Review: Dinner at the Highlands Golf Club

I had the pleasure of being introduced to the Highlands Golf Club a few months ago when I guest judged at the Mount Royal Elementary School Culinary Cook Off.

Highlands Golf Club’s chef made a tasty chorizo rosemary penne pasta that I really enjoyed, so I was excited when the club reached out to see if I was interested in checking out their restaurant offerings.

Did you know you don’t have to be a member of the Highlands Golf Club to eat at its restaurant?

They’ve always been open to non-members but have never really advertised that fact – until now!

I went for Friday night dinner at the Highlands Golf Club a couple weeks ago with my friend Diane.

The club restaurant has live music every Friday so I thought that would be a great time to check it out.

I actually grew up in the area (went to Highlands Jr. High School!) so any excuse to return to my old ‘hood is a welcome one (gotta love those mature, tree-lined streets!)

The club house at Highlands has an amazing view overlooking the golf course/river valley.

That night, half of the room was sectioned off for a surprise birthday party for one of the club’s members so we sat on the lounge side – which was packed!

Who knew golf clubs would be hoppin’ on a Friday night ;) (this coming from a non-golfer, so maybe they typically are hoppin’ on Friday nights, lol.)

Diane and I were both surprised by how much more casual the club was than what we were expecting.

You hear ‘golf club,’ you automatically think something a bit fancier, but the Highlands Golf Club was actually fairly casual – in overall atmosphere as well as in menu offerings.

Casual with an air of fanc because it is a club. Does that make sense?

But really non-pretentious, which was super welcome.

Highlands Golf Club’s restaurant menu is primarily burgers, flatbreads, salads, and sandwiches. Their appetizers include some typical options – wings, ribs, chips, etc.

They also have some daily specials. That night, the appetizer special was steak tacos ($8) and their catch of the day was a tandoori peach salmon with basmati rice and grilled asparagus and peppers ($18)

Diane and I decided to share their Beet Salad – a gluten-free roasted beets dish with feta and mixed greens, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries and apples ($11).

We loved this dish! Delicious beets, great texture, and really light and refreshing.

For our mains, I got the Canadian Burger – featuring smoky bacon, cheddar, tomato, onion, dill pickle, lettuce, and black pepper mayo on a toasted bun ($16) with a side of kettle chips and a delicious sour cream and onion dip.

Diane got the Club House – grilled chicken breast with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and basil mayo on focaccia bread.

The portion sizes at Highlands Golf Club are massive!

We thought the food was especially well-priced for the huge amount you get. And it tasted great.

Diane thought the bread on her Club House was super soft and her chicken very moist and tender.

My beef patty was well-seasoned and had that – ‘yes we ground this up and seasoned it ourselves in-house’ quality to it. (You know the quality I’m talking about). I also really liked the smokiness of the bacon.

Our food came out quickly, our server Adena was lovely, and the live entertainment was wonderful!

Overall we really enjoyed the food, the atmosphere, and the view at the Highlands Golf Club.

I think it’s really cool that the club’s restaurant is open to non-members.

The crowd was primarily older (likely, actual club members) so it’s not like the club is the young, ‘hippest’ place to be on a Friday night (lol), well it probably is for the over 40 crowd. 

But we did really like the casual vibe mixed in with the live entertainment and the great view! 

The club is also far enough away from where I’m currently living that I don’t know whether I’d drive back often, though I do plan on a return trip so Mike can join me to try the burgers (it was a really good burger and I love that they’re made in-house!)

The whole golf club meal has actually got me curious to know what other clubs in the city open up their restaurants to the public! (For example, I know the Royal Glenora Club opens up their Sunday brunch to non-members).

Why not get some of the perks of membership without actually being one? (Especially handy for food lovers but non-golfers like me!)

Check out the Highlands Golf Club’s restaurant menu here.

So have you been to the Highlands Golf Club?!

What did you think? If not, will you go try it? Let me know if you do!

Linda

Follow @lindork

Disclaimer: I will always provide my 100% honest opinion on this blog. The Highlands Golf Club invited us to try their club restaurant. This has no impact on opinions stated in this post (I’m always honest!)