The Branch Restaurant

I saw The Branch Restaurant when I tried the local Irish pub next door. The first time I had the 6oz steak and garlic potatoes. Excellent– The second time I had the Branch burger with fries. One of the best burgers I have had ever. I travel for work and can say that I have eaten at a lot of places. The bar has a wide variety of local beers and the service was great.
The price is a reasonable/​a little high as all the ingredients are fresh and local. Once again you get what you pay for.
Definitely a place to go in the town of Kemptville if you want a great meal.

Took my partner & three kids here for dinner on a Thursday evening. Was really surprised and impressed by the service, quality of food, price, and atmosphere. It was busy for a tiny place, but they were great with the kids. There was live music, which you’re asked to tip separately.
Definitely going back there before we head home.

We stopped in at the branch while driving home to Ottawa from Toronto on a Sunday night.
I misread the hours and thought they close at 9 (they close at 8) and so we arrived basically AT 8:00, but other than the fact that we were the only people there, you’d never know. We are greeted by a very friendly server (the owner?) who brought us a drink menu (very respectable craft beer list, and he was knowledgeable about it) and let us know about the buffet — the only menu item on Sundays.
At first I was disappointed that only the buffet was available. There was no brisket on it, and that had been the item I was most interested in trying, but once I went up I changed my tune.
Along with standard salad, there were two house made slaws, one carrot mint slaw and a vinegar based coleslaw and both were very good. The house-​made cornbread is gluten free and cumin-​spiked –really interesting and tasty.
The soups available were a vegetarian gumbo, creamy Indian lamb curry (my favourite — I had seconds) and Irish lamb stew. The boyfriend enjoyed the lamb stew and I went back for seconds of the curry lamb.
The entrées are the least exciting items. Since they were closing, they’d been sitting for a while, but the broccoli mushroom mac and cheese was tasty. There was also a rice and chicken tex mex casserole, which was fine, but could have used some spice.
After this we were offered some desserts that sounded too good to turn down, so we split a sticky toffee pudding with house-​made apple compote, house-​made ice cream and house-​made caramel. We also had coffee, which was /​really/​good. Someone wandered in for a drink at this point and asked why it was so quiet and only then did we find out they’d been closed for almost an hour. Like I said, the server was so friendly. Even when we found out he insisted that we not rush.
I’d love to come back and give this place a try with the full menu. It is absolutely worth waiting until after you pass the enRoute stations.
Pros: Loads of original, house-​made and tasty food. Friendly, helpful service. Gluten-​free options that are still delicious. Good beer list. Close to 416.
Cons: Only buffet available on Sunday.

Here is the short version of the review for you impatient types: Go here!
For those who are looking for a bit of back up, follow me on this journey:
A Texan who knows how to cook food, especially meat, moves to Kemptville and opens up his own restaurant. What you get when this happens is a mix of small town quality and care mixed with the type of BBQ and original food you can’t find just anywhere.
The Branch is, essentially, one room with some basic tables that seem to fit its atmosphere quite well. When you first walk into the restaurant, you may be taken aback because you enter and are immediately in front of a room full of people. Relax, no one is staring.
Once you’re seated, you’ll quickly find the small town hospitality is alive and well. I must admit the night I went, the service was a bit slow, but it was also super busy and there was a few groups of people who were there for the band.
Which brings us to the atmosphere — great live music, an open concept that allows you to be a bit loud since everyone else is speaking over you anyway.
The beer selection is all micro-​brews from around the area. I didn’t have a great look at the wine list, but no one seemed to be complaining.
On the night I went they had a selection of apps, entrees and desserts. Choose one of each for one set price ($ 30-​ish). A solid option.
And now for the food: The meat is fantastic. I Had fajitas and the steak was so good, it could have been eaten on its own and I would have been in heaven. The brisket is a speciality of the branch, but they have plenty of vegan, gluten-​free and other creative options that will keep you from being bored.
It has been 24 hours and I can still taste the delicious fajitas in my mouth.
Like I said, go here!

V.G. food but on the pricey side. I ordered the «branchburger», all organic beef… tasted great but very much so on the organic side.
Thumbs up to: natural good food, excellent dessert and good local beer selection.
Thumbs down to: service (ok at best), prices (fyi paid $ 72 for 2, including a beer each).