Inspire Restaurant
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Hours
Sun
11:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Tue
11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Wed
11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sat
11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Details
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CUISINES
Asian, Fusion
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly
Meals
Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
features
Does this restaurant offer delivery?
Details
CUISINES
Asian, Fusion
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly
Meals
Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
FEATURES
Takeout, Reservations, Seating, Serves Alcohol, Table Service
Contribute
4.5
96 reviews
Excellent
52
Very good
32
Average
6
Poor
0
Terrible
6
B M
Toronto44 contributions
Sep 2023 • family
Sometimes putting things off means you miss out. I had put off dining at Inspire for no real good reason. Finally went, and could kick myself for not going sooner. Especially as that meant I would now be a repeat customer. Will right that wrong!
Five us went on a Friday evening. The cocktails are wonderful. Apps of tacos and calamari, wonderful. Recommend both. Did I mention that the plates used for your cutlery are are there for a purpose? Makes sharing of apps and even sampling or sharing mains very easy! Great idea!
Mains of burger, chicken burger, and udon were wonderful. Great flavours!
Service was wonderful. Great value. Will be returning soon!
The restaurant is well laid out, comfortable and busy.
Make reservations to be safe.
Highly recommended.
Written September 26, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Yummm
Pickering4786 contributions
Dec 2024 • friends
It's been a few years since I've been to Inspire on Main Street in Markham. We came here in December for a friend's belated birthday celebration, as well as a holiday gathering.
Everything on the menu looked great so we each picked a dish to share, starting with Calamari Poutine, before moving on to Loco Moco, Curry Katsu Chicken Rice, Chicken & Waffles, Spicy Vodka Udon, Duck Confit Tacos, and Crab Mac & Cheese.
Plating of the dishes was beautiful, matched only by the delicious flavours. We enjoyed every dish, with no clear favourite. It was all good!
This is a great spot, offering delicious food with very attractive presentation. The ambiance is cozy and intimate, and our server was outstanding!
Written January 4, 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Laurel S
West Hartford6 contributions
Jan 2025 • friends
Great food, EXCELLENT service. fun atmosphere. Loved the shrimp and rice. Dessert Panna cotta was generous. Duck tacos are yummy. Portions are reasonable and prices are fantastic for the quality.
Written January 27, 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bob K
1 contribution
Nov 2024 • family
My wife and I love curries and often eat in asian restaurants. We ordered the Chicken curry. The chicken was under cooked and in places rare. It was fried in a crispy batter. On top was an unattractive sauce which rendered the batter into a mushy mess. There was not even a hint of curry. We only managed to eat less than a third of our dinner before leaving the restaurant and purchasing some tea and chocolate bars to get the taste out of our mouths.
This is one restaurant I'll never go back to.
Written November 17, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lirus2014
Toronto64 contributions
Jan 2020 • none
Excellent food and attentive service, but the restaurant is too cold because the front door isn't properly isolated from the cold blast of winter.......makes for an uncomfortable delicious evening out !
Not cheap, so I'm sure I'm not the first to be unhappy about this.
Love the consistent kitchen, so am a regular.
Written February 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Peter A Morrell
Unionville4078 contributions
Nov 2019 • none
On this night we got the FoodCrew together to head into Inspire Restaurant In Markham Village!! It was most of the group's first time there and luckily we made reservations way before we went as this is a local hotspot that is super busy on weekends. The place has very trendy and inspiring decor, with a great colour scheme that really matches the food. Our servers were awesome as many come to our table during our visit. The kids ordered first and got handmade beef patties on fresh buns with a mountain of hand-cut fries ( I had to help them eat some ). I started with their popular and beautiful take on tacos, the Duck Tacos made with Duck Confit, Jicama Orange Salsa, Duck Egg Curried Mayo, Feta and served on Flour Tortillas!! Man O Man were those good!! Next up were the mains, we ordered the Simply Short Ribs with two Potatoes a very well made and presented take on short ribs made with Blue Cheese, a Shiitake Demi glaze, Spinach Truffle Mash covered in Potato Strings and served with Sweet Corn. Talk about tender, those short ribs were amazing !! For my main course, I had the Famous Shitaki Udon Carbonara made with Spicy Italian Sausage, Braised Beef, Creamy Shiitake sauce, Seasonal Mushrooms, with Parm and topped with Quail Egg!! Now hear this folks!!! It’s bigger than it looks and a real filler, I had to take some of this home after.. oh yeah, did I mention how good it was?? If you are looking for great, creative cookin’ and looking to be inspired, Inspire is the place to go!!
Written February 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anu808
Toronto33 contributions
Sep 2019 • none
We made a reservation for 8 for my birthday at end of September 2019. Since it's a small, popular establishment they asked me to make sure I had right number of reserved spots that evening. Family and I found it quickly and parking was right near by. Small interior, but very interesting decor but it was highly recommended for the food that the kitchens produced. We were not disappointed. The menu had many variables and by our table talk, all was inspirational. Hence the name, I guess. Before long, the place was crowded with people and music and talk mixed with laughter of guests. The bill was in the high end but well worth the raves I heard and the promises to come back here again from my table.
Written October 14, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ednoski
Vancouver50 contributions
May 2019 • solo
Easy to book the restaurant. Nice space. I was unfortunate to be dining along side screeching kids, so if it’s quiet dining you want, come later. The chicken burger was excellent, no complaints at all. The panna cotta...I should have skipped. Needs work or just deleting.
Written May 14, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Richard j
Markham414 contributions
Feb 2019 • friends
Very impressed with a first visit to Inspire. Thoughtful details distinguished each dish we sampled - variety of flavours, textures, cooking styles. Everything was enjoyable, satisfying and often surprising.
Started with a California Nachos with taro chips, ahi, avocado, pickled onion, jalapeños and spicy mayo, which was excellent.
Hanoi Greens salad was enlivened by pomegranate, radish, beats and more chilies.
Our three entrees were all delicious. A playful Udon Carbonara with spicy sausage instead of bacon, and served with a raw quail egg.
Thai meatballs with coconut, which were succulent and pricked with spicy heat.
The Moco Loco, with both a dutiful observance of traditional Hawaiian composition - a housemade medium rare burger served on rice, but it was taken a notch higher with Shiitake Demi glaze, crispy onion strings and sautéed shrimp. (Unfortunately, the must have fried egg atop the gorgeous plate, was quite over cooked which took away from the unctuous blend of gravy and runny yolk...)
Service was friendly, attentive and knowledgeable.
Definitely planning a return visit. Lots of similarly adventurous items we were tempted to try!
Written March 3, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
futuretraveller11
6 contributions
Feb 2019 • couples
Creative menu, unique ingredients, layered flavours... delicious every single time and I am determined to work through the menu. Intimate environment on Main Street and excellent, personable service. The owners clearly take great pride in their business. Can't wait to check out their new location in Newmarket! I encourage you to support this small business in this "big box" generation.
Written February 12, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
gogo
Toronto51 contributions
Feb 2019 • family
Inspire is an awesome restaurant and always at the top of my list when picking a place to dine out in Markham. This is a tiny restaurant with fabulous food and friendly service. I’ve tried many of the dishes on the menu and have never been disappointed. If you enjoy Asian fusion and amazing food, this is an awesome place. Make a reservation as it’s busy every night.
Written February 10, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Victoria
2 contributions
Jan 2019 • friends
My partner and I decided on a whim to travel to Markham for the Pacific Mall and figured we would stop to eat somewhere along the way. I looked for good places to get brunch/lunch for vegetarians and vegans, and Inspire was the first place to pop up, so we went there. The restaurant was completely full at the time and asked that we come back in half an hour to 45 minutes, which is understandable, we should have made a reservation, but were not aware of how popular this place was at the time. After 45 minutes, my partner and I were able to get a table and we were slightly disappointed with the lack of vegetarian options on the menu, as it appeared that a salad was our best bet for this place after having high hopes for some vegetarian dishes with the popular reviews via Google. I ordered the Hanoi Greens Salad and he ordered the Napa Cobb Salad without bacon, as those were the only apparent vegetarian options on the menu, sadly. After waiting about 30 minutes, we got our salads and they were enormous and surprisingly much more delicious than I was expecting.
I loved the Hanoi Greens Salad, but I hope the restaurant explores more vegetarian dishes, as I would love to be able to order at least a small variety of different things each time I go.
Written February 2, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
soprano1975
Thornhill27 contributions
Dec 2018 • couples
The place is really small. Very casual. Food was interesting, my partner had a hard time picking something to eat. I tried the greens salad, it was dry and not very flavorful, ceviche, which was ok, and a vegetarian burger. The food is just ok, but I thought that fried chicken on a waffle was a bit of a stretch.
Written December 9, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Patrick T
Markham3 contributions
Nov 2018 • couples
Went with my wife last Thursday and we both had a wonderful meal. I had a Loco Moco and my wife ordered a Chicken & Waffles. Taste was really good. Price were fair and resonable. Will definitely visit again. Dinning area is relatively small so be sure to make a reservation in advance.
Written November 20, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mack_the_knife_1970
Unionville13 contributions
Oct 2018 • family
I took my 13 year old daughter one friday on a date. She had wanted to try something different than the usual Markham Asian or chain restaurant and Inspire did not disappoint. We both started off with appetizers, but the clear winner was the "Extra Butter" Drunken Crustaceans. I think we should've ordered 2!
For the entree, i had the Insp Loco Moco which was very good. I've enjoyed Loco Moco before in my trips to Maui, but the coconut gravy with the shrimp definitely enhanced it. My daughter had the Waff Out Loud because she had wanted some steak. I had thought it would have a little chicken and a little steak but it had large portions of each! it was very good as well, but far too much for her to eat - even more than i would eat! This may sound weird, but i might suggest reducing the portion size.
Be warned that the restaurant is small, so reservations are recommended. While the menu choices are limited, they are very good. This little local gem is certainly worth a visit and i will likely be back with one of my other kids or my wife.
Written November 7, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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