where to begin with michales.... they have been a staple in the Clarkson community for I belive arround 40 years and they have stood the test of time, service has only improved, the restaurant itself and the menu certainly has changed alot in this time frame but the experience allways remains the same, authentic and friendly. the dining rooms have been renovated at some point and are now very large, often being utilized for corporate events or business meetings, this past weekend I had the pleasure of hosting a Holliday dinner with my colleagues, one that greatly impressed us and left us feeling satisfied, i also celebrated my 20th anniversary with my wife here a few years back. Michales offers a very large selection of dishes, so there is something for everybody here, plenty of sharable appetizers, hearty mains, and detectable deserts, they do cycle in and out various menu items so I'm not sure if this review will be as accurate as it ages but we had the hangar steak, the tiramisu, the salmon, and a type of penne pasta whos name escapes me but flavor certainly does not, (my compliments to the chefs). my only complaint is that it can be pricy at times but for the quality of service and dishes ,it is completely understandable, our waiter was very knowledgeable about the wine selections and the dishes on the menu, and even offerd to shred us fresh cheese onto our food, a nice old school touch of class you just don't see anymore these days. if you are a couple looking to celebrate an event, or looking for a restaurant of high quality to accommodate your next meeting, I highly recommend.

What a beautiful experience at this warm little place. I went there with one of my girlfriends and it was the perfect setting for hours of chit chat. It was a busy place but the service was perfect. We are vegetarians so our server kindly asked us if we could trust him to order food for us which we did and sure enough his selection was great. They had a great wine list with wines from many countries and we chose a French wine which was great. Food was yummy. We especially liked the Caprese salad and the ravioli in white sauce.

Amazing. Absolutely perfect service, great food, splendid ambiance. The place is very tastefully decorated and comfortable. We were very well taken care of by Carlos, who knew exactly when to have our next course prepared and delivered to the table, and expertly navigated the clearing and setting, while being very polite and patient. The experience provided was one of the best I've ever had at a restaurant.

Our favorite restaurant in the GTA by far - excellent food, amazing staff and a great atmosphere. Anthony, Michael Jr and Carlos (Who treats us like family, what a guy!!) have always taken great care of us and we made sure to have our last meal before moving to the Maritimes at Michael's Back Door. Romantic dinner or celebration or just a Tuesday night - you'll get an incredible meal with an experience to match. If you're in the area run, don't walk, to have a meal and make a memory here. Thank you!

Good ambiance, excellent service, delicious linguine frutti de mare. Waghu steak was overcooked to preference, so order down to how you prefer it (rare for medium-rare, etc). Appetizers were awesome, as was the bread. Should have Parmesan on the table to mix with the oil for dipping bread.

Amazing service, elegant atmosphere, and even better food. I got the braised beef short rib and my wife got the gnocchi napolitana. Both dishes were amazing and our server recommended the braised beef which was a great recommendation. We also got the soup of the day (roasted red pepper with corn salsa) and the charcuterie board which were both also amazing and worth the price. Our server, Carrie, was also very friendly, professional, and non-intrusive. Overall a wonderful dinner.

A great restaurant indeed. I would say a hidden gem. Make sure you reserve a table. Great staff and food. The owner/partner is really nice. They serve all kinds of alcohol. Will visit again very soon. Added to my list of favourites.

First time in this restaurant. Came in on Saturday night without a reservation. We were lucky to get a table after waiting about 10 minutes. Had to wait a bit after we were seated to have some one coming to our table. The service was very friendly answering all of our questions, but a bit slow. The table was very nice setup. The food was very good although I found it pricey compared to other similar restaurants.

We hosted our baby shower at Michael’s Back Door Restaurant over the weekend, and I can’t say enough good things about this restaurant!! The service was incredible, the servers were so patient and kind, the food was unbelievably delicious, we had vegan and non vegan items, and every single item was so so good! It was a pleasure dealing with Anthony and Michael to plan this event, they made the planning so smooth and everything turned out exactly as planned and even better! I would not hesitate to host another event here and to dine here again, because everything exceeded expectations from the ambiance of the place, the food, to the service. I strongly recommend this wonderful restaurant!

Went there for an event recently. The host, waiters, and waitress were fantastic. Patient, kind, funny, and very accommodating. Michael, the owner, was there to ensure that the party was going smoothly. Their food was incredible and they tweeked the event menu to meet the needs of vegan and non vegan guests. I had an amazing time and will definitely go again with my family!

I recently(I mean not recently) had the pleasure of dining at a restaurant in December 2022, and I cannot believe I forgot to share my wonderful experience until now! I attended a dinner party hosted by my boss, and I must say that the entire evening was exceptional. From the moment we arrived, the service team made us feel welcome and attended to our needs throughout the evening. As a Halal eater, I was pleased to see that there was a delicious vegetable salad option available for me, while my friends enjoyed another appetizer that they raved about. For my main course, I chose the Blackened Atlantic Salmon with a Maple Glaze and Apple Slaw, and I was blown away by the magical flavors. It was cooked to perfection, and the combination of sweet and savory flavors was simply divine. Now, let's talk about the B-52 Cheesecake. As a cheese lover, I was thrilled to try this dessert, and I must say that it exceeded my expectations. The creamy cheesecake was a perfect way to end the meal, and I couldn't get enough of it. To top it all off, I enjoyed a delicious cappuccino to complete the meal. Overall, I must say that the service team and the owner truly made this evening memorable. The restaurant was very well maintained, and the atmosphere was perfect for a dinner party. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for an exceptional dining experience, and I cannot wait to return! Thank you for a wonderful evening!

Based on all the great reviews online I feel like we may have had a one off poor experience, however wanted to share my feedback just the same. I was looking forward to eating here but was disappointed with both the food and service. The place wasn't busy and our waiter kept hovering and appearing every few seconds multiple times to take our order when we were clearly not ready and he could see we were in the middle of conversing and had barely glanced at the menus. While I appreciate quick service I wasn't expecting our anniversary dinner celebration to last for less than an hour - we had ordered drinks, appetizer, entrées and a complimentary dessert (which was appreciated). The food service was just too fast and the waiter overly attentive that we just felt a little pressure that we were expected to dine and leave quickly. I ordered the gnocchi but found it to be overcooked to almost mushy consistency. My husband ordered the veal tenderloin which was good. The complimentary cheese cake was excellent. Not sure if we will revisit this restaurant based on our experience.

All the waiters are funny and really welcoming. Every customer at the restaurant seemed to be having a great time. If you love Italian cuisine this is your place, Michael's Back Door focuses on serving different types of pastas. But because of this their is not a great variety food, which again is the reason why all of their pastas taste fabulous. They also serve fish and clam, and have amazing vegetarian options. Overall I am definetly coming back to eat at Michael's back door

Went there for my granddaughter's first communion. Approximately 30 people. We had a private room which was very inviting. The menu was like a wedding would be where you have a choice. They offered beef, fish, pasta and chicken and with starters. There you had a choice of soup or a couple of different salads. What can I say, everything, and I mean everything was absolutely OUTSTANDING!! The service was perfect, A+, the staff were pleasant, friendly and extremely helpful! Again, an A+. The food was OUTSTANDING! Everyone at my table got something different and everyone was ranting and raving about how OUTSTANDING their food was. The portions were, you guess it, OUTSTANDING! Both my husband and son can really put it away and they were comfortably stuffed. Not to overlook the presentation of the food was also amazing! The staff were very attentive, you never had to look for them. Always close at hand. Everything was fantastic. A++

Had a wonderful Tuesday Night dinner at Michaels Back Door. The service was top notch, the host was great, the cuisine was fantastic. I really enjoyed it. Thank You Again 👍. - Jay T Warsh - @JayTSandals 📱 on Instagram

Been here a couple of times. Service is solid and ambiance is nice. The food is excellent. I’ve had the strip loin and rack of lamb - both were great, but the lamb was the standout for sure. Cooked perfectly. Good wine selection. Haven’t tried any cocktails personally. Prices are surprisingly reasonable considering the quality of the food. Expect anywhere from 25-60 for mains. Drinks are marked up as usual, on par with most restaurants. Overall great experience. Will definitely return.

Lovely venue and great set-up! I attended for a rehearsal dinner and there was a delicious charcuterie board and breads, and a 3 set menu - I enjoyed the caesar salad, maple glazed salmon, and a toffy caramel bread pudding. They were all delicious - especially the salmon!

The most amazing experience you will have! Very warm and inviting venue with fantastic staff and some of the most delicious food you will ever have in your life. Boyfriend took me there today for Valentine’s Day and from start to finish it was such a romantic experience. Highly recommend the steak with blue cheese! I can’t say enough about this place! Will for sure be returning

*Check for 2022 update below* June 2021: First indoor dining experience in God knows how long. Finally felt like a true date night! The ambience of this restaurant is cozy and homely yet classy in its own way. They have a good selection of appetizers, main and dessert. We ordered a trio of bruschetta, roast chicken and agnolloti. The three bruschetta flavors were tomato jam, sauteed mushrooms and zucchini with parmesan shavings. The mushroom one was very dry while the other two were marginally better. The roast chicken was stuffed with mushroom served with tarragon sauce which was very delicious! The agnolloti was the star of our meal. The stuffed ricotta cheese tasted fresh and the whole dish felt quite light, which is uncommon for a stuffed pasta dish. The portions were sufficiently generous. Not too heavy for 1 person. To seal the deal on the meal, we ordered a sticky toffee pudding which was plain and simple yummy! It disappeared within minutes of being served. Overall, a great way to start our indoor dining streak. The service was very friendly, not as prompt as I would have expected. Highly recommended! I would visit again. Update (Aug 2022): Visited after nearly a year and wasn't as thrilled as the first time. I had been here twice after my very first visit in June 2021. Disappointing to know that they ran out of the Agnolloti by the 7 PM dinner service. I was very much looking forward to trying it again. It's my favourite dish, that's been consistently good. For a vegetarian, they only have 2 mains, Agnolloti and Gnocchi. Typically, even the specials don't include any vegetarian mains. I wish they would improve on this front. The gnocchi is no match to the Agnolloti, for sure. It is very tomato-ey and cheesy. The structure of the gnocchi barely held when mixed with the sauce. I would NOT recommend this dish at all. The mains were quite disappointing that I didn't bother with a dessert. First time, I wasn't satisfied with my meal here. Might give this restaurant another shot, perhaps only after I confirm that they do have the Agnolloti available before I go to there.

I love this place. I have been here before and loved their risotto but when looking online, I didn't see it on the menu so it seemed I had to order something else. Went there with my b/f and we ordered the boar polpetti (meatballs) as an appetizer which were fantastic. He ordered the orecchiete (ear shaped pasta) and I had one of the specials... Risotto with veal ragú! I was pleasantly surprised that I could get my risotto. After the meal we had coffee and dessert (tiramisu). Everything was delicious and service was amazing as usual. You won't be disappointed with this restaurant!

Been wanting to try this restaurant for a while now. Very good service and the food was exceptional. Overall, had a nice time.

I had a great experience here. The owner Michael was very welcoming and lovely. Michael is also very handsome, just like his personality. Our server was just as nice. I will definitely go visit again.

I have attended here at least 3 or 4 times for dinner with family and friends. The service is always excellent. The menu has many options and the food is made fresh to order. I have never had a bad meal here. Their wine list and wine options are also excellent. Will return in the future to eat here again.

Italian night out, found a small but quaint restaurant. Started off with free bread and got an appetizer, calamari with chorizo sausages and roasted peppers. Entree, got an angel hair pasta with lobster meat in a tomato cream sauce and a seafood linguine delight consisting of mussles, clams, shrimp and scallops mixed in a white wine tomato sauce. I liked all the dishes. The portions were also a good size. Overall, I would definitely recommend the angel hair with lobster if you like creamy tomato sauce richness, especially after adding the freshly grated cheese. Flavour explosion.

Immaculate!! Magnifico!! One has to go to experience the food and ambiance!! This place is a bit pricey BUT you get what you pay for, and this restaurant is worth it's weight in gold!!

We had an amazing experience at Michael's Back Door Restaurant. As soon as we walked in, we received a friendly and welcoming greeting from one of the owners who offered to take care of our coats. Our server Sean was outstanding; he took care of every detail from start to finish. The service was prompt, but not rushed at all. The wine list is fantastic, the food was delicious and the portions were generous. The prices are very reasonable given you receive a high quality meal and outstanding service. We will definitely be back. Thank you Michael's Back Door for a wonderful evening.