Manor Casual Bistro

The Manor Casual Bistro has been around a long time, but despite being in a very popular shopping and dining enclave just off trendy 124 st, didn’t immediately spring to mind for me when I started searching for great patios.

It should have. It’s definitely one of the nicest patios in town, and especially quiet with the 102 ave bridge out of commission for the summer. Though technically considered part of the Westmount neighbourhood, I kind of want to claim it for Oliver anyways. What are you going to do about it, Westmount?

The Experience

The patio at Manor Casual Bistro has a look and feel that I would describe as grand. The Manor is a beautiful old home, converted into a restaurant, and the patio doesn’t disappoint aesthetically. From the large trees, to the very sharp looking walkways up to the patio, you can easily forget you’re in the middle of the city. It’s really nice.

Manor Casual Bistro

This patio is situated back far enough from the street and parking lot that the little noise that still exists from the reduced traffic is totally un-noticeable. There was a surprisingly low amount of noise from the crowd too, given that the large patio was packed the night we were there. That might be due to the demographics of the crowd that night, whose age probably averaged out in the mid/high 40’s. That makes the Manor a great choice to have a quiet drink and a bite to eat. Heck, there’s even a neighbourhood cat that loves it here!

A visitor at Manor Bistro

Once the weather turns a bit cooler though, you’ll want to pick your seat wisely. There’s only about 3 patio heaters, and maybe slightly more umbrellas, so those seats will be in high demand. At least the wind shouldn’t be much of a problem, as the trees, restaurant, and other buildings would shield a lot of it.

The Manor Patio

Beverages and Bites

The Manor Casual Bistro has always had a good reputation for their food, but I didn’t realize they had such a good selection of cocktails too. There’s 12 or 13 different ones ($12-13), and interesting ones at that. We had an Aperol Spritz (Aperol, Prosecco, soda, orange) which was very refreshing, along with a delicious Anejo Highball (Anejo Rum, lime, bitters, and ginger beer), and a Rhubarb & Lavender Pimm’s Cooler (Pimm’s, rhubarb, lavender syrup, anise, and lemon), which was a surprising and tasty cocktail that highlighted the anise.

Cocktail time

The selection of wine should have something to satisfy everyone too, with glasses from $10-$12.50, and bottles in a wide price range from $35 – $120.

The beer selection is smaller than a lot of places, but the ones they have are ones I like. Canadian selections from Mill St. and Phillips, plus a few European bottles means I wouldn’t go thirsty here, but if you’re looking to shotgun Budweisers with your bro’s, The Manor probably isn’t the place for you. The selections ring in from $6.50-$9.50.

The full menu of food is available on the patio, and there’s a lot to choose from. We shared a few items with our friends Karlynn and Mike, probably more well known from their blogs as The Kitchen Magpie and CMS Critic.

We started with an order of hummus, with roasted cauliflower and chips ($14). The strong curry flavour in the hummus was unexpected, as there was no mention of it on the menu, and our table was split on a thumbs up or thumbs down. Robyn and I didn’t love the taste or texture, but Karlynn and Mike did. An interesting take on hummus all the same.

Hummus with Cauliflower

We also shared the Almond Crusted Baked Goat Cheese, with mango salsa and bell pepper gastric ($14). I enjoyed the addition of the mango to add some freshness, and we cleaned the plate in no time.

Baked Goat Cheese at Manor Bistro

We also tried a couple of pastas – the Mac & Cheese with maple bacon and mushrooms ($13), and an entrée pasta with penne, chicken, pancetta, spinach, goat cheese, sundried tomatoes, leeks, tomato basil, and cream ($23). These were both solid, but something about sitting on a patio makes me want finger foods/appetizers more than full entrees.

I think a cocktail with the baked goat cheese is perfect for this deck, personally.

Manor Mac & Cheese

The thing that makes the patio at Manor Casual Bistro so nice, is the patio itself. I just love relaxing here and enjoying a delicious cocktail in the evening and I think you will too.