21 steps: kitchen and bar

happy. we came for dinner without a reservation but they were able to sit us right away. we had 2 orders of the prix fix dinner and a meat sauce penne. the garlic prawns and bacon wrapped filets appetizers were great, so were the prawns/scallops and the filet mignon entrees. the desserts (crème brulee and mud pie) were also top notch. service was on par with the food quality. overall happy with this nice restaurant.

cocktails were the best part. i can't remember much about my actual meal, but the cocktails here are superb. this was the third place i tried to order a negroni in whistler--the first two places they didn't even know what they were. here, they had the negroni on the menu and made it just right. my husband's whiskey sour was also excellent. if you like classic cocktails this is a great place. next time we might just go to the bar.

my main course was the spicy seared ahi tuna. i asked for without the spicy mayo that the server said was on the tuna. good intentions fail on this one. it was very small. the presentation was great, but for $13, i expected more tuna or thicker pieces. they were really thinly sliced. i'm not saying that you shouldn't order this appetizer as it was delicious, the main part of my "good intentions" is to more explain about whether i was successful in maintaining my dietary goals with my orders. in this case, it was a fail.

group of 7. great food and service. we all had great meals. will go again.

couldn't get over the awful service here.  they were abrupt and served a bunch of drinks that were mixed really poorly. they clearly just want to turn tables at this place and don't understand that service is part of the package you are paying for when you go out for a higher end dinner. i think all these waitresses need extensive customer service training. they were so hostile they made us all feel uncomfortable and rushed.  they kept reminding us of the next reservation.  it's not our responsibility to keep tabs on your reservations - you need to learn to book tables appropriately and spaced out.  we were only 30 minutes into our meal which included appies and mains when they were already talking about the next party.

ambience is nice, warm and inviting. the staff is very friendly, the bar is well equipped, good long wine list. it’s a really popular restaurant and one must book several days in advance during peak season. the food is average at best. the dessert was terrible (brownies). all in all i was disappointed for the hassle of getting a reservation and a pricey meal.

had steak dinner after a hard hike and our experienced was good. the place is busy but we were seated in less than 10 minutes. staff are nice and friendly. the overall food tastes were very good except for one steak which is overcooked. a bit pricey but worth it.

great food. great atmosphere. family friendly. perhaps a little on the pricey side but it’s worth it. it’s busy so you’ll need a reservation. highly recommend.

my husband and i were referred to 21 steps. so we stopped in at 5pm, on a slow monday in the very late ski season - not a lot going on in the village at that time. we entered in and went upstairs and first noticed the odor. it smells like a benihana or teppanyaki type place with heavy oil smell and filthy carpet. checked in with ‘jen’ at the host stand. jen and her colleagues were less than warm. although the bar and restaurant were at best half full we still put our names on the list and were told for a seat at the mostly empty bar or restaurant would be a minimum of 90 minutes. ok we were not deterred. said we would stand at the bar for a cocktail and wait. we were standing behind a series of empty bar seats checking out the wine list (which was pretty weak honestly - not sure who the sommelier is but there is some work to be done there). as we were speaking with the bartender another hostess person said sorry you cannot stand here, these seats are reserved. we said we are not sitting anywhere just grabbing a glass of wine, while standing while we wait. well, apparently you are not even allowed to stand in the bar, even when it’s empty, to drink from their lackluster wine list. so we were forced to stand in the hallway, on the smelly carpet, without a drink to wait for an hour, for seats that remained empty the entire time we stood there. we finally gave up waiting after the hour, as it was quite frustrating not being able to have a drink while you stand and see at least 8 empty bar seats and at least 6 open tables that are never filled. lesson here is just don’t go here. the keg, araxi, oso, and even earl’s will treat you well and you won’t be bullied by jen the hostess in a dead, smelly, empty restaurant.

lovely ambiance. the attic was reminiscent of the 20s style prohibition cafes and the service was charming. we tried the small plates and they were were rich and flavourful with an excellent blend of seasoning and sauces. they were quite small for their price though, 5 bites for each course. the hendrix margarita was fantastic and refreshing.

came here with some girlfriends. they have a great menu with either small plates (aka appy's) or main dishes. i had the braised pork with pureed yams, and fennel with apple coleslaw, which melted in my mouth. the pureed yams were slightly pureed too much however not enough to discourage me from ordering it again if i came. my friend had the steamed mussels and the sauce was great, although it had too much onion in it. the chilli prawns with wontons my friend had was quite a small dish. my other friend has the bacon wrapped filet mignon small plate and though she stated it was good, she was chewing each piece for quite some time due to the cut she was given having a bit of fat.

the food was good. part of the reason for the rating was because of the service. we had a reservation at 845, we arrived at 835 and our table was not ready. we were then told we could go up to the lounge to sit and have a drink, but when we got up there we were told there was only one seat. so they stuck us by the stairs standing for 20 minutes. after 15 minutes we asked if our table was ready and it wasn't. i felt the service was not up to par and felt out of place standing at the bar which wasn't appropriate. they could have done more from a service perspective to rectify the confusion and wait.

got seated at the attic area which is a nice warm bar. quite crowded for dinner but the service was as good as the food. great for hangout at the main village.

i visited this restaurant 2 days ago for dinner with my husband.
we were greeted and sat right away at a beautiful spot right by the window. it was not very busy as we were there for an early dinner.
they had a special set menu as it was the cornucopia festival while we were there. it was one appetizer, one main and a dessert or dessert coffee for $37 which is great value!
we both decided to go for that. i ordered a malbec which was nice and my husband had a beer. the service was great, very attentive and professional, the girl was friendly and sweet throughout the entire meal.
i ordered the pork belly which was out of this world! it was cooked to perfection and the sweet potato and fennel puree it sat on was delicious, i need that recipe! the coleslaw was also a nice acidic, crunchy touch.
my husband had the mussels. we normally have them with white wine sauce so he ordered them with the thai curry instead, this proved to be a great decision! the thai curry broth was medium spiced and full of flavour and really complimented the mussels.

i had the scallops and tiger prawns, the sauce they were in was very lemony and fresh tasting. the scallops were overcooked and slightly chewy but the prawns were beautiful and just right. the vegetables were way too hard and badly chopped and the rice was somewhat bland. overall i wasn't blown away by this meal.
my husband had the rock fish, this was very bland. the rice was plain, the vegetables the same as mine and the sauce was mild, way too mild. the fish had no taste and wasn't seasoned. after such a great appetizer, we were disappointed.

we both ordered a dessert instead of a coffee. i had the creme brûlée and my husband had the brownie. the creme brûlée was really delicious, perfectly done and its always a favourite for me. the brownie was also delicious and came with a peanut butter brittle and caramel sauce, it was a great dessert and ended the meal nicely. 

i would like to try this place again and try some other items as they have an excellent menu!

21 steps is in my top 3 favourite places to eat in whistler. it's tough to get in, so make a reservation. been a few times. we've always had great service, lovely atmosphere and delicious food.

real fun and lively place. food is very good but you would expect this at the menus price point. a great place to spend a friday evening with good friends