Preservation Hall Eatery + Wine Bar - Winnipeg

This was our first experience at this locally owned Preservation Hall. They have a amazing and eclectic menu. Everything we ordered from the wine to the food at our table of 4 was 10/10! Another plus was the restaurant is perfect for social distancing… we had a booth for 4 and noted that they have added glass separators to add to our safety during the pandemic. We will definitely be going again soon. They apparently have a special menu planned for Valentine’s Day that looks well worth taking in!! Glad we found this Winnipeg Gem.

I mean look at the charcuterie board. It’s all meat with a couple of beans and pickles thrown on top. Presentation is quite unappetizing. The cold cuts all tasted the same and there was just too much pate, especially considering the amount of bread we got. We just weren’t able to finish it, how do you eat that much pate in one sitting? Tartare was ok, but again, there was just not enough bread. As seen in the picture, they gave us 5 very thin slices of bread. I’ve never had beef tartare served this way. We finished half the tartare before running out of bread, and had to finish the rest without. Service was fine. Decor was a little dim and drab. Drinks were mediocre. The only saving grace of this place was buck-a-shuck oysters on Wednesdays. Overall, likely will not come back.

I normally don't write bad reviews but this occasion really warranted a comment, so that both customers and the owner (a chef whose previous restaurants I have long frequented, and love) can hear my first experience at his latest establishment. Overall the first few minutes were good. The decor was ok and (to my taste) nice. The seats were comfortable (bench) and settled in for, what looked like a nice evening to celebrate a friends's birthday. Then the first irritant of the night started. The heat. The cold. The constant flux of the temperature. We were situated in a corner (5 customers) and noticed the heat immediately upon settling in. We asked our friendly attendant if they could adjust it down. They did. It got colder - and colder. After receiving our drinks we asked if we could adjust the temperature again. Back to the Sahara we went. Honestly - it was a battle all night long with the temperature - from taking off jackets to putting them back on. This alone made the entire evening quite unenjoyable. To the food. We ordered quite a bit of different things from the oysters, to steak, to soup, salad and all different mains. The butter lettuce salad, while very tasty, was just laden with dressing to the point of dripping wet. Someone obviously forgot to say 'when'. The onion soup (my starter), was actually very tasty. Nothing wrong but did wonder at the swiss cheese on top. It seemed very much like a Swiss cheese slice based on square shape draped over the bowl, rather than grated. :-/ I ordered the pork chop. The online picture of it on the website looked amazing. What I received was less amazing. First of all, I have to explain that I'm used to getting great french cut chops at co-op. Very little fat, lean, thick and juicy and oh so tasty. I took a picture (which I will try to post here), because when first presented it looked incredible. Then upon inspection - the disappointment set it. This chop, did not live up to that expectation. First it was *huge*. I mean it literally covered almost the entire dinner plate. The size of it was incredible, until I found out that almost 1/3 of the size was entirely fat. Both the edge and inside. It was greasy. My mouth was coated in so much fat and grease that even the wine could not cleanse the palate. I was very disappointed. The späetzle was actually great! I loved both the taste and the texture. Coffee, dessert, port, etc were good. I shared a creme brule with a friend. She wasn't a fan of the custard, however I thought it was what I normally expect in consistency. So - I ate most of her share ;-) Finally when it came time to receiving the bills - another mixup. Our original server had finished her shift and told us she was leaving. So a new server brought us the bills, and they were all mixed up. Completely. So - spent another 15 minutes organizing those to get everything settled. So - I'm sorry to say - I won't be in a hurry to run back there again - and, to be honest, was quite disappointed. Not only because the entire experience was really tainted by the temperature swings, but because the menu looked absolutely great and I had higher expectations for the quality, knowing the quality of the food in his previous restaurants.

The one dollar oysters were amazing. It tasted fresh and tasted flavourful with the sauces. Their seared duck is also amazing. It was flavourful, moist and the sauce complemented the duck.

I really don't understand the high ratings here. We came because of the reviews but we're all, a party of 6, very disappointed. My chicken was undercooked and the smashed burger looked and tasted like a McDonald's cheeseburger. The decor and atmosphere are nice... Staff is courteous, attentive and friendly. Prices are far too high for the quality of food.

A most incredible dining experience. Love that they are staying the course and continuing to check proof of vaccinations — this made us feel comfortable to dine in, something we’re not doing at most restaurants. Food was INcredible! Started with a charcuterie board with the most amazing meats and pickled veggies, and a lovely manchego cheese. Followed by main courses of Arctic char amandine and smoked brisket. Both were meltingly tender and almost beyond words. Chased everything with a pair of mocktails, the Storm Cloud and Love Potion. Hey. Six month anniversary. Time to celebrate. Thanks, Preservation, for giving us an absolutely amazing dinner. We will return!

A great newer restaurant from a amazing Winnipeg chef. The best aspects of his work shine here.. all the food was fantastic and glad this has survived aunty Rona

Unexpected gem in the suburbs with local produce, stumbled across it looking at the map for restaurants close to my hotel. Very attentive service even picking up takeout - order directly from the restaurant website. Presentation was as nice as takeout can be, and they pack the hot and cold dishes separately. Seared duck was fantastic, vegan cheesecake was enjoyable but the chocolate dessert was the highlight and definitely enough to share between two.