Benchmark

⁵⁄₅ — Experience alone, especially if you’re at the Outlet Collection which is literally across the street. HOWEVER, you *will* need a reservation which you can do online the night before you head down! Atmosphere was nice and accommodating.
Tip: According to their reservation process, it seems to fill up quickly. Check their schedule, there’s 1 day that they’re not open for lunch. If you’re in the area anyway, try calling them to see if they have a spot!
2.5÷5 — non-​prix fixe menu items. I’m disappointed to say, but the best thing I ate was probably their Ploughman’s Lunch which is literally a charcuterie platter.
Based on the server’s suggestion, I ordered the House-​made Fettuccine with Kale Pesto ($ ¹²⁄₁₃), but it was completely INEDIBLE. Noodles were undercooked and underseasoned, so I felt as though I was eating raw, chewy dough AND a pretty large portion of it! :p
When the server came to check-​in on us, I had to send it back because I couldn’t eat anymore of it. (I had maybe 2 small forks of it and gave some to my brother, in which he agreed with me about the super-​el dente-​ness of the noodles.) I did feel bad, but the server took it away and told me I could replace it with someone else on the menu.
So I ordered the Winemaker’s Stew ($ 14) which was slightly more edible, but not enjoyable. (I would NOT order this again.) The stew was super dark, but did not taste rich. Lacked depth and again, seasoning. Chunks of beef were hard and overcooked.
I did try the items on the prix fixe menu ($ ²⁵⁄₃ course lunch) and I found the salad, pheasant, & desserts tastier than what I ordered.
Would’ve been nice if the prix fixe menu INCLUDED a coffee/​tea. It just seems like a nice touch!
Beer/​Wine Flights ($ ¹²⁄₄ samples) — Most of the wines that my bro chose were gross, too sharp/​acidic/​young, needs to be aged more. Beers faired better. Decent value as an alcoholic accompaniment with a meal!
I wouldn’t hesitate to visit again, especially with people from out-​of-​town, but I would NOT recommend the pasta! Safe bets were the meats, probably Club Sandwich, and I’d say salad-​items/​anything with produce as it’s grown on-​site.

The only reason Benchmark gets an extra star than the lowest possible mark is because it is quite a beautiful setting inside (outside — there was so much dust and noise from construction, literally 5 meters from the entrance). I ordered the Cobbs salad, which is dressed with wayyyy too much vinegar to the point where my mouth was numb. The Benchmark burger was generous in portion, but quite dry. The side salad that came with the burger was so bitter it was inedibble! and when I pointed it out to the server, she simply said «it is bitter greens, so you konw…». You have no idea how bitter it was… She did replace the salad with a soup, which was actually not bad. Overall, the experience was not an enjoyable one. I think it is important for culinary students to start somewhere, but at the same time, this was a little too much for me.
I think I probably will visit again just to support the students, but I hope that I will have a different experience next time.

It was just okay. When we walked in they said that all tables were booked buy they squeezed us in. There were still tables left.
Wine was good, and decent prices since wineries are near by. We had Arctic char and rib eye which were good. Their signature bouillabaisse was terrible! It looked good on Unilocal but their salmon was spoiled and sword fish was very fishy like it hasn’t been cleaned and sauce was just cream. the table next to me was looking over at ours because waiter was recommending it but I wanted to scream DONT GET IT. the salad was good and the trout kale appetizer was great! Dessert was not impressive: crème brûlée was great but glutin free Black Forest cake and apple tart not so good. I would try here again once more but it is a bit of a gamble to eat here, especially considering the prices.

What a treat! Delicious food and attentive polite service. We enjoyed the potato chowder and smoked trout with kale first courses then the rib eye steak and bouillabaisse main courses, followed by cheesecake and Black Forest cake for dessert. Expect a spartan dining room and slightly slower service and every expectation will be met or exceeded! Student waiters are charming. Best value in Niagara Peninsula.

I had a beautiful lunch at Benchmark with my family. Really glad we chose this restaurant, as the food never disappoints.
For the first time, we decided to take the plunge with the Trust Us option: 3 courses plus your choice of beer or wine ($ 25).
The salad appetiser was a lovely, fresh start to this meal. The frisee greens were bitter, accentuated beautifully with sweet baby beets and goat cheese. The balsamic reduction added extra sweetness, and the dish was punctuated by texture from roasted pumpkin seeds. We also enjoyed a spring roll with spicy plum sauce; the filling was a smooth cream cheese with herbs.
Next, a duo of sausages (mild and spicy) was presented with sweet peaches. The roasted red pepper sauce was the perfect accompaniment and reduced the salty edge of the sausage. The dish was finished by perfect rosemary potatoes and a grilled corn salad.
Dessert was to die for. A faultless flaky pastry, filled with blackberries and accompanied by tart raspberry coulis and Chantilly cream. What a great end to a meal!
I’m so happy. Benchmark is delightful, and a must try if you are visiting Niagara.

This was a great dining experience. The atmosphere was beautiful and quiet. The restaurant is surrounded by beautiful scenery. All the staff at this place gave outstanding service. The food was perfectly prepared. We are from out of town and the first opportunity we get we will be back. Great job to everyone at this restaurant.

$ 4 pints of craft beer at the campus restaurant?! All my campus restaurant offered was overpriced beer and reheated chicken fingers, what a rip off!
Benchmark is a great concept, it’s a restaurant run by Niagara College where all the food is cooked by students of their culinary arts program. It’s a great way to give these students some cooking experience in a professional kitchen. My friends and I recently came here for lunch while on a day trip to Niagara-​on-​the-​lake.
The menu is short and sweet consisting of a single page of options all seemingly classics with a bit of a gourmet twist. On this day I opted for the «trust us» prix fix menu which is a three course meal accompanied by a pint of beer or glass of wine (beers brewed by Niagara College brewing program, wines made by their winemaking program), all this for $ 25. My courses went as follows:
Appetizer: Trout mouse with goat cheese served up on a fried pita. The mouse was the best part of this dish, delicate texture with a great trout flavour. I felt the goat cheese was put on top of the mouse a bit too liberally and merely overpowered the dish, while the fired pita was greasy and a bit off-​putting.
Main course: Handmade spaghetti with beef, portobello mushrooms in some sort of oil based sauce (I forget the exact description). This dish was a bit of a train wreck, the whole dish was bland, and the beef was dry and tasteless. The only redeeming quality was that the spaghetti was cooked perfectly and had a great texture.
Dessert: Pina Colada sorbet served in a martini glass was absolutely delicious. Great texture on the sorbet, amazing fruity flavour, without being too sweet. A perfect end to the meal
I also managed to snag a piece of my friends buttermilk fried chicken which was too salty and slightly burnt, another fail.
The restaurant itself is gorgeous with floor to ceiling windows looking out on to a greenhouse and some beautiful greenery. The service on this occasion was VERY slow; it took us over an hour to eat our lunch which is simply unacceptable. I was excited to see what the culinary students could do but I left feeling a bit sad as they were clearly missing some fundamentals of cooking that I would expect most culinary students to have (i.e seasoning, not burning fried chicken etc).
The prices are incredibly reasonable with no dishes topping $ 20 and most of them being under $ 15. The portion sizes were pretty generous, even on my three course prix-​fix; the beer and wine are unbelievably inexpensive and local! (made on site at the college).
Would I come back to benchmark? It’s hard to say; while the food was a disappointment it would be tough to not pop in for a $ 4 pint of beer. $ 4 beer on campus, I still can’t get over it, can I enrol ASAP?!
*2.5 stars

2 star + 0.5 star for value
I have been wanting to visit Benchmark after reading all these Unilocal reviews and I love the concept of having the students can practice what they learn in a real restaurant setting.
Arriving on a weekday for lunch and this place was packed. We decided to order their Trust Me ($ 25 includes a choice of beer/​wine from Niagara College winery/​brewery) to share and a la carte Buttermilk Fried Chicken ($ 12).
Service was definitely a miss. We waited almost 20 minute in between appetizer and main course. And ended up our orders was messed up and the kitchen never even prepared our food. Our lunch experience lasted almost 90 minute, not really acceptable for lunch!
Food wise was quite disappointing too…
Trust Me ($ 25)
Trout Mousse with Goat Cheese on a Flatbread — A-​OK aside from the flatbread being really greasy
Braised Beef with Homemade Pasta — Beef was a little tough but acceptable. The pasta was cooked al dente. However, there was not much taste to it. bland…
Pina Colada Gelato — The best part of the meal, smooth and creamy…
My Buttermilk Chicken was overcooked and dry and the batter was salty and bitter.
If I going to grade Benchmark, my lunch experience would just be a barely passing grade C-​. I don’t think I expect much as a paying customer, to be served in a reasonable time and with decent food.

Great food, very timely and friendly service staff. My wife and both had dish for dinner — she had the perch & I had the Rainbow trout confit. Wine, beer and vegetables are all local and delicious. The amuse-​bouche provided after our excellent starters was a perfect palette cleanser.

This restaurant is located in Niagara-​On-​The-​Lake and is within the Niagara College campus which is part of their culinary program.
The service was amazing and the food was excellent. I had one of their sandwiches and was happy leaving the restaurant.

Many of my reviews tend to be on the high side. I guess I have been fortunate to have some well prepared meals at several restaurants.
Benchmark is the restaurant at Niagara College where students can demonstrate and produce their best work in a restaurant setting. This is fine dining at affordable prices. Many of the main courses go between $ 10 and $ 13. I had buttermilk chicken which was prepared quite well — it was lightly breaded with some spice, perhaps a hint of curry. The Trout Muniere was quite good as well.
The were other groups in attendance — including a 20 people on a winery tour and bachelorette party all wearing their best with tiaras. Quite the range of clientele.
This was the second visit to the Benchmark and both experiences were outstanding. The staff were very warm and friendly — wonderful people and a great experience.

I just came here for dinner with my family and I have no idea why everyone is rating this place so highly. I think there needs some more practice at school first before they come here. I get that this place is where people in the culinary school go and practice their skills here, so here are the issues:
1) Service — I don’t know if this is something they learn in school but their service is not good. I’m not expecting much because I know they’re still learning but if you shouldn’t have to ask for bread multiple times and also not have our dishes removed when we’re done with the food! The server was horrible, she always tried to ignore us and had to wave her down each time. This place isn’t big but somehow she was able to walk around to the other tables she doesn’t serve so she doesn’t have to see how everything is going.
2) Food — The mussels with white wine sauce was waaaay too strong. Whoever made this needs to fix it asap. The masala stuffed chicken dish was horrible! It literally tasted like cardboard within the first bite I took. It was gross. The soup of the day, melon gazpachon, was gross too. The salad they had with the sunchokes and hazelnut dressing was pretty good along with the pork loin and cornish hen dishes, which is why I gave this place an extra star.
3) Deans List Wine — Even though they say it’s good, it’s not. Not one bit, don’t get this. I should have known not to listen to the server who didn’t even try the wine!
Overall, I’m not going to come back and don’t recommend it to anyone.

My partner and I had a wonderful dinner here. Our server was knowledgeable, genuine, and professional. It was very refreshing to be in a restaurant where the staff seemed to take great pride in their work. Our dinners were amazing. We also got a bottle of Niagara College wine complete with a student-​designed label. Charming! We loved getting an amuse bouche, but it was a little heavy on the mayo. We were staying at the White Oaks Resort, so it was especially nice to be able to walk over to Benchmark from the hotel. Looking forward to our next visit.

Benchmark is part of the Canadian Food & Wine Institute at Niagara College. Replacing the Niagara Culinary Institute restaurant, Benchmark is an exciting and new showcase of NC’s culinary programs and students. The food was amazing. We were treated to a Sweet potato ravioli with Bison meat. The Buttermilk Chicken was not like your traditional U.S. southern but great flavor. The White Bean Soup with Spicy Tortilla’s was delicious. I am looking forward to our next lunch meeting.

Definitely one of the best value finer dining options in the NOL area. I had the veal chop and my wife had the lambchop and they were both very well cooked. The vegetables that came with the mains were also well cooked.
The appetizer salads were pretty good as well, but probably just a small step below the entrees.
They serve some beer and wine that is also made on-​site.
The atmosphere is not bad, but it doesn’t really have the ambience of a high end restaurant.
The service was friendly, professional, and attentive.
I would highly recommend trying this place.

I came here for an August long weekend Saturday Brunch and it was awesome. This is probably one of the best kept secrets of Niagara-​on-​the-​Lake. The restaurant is run by the culinary students and everything from food to service was excellent that morning. The restaurant is beautiful to boot, you feel like you’re in, what could have been, a conservatory. Lots of gardens and a greenhouse right by the restaurant.
The food was plated well for the main course while the soup, salads, and desserts presented in the centre, buffet-​style, was just as good. They use as much of their own local produce as possible and made their own ice cream/​sorbets for the dessert. I’m sad that I was actually too full from the salad and main to sample all of their desserts on offer.
Definitely one of my go-​to places in the area. Support the culinary students!