Patio Burger & Ice Cream Co in Penticton, BC is a solid casual stop for a greasy, satisfying burger near the lake, but it's not without its rough edges. It sits at a 3.4 out of 5 on Tripadvisor across 72 reviews, with a wider pool of 179 ratings on Restaurantji painting a similarly mixed picture. When things click, the food is hot, the setting is genuinely lovely, and the vibe is exactly what a lakeside summer afternoon should feel like. When things don't click, you might be waiting 25-plus minutes for a cold poutine and a glass of wine that arrives in a small plastic cup. Knowing which version of this place you're going to get, and how to tilt the odds in your favor, is what this guide is for.
Patio Burger & Ice Cream Co Reviews: Verdict, Food, Patio, Service
Peter Morrison
29 Apr 2026
The quick verdict
This is a good-enough spot if you go in with calibrated expectations. It works best as a casual, sunny-day outing where the lakeside patio view does a lot of the heavy lifting. The burgers at their best are exactly what you want: hot, greasy, and made to order using their 'smack griddled' approach. The ice cream selection (13 flavours including a dairy-free sorbet option) is a genuine draw, especially for families. But the service and food consistency are real wildcards. Some visits are smooth and friendly; others involve wrong orders, cold sides, or a noticeably grumpy order-taker. For the price point, averaging roughly CAD $10–$20 per person, most of the positives still hold up, but a group or family meal can creep high fast, and the value starts to feel shaky if your order comes out wrong.
Breaking down the food: burgers, ice cream, and sides
Burgers
The Classic Patio Cheeseburger is the most-praised item across review platforms, and it earns that reputation when it's made right: nice and greasy, hot off the griddle, with a straightforward build that doesn't overcomplicate things. The Poutine Burger with onion rings also gets consistent love, though reviewers flag that the bun can get a little too squished under the weight of toppings. The Lite Life Veggie Burger gets solid mentions too, which is a nice bonus for mixed groups. On the downside, there are real consistency complaints. Chicken burgers have been described as rubbery enough to send back, and cold or mushy burgers show up in enough reviews to be a pattern rather than a one-off. Missing condiments are another recurring gripe, seemingly small, but annoying when you're eating at an outdoor table and there's no easy fix.
Ice cream
The Strawberry Milkshake and Chocolate Sundae are the standout sweet items, flagged repeatedly as customers' favorites. The spot leans hard into its ice cream identity, 13 flavours, all made from scratch, with a dairy-free sorbet in the mix, so the variety is genuinely better than your average burger joint. That said, not everyone is impressed. At least a few Tripadvisor reviewers describe the ice cream flavours as lacking depth, using phrases like 'beyond cheap as far as flavour goes.' The milkshakes seem to land more consistently than the scooped options, so if you're on the fence, a shake is probably the safer call.
Sides
Fries get a thumbs up from most reviewers, 'excellent' and 'very good' are phrases that come up repeatedly on Wanderlog and Sluurpy. The caveats: some people find the seasoning a bit heavy-handed, so if you're sensitive to salt, it's worth asking for light seasoning. Poutine is a major menu play here with multiple variants (Canadian Classic, Patio Signature, Bacon Onion), but it's also the item most likely to disappoint. Lukewarm or cold poutine with limp fries and partly frozen curds shows up in multiple Tripadvisor reviews, and one reviewer reported that a replacement order came back cold too. Poutine feels like a high-upside, high-risk order, great when fresh, genuinely bad when the kitchen is slammed.
Drinks, service, and the bar experience
The place is licensed, so you can pair your burger with a beer or glass of wine on the patio, in theory, a pretty appealing setup. In practice, the drink side is the most polarizing part of the experience. RestaurantGuru notes that craft beer, wine, and draft beer are available, and the coffee draws genuine praise. But Tripadvisor reviews include a pointed complaint about a glass of wine coming in at $8.50 in a small plastic cup, not exactly the lakeside cocktail experience you might picture. The milkshakes, on the other hand, read as consistently well-priced and enjoyable, which is worth keeping in mind if you're here primarily for the patio feel rather than a proper bar experience. If you want more specific feedback on the bar side, this patio 66 bar and grill reviews roundup is a helpful next read patio bar experience.
Service is genuinely split. Many reviewers describe the staff as warm and attentive, and Sluurpy aggregates 'service is great/kind' as a common sentiment. But Tripadvisor excerpts include mentions of a 'surly' order-taker and cases where the staff offered a replacement on a botched order but refused a refund. The self-serve, casual format means expectations should be set accordingly, this is counter service, not table service, and the wait times reflect that. Reviewers note waits of 15 to 25-plus minutes during busy periods. One Sluurpy review framed it pretty well: 'The wait is long for fast food, but quick for sit-down.' That's the most useful mental model to bring in with you.
The patio and outdoor experience
This is where Patio Burger & Ice Cream Co genuinely earns its name. The location in Penticton near the lake is a real asset, the view over the water is consistently mentioned in positive reviews, and on a good summer day, the outdoor setting is hard to beat for a casual meal. Seating is entirely outside, so you're fully at the mercy of the weather. There's no indoor fallback if the weather turns, which is an important thing to know if you're planning around it.
The atmosphere is casual and busy, this is a popular spot, and 'always busy' is a refrain across multiple review sources. That buzz is part of the charm, but it also means noise levels can get high on peak summer days, and finding a clean table requires a bit of patience. Cleanliness complaints are one of the more consistent negatives: sticky tables, greasy surfaces, and gum spots on the floor come up in multiple Tripadvisor reviews. A few reviewers mention having to move tables to find a clean spot. It's worth doing a quick scan before you settle in, especially if you're bringing kids. The pet-friendly setup is a genuine plus for dog owners who want to eat outside without the usual hassle.
Value for money: is it actually affordable?
On paper, the average bill running CAD $10–$20 per person sounds reasonable for a burger-and-ice-cream spot. For a solo visitor or a couple grabbing burgers and milkshakes, it tracks fine. Where the value math starts to wobble is with groups and families. One Tripadvisor reviewer reported a family meal for four adults and four kids landing at $180, with add-ons for things like onion rings and fries upgrades, plus that underwhelming $8.50 wine. When you stack up the extras and the drink pricing, it's easy to spend more than expected, and if an order comes out wrong and you only get a replacement rather than a refund, that sting gets worse.
For families with kids, the setup, casual outdoor seating, ice cream on the menu, pet-friendly, is genuinely appealing, and the food prices individually aren't outrageous. Just go in knowing that it's easy to add up quickly, and that the ice cream (the kids' obvious top pick) gets mixed reviews on actual flavour quality. A milkshake is probably the smarter splurge than a scoop. If you're comparing the overall value experience to similar casual outdoor venues, this sits in the middle of the pack.
What people love vs what people complain about
| What people love | Common complaints |
|---|---|
| Classic Patio Cheeseburger: hot, greasy, satisfying | Burger consistency: chicken burgers described as rubbery; occasional cold/mushy patties |
| Excellent fries when fresh | Poutine temperature issues: cold, limp, even after requesting fresh |
| Strawberry Milkshake and Chocolate Sundae are crowd favourites | Ice cream flavour depth: some reviewers find it 'beyond cheap' on taste |
| Great lake view and lakeside outdoor vibe | Cleanliness: sticky tables, greasy surfaces, gum spots on floor |
| Friendly, kind staff in most visits | Service inconsistency: surly order-takers in some cases; no refunds on botched orders |
| Good variety: 13 ice cream flavours including dairy-free | Long waits during busy periods (15–25+ minutes) |
| Pet-friendly outdoor setup | Drinks value: wine in a small plastic cup at $8.50 feels poor |
| Casual, family-friendly vibe | Missing condiments and incomplete orders reported |
How to decide: which visit type actually works here
This is not a date-night venue if you're after polished service, curated drinks, or a reliable high-end experience. The patio atmosphere can be genuinely romantic with the lake view on a calm evening, but the plastic cups, self-serve format, and cleanliness inconsistencies make it a tough sell for a special occasion. For a casual, low-stakes date, afternoon sun, cold milkshake, nice view, it can absolutely work. Just don't anchor expectations to anything resembling a cocktail bar experience. If you're looking for that kind of outdoor patio bar vibe, venues more in line with patio bistro grill-style setups would serve you better. If you want a deeper look at the Patio Burger & Ice Cream Co experience, check out the Char Broil Patio Bistro 360 review for more specific patio-and-grill style expectations patio bistro grill-style setups. If you’re specifically hunting for the Char Broil Patio Bistro 180 reviews take, that roundup-style comparison can help you gauge what patio-and-grill expectations to bring. If you’re specifically looking for onset patio and grill reviews, the “bistro grill-style” comparison is the quickest way to narrow down what fits your expectations. If you’re comparing it to patio bistro grill-style setups, it helps to look at how other places handle consistency, pricing, and a true bar-and-grill atmosphere.
For families, this is a stronger fit: the outdoor-only format keeps things relaxed, kids can pick their ice cream flavour, and the menu has enough variety to cover picky eaters. Just budget accordingly and go early to beat the lunch rush. For a casual group hangout in summer, it works well as long as nobody is expecting speedy counter service on a busy Saturday. Groups of four or more should expect waits and should double-check orders before walking away from the counter, since missing items are a real pattern.
Best times to visit
- Weekday mornings or early lunches (before noon): least crowded, freshest food, friendliest service windows based on review patterns
- Mid-week afternoons in summer: you get the lake view without the Saturday chaos
- Avoid weekend lunch peak hours if you can — 'always busy' is a real warning, and waits get long fast
- Later evening visits: seating is all outdoors, so check the weather forecast and bring a layer in spring or fall
- If you're mainly there for ice cream, going after the main lunch rush (2–4pm) means the kitchen is less slammed and you're not competing with the burger crowd
The bottom line is this: Patio Burger & Ice Cream Co is worth a visit if you treat it as what it is, a casual, scenic, outdoor burger shack with good fries and decent milkshakes, not a full patio bar and grill experience. Order the Classic Cheeseburger, get a Strawberry Milkshake, grab a table with a lake view, and check that your order is complete before you sit down. Do that on a weekday afternoon and there's a solid chance you'll have a great time. Push it into peak weekend territory with a big group and high expectations, and you're rolling the dice.
FAQ
Is Patio Burger & Ice Cream Co really counter service, or do they have table service on the patio?
It’s primarily counter or casual ordering, not full table service. Even when staff are friendly, you may still wait 15 to 25+ minutes during busy periods, so plan to order early and keep expectations aligned with quick-serve timing.
What’s the best way to avoid getting a wrong or incomplete order?
Before you leave the counter, confirm the burger type, requested doneness or swaps (if offered), and the sides and condiments. Reviewers frequently mention missing condiments and incorrect items, and outdoor tables make it harder to fix quickly after you sit down.
Should I order poutine there, or is it safer to stick to burgers and fries?
If you want poutine, treat it as fresh-only. Reviews point to lukewarm or cold poutine with partly frozen curds during busy times. If timing looks slow, burgers and fries are the lower-risk choices.
Why do some reviews say the ice cream lacks flavor depth, even though the selection is large?
The menu has many made-from-scratch flavors, but at least a few reviews describe some flavors as mild or “cheap” in taste. If you’re unsure, milkshakes tend to be more consistently praised than scoops and sundaes.
Is the ‘smack griddled’ burger method actually important for the experience?
Yes. The best-reviewed burgers are hot and greasy, with the patty made to order. If you’re served later in a rush and your burger arrives cooler, that’s when rubbery or mushy complaints start showing up.
Are the prices really reasonable for groups and families?
They’re reasonable per person at CAD $10 to $20, but extras add up fast, especially upgrades like onion rings and larger fry portions plus drinks. One family bill reported jumping to around $180 for eight people with add-ons, so consider setting a budget per person for sides and drinks.
What should I do if my food is wrong or cold, will they refund?
Some reviewers report staff offering a replacement, but not always a refund. If you notice an issue immediately, ask for the fix right away rather than waiting, and be prepared that policies may lean toward remake over refund.
Does cleanliness vary a lot, and can you request a different table?
Yes, cleanliness complaints show up repeatedly, including sticky or greasy surfaces. Since there’s no indoor fallback, do a quick scan and move to a cleaner table if needed, especially if you’re eating with kids.
Is there any reason to avoid the wine and focus on milkshakes instead?
If you care about beverage value and presentation, reviews are more mixed on the wine. A recurring complaint mentions wine in a small plastic cup at $8.50, while milkshakes are described as better priced and more consistently enjoyable.
Can I bring a dog, and are there any practical limits since seating is outside only?
The patio is pet-friendly, and it’s one of the drawcards for dog owners. Because seating is entirely outdoors, bring what you need for weather and consider how busy, noisy peak summer days may be for pets.
When is the best time to go to reduce wait times and improve food quality?
Aim for weekday afternoons or off-peak windows. Reviews cite longer waits during lunch rush and peak weekends, and cold poutine and inconsistent burger quality are more likely when the kitchen is slammed.
