Collins Brewhouse

Clearly some picky reviewers here! This place was recommended by my brother and sister-​in-​law for dinner on a Sunday night. Being the typical Toronto food snob, I didn’t go in with super high expectations, but I left super impressed.
The interior of the restaurant is pleasant to the eye, I imagine the patio in summer is quite lovely.
We were four adults and two kids. The menu had a wide array of choices for us all. They had a separate children’s menu a number of options (e.g., pasta, chicken fingers, etc.) and customization options (e.g., the pasta had the choice of tomato, cream or cheese sauce. And each meal came with the choice of side of salad, fries, raw or steamed vegetables, etc.
The regular (adult) menu had almost too many choices, with a number of southern specialties like po’ boy sandwiches (which could be had with fish, shrimp, or chicken, etc.), red beans and rice and jambalaya. My SIL and I both ordered the jambalaya, my husband ordered the fish po’ boy, and my brother ordered a burger.
All portions were not only huge but also delicious. I kept half of mine for lunch the next day and enjoyed it every bit as much reheated. Everyone else (including my toddler) also indicated that they enjoyed their meals.
The beer menu was decent, though not incredible extensive. I think I ordered a Barking Squirrel.
Service was friendly and efficient.
Would definitely recommend!

SO good! I highly recommend eating here. It has a great patio and it’s a beautiful building. Experience the taste of Dundas at the Collins!

I honestly don’t know how this place has gotten such bad reviews but maybe because at a busier time they’re super popular so they get very busy. I went here yesterday for lunch with my best friend and her boyfriend and our service was very friendly and knowledgeable and the food was fantastic. I had the blackened chicken ranch wrap with sweet potato fries and it was great. The waitress recommended the fish and chips to my friends boyfriend and he just devoured it.
The place had a nice atmosphere and they have daily specials which is always awesome in my mind. Totally worth going to.

I went here with another person. We got one app to split and the two of us got burgers. The wait was somewhat longish, though the apps and drinks were out promptly. When the burgers arrived, they brought me the wrong one, and at about the time my friend was finishing up at they brought me out the wrong salad. Annoying because I asked the server to confirm that this was what I’d ordered as they put the salad down. When my burger and correct salad finally did arrive, the burger was a little burnt, something you expect in those situations. I never had a place get my order so completely wrong, it was very strange. They did seem to replace our server, after which things went smoothly, though I hope they didn’t catch any serious flak. Though I’ve had much better burgers for similar prices, the patio was nice and beer selection wasn’t horrific. My friend enjoyed their burger, and they did comp us dessert, which was nice. Overall, for me, it was a disappointing first visit to The Collins. But it was definitely less crowded than The Ship usually is.

Iced cold beers on a hot summer afternoon?!
Collins Brewhouse is nothing fancy but a nice local neighourhood pub. I would suggest having a drink in the patio area on a nice sunny day.
Service was prompt and our Brewhouse Lager and Brewhouse Red were pretty good and true to style plus cold and refreshing.
The interior décor though was boring but not a bad place to have a drink or 2.
As usual, I could not comment on their food as I don’t really go to pubs for food.

Poor service. Very disappointing. Took forty minutes just to get our drinks. 4 minutes to get the bill though!
Dropped in for a quick celebratory drink on a hot afternoon. Waitress number 1 left the menus and didn’t return until she brought the bill despite our attempts to get her attention. Place was not busy. There was one large table whose orders she took before she came to ours and two other smaller tables that arrived after us but who miraculously got their drinks and appetizers before we got ours.
After a long wait, number 2 arrived to say she wasn’t our waitress but she would take our orders. 4 mixed drinks. Two pretty basic. Two blended. All 4 off their rather short list. No substitutions requested. Easy peasy orders. 40 minutes later after complaining to waitress number 1 as she passed by our table yet again returning from delivering drinks to another table, waitress number 2 arrived with our drinks and excuses for the service.
As mentioned waitress number 1 returned before we had all finished our drinks… with the bill… and stayed rooted in the spot far too close as I paid the bill without so much as a word.
Had our day not been an otherwise awesome one (reason for the celebratory drinks) this unfortunate service would have had a really negative impact. Luckily for us, it will just be an amusing story. But won’t be back.

Not too bad! Came in with a party of 12 and got our drink and main orders in. Despite the size of the party, the food didn’t take too long which is a huge plus! Waitress was so sweet and funny! Definitely people friendly.
I ordered chicken Po-​Boys, which comes with a side so I got fries. It’s a pretty big dish: fried chicken in a French baguette with coleslaw, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, etc. it was good but it was a lot. By the time I finished half the baguette, I could only pack in the fries lol so I took the rest home. Fries were good :)
However, two of my friends got the crab cakes which actually don’t come with a side. It’s 3 crab cakes with a sauce for 13.99. I was a bit upset for them when I saw the plates come out so they ordered a side of fries to share.
They had a special deal on wings! From what I remember, it was 8.50 for a pound of wings but don’t take my word for it. Everyone loved their food (even the crab cakes lol)
I’d check it out :) ps. They have a southern fried food entrée and its enormous and delicious

One suggestion — if you are going to hire young staff and NOT instruct them in proper etiquette (manners) then limit your clientele to younger folks. They have not been taught. They have never heard the words «Excuse me for interrupting.» An otherwise pleasant afternoon spoiled by abrupt interjections.

Went to the street festival in Dundas. Stopped in for dinner. Good menu and typically priced for southern Ontario. The po-​boys were good (even thing on the wrong bread) and my friends enjoyed their burgers. The place tries to give a Louisiana impression. That really needs work. Guys string some lights over the outside patio, some hanging beads, plants!
Quite possibly the worse Hurricane I have ever had. The bartender needs to get schooled.
I will go back, but with some caveats.
Steve

How can this place even stay in business? The locals must be complete pushovers.
THE FOOD
The Mussels were way over-​salted, and that is saying something when it comes from me. The Nachos were mediocre at best. The cracked pepper burger was decent.
Oh and they have a few beers on tap… I asked the waitress what the style for one of them was… she said «Red». Seriously… this is a friggin pub… know your beers. And the entire selection of beers was mediocre at best… I definitely have been spoiled living in Columbus.
THE SERVICE
Pleasant, but incompetent at least in terms of knowledge of beer. Food service was painfully slow… and it wasn’t just our table complaining.
THE ATMOSPHERE
What you would expect of a newishly renovated sports bar.
And pretty high prices to boot… people of Dundas, you are being fleeced.

Ugh. Terrible to see such a lovely historic building converted into such a dump. The food is very uninspired, ill-​prepared and just not very good. It’s not very clean and has an awful interior décor. Giant and ugly. The patio is a little better, if you have to go, go in the summer.

Disappointed. As others have mentioned, so much potential.
My request for extra garnish on the Caesar amounted to one more lemon and lime being added to the rim. No celery. None.
Oddly, our waitress made a guttural noise to acknowledge our request for the bill. And made awkward attempt at conversation at exact moment it was time to key in the tip %.

Best Nacho’s around! And the Hell’s Kitchen wings were awesome!
Washed down with their own Brewhouse red beer!
GIMME MORE!
Located in a VERY old Hotel thats been converted, its very cool.
While there shop in beautiful Dundas Ontario! (The cheese shop there is to die for — Buy the Dubliner cheese!)

A favorite of our family for years. Always top notch food and a great selection.

Family of four — Fish n’ Chips & Wings all around — no problems, per se – good eats, reasonably priced, but the place seems to lack oomph… I can’t quite put a finger on it – I’m certainly not complaining, but at the same time nothing about the experience drove me to want to return anytime soon.
My misgivings may stem from the service — our waitress seemed disinterested. It was as though we were merely a hurdle she had to slog through to get to the back end of her day. We felt it.
I’ll probably return one day, but when dollars reserved for dining out are slim, it’s tough to justify going back to a restaurant that’s just OK. There are other options throughout Dundas, Waterdown, Ancaster, and the rest of West Hamilton.
I wish The Collins Brewhouse luck. Finding the right staff can be difficult, or maybe our server was simply having a bad day.
**I look forward to updating this review after another visit**

So much potential, so little execution.
A 170-​year-​old pub in suprisingly lively downtown Dundas. A huge patio with an outdoor bar (closed), room for music, or a romantic hideaway corner, etc. A great reno job inside — high tables, blond wood, etc. But no atmosphere — just people sitting around drinking.
Why? Must be the management — it all starts at the top. I asked about local brews on tap; our waitress mentioned three from the nearby Nickel Brook brewery. What are they like? «I have no idea, I only drink Coors Lite,» she says. No, «I’m not sure, let me find out,» no interest at all.
The food? Bruschetta and fried calamari were average. Whatever.
A smart operator could take this place and turn it into a regional gem. Instead, it just sits there as an OK local drinking hole, surviving due to lack of competition. Oh well.