Garden's Gate Restaurant

This was the best restaurant I have eaten at! I felt like a fairy in a garden! If I lived in the area, I would be here daily.

Food:
-Packed with flavour in every bite
-Used premium ingredients, could taste it and I wasn't bloated after eating a 4 course meal
-Great proportions for price
-Great variety that included vegan and vegetarians

Atmosphere:
-Looooved the artwork along the walls that is done by the owner
-Get a window seat, you will not be disappointed, can take in the stunning garden views
-Even the cloth for the bread bowl had butterflies and the table cloth had flowers!!!
-Everyone around us was talking about how great their meal was. It was great to see and to know.
-The owners children help out, I adore this so much! They clear plates and put chairs up. What an amazing way to get them involved and they were happy to help out. Great to see!
-Feels very high frequency energy wise, such a blessing and bonus

Service:
-Shout out to Phoenix who served us this past Saturday. He was friendly and knowledgeable. He allowed the perfect amount of time in between meals and was attentive with refilling water, menu suggestions etc.

-There are amazing items for sale such as crystals, jewelry, cards, cups, oracle decks etc. I picked up the oracle deck and have really enjoyed it this far:).

Lovely place to stop and eat. The garden salad was beautifully presented with thin sliced radish around the bottom of the dish with edible flowers. Has options for vegan/vegetarian. Thank you for a wonderful dining experience.

All I can say is WOW!! What a great find on our road trip! The atmosphere, location, staff, chef and the food was over the top!! We will defintely make another trip just to eat here again!

Location:
Garden’s Gate isn’t located in one of the island’s towns. It’s a 20 minute drive south-east from the town of Mindemoya on Hwy 542. From the ferry at South Baymouth you can take Hwy 6 and be at Garden’s Gate in just over 10 minutes. From Little Current, you can be at Garden’s Gate in just over 35 minutes via Hwy 6 south.

Food:
This is a first rate restaurant that focuses on fresh, local ingredients and genuinely caring preparation.

Our first foray was a quick drop-in after checking out the Dark Sky Preserve. We were greeted warmly by Sheina, and after a brief chat we decided that looking at the menu in anticipation of the next day’s meal wasn’t enough.

We ordered the appetizer charcuterie plate as a “tester” and sat in the garden to enjoy our food. It was a fabulous afternoon snack. Too often we’ve ordered charcuterie plates that offer great ingredients, but in quantities that barely feed a small child. Kevin’s plate combines the best of both worlds: high quality ingredients (the blue cheese in particular was superb) and enough food for two people to dig in for some very contented noshing.

The next day we were very excited to return for dinner.

We ordered two appetizers: Grilled Chicken Satay; and, Local Asparagus & Prosciutto Rolls. Both were outstanding, though if we had to choose between them we’d give the win to the chicken satay. The house made satay sauce was something special, and the chicken was cooked to juicy perfection.

We each ordered the Pan Seared Rainbow Trout for our main course, and it was mouth wateringly delicious. The fish was lightly spiced, allowing the clean, fresh taste of the trout to take centre stage. As important, it was cooked perfectly. We savoured each and every bite - so, so good. We would definitely order this dish again.

For dessert we chose a Lemon Cheesecake with Seasonal Berry Coulis, and the House-made Ice Cream Sandwich. The Lemon Cheesecake was the runaway winner of this contest. The cheesecake itself was light and airy with superb, rich flavour while the strawberry coulis was a perfect, not-too-sweet contrast to the gentle, citric tartness of the cake. The Ice Cream Sandwich was the only aspect of the dinner that was less than satisfying. While the ice cream itself was delicious, the cookie was just too hard to allow one to eat the dessert as a “sandwich”. This was made even more difficult by the fact that the chocolate in the cookie - while generous and of good quality - was added in large chunks (as opposed to smaller chips), making the already hard cookie that much harder to bite through. When the sandwich concept defeated us, we switched to an open face approach, but still found the cookie and chocolate chunks too solid to fully enjoy.

Ambiance:

The Garden’s Gate is blessed with a beautiful location. The building is nestled amidst beautiful flower gardens, and tables are currently arrayed adjacent to the small parking lot (we understand that the plan is to move the tables inside the garden post-Covid). Inside the building you’ll find Sheina, your amiable and genuinely welcoming hostess, as well as a selection of local artisanal food products and crafts produced by local artists (we picked up a beautiful set of earrings while deciding what to order for dinner). This is a lovely space to enjoy good conversation and fabulous food.

Price:
The food is somewhat more expensive than other options we tried on the island, which is to be expected since it was far and away the best restaurant dining experience we enjoyed during our five day visit. We enjoyed two appetizers, two mains and two desserts for $125 (HST and generous tip included), a very reasonable price considering the quality. And compared to what one might expect to pay for a meal of this quality in Toronto or other Canadian cities, the fare at Garden’s Gate is a bargain.

We highly recommend dining at Garden’s Gate, and will definitely return the next time we’re on Manitoulin Island.

As of June 2018 there is major construction all around this wonderful restaurant, so if you make a reservation take the necessary detour time into account.
The garden in front is beautiful, the restaurant is welcoming, and the staff is courteous. We had a very enjoyable meal, enjoyed the wide variety of craft beer, and absolutely had to try dessert. Garden's Gate is a well run, fantastic restaurant that is a bit out of the way, but worth adding to your list of must visit eats around Manitoulin. I will absolutely be returning and can only recommend that you check it out. Oh, also, they have a great selection of loose leaf tea.

This place is very special. It has a beautiful setting in a house with a garden full of flowers, cosy interior with cute local art and engaged staff with a good sense of humor. And there is the FOOD. Always simply scrumptious but also unusual and surprising menu options which are usually based on local products. For example, last time we tried a salad with edible flowers from their garden which I thought was just too pretty to eat (see the picture) but after we tried it, its flavor was as good as its presentation. Chicken with blueberry sauce was fantastic, too (I never thought that they would go together so well). And they always amazing dessert options. It was our second time, and even if this place is not the cheapest, the whole experience is totally worth your money.

Sweetest little spot. Tasty food. Friendly owners. Lots of vegan and vegetarian options. Plus a cute market/shop with local and artisan items.

But a name like Garden's Gate means I must make mention of the incredible garden. You can sit in it while you eat or wait for your food. Bees and butterflies love this place and so do I.

Nice local restaurant. Excellent food and a variety of craft brews. Locally sourced food as best I could tell and a warm setting that is not too cozy. Friendly staff and we were able to get a table without a reservation although one is recommended.

Family run restaurant with a lot of character and fantastic food. I had the chicken piccata which while it had subtle flavours, the sweetness, the cheese and the greens really worked well with the chicken. The outdoor area is also quite beautiful so I would recommend eating outside to enjoy the place even more.

We love eating here, good portions, desant prices for the quality of food you get. This is a fine dining style of restaurant, which is best to make an appointment before you go. It's located on a nice quiet part of Manitoulin. We've been here twice this sumer and have yet to be be disappointed.

Extremely fresh and farm to table operation. Can't go wrong with the steak. The deserts are amazing so defintely save space for it.

Wow. Definitely did not expect such good customer service and food in the middle of nowhere. Great vegan and vegetarian options. Incredible service. Place is so nice and homey. Huge garden outside

The food is really good, but what it got me was the mouse cheese cake the best one I tried in canada so far.

We discovered this cute and cozy restaurant while on our family vacation. The vibe was wonderful. The staff were very friendly and made sure we were taken care of. The food was excellent! I love how they use food that is grown locally.
I would take my family back.

Unbelievable experience from start to finish. Highly recommend the housemade sodas! Everything was so fresh and flavourful.

Nice service. Chicken is cooked nicely and moist. Burger was way better than a big mac. Patty was juicy and ingredients were fresh.

Absolutely amazing lunch at The Garden's Gate Restaurant!!

We were served by the young (9 year old!!) manager-in-training who did an exceptional job!

Kevin and Sheina run what has to be the best restaurant on the island. No fried fish in sight 😮

Trout cakes
Caesar Salad
Fresh cavatelli special
Risotto
and some of the best fries ever!

Love love love it!!

Definitely will have to try a great grassfed steak soon.

Thank you so much!

The food was absolutely delicious and great to know that all food is freshly made in house and produce is sourced locally.
The staff was great and very friendly and told us their wonderful story of their move to Manitoulin and passion for food.
I will definitely come back.

So glad we decided to visit this restaurant for dinner. We learned when we arrived that we should specify when reserving, if we want to sit by the back with the garden view.. It was fully packed in that section!

The service was great. The serve local beer from Gore Bay. The fresh summer salad was delicious with tons of tomatoes and blueberries, and a yummy yogurt dressing. Our mains of local white fish were perfectly cooked and served with veggies from the garden. The pièce de résistance though, was the key lime pie. I've had many key lime pies before and this was by far the best one yet. We even got a second piece to go for the next day, and it was still delicious. The waiter told us that some regulars will call ahead to reserve slices of pie! Can't wait to go back next time we are on the island.

Actually pretty amazing! I had my doubts for a small restaurant in the middle of nowhere, but it's delicious 😋!!!