Dinner favs include both lamb dishes and the Cioppino. Seafood here is trustworthy and delicious. Good wine selection and very fairly priced menu. Our server Heidi was gracious and attentive. Tim has also served us and he is always excellent, tireless and always has a wonderful smile to go along with his top notch service. We give it a full 2 thumbs up 👍🏻👍🏻

I cant rave enough about how amazing this place was! Everything we had was absolutely delicious from the starter to the main. Our server ocean was fantastic, very attentive and nice. Well worth the money and we will be returning many times over!! Thank you for making our anniversary one to remember!!

November'21: First time there for lunch. January '22: second time for lunch. Very nice place and ambience. Food was delicious. People very friendly. Highly recommended.

Wonderful restaurant! Delicious, authentic food. Ceasar salad is soo good with full leaf, anchovies and garlic and perfectly dressed. Lamb chops and mashed potatoes were delicate , smooth and very flavorful. Loved the seafood fettuccine in a tomato sauce. Ample seafood. Very well balanced drinks were generous and never shorted on the alcohol. Service was professional and attentive. Very well done! Goes to the top of my favorite list!!

The family and I stopped in for lunch and we were not disappointed! We had the bourbon burger and the wrap, both were super tasty. The restaurant has a really nice feel to it and the waiter who served us was excellent. We will be back for more of those awesome burgers!

The Cellar Wine Bar has become our Saturday night date night! We absolutely love this place. They already have “specials” which totally makes our night! We never get bored and can’t wait for things to come around. The restaurant is classy and sophisticated and ALL of the staff are amazing. Michelin star food! Nick’s creations are the best! Tim and Jenna are the best and Athena takes care of us like her own family. We love you Athena! You have to try this hidden gem! Love love our date nights! From Paul & Tracey Robinson

Great food. Highly recommend it. Went there for thanksgiving dinner. Very flavorful meal with great service. Waitress was very knowledgeable. Did the wine pairing with the meal - great wines.

Oh my, the food is 5 star here! Wine tasting felt rushed, but sitting down here to enjoy some appetizers was worth the stop. Everything we ordered was perfect and highend. Wagyu Carpaccio, duck pate and all else was exceptional.

The food offered was such small portions for such an expensive price. We went to a different restaurant after eating here because we were still hungry. I felt like I was dismissed because I didn't like wine and was not asked if I would like something else to drink. Not a great experience.

Hillside. Is a. Beautiful. Winery. That is patently evident. The building is such a signature; it’s etched on all their bottles. Despite the building’s fledgling age, it’s becoming practically a landmark. It may not boast a curbside view of the water or a snaking driving path through vineyards. It just features a tower. A magnificent tower. From there is a view of which many would seek, nearly 80 feet up. And it’s worth it. Hillside is a destination in Naramata, one of those must-see locations that sits near the top of wineries to visit in the region. The timber-frame construction made almost entirely of white pine eschews modern methods for a classic old-school approach reflected in other aspect of the grounds. Excavated rocks were employed in the building of the cellar. The tower doubles as a heat excavator for the wines below. Their garden is picturesque, dreamlike even. The very wood in the flour-mill-inspired design has a history. The tasting room is sizeable and features two bars on opposing walls to deal with traffic. Hillside has more than certainly staked their claim to their own patch and shouted to the viticulture gods of their intentions to compete with the greats across the world. It just sucks I don’t care for the wine. Yeah, I know, I should have spoiled the lead and mentioned that early, but truthfully, my opinion on the bottles should be ignored. I mean it. IGNORE ME! For those still hanging around, the winery is still a recommendation. After the competition had closed, we ate at the bistro and loved it (to be detailed later/in its own separate review—depending on the website). Hillside is magnificent, inside and out. To go to Naramata and not go inside would be a waste of a trip. I just didn’t care for the wine. I know, I said it again. And it’s not all bad. I did drop nearly fifty lira on a 2014 Gamay Noir Icewine. But their signature bottles just never spoke to me. And it wasn’t just my mood that day. One of my favorite local restaurants practically taps their veins with Hillside. I have sampled their collection on more than on occasion. I just have a very select palette. I love Cassini Cellars, Silver Sage, and Synchromesh. As I said, ignore me. Hillside put a lot of effort in their construction, and on our vacation, we hit up a lot of wineries, like 60 in a week. We brought back 120 bottles. Alas, none were from Hillside save that solitary Icewine still in its box. On our second trip months later (only a few weeks back), we took photos of the exterior but skipped the interior. It’s a great place to visit…you may even enjoy the wine. It just wasn’t all for me. As for the Hillside Bistro, it is one of the nicer looking restaurants slotting itself among the sprawl of beautiful wineries across the Naramata bench. It has both a patio and an interior dining room. We opted for the latter, and we were stupid to do so. It was hot out with little breeze, so we figured there would be air conditioning. Apparently, Hillside designed their bistro to face the setting sun as a focused beam of solar energy “lasered” across the back of my neck. It got really hot in there, and we eventually had to shift tables. Afterward, we settled into a nice meal. The menu offerings were to my liking. Although above average in price, I didn’t feel anything was not worth their value (though I can’t speak for the $114 26oz Angus Beef Short Rib sharing platter). The bistro, when not attempting to reenact the finale scene from the film “Knowing” is quite impressive, carrying over the stone and timer-frame construction of the winery. Amazing original art hangs from every space. The tables are custom-made with stone tops. Wine glasses etched with the winery’s logo sit at every place setting. They spared no expense. And when I said art hangs from every space, I'm not hyperbolic; in fact, I’m probably understating. In three photos taken, I counted twenty. The dishes we ordered were very good, from the basic artisan bread served with white beam hummus and butter to the pan seared halibut with lemon prawn risotto, corn cream, and carrots. Dishes were small, but that offered us the room for multiple courses. The menu has been changed since our last visit, though a few options remain. The bistro was empty when we arrived, and it remained so until we left, most people opting to the balcony like we probably should have. The Hillside Bistro is one of the better restaurants in the area, at least in the expanse between Naramata and Penticton. The plating is well above average, and the flavors are certainly present. This was a good one.

Amazing view, had several excellent tapas to share with 4 people, delicious wine, one non wine drinker grateful for beer on tap, service stellar, loved the detour sign which we took full advantage of, so impressed our family visiting from Maple Ridge, we will be back.

Beautiful rooftop patio, excellent shareable plates and great wine. We will definitely return, and continue to buy Hillside wine.

Overpriced for mediocre food (Carrot/apple soup and risotto was pretty good). Menu/portions aren’t clear at all. Prepare to pay close to double for the wine when you order it with your lunch versus buying it downstairs in the wine shop. We were also charged a tasting fee even though I had made lunch reservations months in advanced and told them I was bringing them there to celebrate my parents 50th anniversary. You think they would at least include a tasting for the wines we were about to order and pay double for. Left feeling ripped off.

Hillsides wines are lovely and their restaurant is consistently fabulous. Try the carrot soup, the duck rillette and the BBQ chicken! It's a perfect winery meal!

Hands down the best gnocchi I’ve ever had! The Lentil croquettes were even better🤗 will definetly be going back!

Enjoyed an amazing afternoon with excellent wine & lunch at the bistro! Delicious food . Don't miss this gem !

no better place to be on a sunny afternoon! Yearly visit was once again stellar.

Used to be a lot better, they completely changed the menu and dropped a whole bunch of really good items, the prices are very high for extremely small portions, I will not return

I found this winery so beautiful in its setting and the service. The building the feeling the wine the food. 5 stars Thank you.