Sir John's Public House

First time visiting this restaurant. Our waiter was great - he was friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable about the menu items. Presentation of our plates were wonderful too. Big portions and looked very appetizing. Lost two stars because the food was bland. Sad to say because the dishes have SO much potential and it's one of those places where you want to like the food but can't :( The burger was massive and looks delicious (see the pic). We thought it was flavourless perhaps because the bun might have been too big for the burger but even with taking the bun off, the burger meat was bland. The condiments (tomatoes, pickles, etc.) tasted fresh but the heart of the dish failed. Also tried the fish and chips. The cook on the fish was perfect but the fish and/or the breading was not seasoned (at all it seems). The breading is not your typical beer batter breading, which is interesting but if you are going to use a breading like that, you need to season it well so you aren't just eating crispy bits. We were told that the beef is grass-fed and specially delivered which shows they do value good quality ingredients. Perhaps the chef thinks that because the ingredients are of higher quality, then the meats should stand on its own - however, even a little salt, pepper, or garlic powder would be appreciated to elevate the natural good flavour of the meat(s). Otherwise, the dishes fall flat. The fries on both plates lost their crisp and were just ok. Overall, not a terrible experience but definitely need to up their seasoning game. Good service from our friendly waiter what carries the stars for this review.

Formerly the Sir John A. Public House, the restaurant sits in a historically designated building dedicated to the Father of Concentration. ***ALLERGY WARNING*** The vegan burger was good although the nuts in it could be ground up a bit better. The Caesar salad was better than I expected. Rather nice place to go for a quick bit.

I'm revisiting my original review for an update. Fantastic downtown venue, plenty of local and international beers on tap, great food. On this latest visit I tried the Smoked Meat Sandwich (photo attached). This baby came piled high with a generous portion of meat, a zesty dijion that was not overbearing and sweet caramelized onions. Absolutely brilliant. The Public House remains one of my favourite #YGK pubs, hands down.

Ordered the Maple Smoked Salmon plate, was extremely disappointed. It was small and pathetic. Had to ask for the "Toasts" mentioned on the menu, and after a long wait was presented with moldy cold bread. I don't understand how everyone could care so little about customer experience. The server was bewildered and timidly let us know that item would be off out bill. Will DEFINITELY never be back here, and highly suggest anyone who does avoids eating here. Absolutely unacceptable.