There are hundreds of restaurants in Niagara but not all are accessible. Smoking is not allowed in any restaurant in Niagara. We'll bring you here a few restaurants that are accessible and make Niagara proud.
Some of our nicest public restaurants are in golf clubs, hotels and wineries. We've listed the ones in golf clubs here because we don't have a golf club section but please go to our Hotels and Lodgings section and our Wineries section for more fine restaurants, all in bold, so you can find them easily. Some of the golf clubs and wineries may look imposing but don't let that stop you, they cater to everyone, and have gone out of their way to be accessible.
Lundy's Lane in Niagara Falls is lined with eateries as is Victoria Avenue above the falls. There are also many restaurants in both casinos.

NIAGARA FALLS

Betty's Restaurant 8921 Sodom Road Niagara Falls, ON ( in Chippawa - south of Niagara Falls on the Niagara Parkway) (905)295-4436 www.bettysrestaurant.com Hours - 8 a.m. - 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. Sundays Regulars know to get there before five for supper.

Your hosts: The Miszk family
Parking: There are many designated parking spots and a huge lot if you have a side or rear loading van. Everything is flat and the washrooms are accessible with bars beside the toilet and there is even a handle on the back of the stall doors to pull them closed when in a wheelchair. If you need a family-style washrooms so a caregiver can accompany someone who is disabled ask at the front desk. There are four sets of washrooms at Betty's in various locations and chances are one is not being used and can be allocated to you for your own private use.
At the front main entrance both sets of doors are automatic. The side door next to the parking lot is used mainly for special functions and is not always open.
This is a family-style, 530 seat restaurant famous for their fish and chips but flexible enough to serve it to you baked or grilled with mashed, if you like. They are also known for their homemade pies and soups and excellent Sunday buffet served from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 pm.
Prime rib and roast beef is on special every Sunday afternoon which includes soup, beverage and dessert
Senior's fish and chips special
Turkey on special - Wednesdays and Saturdays
The service is fast and excellent with mature wait staff, the lighting is excellent and the noise level low to moderate depending on the crowd.
Betty's can also accommodate wedding receptions, special banquets, etc. in one of several large rooms.
There is a large print menu available for the asking.

Queenston Heights Restaurant
Tel: (905)262-4274 - menus available at www.niagaraparks.com Select Queenston Heights under Restaurants.
In Queenston Heights Park on the Niagara Parkway. Seasonal: open May until Nov. 2 open lunch/Sunday brunch and dinner; Nov. 3 to Dec. 30. Mon to Fri. lunch only, Saturday lunch and dinner and Sunday brunch only. Closed Dec. 25 and 26. New Year's Eve - Dec. 31 open 5 p.m. till midnight for New Year's Eve dinner. Jan.1/09 - New Year's brunch only. - reservations a must. Then closed for season.
Fine dining in a lovely restaurant with an incredible view of the Niagara River. Ask for a window seat when you call for reservations. Now features a new wine collection - the Best of Niagara VQA Wines - winner of 2006 and 2007 RBC Financial Award for best Niagara VQA wine cellar and Reader's Choice Award for best Sunday brunch in 2007 .Sunday brunch is offered every Sunday in two seatings 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Reservations are required.
Accessible washroom, children's menu, patio, accessible parking.
Niagara Falls Grand Dinner Theatre will be having shows either at this location or at their sister location at Edgewaters Tap and Grill. For perfrmance times and locations call the theatre box office at 289-477-5255 or go to www.niagarafallsgranddinnertheatre.com.

Elements on the Falls
(905) 354-3631
As close as you can get to the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. Incredible view. Good food; mid to upper price range. Both upper level and lower level of seating are accessible. Ask if you want to sit next to the windows and they'll take you to the Garaventa Stair Lift to get you down.
Take the elevator in Table Rock to the restaurant if you are already at ground level or if you are coming across from the main parking lot Elements is on that floor. Accessible parking right across the road (follow the signs across the new walkway). Accessible washrooms. Children's menu. There is also an incredible view of the falls for people using wheelchairs and scooters from the rotunda next to the restaurant and the terrace patio that is licenced in the summer. Open Year Round - hours subject to change, please call for available times.

Edgewaters Tap and Grill Restaurant
(905)356-2217
Directly across the road from the falls - seasonal - March Break to New Year's - hours: 9 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. June to Sept. - rest of year: 10 or 11 a.m to 5 or 6 p.m. Easily accessible self-serve Riverview Market Eatery downstairs features live entertainment in the summer. There is a dining room plus upstairs terrace with wheelchair access in the middle of the back of the building. Follow the driveway around and you'll see the wheelchair entrance. Lunch and dinner, children's menu, Niagara wines, moderately priced. Accessible ramped washroom near cafeteria won't take an oversize wheelchair. This is a vintage building and making changes to accommodate new mobility devices isn't always possible. Washroom upstairs at the Edgewater is accessible. Entertainers can be seen from either the Riverview or upstairs on the terrace during the afternoons in the summer. There is also live bands every Friday and Sunday nights before the fireworks and it's a great spot to see everything.

Whirlpool Restaurant (Golf Club)
(905)356-7221
located on the Niagara Parway, seven km north of the falls. Accessible parking at side, wheelchair lift at back facing golf course. Ask restaurant staff to operate the lift. Restaurant serves casual pub fare during the months the golf course is open; breakfast during the summer months; gorgeous view when huge side door that is more like a wall is opened, moderate prices, accessiible washroom.

Legends on the Niagara (Golf Club)
9233 Niagara Parkway just past Chippawa
Being a golf club, the restaurant is mainly for the golfers but those who drive in for a meal are welcome. Dining room hours are maintained according to daylight golfing hours plus a half hour or so to give late golfers a chance to have a meal.
General hours: 7 am - 8 p.m.depending on when it gets dark. Closed mid-November to mid-April. Club house lounge and licensed patio featuring pub fare and casual family dining. Peaceful view overlooking lake at 18th hole. Beautifully ramped entrance, accessible parking, accessible washrooms.

Many of the hotels in Niagara Falls also have excellent restaurants. See our hotels and lodgings section, please.

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE
Niagara-on-the-Lake is a lovely old town with a beautiful old main street that is, unfortunately, not made for people in wheelchairs. About one in four of the shops are accessible. However, there is still plenty to see there and if you love old architecture there's nothing like a stroll around the town to whet your appetite. We've given details of several restaurants below and there are others: Queen's Landing Inn (the wheelchair entrance is to the left of the main entrance); Prince of Wales Hotel; The Pillar and Post and along Queen Street: Restaurant Giardino in the Gate House Hotel, The Shaw Cafe and The Epicurean. Washrooms can be very small and impossible for scooter users but there are accessible public washrooms at the corner of Queen and Victoria Streets tucked in behind the Shaw Cafe and once that is out of the way you can enjoy your meal.

Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Club
(905)468-3424
143 Front St., Niagara-on-the-Lake
On-street parking, one accessible spot but others all along the streets. Accessible entrance; ask at bar to have staff operate the wheelchair lift. Hours: Apr.1 - Sept. 30, 7a.m. to 9 p.m. daily; Oct. 1-Mar. 31, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Georgous vierw of Lake Ontario; patio, moderately priced meals, daily specials, accessible washroom.

Restaurant Tony deLuca at The Oban Inn
Tel:1-866-394-7900
Local: 905-468-7900
160 Front Street
Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON
Hours:
Dining room: 8 a.m. till 10 a.m. for breakfast, 11:30 till 2.30 for lunch and 5 till 9 for dinner.
Web site: www.tonydeluca.ca
Parking: There is onstreet parking is on both sides of Front Street and on Gate Street. There is one one large designated spot on the Oban's parking lot to the left of the building on Gate Street tucked inbetween the inn and an out building. Look for the wheelchair symbol on the pavement. The wheelchair accessible entrance is on the side off the parking lot where everything is ramped. I have to go backwards into the hallway because things are narrow and there is a bit of a lip through the door but it isn't unmanageable. Go into the main hall to the hotel front desk and you're almost into the dining room.
The Oban Inn has been a landmark in Niagara-on-the Lake since 1824 when it was the home of Captain Duncan Milloy from Oban, Scotland.
Fires destroyed the building on Christmas Even 1992 and the news saddened all those in Niagara who felt the Oban was a piece of our heritage. Thankfully, the then owner, Gary Burroughs, rebuilt it modeled on the original structure, only better.
While the Oban's 26 guest rooms are not accessible, the dining room is and it features Mediterranean-style food, has a set menu, and the price is $55. per person.
A large family-style, accessible washroom is tucked under the stairs to the second floor. It is roomy has a good big sink with room for knees, a tilted mirror, bars behind and beside the toilet and everything you need to feel comfortable while visiting the inn.

ST. CATHARINES & THOROLD

Mandarin Buffet Restaurant
366 Bunting Road at Carlton St., St. Catharines
(905)938-7000 www.mandarinbuffet.com
Hours: lunch/brunch 11:30-3 p.m. Dinner: Mon.-Thurs. 5-9:30 p.m.; Fri. 5-10:30 p.m.; Sat. 4-10:30 p.m.; Sunday and holidays 4 - 9:30 p.m. Plenty of accessible parking; easy access and very easy washroom. Resevations recommended but walk-ins okay. Very busy on weekends.
This 500 seat restaurant features a huge buffet with 150 items to choose from including sushi, salads, soups and seafood, prime rib, and varied desserts. This is no ordinary buffet, it is huge, everything is hot and fresh and the selection is incredible. It is a mixture of many types of foods to please the Canadian and American palate as well as Oriental.

Swiss Chalet
285 Geneva St.,
St. Catharines, ON
(905)934-5536
Hours: Sunday - Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Fridays and Saturdays - 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Your host: Abel Amorin
Just go off the QEW at Lake Street and take service road across Lake Street to the back of Fairview Mall. Go through Fairview Mall until you get to Geneva Street and Swiss Chalet is right at the entrance of the mall. Or, access Swiss Chalet just past the QEW underpass on Geneva Street.
A favorite with a lot of people who use wheelchairs, Swiss Chalet restaurants usually have easy access, accessible bathrooms and a relaxed attitude about seating.
Consistently good chicken and ribs. You usually know what you're going to get at Swiss Chalet and I can say the service is usually fast, the food hot and fresh and you can take the family out without breaking the bank.

Swiss Chalet
420 Vansickle Road and Fourth Avenue
St. Catharines, ON
(905)641-1802
Hours: Sunday - Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Fridays and Saturdays: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
This is the newest of the Swiss Chalet restaurants in Nagara. It is homey, spacious and the noise levels are low.
There are two designated parking spots with a curb cut right in front of them so if a car is parked in front of the cut you might have to jockey around the parked cars to find the cut. Everything is easy access though from the automatic doors to the easy to roll on tile floors. The bathroom is accessible and there is a large stall for wheelchair users. This restaurant is very near a large apartment building featuring 21 units for people with disabilities so they are used to serving people with unique needs and seating requirements.

VINELAND

About Thyme Bistro
3457 King St., Vineland, ON
(King Street is the Old #8 Highway that runs right from St. Catharines to Hamilton)
905-562-3457
www.aboutthymebistro.com
Lunch (kitchen opens at 11 a.m. and closes at 3 p.m.) Wednesday - Saturday. Dinner (kitchen opens at 5 pm. and closes at 9 p.m) Wednesday through Sunday.
Located on the Niagara Wine Route in Vineland, About Thyme Bistro was awarded the 2007 VQA Restaurant Gold Medal of Excellence. You can bring your own wine to this bistro and they'll happily serve it to you or choose from their large selection of local wines.
This lovely little spot delivers on taste. The chef owns and runs the place and uses fresh ingredients from the farms in the Niagara region, thus the menu changes often to reflect what is available. We chose to sit on the tiny patio beside big planters of flowering vines. As the sun went down, we were served a basket of crunchy-on-the-outside, heavenly-on-the-inside, straight from the oven, bread... so good we asked for more. Then, smooth, hot potato leek soup for two topped with baked blue potatoes and served in large oval white bowls. For our main course, hubby had the duck breast with vegetables, and I had veal sirloin with two kinds of dip and the best fries I've ever tasted and I'm very picky about my fries as I only have then about three times a year. Everything was fresh, hot and delicious. We were too full to take on dessert.
The restaurant seats 40 and the patio 16. Dinner for two with one beer including tip - about $100. Reservations suggested for weekends, not really a place for children or if you are in a hurry. Accessible washroom, parking, front entrance and patio. - visited September 2007