The Royal Coachman

Used to be a favourite place but change in management and it has gone downhill. Very sad!

Great pub! We tried it out on customer appreciation night, so I may be a bit biased (servers came around with tons of free apps and we also got comped a drink).
The pub is in an historic building in Waterdown, and as a great warm ambiance. It is quite large and busy, and they have live music (which was just ‘okay’ the night we went). Pretty cool place and seemed like half the town was there.
Good is pretty standard pub fare. The menu is quite large; they could probably stand to pare it down and elevate a smaller number of dishes. To start we had the deep fried pickles. Which were great. Crunchy, tart pickles, and crunchy breading which did not fall off. I had the steak and Guinness pie, which tasted like the steak and Guinness pie you would have at just about any pub.
Beer selection is large but pretty standard. Would be nice to see them step it up a bit with a better craft beer selection.
Between the 2 main pubs in Waterdown (coachman and American house), the coachman is just a bit better — nicer atmosphere, otherwise they are pretty much in par with each other.

Showed up on a Tuesday night, and was turned away because it was ‘Trivia Night’. I’ve eaten here before and it’s only ok. Save yourself the trouble and head across the street to the American House. They’ll actually seat, serve, and feed you. Weird. LOLOL.

All in all, a good meal. Medium wings were flavourful, but not really medium. My wife had the Brie platter which looked amateurishly put together, and a little blah. The main courses made up for the mediocre starters. I had the Shepard’s pie, which was yummy and large. Could have been a little saucier. My wife’s fish n’ chips were good. The coleslaw was kinda meh. The fries were better than average, but not the best. The atmosphere is a proper English pub, and the clientele was 50’s plus. I will go back.

Pubs! The Bain of my existence and the cause of many a rough Sunday mornings. More electrolytes please… The Royal Coachman ranks as one of the top pubs in all the region. After an exhaustive 5 year research mission by me and my pub mates, it was determined that the RC had what it takes to make the top 10 Halton region pubs list. Authentic décor (not faux), traditional in house made fare (not processed), FRESH Guinness on tap, football on the tele, great servers in uniform. A place that when you go feels like putting on a pair of comfortable jeans. Familiar. Even under new ownership things are rock steady and we will continue to support you. Cheers and Guinness up.

we hear that the famous Cabbage Rolls are now no longer on the menu… BOO…Ross pls reconsider that decision!!!

Although The Royal Coachman has been open for years and years, it has recently changed ownership. So far as I can tell, the food and staff have remained the same — down home goodness all the way; I can’t think of a cozier atmosphere, or kinder staff.
Yesterday afternoon I had the Scotch Pie with Chips & Beans. Fantastic. The pie was piping hot, tasty and tender, with a rich and plentiful gravy poured over top. The chips were as chips should be: hot and crisp. The beans were the only, slight, slip on the plate (more so an observation than a complaint): tasty, but familiar, and only lukewarm .
On the whole, I won’t hesitate to go back; the extensive menu, including Fish & Chips, Shepherd’s Pie, Steak & Kidney, Liver & Onion, (along with many other traditionally American Pub options), provides plenty of dining options and the staff are simply too friendly and fun to keep anyone away for long.
Go to The Royal Coachman with confidence.