Sir John A

Went on a quiet Monday night. I got quesadillas and they were delicious. The staff was amazing. The crowd is a little bit older, but they are still very nice.

Server/​bartender was nice and friendly. Ordered the chicken wrap lunch special with basil pesto. Cajun chicken soup on the side. Was served warm. Mediocre pub food. Overall, meh. Good for a quick lunch for under 15 $.

Great service and lovely summer hang outs. Lots of selection and great choices. Wonderful atmosphere. Quick service.

Went for brunch on a Sunday morning. Was not impressed when the waitress gave us a blank stare when we asked the simplest question about portion sizes. Once we ordered a Sir John A Big Breakfast and an Eggs Benedict, we waited nearly 30 minutes for the food to arrive.
The Sir John A Big Breakfast was fine. The hollandaise on the Eggs Benedict was thick and clumpy. It’s just that the wait staff and the inexplicably long wait made this a bad experience.

This place was awesome! The place, the service and food! Big portion sizes and everything was cooked up really nice!

This was my second time visiting Sir John A, the first time was mediocre and this time was just bad.
Our hostess did give us choice of seating which was nice, but she was not very personable.
The restaurant was STUPID hot, it was 28*C day and we asked to sit in the back so it might be cooler — wrong.
Once our waitress came and she failed to introduce herself (otherwise I’d use her name) and she said «what do you want to drink» I replied with a Somersby to which she checked my I. D for probably 2 minutes then practically threw it at me.
My sister order a water — and got a warm water, not cold not even room temp. It was WARM with no ice. (My drink was nice and cold though)
We then ordered the pub platter for 2, it was okay. Not the best and probably one of the worst I’ve had.
The waitress never checked up on us, never smiled, and was overall rude.
When she came with the bill she said «the food was okay?» We replied, «yeah it was fine» and then she just looked at us… When leaving the restaurant there were 3 hostess/​waitresses at the exit and they didn’t even say bye.
Worst customer service I’ve experience and I regret spending money here for a second time.

Great beer list. Had a Cornish Orchards Gold Cider instead of beer though, it was great and I haven’t seen it on any other beer lists.
Ordered a portobello burger, way too much goat cheese (yes, I just wrote that), it was OK. Shoestring fries were fine if you like unseasoned thin (but not that thin) fries.
Partner had the basic burger, patty was actually delicious, and huge! I would definitely order a burger with toppings next time. Sweet potato fries were good, served with a garlic mayo sauce.
Service was great!

Didn’t order food but as far as drinks go our server was a fucking magician. Service was insanely quick. Highly recommend.

Most honest review ever. I have horrifying anxiety when it comes to eating alone. Maybe it was the sheer horror the hostess saw in my eyes, or maybe it was one of those «Let’s get this weirdo away from normal people», either way I was genuinely relieved when she sat me in the corner near the fireplace. First star.
Second. Nobody was a gaping pile of douche.
Third star. House red didn’t make me gag.
Fourth. Food was actually good.
For someone who sucks at human interaction when they’re not being paid to kiss ass, and appreciates a mean chicken Parmesan with not-​terrible cheap glass of wine, this place rocks.
I should add that it was actually a pretty inviting atmosphere. I saw several random tables interacting with each other amicably. It seems pretty fun.

Great place to stop at after work for a quick pint and snack.
On tap you’ll find locally brewed offerings from Beau’s, BDT, and Kitchissipi as well as the staples of any pub.
Food was good, and the service friendly. If your in the area, make sure to stop by for a moment.

Stopped here for dinner since it’s right by the hotel we stayed at. Loved it! The service was great — friendly and efficient. Our party of four ordered the chicken pesto burger, the Sir John A burger, the fish and chips, and the chicken pot pie. We all were totally happy with our food. The lowest rating from one of us was 4 ½ out of 5! The fries were nice and crispy, the pesto mayo and roasted red pepper on the chicken burger were super tasty, and the pastry on the pot pie was so flaky and nice. The place was pretty busy (Saturday evening) and apparently would get much more so as the night went on, according to our server. So it was pretty loud, but not so bad that you couldn’t have a conversation. I would’ve been just a titch happier if it was a bit cheaper, but even so I would most definitely be happy to eat here again.

This place is just a money grab with extremely rude wait staff (not all of them) and manager. The main bartender has insulted me and my friends the last two times I’ve been there now and the manager does nothing about it.
The first time, my friends (a couple) were paying their bill and accidentally entered 2% Instead of 20% in the tip machine without realizing it. The bartender proceeded to insult them by saying that if they can’t afford to go out and drink, they shouldn’t go out or be there.
The second time, my friends and I ordered a round of a particular popular shot, and the bartender did not make it right — he used a touch of bar rail in the shot instead of filling it halfway, which is cheaper for them — and when we proceeded to say that usually the shot is made with half bar rail, he responded: «do I come to your work and tell you how to do your job?» Really?! Thats your answer to your customers?! What about something like: «oh, well this is how I usually make it but I can do it that way too» (and then redo it!). Its clear to me that he was trying to be cheap. And that was EXTREMELY rude and uncalled for.
Then my waitress proceeded to bring me my bill for my food before I even got the food…
I have more stories but these are just the last 2 visits…
My friends and I (there were 12 of us) are in our 30s, we’re fun, friendly, nice people with good jobs and we will never go there again. We know lots of people in the Ottawa area and we’ve had enough of the attitude in this place and will make sure we spread the word.

Good hearty pub food. Good draft beer list. Friendly service. Nothing to write home about, but overall a solid pub.

Terrible. I only come here if dragged by colleagues for lunch or drinks.
It’s all overpriced, frozen and then fried or reheated pub fare. The zucchini sticks are disgusting, long, slimy breaded (where the breading pulls away from the vegetable). Worst zucchini sticks I’ve ever had. The onion rings are good, but again, waaaaay overpriced.
My boss and I shared a wrap with fries and salad that was pretty good about two weeks ago. I’ve gone to SJA’s at least once a year for the last 5 years or so, but it is my least favourite place on Elgin. The patio is a bonus; it’s too bad you have to have their food.

The patio in the summertime is great and I love the beer menu.
However, I was pretty disappointed that they only serve brunch and a VERY limited lunch menu on weekends before 2 pm. The food is average pub style food, nothing fancy, but it’s good.

I’ve been looking for a patio to call «home» on Elgin for a while. There are so many pubs and places that I wanted to be sure I didn’t just settle on any olde patio.
I’ve got to say, the Sir John A is now my watering hole.
First of all, they have a decent selection of cider. Not just one, they actually have a few. Second of all they have a really, really decent beer list. That can be heard in this city. So many places call Alexander Keiths «craft». These guys have a really good list with a diverse selection.
I will say one of the things that moves this place up my list of good patios is the people watching. I never know what to expect on Elgin. The second time I was there two guys got into an argument about Nicholas Cage’s face. So really. Anything’s possible… but I digress.
I have only really eaten the wings here. They were pretty decent, good, meaty, they were saucy enough that they had flavour but not so overdone that they were dry. A friend of mine had the pizza the first time I was there and it seemed a bit small, but looked delicious.
The staff are always really nice, service is great. It can be hard to find places where the servers are attentive and that’s not the case at Sir John A, never an empty glass!

After looking for another pub to dine at on the Elgin Street strip of restaurants, our group decided on this English style pub, because after all, Ottawa seems to be the land of the English style pub. Sir John A was a wise choice, as the food and beer was top notch. Sir John A has an indoor dining area, as well as a dining area along the sidewalk of Elgin Street.
As for my meal, I ordered a poutine burger, which was delicious and well-​prepared. Service was initially prompt, but started getting sporadic as the evening continued and the restaurant got busier. Still, I’d come back.

OK pub… great staff.
I’ve been by here more times than I can count. It’s usually an easy meeting spot for our group of friends to get together and start our night. It’s in a great spot on Elgin and more importantly has a patio in the summer!
The pub on the inside is pretty much what you’d expect, except it has some higher middle tables that runs parallel to the bar instead of shoddy tables that shake like most other pubs in town. The atmosphere is pretty relaxed and a lot of people that hang out here aren’t so bad. If you come by for a game or when the weather is nice, it’ll be hard to get a seat.
The menu is exactly what you’d expect from a pub. You should stick to the regular pub fare as it is a frickin pub! Drink menu is pretty standard.
Why do we keep coming back? The staff! They’re pretty awesome and friendly. I believe we’ve even had to owner come sit with us and have a drink on slower days and the bartenders and wait staff come hang out when it’s not overly busy.
I’ve never gone an extended period without being checked up on. Some of the better pub staff in town!

I met a few friends for drinks here on Friday evening and we had an entertaining night.
I was feeling a bit peckish, so I ordered some sweet potato fries and boy were they yummy! They were soft inside and crispy outside and the garlic dip was super yummy as well (just don’t hope for any goodnight kisses afterwards)!
The beer selection is sure to delight any beer drinker. I thought it was nifty that each beer came in its own specific glass – there was some pretty interesting glassware at our table by the end of the night. As a non-​beer drinker I sampled their Martini menu, which was also yummy. I especially enjoyed the Strawberry Blush because it was frothy!
Our server was attentive without at annoying hovering that happens sometimes. When I switched to water part way through the night she did an excellent job keeping my glass full.
Is it weird to comment on bathrooms? I’m not sure, but the ladies room at Sir John A was in good shape – it was clean, there wasn’t a crazy line, soap and paper towels were well stocked and the space was good because I didn’t feel like I was infringing on someone’s personal space while washing my hands.
I’m pretty sure there was an office holiday party there that night, and boy were they having a good time. On more than one occasion they burst into song, sometimes holiday songs and sometimes pop songs. The highlight of the night occurred when another table joined in the singing of some boy band songs.
In short, Sir John A has a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.

A lot of pubs along Elgin seem to have the same beers on tap. Don’t get me wrong I love Guinness, Boddingtons and Smithwicks, but I do love some variety. Sir John A’s has more beers on tap that anyone else.
The wait staff is very friendly and quite knowledgeable about all of their beers and food.
The hamburgers are very tasty and the fries are always crisp. I particularly love their poutine burger.