Benchmark

Excellent food. They need to put a few signs from the road so it is found easier. Google takes you to the residents instead.

Nice use of local seasonal ingredients with lovely presentation of our meals. Appreciated that they accomodated my request to include a birthday candle on a dessert order.

our golf foursome always makes a point of going to Benchmark on our annual shopping trip to Niagara-on-the-lake in November.We have never been disappointed.there was something for everyone on the menu and each one was outstanding. Our server was knowledgeable about the wine list and gave great service
and the desserts were to die for . The prices are outstanding and it's always one of the highlights of our trip.
Keep up the great work.!....Benchmarks is a gem!

The dining experience is awesome. From the hostess to our waitress everyone is courteous and pleasant. The food is fantastic. Absolutely fresh and tasty. Will definitely come back again.

As a culinary training restaurant, great wine options to showcase student and local wines. Food well prepared overall. Pizza offers inconsistent, crusts too thick.

We were very excited to try out Benchmark and support Niagara College while visiting the area. However, our experience was less than stellar. Service was subpar and we waited 1.5 hours from the time we sat down to the time God’s arrived. A bit long even considering we took a few extra minutes to ponder the menu. I would by say they were overly busy, but too busy to handle? We paid the $3.00 for a bread basket but the 6 pieces it came with were hardly enough the keep the 4 of us satisfied until dinner. Food was good, but not great.

First time at Benchmark and it did not disappoint. Will definitely be back.

My wife and I have previously visited Benchmark restaurant and enjoyed the excellent service, the quality of the food, the cleanliness of everything in the restaurant - as well as the reasonably priced menu. This was the first time that we brought our friends and their 3 and 1/2 year old daughter. To my surprise and relief, the hostess put my concerns at ease by immediately bringing crayons for the youngster. Not only is Benchmark restaurant a family and adult enjoyable location for fine dining; but I can also recommend Benchmark to those with children. Thank you, Benchmark, for a very enjoyable experience.

Benchmark is always outstanding. The students do it all and they do a fantastic job. The setting is scenic and the prices are terrific; this is a learning exercise rather than a strictly for-profit business. It's, frankly, the best deal in Niagara on the Lake, bar none.

I know this is nitpicking but crust on my crème brûlée was almost burnt, but still good.
If I had to give a mark, (seeing this is a college), I would give ‘C’.

Joanne Young

Myself and my daughter in laws went for one of their birthdays for lunch. Everything we ordered had no flavour. We shared the squash tempurA, if not for the sauce , nothing. Then we order 2 pizzas , the gentlemen said it was the size of a dinner plate, they were the size of approx. 7” pizza but there was 1 inch around edge with nothing but dough, and lacking items on it flavourless. Ordered two orders of fries as side they were cold our response was it is already 1:30 we close soon! Excuse me, but you are open now. N8thing was said about a birthday, not impressed. Brenda

Seven of us gathered for an evening meal and conversation expecting a fine meal, maybe a little different or experimental. Our expectations were met with two things in particular, the tempura fried butternut squash (none of us regular restaurant goers having ever heard of this before) and the very 'delicate' butter poached Fogo Island cod. One of our group had the steak and found it perfectly done and one had the cavatelli alfredo that also went over very well. And to wrap up evening with a nice bow, the service was excellent. We will be back yet again.

The quality of our lunch was decent. By charging $3 for a basket of rolls and $3 for a glass of 'home made Perrier,' the restaurant came across as 'cheap', ironic for the cost of the mains was pricey. They would have been better off to have included the price with the mains and upped the overall cost. The tap water had an off-taste, a bit rusty, well-water perhaps, off enough to affect the overall experience. Quite a let-down from the 'old days', but I suppose 'the only constant is change' holds here also.

Stopped in for lunch while wine tasting in the region for the weekend. We like the innovative menu, the freshness of the food and the attention to detail. We know that this is planned and executed by culinary students and that enhances the experience. Every one is friendly and goes the extra mile to make sure you not only like what you are served but they want you to enjoy the experience as well.

For an appetizer we tried the panko breaded and fried butternut squash. The squash was inconsistently done. Some pieces were cooked thoroughly while others were undercooked and still crunchy. The lemon aioli served with the squash was great, but there was not enough of it. For entrees we had scallops and cod. No issues with the scallops, but the cod was very bland as if no seasoning had been used during cooking. We understand this is a teaching facility, but the staff should be keeping a closer eye on the quality of dishes being served.

I had a spectacular dinner with “my girls” my two daughters in law. We enjoy the awesome dinner and our time together. This will be an event we will happily repeat.
Looking forward to enjoying a meal with my four sisters in the future. Thank you for a great memorable evening.

Loved our meal and our server was great! We came from out of town and the trip was worth it. Everybody was very friendly.

We have eaten at the Benchmark several times in the past and enjoyed the experience. On this occasion the menu was somewhat limited and there were no specials. We were told by our server that the menu only changes seasonally. For a culinary college one would have expected the dishes to change on a daily basis. The food was unexceptional, especially the pizza which was the size of a small plate with a wide rim of crust. Everything was grossly overpriced. We will not be returning.

I find that the menu needs to change more frequently

The food is always amazing but the servers make the experience the most enjoyable with their enthusiasm, care and knowledge.

First experience with wine tasting. Will be back. Great food and very attentive service.

Great attentive service. Outstanding food. Lovely venue.

Benchmark is a favorite whenever I am in Niagara on the Lake. I brought my aunt and cousin who were travelling from Alberta and they loved it! I had the duck breast and it was sublime! The red wine taster to accompany was thoughtfully chosen for me, and I thought they did an excellent job. Keep up the great work!

We had a great hostess and server. Food was delicious. We will definitely be back when we are in the areaz

The freshness of the food, and the quality of the service and menu at Benchmark are outstanding. The ambience is great and it was lovely to be able to stroll around the college campus after lunch, visiting the greenhouse, brewery and wine tasting facility. Benchmark is an easy drive from Burlington, nestled on a scenic property below the Niagara Escarpment, just minutes away from the QEW. Top marks to everyone involved in the success of this wonderful facility!

"The cod was delicious" "the duck was very good". the soup was awesome!
The fries were very average and didnt appear to be handcut (? frozen) they were a little burnt.
The burger was average...needs more flavour.

We didn't realize when we reserved a table that all the food is grown cooked and served by students until you walked through the college doors. The restaurant itself is in a cylindrical room with lots of windows and has a nice ambiance. We shared some bread and salad for an appetizer both were really fresh tasting. For the main we had the tofu and the scallops. The scallops were amazing and one of the most popular dishes which was very flavourful and good presentation. The tofu was fried, it lacked a bit of flavour but if you are it along with the vegetables it had a bit of a kick.
Overall a good experience.

Steak was over cooked and main meal portions were very small...

The Kenyan ambassador and his delegation were there for lunch. Fun for people watching.

Been here before loved it! Told friends about it, they loved it. came back for another meal and will be back again!

Great place and great food with great friends. Very friendly and very helpful staff.

Awesome meal and great service!

Food was decent but Small portions. Over priced. Wouldn't go back if what I pay in Toronto for better presented food and portions are wither the same price or cheaper.

Wonderful food artfully prepared and presented and at a very good price. Plus you are helping students.

Excellent food and service from the students at Niagara College

Definately have to go back, this was a birthday dinner with my better half of 11 years, she was surprised and enjoyed the meal, i think next time we're gonna have to plan for a bunch of people since not many of our friends has heard of it.

Our server was fabulous along with the NC Balance Rose!!! The Scallops and Peppercorn Steak was amazing and our cheesecake with Latte and coffee was delicious!!! Everything was excellent!!! Can’t wait to come back!!!

We were really impressed with our food and service. Took a while to get our bill but overall a good experience! Food was delicious

This restaurant is part of the college with ingredients grown with the beer and wine all made on campus. Food is cooked and served by the students and I must say the whole experience was excellent in every way. The food was really tasty well presented and really outstanding. Price was really good value for the standard of food. I recently left a review on this site for the CN Tower in Toronto where the food was really poor relying on the view and charging the earth. They should take a look at Benchmark to see how cooking should be done. Only open a few evenings but well worth going.

It was our first time there for a party of four. We found the setup to be nice but lights were too bright for an evening setting. Very quiet, Friday evening at 7:30 there were only 5 other tables. Service was OK, though it was obvious that these were not “professional” servers. Our server was pleasant but had a somewhat difficult time communicating in English. Once the app arrived which was a charcuterie board (very small for $20 FYI) she names all the cheese and meat cuts on it. That was nice though as she was naming them she used her finger to point them out and was just about touching it as she did it.
We were all pleased with our main meals, in taste but size could be bigger. One app, four main courses and four desserts with two drinks each cost us $240. Not bad, I would suggest to give it a try at least once. We will wait a while before we go back.