James St. Pub

There are few pubs in Ottawa that know what pub food is all about. This is not of them. I’ve eaten here three times now and each time has been progressively worse. Where to start with this horror of a menu? Crisp chicken burger is overcooked, bland and tasteless and, for the love of God, came with a sad dry slice of processed Kraft cheese atop. Bad, just bad. Fish and chips were almost as bad, overcooked, dry, cold, tasteless and oily. I’ve had them twice now, believing it couldn’t get any worse, but it did. Nachos we had in the summer were mediocre, and that is the best word I can use to describe them. The patio is cool though, sitting outside with a beer and people-​staring is a pleasant way to spend an hour or two in the summer. The service is excellent and the only thing stopping this place from getting a zero star. And the place needs a serous makeover. Having a pint or two in the sad excuse they call the downstairs meeting room is quite depressing actually. Maybe that’s the point, keep the punters depressed so they drink more.
Drink beer here, watch a game or some people and have a plate of fries. Don’t eat anything else, you’ll be disappointed unless you want to feel nauseous.

So we visited last Saturday with friends. We all split the ground beef nachos, which were AMAZING! My Caesar was delicious: not too salty not too sweet, not too boozy, juuuuust riiiiiggght! There was only 1 other table on this sunny day on the patio, and our server was on her second or third shift since starting to work here. It got busy quickly and I think she found herself swamped and making mistakes.
My husband had one of the burgers and had to specify a few times what he wanted exactly and had to figure out if the kitchen could make it the way he wanted it, but our server was really patient about going back and forth and getting the information. I’m glad she didn’t just fudge it or wing it.
I had the club sandwich and after asking twice to make sure it was just made with 2 slices of bread (like a normal sandwich) in stead of the regular three slices/​double decker format, it arrived with three slices of Dempster white bread (the usual club format). I pointed it out after dismantling and reassembling my sandwich myself and the server apologized but I think she never really truly understood what I was trying to order or didn’t communicate it to the kitchen.
I also substituted a side of onion rings for my side instead of soup/​salad because the onion rings here are delicious, and i hadn’t had onion rings in 5 months, and it was worth it.
As the meal wore on, the service kind of deteriorated but that’s because by 1:00 pm there were about 6=8 tables each with 3 – 5 people at them, some with children and our server was swamped. I noticed eventually the bar tender was serving tables. There were some mistakes on our bill but we cleared those up and split it with friends, so overall, a good experience. I like the JSP and hope I get back to their patio before the summer’s out.

I’ve been to the James Street Pub on a few occassions, but most recently I went for a patio lunch this past Saturday with fellow Unilocalers Andre G., Jim D., and Vanessa D. It was beautiful patio sitting weather and with lovely company to add it was a nice outing. We ordered a round of beverages. I went with my go to favourite summer drink Sommersby apple cider. They serve it in a can and I requested a glass of ice on the side. It was exactly what the day called for. The server was new so she was a little uncertain about the menu, but despite a few mistakes offered pleasant service. The main issue with the location is that the food is just okay. The table shared some nachos which I think were the highlight. They could have used more toppings and a side of salsa would have been a good addition as it is only served with sour cream. Andre G. liked his sandwich — the District 10, which received an Ottawa sandwich accolade a little while back. Jim D. ordered chicken wings which he didn’t care for and Andre claimed tasted like ketchup. So in all, food was a little hit and miss and nothing knocked it out of the park. I would recommend this place as a summer patio for drinks, but not for the food.

Rude, arrogant waitress ruined what should have been a nice day on the patio here. Will never come back. Great location, very sub-​par service experience.

Incredible bar food, great deck/​patio in the perfect location downtown. I love their 30 cent wing nights!

Used to go here all the time (lived on Arlington), can’t think of any bad times there.
Food’s hit or miss depending on who’s cooking or what they’ve got on the menu that quarter. Beer’s always cold and gets to your table quicker than you can figure out an order.
I’ve been there with massive groups, smaller groups, and just with a friend. It’s a fantastic place for all sorts. I just wish they would make the smokers go around back to the parking lot rather than stand all at the front door. It’s hard to get past without coughing (or being propositioned by the cougars).

I’m neither a huge sports fan nor a heavy drinker, but there’s something about James Street that makes me cheer a little too loudly and drink a little too quickly. Yes, it’s a sports bar, but it’s got character and some weird charm and it has a fantastic patio. The staff are sweet (well, the servers are anyway), and they have awesome spacious booths which are fantastic for big groups.
There’s lots of TVs everywhere and they have massive flat screens for UFC fights (oh god. Yes. I’ve watched UFC there.). There’s always a handful of regulars, and the place gets really packed on game or event nights, so come early, especially with friends.
As mentioned, the food isn’t amazing, but they do bad pub food well. The standout is definitely the deep fried pickles (you must get them — the best!). While you won’t see any craft cocktails on the drink menu, I’ve never seen them miss a beat on a crazy shot name.
If you like a friendly atmosphere, decently priced drinks and a place where you can be loud with your crew, come here. They also have different drink specials every day of the week!

I didn’t get asked about the Monday wing special but that’s ok. The fish and chips were delicious. I recommend 1 piece with the generous helping of chips and the larger serving of fish.

Honestly, I remembered JSP being better. It’s a typical sports bar with a very good patio and inexpensive food, however that’s where the positives stop.
Was here for a Sens-​Canadiens playoff game and the place was full and there was a good electric atmosphere (even though I was cheering for Montréal). Our waitress seemed to be sort of irritated that we were there, maybe it’s because I was the only one at our table having alcohol or maybe because it was busy, either way not great. She was at least relatively quick despite her surliness. Unfortunately she took my friends plate away before he was done while he was in the washroom, which was annoying but she brought him a new sandwich at least. Overall impression of service is not great.
Beer selection was not great, only Molson/Labatt/Keith’s products, they used to have Moosehead but not anymore. Beer prices are comparable to most other places around. Food wasn’t bad, I had a Pulled Pork Poutine which was good and one friend had a Cheese Steak Sandwich that he enjoyed but my other friend had wings which were small and not very good he said.
Overall there are much better places to watch a game in Ottawa nowadays. Maybe 10 – 15 years ago JSP was a great sports bar but the definition of great sports bar has changed over the years and I feel as though they haven’t adapted with the times.

Food is sub-​par, but great for karaōke and drinks.

The James St pub is not getting 4 stars for its food. Sorry, the food is sub-​par BUT this is a great place to catch a game and have a pint.
They have decent priced beer, for a pint of something domestic you’re going to pay less than most places along Bank.
The staff are really friendly, happy to make recommendations and also happy to change the channel if something else you want to watch is on.
I would say it’s probably my favourite place to catch a game!

I just came from here with my boyfriend and can finally say that I found a «pub» that competes with The Royal Oak for worst food and service. We always pass by and I’ve wondered if it was any good. Now that we’ve been, I am satisfied that I’ll never have to be curious and want to try it again.
We were greeted by a sign that told us to «seat» ourselves so we did — accidentally taking a seat in a booth under the glass enclosure next to the patio, guaranteeing that I spent the meal freezing cold. We waited for ten minutes to get a menu, which was unremarkable. My boyfriend later told me he had the instinct to walk out as soon as he saw the lame beer selection. But we stayed.
I ordered a bison burger with cheddar — specifying ONLY cheese and no garnish — and sweet potato fries. This cost $ 17. The burger was overcooked and the same size as a regular McDonald’s hamburger. Despite having asked for only cheese, they must have put lettuce on it and taken it off because I was picking bits of it out of everywhere. The fries were extremely salty.
My boyfriend ordered the baked penne and a Hogsback beer. He admitted that the penne was fine, but nothing that he couldn’t have made himself «in his sleep.»
The service was worse. I had my back to the bar so I had given the waiter the benefit of the doubt, but my partner could see him clearly and he was just screwing around at the bar and talking to people. He was slow and only asked about our meals as he passed (didn’t stop), as if he didn’t actually care and was just doing it to show that he hadn’t forgotten we were there. We waited fifteen minutes after he took our plates for him to return and again he passed by and asked how we were doing — even though we had nothing on the table! He didn’t ask if we wanted dessert, a cheque, a refill on my Diet Coke or another beer. We had to stop him then to ask for our cheque. We weren’t able to wave him down in the fifteen minutes prior to that because he hadn’t left the bar and come into the area so that we could do so.
I left a $ 0 tip on our $ 42 bill. The food was overpriced and not just bland but –bad-​. The service was shameful in that it was almost not present. They should just not serve food and be a bar. There’s nothing wrong with admitting they don’t know how to make good food and focus on what they’re good at — serving domestic beer in the same UFC-​decorated atmosphere as every other bad bar in Ottawa.

I was here last night with a few friends, it was really busy as we first walked in which was a good sign. We sat at a booth and ordered a pitcher of bud light. Unfortunately there were a group of 10 guys who totally ruined our experience by cheering excessively loud while watching an AHL game, which I had expected at a pub but these guys were ridiculous. I ordered deep fried pickles, another friend ordered a poutine and another ordered a tequila sunrise. The tequila sunrise was a good size for $ 5.75 and it tasted like a tequila runrise should. The poutine seemed overpriced for the amount my other friend received. However it was the first time I’ve ever eaten fried pickles and I must say they were awesome! They had a crispy batter on the outside and were juicy in the middle and came with a ranch dip, totally unique awesome taste, I’ll be sure to order them again when I have time to go for a run :)

A recent rain storm forced myself and my out of town friend into the James St Pub one evening. The area inside is definitely outfitted as a sports bar. Lots of UFC posters and TV screens abound. The patio looks pretty nice though and would maaaaybe come back for that on nice day. Good Bank St people watching.
Anyway, their menu is pretty lame. Especially if you don’t eat meet. They don’t have that many beers on draft, but a bonus for having Labatt 50 in my book. Overall, not that pricey either… I paid about $ 30 for a pitcher and a sandwich which ain’t too bad for Centretown. Not really my scene, but if you wanted to catch a game or hang on a patio it could fit the bill.

I spent many an NHL playoff night here in the early 2000’s when the Battle of Ontario reigned supreme and there was actually legitimate be-​Leaf that The Leafs could contend in the rough and tumble Eastern Conference. It was here over so-​so hot wings that I witnessed Daniel Alfredsson’ hit on Darcy Tucker late in game 5 of the second-​round playoff series in 2002, a hit that left Tucker with an eye injury and ultimately aided Alfredsson in scoring the game winner. I was also here the following year when the aforementioned Tucker attacked Chris Neil as he was sitting on the Sens bench (allegedly for spitting on him), this would further perpetuate the rivalry between the two clubs and spark many a debate within the friendly confines of the JSP.
Although the JSP did offer exceptional playoff ambiance, the food side was quite lackluster. Greasy nachos, fries, and sub-​standard wings were all staples and quite disappointing. Their chicken curry was decent, but wasn’t good enough to compensate for overall menu mediocrity. The JSP did offer free parking which was a definite perk, and was open until 2am every night of the week rain or shine, busy or not. Their out-​door patio in playoff weather was also a a definite plus, as it offered a heated extension to the oft crowded interior and was absolutely perfect on semi-​warm spring evenings when playoff hockey and patio pints were welcomed with open arms after the long rigors of Ottawa winter took a toll on all souls unfortunate enough to bear its cruel brunt.

I ate here earlier on this week for the first time. My boyfriend ordered their chicken tenders and fries, and had them toss the chicken in hot barbeque sauce. I tried a bite and was surprised to find that they were actually tender like they claimed to be, unlike other bars and pubs that I’ve eaten at.
I didn’t find that they had a very large selection of items on their menu, so I asked the waitress for suggestions. She said that they were more known for their fish and chips, and warned me that one piece of fish, instead of two, was very large and more than filling. I took her suggestion and ordered it, and I was excited when a bottle of malt vinegar came to the table. The one piece of fish was gigantic and fried perfectly, with a crispy battered outside and moist and flaky fish inside. It also came with a ton of fries, which I completely soaked in salt and vinegar. When I say soak, I mean I used up about half the bottle. It didn’t occur to me that because it came in a basket, that the vinegar would soak through and drip onto the table. I was slightly embarassed but tried to ignore it.
The only complaint I have is that the coffee was cold, but I was completely stuffed and satisfied with my meal, as was my boyfriend. There was no way I could have finished my fish or fries, so I’m glad the waitress forewarned me. She was very sweet and there was very fast service, and I’d like to go back for a beer or two.

I love their patio but I’m not really a fan of much else — that doesn’t mean it’s not a great place I’m just not a UFC fan or a huge wing fan.
I’ve never sat inside but from walking through the place it sort of reminds me of how you’d decorate and design a place about 15 years ago. When you get outside it’s vast patio land with some decent people watching.
There seems to always be a lot of servers. I’ve only ever had their chicken fingers and they were probably prepared just like most are — unzip plastic bag, dunk in the deep fryer and serve. No complaints about the nachos either.
It’s a simple place attracting a simple demographic: testosterone filled UFC fans.
If you have a thirsty group on Bank Street and really need a patio setting it’s probably your best option.

we used to live within spitting distance of this pub. the outdoor patio is fun, but they do not keep the street people from coming and sitting among the customers. we were there once when a strung out woman joined the people at the next table. they just moved a bit and she sat there talking to herself and anyone else silly enough to look at her. not always a good feeling. the service is otherwise great, and the food is good. it is a lively place to be and fun on hockey game nights.

James Street Pub isn’t my cup of tea. I’m not into watching sports, I don’t like the décor, I think their food is bland and I’m often not into the bands they have. However, I’m aware this is an excellent venue for someone who loves sports, domestic beer, pub fare, great entertainment systems and cover bands. If you’re a UFC lover, you may have found your haunt since they often play these fights as well as other pay per view events on their eight HD TVs.
Clearly the feature of this bar that will bring bar lovers of different stripes together is the huge balcony on Bank Street that stays open and heated eight months a year. This is the biggest patio on Bank and it can be a wonderful place to stop in for a drink when you’re in the area since so few Bank Street pubs have patios.

If you are looking for haute cuisine, then you better stay the hell away from the James Street Pub. This place is strictly for those seeking sports, beer, wings, live music and a rockin’ good time. The James features live bands every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. And, they have food and drink specials running every day of the week — Tuesday is $ 10 burgers and a domestic pint, Mondays are NFL Monday Night Football all-​you-​can-​eat wings for $ 10. If you are a sports fanatic, you will find yourself right at home at the James. They have lots of TVs always playing live sports. They even have TVs outside on their roomy patio!