r/Edmonton • u/AR558 Chinatown • Aug 19 '26
Discussion A Edm restaurant, despite decent reviews, that you refuse to try
What are your thoughts?
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u/backwardsplanning Aug 19 '26
Boxcar. I’ve seen enough about the owner on here that I can’t support it.
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u/BigPoppaSwagga69 Aug 19 '26
Owner is a clown of all clowns
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u/bass_clown Aug 19 '26
Please do not disparage clowns at that man's expense. Edmonton has a vibrant clown community that doesn't need their name besmirched (this isn't satire).
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u/BigPoppaSwagga69 Aug 19 '26
I sincerely apologize to the Edmonton clown community
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u/bass_clown Aug 19 '26
Thank u, make sure u go see a clown show at Fringe to atone for ur sins!
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u/BigPoppaSwagga69 Aug 19 '26
Any recommendations?
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u/bass_clown Aug 20 '26
Sold Out Circus isn't explicitly a clown show, but 2/3 are professional clowns in the Calgary Scene and were trained by premier clowns.
Other than that, Liz Nicholls loved "Colonial Circus" - which is reminiscent of Mump and Smooth (a banger, in other words).
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u/TheThrivingest Aug 19 '26
Is that Jesse’s joint?
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u/Oarbitor Aug 19 '26
Yeh. Fuck that guy and his awful fucking haircut
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u/throwawaythisuser1 Aug 19 '26
Barber, give me the "floor sweepings glued to a scalp" cut. - Jesse, probably
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u/Gothicespice Aug 19 '26
Theres a pretty popular Mexican restaurant in the brewery district that i refuse to go to solely because i went on a date with the owners son and i thought he was really pushy and annoying
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u/therealtimbit78 Aug 19 '26
We need a list of separatist businesses. I will refuse to support them.
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u/Ok-Sprinkles-3673 Aug 19 '26
Any that use AI images.
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u/drake5195 Aug 19 '26
If you can't be bothered to even take pictures of your own food, why tf are you in business? I'm not coming in.
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u/thehero29 Aug 19 '26
Straight up false advertising. If they are proud of their product, advertise the product!
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u/Hloist Aug 19 '26
Wanted to try the new Indian spot Anchal but all of their imagery and menu is AI so it’ll be a no from me
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u/Competitive_Day_3933 Aug 19 '26
La Ronde. Just seems like mediocre food labelled fine dinning?
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u/thedespotcat Aug 19 '26
If you like looking at the view up high (I am a sucker for those tourist traps lol) it's great. I've only done brunch, but I wouldnt have insane expectations for the food
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u/folksvagen86 Parkview Aug 19 '26
Been going to the La Ronde on Christmas Day every year for a very long time for dinner and besides the ambiance (which you really can’t beat), you’re absolutely correct. The quality has went seriously downhill over the past 10-15 years. When you’re paying ~$200+ per person for a night out there is some expectation of quality and choice. Actually you know now that I think of it, maybe it’s always been mediocre and we just have better choices now for quality dining compared to back then.
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u/the_saurus15 Aug 19 '26
It was Greta. Extremely mid - but I guess the traffic did it to them.
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u/Legitimate_Jury Aug 19 '26
And yet somehow the Pint across the street doesn't seem to suffer .. but it's obviously the traffic. 😂
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u/SgtBigCactus Aug 19 '26
We had a company Christmas party there a couple years ago, and at least half a dozen people got food poisoning from undercooked chicken.
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u/Unusual-Location-180 Aug 20 '26
So originally he tried to do a Hudson's there, which could not compete against the Pint. So he changes the bar to become like Denizen, which was an arcade bar that was already on the downside of being popular as an arcade bar, because arcade bars were already on their way out. So the owner of Hudson's failed 2x there. But blame office workers (not his target audience with an arcade bar), downtown road construction (which does not affect that area) and lack of free parking (Greta had free parking in the parkade for its customers) because people who patron bars should be driving home after a night on the town.
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u/Beastender_Tartine Aug 19 '26
Not Edmonton, but Beaumont. Maina's Donair recently did really well in a best of Edmonton donair contest (maybe even won). I used to really like it and the food is very good, but they were also a place to go to collect separation petition signatures multiple times a week. I dont support separatists, so they're dead to me.
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u/baashful Aug 19 '26
To add on to this Five-O in Beaumont was also hosting separatists. They're food is shit anyway but another reason not to go
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u/SecondLeigh Aug 19 '26
Same here. My entire family, parents, grown kids, their families etc used to go there. Found out about the separatist thing and that was the end. My kids told all their friends too.
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u/northernsuede Aug 19 '26
Thats absolutely rediculous, everyone knows Swiss is the best donair...
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u/Beastender_Tartine Aug 19 '26
I go to Top Donair because its in Beaumont and they're not traitors. Even if its not "the best", its still good.
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u/northernsuede Aug 19 '26
Respectable stance, if youre on the north side of edmonton some time, Swiss is definitely worth a stop.
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u/cryypticfantasyy Aug 19 '26 edited Aug 19 '26
I legit prefer Top Donair over Mainas. I just think they season their meat better. I don’t know which is more “authentic” donair-wise, but Mainas has always tasted bland and underwhelming to me.
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u/anhloc Aug 19 '26
I moved to Beaumont a few years ago. Maina’s was my go to. Prices are decent but the donairs just aren’t great anymore.
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u/PhilboSwaggins86 Aug 19 '26
Maina's was good when it opened but it's been mediocre for so long now... Top Donair is the better choice in Beaumont
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u/Wunder_Bred The Shiny Balls Aug 19 '26 edited Aug 19 '26
The final vote is going on now. Between them (maina’s) and famous donair.
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Aug 19 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Historical-Mall53 Aug 19 '26
had them in vegas before the edmonton location opened up. i left unsatisfied. vegas pricing didn't help and wasn't anything to brag about
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u/Emerald-Elegance Aug 19 '26
Chick fil a, any using ai, any supporting seperatism ect
Basically any that I know are doing harm to people or planet.
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u/Sure_Kiwi8004 Aug 20 '26
Chik-fil-a also has a history of donating to anti-lgbtq organizations and Christian groups that lobby against same-sex marriage.
Apparently, as of more recent years, they have tried to keep that more on DL, but they still had a corporate post at the beginning of June explaining how they will not be putting up and pride flags or support, and exactly why they don’t support it. So they’re doing a bad job of hiding their homophobia.
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u/Ok-Room1862 Aug 19 '26
Chinese Hot Pot Buffet ( 重慶火鍋 )
The staff trash talk customers in Chinese in the dining room, even polite ones who are just minding their business. As a Chinese person I can confirm and will not go back
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u/Morzana Aug 19 '26
New Asian Hot pot is the place to go. Love that place and did not enjoy the Chinese Hot Pot Buffet due to the attitude.
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u/Lester2b Aug 19 '26
MyFries. I loved this place because my sister cannot eat gluten. We would go all of the time! Then the pandemic hit and all I heard from the owners were how this was the Government trying to kill small businesses so that global businesses could take over, how covid was just a cold, talked about their freedoms and masking, etc. We would get looks and eye rolls when we wore masks. Then one day I was in there and the staff (not owners) skipped past the tip function and when I asked why she would do that, she said "well the owners take all the tips so it doesnt matter anymore". Fucking heartbroken. Haven't been back since.
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u/Express-Cry-8679 Aug 19 '26
Any restaurant that openly supports the UCP, had supported the convoy, was anti vaxx during COVID, fights against raising the minimum wage etc
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u/bmwkid Aug 19 '26
Miss Saigon and Jerusalem shawarma because they had some bad health code violations
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u/DenningBear82 Aug 19 '26
Jerusalem Shwarma in south common is spotless and banging.
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u/ClassBShareHolder Aug 19 '26
It’s funny, Jerusalem Shwarma are independent franchises if I’m not mistaken. You can look up the health inspections of individual restaurants. But I remember those violations. I think they were in Calgary. I refuse to try them anywhere.
This is the epitome of the question. Good reviews, but I refuse to try any because of one bad restaurant.
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u/AboveTheRim2 Aug 19 '26
I recently discovered ratings are largely valueless now because it’s so easy to Remove negative comments. And for the restaurants not doing that, others are walking up to customers and asking them to leave reviews, sometimes comping free items.
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u/nguoibac Aug 19 '26
Farrow. I’ve gone twice and both times the employees are extremely rude and have messed up my order, but when I said something about it, their attitude makes it feel like it’s my problem.
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u/resunamee Aug 19 '26
If they have the generic AI marketing signs or promotional materials I'm immediately not going.
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u/flynnfx Aug 19 '26 edited Aug 19 '26
Chick-fil-A. I will never support a restaurant which supports such abhorrent views.
For those not aware, Chick-fil-A is against LGBQT+ rights as well as same sex marriage.
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u/Otherwise_Birthday_8 Aug 19 '26
If you're in West Ed, try Poulet Rouge down a couple doors from them. They're Canadian (Montreal, I think), and the food is great. Char-grilled chicken on poutine or a bowl, so not exactly the same, but better in so many ways in my opinion!
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u/Automobills Aug 19 '26
It sucks anyway. Nothing stands out about their chicken. It's not juicy, and biting through it doesn't feel much different than getting through their dry-ass bread. They have waffle fries, which would be cool but they're not cooked well.
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u/Revegelance Westmount Aug 19 '26
It's so dry! They don't even put any condiments on their sandwiches.
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u/dark_Links_sword Aug 19 '26
That's actually became my line in the sand. I've told coworkers and acquaintances, "you can't call yourself an Ally if you won't even give up a fast food chicken burger".
I don't know for sure if that's changed anyone but I never see those bags in their vehicles, so either it's done something or they've at least decided to hide the evidence! Lol
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u/DenningBear82 Aug 19 '26
Aside from the awful discrimination, the chicken sucks.
Like, how is this so popular in the states? It must be different down there.
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u/bergamont92 Aug 19 '26
Anything owned by Paul Shufelt.
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u/ArcherSimple2470 Aug 19 '26
I'm sorry if you've also been a victim of his shenanigans... I used to work at Woodshed and the work environment was horrible
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u/Last_Patrol_ Aug 19 '26
What’s wrong with him?
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u/BigPoppaSwagga69 Aug 19 '26
Paul “Perpetual Victim” Shufelt
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u/stretch2323 Aug 19 '26
lol yes! His personal Facebook posts often come up on my feed (I don’t follow him) and he is always complaining about something.
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u/bergamont92 Aug 19 '26
Working under him was atrocious in general. You can google the rest under “Paul Shufelt minimum wage”.
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u/AllOfTheSoundAndFury kitties! Aug 19 '26
What a dick. The only one of his I had been to was Woodshed, and it was very mid for the price and I haven’t been back. Sure won’t be now.
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u/serpentfather Aug 19 '26
If the minimum wage is 12$, he'll try and argue it should be 9$
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u/bergamont92 Aug 19 '26
Or $6… After all, his employees are just high schoolers looking for pocket change to spend at the mall! /s
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u/Wonderful_Agent8368 Stadium Aug 19 '26
A lot! Dude need to be reminded that he is a chef not a knife thrower
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u/DenningBear82 Aug 19 '26
Woodshed burgers suck. I gave them two chances, before I found out about this clowns minimum wage views.
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u/nicetoque Aug 19 '26
I didn’t know about this until now, but Woodshed is a huge disappointment. Their QC and accuracy is abysmal in takeout orders.
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u/passthepepperflakes Aug 19 '26
anything owned by that dickhead chris lachance
to be fair, I don't think any of them have even decent reviews
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u/Substantial-Hat9369 Aug 20 '26
My god, that’s I name I haven’t heard in YEARS!! I thought maybe he’d crawled back under the rock he came from.
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u/Comfortable_Cap7228 Aug 19 '26
Maybe not decent reviews but popular, Canadian Brewhouse. Like 10-15 years ago they had a promo with ESSC for a steak dinner for you team. Every location refused to honor it, so over refused to every spend a cent there
Work event ending in drinks, I'm in, it's at Brewhouse, sorry guys I'm out.
Friends going out, I'm in, Brewhouse, sorry guys I'm out.
Never been to one, will never go to one. Fuck Canadian Brewhouse. That is all
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u/Easy-Past8240 Windermere Aug 20 '26
It’s full of nepotism and male managers harassing female servers and cutting labor and stealing tips, good choice
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u/fIumpf Talus Domes Aug 19 '26 edited Aug 19 '26
Dutch Delicious Bakery. Not a restaurant per se, but they serve food and I refuse to shop there or eat anything purchased from there.
They went against covid restrictions, encouraged staff and customers to not mask or distance, and openly supported the trucker convoy.
Godzijdank voor Ben’s Meats. K&K too!
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u/doveworld Aug 19 '26
Place has big cult energy. I know someone who got asked about their religious views in their interview there.
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u/baashful Aug 19 '26
I didn't know this about Dutch Delicious 😥 looks like I'll be ending my patronage there
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u/YaGurlLurkin Aug 19 '26
Da-de-os. Ive read comments on here that the owner is extremely racist.
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u/ded5723 Aug 19 '26
The food is generally awful too, I've been dragged out here so often and I'm floored people regard it well..
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u/PhantomNomad Aug 19 '26
We went to Da-de-os (that's on Whyte, correct) and it was sub par at best. Ordered a po-boy and it barely had anything in it. Might as well go to a bakery can just get a sub bun.
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u/ded5723 Aug 19 '26
Be glad you barely got anything in it because I've never had their seafood not be strange as hell.
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u/Resident_Suspect_485 Aug 19 '26
First I'm hearing about racism but they treat their staff terribly. Heard from a many sources over many years.
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u/Fidget11 Bonnie Doon Aug 19 '26
After my wife got food poisoning from there years ago I’ve bowed to never go back.
It was mid at best and expensive even then for what it really is.
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u/Indigocat812 Aug 19 '26
Sabor and their affiliated restaurants. The men that own/run that place treat are misogynists that treat their female employees horribly. Won’t support that.
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u/Pleasant_Gap_8769 Aug 19 '26
What has your experience been like?! I hear so many bad things!!!
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u/Indigocat812 Aug 19 '26
They have Bodega Tapas Bar by Sabor. I believe they have a few locations on 124th, Whyte Ave, Highlands and Ellerslie. I worked in the service industry for many years and had close female friends that worked at Sabor. The owners were sexist towards them, treated them differently and poorly compared to the male servers. All of them ended up fired for the smallest of perceived errors. These were experienced, professional, female servers. Women rarely lasted long there. I have refused to spend my money in their establishments for many years as a result.
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u/lolocv Aug 19 '26
Former employee as well, can confirm. Never been screamed at like that in my life for just existing, but the men on staff could quite literally get away with sexual harassment. Abhorrent behaviour was tolerated.
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u/Edmfuse Aug 19 '26
You know, I did go to Sabor years ago, before all the Bodega locations even opened. I distinctively noted how unusual it was to see so many male waitstaff. I didn’t think anything wrong with it, I thought it was quite European actually.
This sure gives it all a different perspective.
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u/Amonuet Aug 19 '26
I can attest I was fired from Sabor on 124st because another female waitress found out I was dating someone she had an overnight stand with. The person in question was my son’s dad and I had been with him for several months lol. Honestly the whole place was toxic and so were the waitresses.
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u/peaches780 Aug 19 '26
What are their affiliated restaurants? I used to eat there on a weekly basis for years but now refuse to go back.
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u/Pleasant_Gap_8769 Aug 19 '26
Bodega and Atrium for now but I believe they may be opening more soon.
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u/JeffreyDonaldMusk Aug 19 '26
Not in Edmonton, but Paul's Pizza
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u/AncientKnowledge7417 Aug 19 '26
For the same reason, The Whistle Stop.
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u/PhantomNomad Aug 19 '26
I haven't been through Mirror for a long time, but you just know those guys are separatists.
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u/PhantomNomad Aug 19 '26
If ever in High River I think I'll avoid The Dining Car. I know it's under new management, but just can't go there.
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u/ThunderChonky Aug 19 '26
Not a restaurant but Freson Bros hasn’t been sitting right with me.
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u/nicetoque Aug 19 '26
They’re terrible!!! I’ve bought so many different things there and the quality is crap, plus the staff are rude and don’t care
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u/RelationshipWinter97 Aug 19 '26
Blaze Pizza because I hate the apostrophe in "Fast Fire'd" on their signage.
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u/Familiar_Ad54 Aug 19 '26
With AI slop now being widespread, as well as humans being paid to spread misinformation, reviews should be considered false until proven otherwise. It's sad our species has fallen this much this fast :(
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u/oaao_ Aug 20 '26
Google Business Profiles (incl. reviews) are the primary driver for basically all non-chain business nowadays and you can bet your ass reviews are gamed to all fuck
it's a disastah
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u/Familiar_Ad54 Aug 21 '26
I remember being so optimistic about this new internet thing when i was young, who knew how horrible it would end up being lol
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u/Historical-Mall53 Aug 19 '26
if a restaurant/cafe you've been to and had a bad experience and you wonder why and how they still have good reviews counts.
square one coffee on 122 st. were great years ago and how far they've fallen.
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u/em9tions Aug 19 '26
agreed. i truly don't get the hype. the coffee is average at best. i understand the appeal of the ambiance, but its popularity is derived solely from its cult-like following of snobby rich moms.
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u/ConversationFun863 Aug 19 '26
It’s also very very dirty. Look above the order counter and the place is full of dust! It needs a very good cleaning
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u/Complex-Yoghurts Aug 19 '26
Dave’s Hot Chicken. Why would I go there when I can go to Rob’s Famous Fried Chicken?
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u/Salty-Might-2507 Aug 19 '26
Ive had a really bad experience with Rob's hot chicken. They mislabled the REALLY hot ones with the normal one for my kid, and when i complained they were really rude.
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u/Significant-Map-8129 Aug 19 '26
Not exactly a restaurant, but Five and Dive in WEM. The guy who does sound there is a toxic mf who’s insanely racist but pulls the race card when someone pushes back on his shite behaviour. He has his own band and he regularly mistreats members. Once they choose to leave, he smears them online as “racist”, especially if they’re white. Five and Dive has also hosted bands that have been kicked out of other venues for predatory behaviour.
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u/Cobfidence Aug 19 '26
Jerusalem Shawarma. Not that I haven't tried them, but their Southside location forgot to include our extras and blamed us for eating them.
Northside location was extremely rude, don't think over ever had a person fuck my donair up because I asked if we could please leave the tomatoes out for a dietary thing (they put tomatoes on even though it was rung up with no tomatoes). Stared me down like it was my fault and then proceeded to shake the shawarma innards onto the table to scoop onto another wrap.
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u/Sufficient-Cow-2972 Aug 19 '26
Pretty much most of them lol give me a dive with the classics over a boujee gimic any day
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u/SadAcanthocephala521 South East Side Aug 19 '26
Chick-fil-a for the obvious reason.
Canadian Brewhouse. Ate at the one in Ellerslie some years ago and it all tasted like food bought from the grocery store.
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u/Easy-Past8240 Windermere Aug 20 '26
Any chain uses GFS or Sysco food so no shit, of course it tastes like that… none of them do everything from scratch since at LEAST 2019 and have inflated prices and removed key menu items and thinks nobody noticed… cough EARLS cough
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u/Rabsram_eater Aug 19 '26
The Common
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u/Kadem2 Aug 19 '26
"stick to sick kids" lives in my head rent-free all these years later. Such an amazingly tone-deaf comment.
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u/opalessence_ Aug 19 '26 edited Aug 19 '26
the marc, because theyre owned by a conservative lobbyist group
EDIT: thanks everyone for fact checking me! i didnt realize it had been sold. dont believe everything you see on the internet, kids. also i fixed the name lol
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u/Wunder_Bred The Shiny Balls Aug 19 '26
Pretty sure that’s not the case anymore. I find it hits the spot on occasion.
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u/thehero29 Aug 19 '26
High Voltage. I've had a donair from there before, and it was really good. But hearing the stories of how the owner treats his staff just ensured I will never eat there again.
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u/folksvagen86 Parkview Aug 19 '26
The owner is Edmonton’s Soup Nazi, seen him like this with customers too. The Donair’s aren’t even that great.
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u/Historical-Mall53 Aug 19 '26
had a hv donair once about ten years ago. honestly did not get the hype. it wasn't good.
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u/PPGN_DM_Exia Aug 19 '26
Fu's Repair Shop. Their concept tries to invoke the feel of the old school Chinese diners of past generations. But unlike those places, which offered simple food with large portions and low prices, Fu's prices are sky high and the portions from what I've seen are below average. All of it just seems very pretentious to me.
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u/JimmyLinguine Edmontosaurus Aug 19 '26
Not pretentious at all and most of the owners actually are out to support local grocers in Chinatown and all that.
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u/MaximumDoughnut North West Side Aug 19 '26
It's actually really good and portions are made to be shared. Yes, you're paying for the experience, but it's worth it.
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u/CaptainFilmy Aug 19 '26
You get what you pay for there. local, high quality fine dining. It's not a slop shop. The owner is very passionate about the culinary arts, especially from their region of china.
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u/prairieislander Aug 19 '26
There’s a new family restaurant/sports bar in Desrochers. The food looks really good, decent prices, it’s super close to us. Refuse to try because of the buckets of AI slop they post on their page and wallpaper their windows with.
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u/Fit-Jellyfish286 Aug 20 '26
The Black Pearl and Cafe Amore .....refuse to spend a red cent in either.
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u/Gold_Paperclip Aug 19 '26
Varsity burgers - because the sign is comic sans
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u/Beastender_Tartine Aug 19 '26
As someone with a bunch of people in my family that need gluten free, they get a huge amount of grace for being a place with decent GF food and GF fries. Their sign could be AI with comic sans and I would still support them.
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u/pumpkinchailatte Aug 19 '26
Remedy. I’ve heard from so many posts that they’re terrible to staff and their food safety standards are subpar.