Good food, cold beer, great atmosphere and excellent service! What used to be the old anchor pub…read morehas been given some TLC to reveal a more family friendly and inviting space, yes you can still belly up to the bar if that's what you're going for or sit at one of the many pub style booths for a sit down with friends or family. My family and I stopped in after my son's hockey game for dinner and glad we did... It was great service from start to finish with a diverse menu to satisfy most palate's and great taste and more than generous portion size to back it up. Something I always struggled with with the previous pub was the draft beer always tasted a bit off, whether that had to do with the cleaning schedule or the shape of the equipment there was always something left to be desired... I'm glad to say that problem has been fixed and the beer is cold and delicious! but not just beer... They have an extensive drink menu as well if you're looking for something different! We were all very hungry so I only managed to snap a pic of what I got but it was an absolutely delicious monster of a burger and a side of their garlic Parmesan fries... I was very happy! So thanks again to Castings public house, I will definitely be back! Zeke

A local watering hole where they serve wings, burgers, wraps, and the like. The wings here are…read morequite large and not heavily breaded like at some places. They have a wide variety of sauces to dress up your wings, but I usually order them plain with sauce on the side for dipping. For wings I recommend.

Best wings around. Don't order a Caesar to drink but food is all great pub grub! Make a…read morereservation for wing night - busy.

That's one easily missed place for an amazing burger, out here in the pines of Ontario. Mount…read moreForest has a charming downtown with restaurants that stay active into the night, but not a lot of foot traffic. The Fox looked dark from the outside with no one on the patio, so I tried the door and saw, indeed, plenty of people within. I came, I ate, I conquered. The burger was done medium - as good as I can get in Canada - and just full of flavour. Great balance of toppings, a sandwich so mighty you can't get all ingredients in a single bite. The fries are toasty but soft, a nice natural taste. Most beers are your standard but there are a few Canadians on tap. I went for the Alexander Keith's but they said that was gone... replaced with Kawartha Lakes Red! Awesome. All at a nice price. Just a couple of downsides. I got a side of veggies with dip, but the bleu cheese tasted like citrus? I don't get it. I could and should have counted the veggies on my burger as enough. And the fries, you can use ketchup or vinegar at the table, but sauce costs extra. I didn't ask about mustard, I just ate fries. Finally, everything was great until karaoke started around 9 (may just be a machine they have for whoever puts in money whenever), but then my server somehow disappeared when I needed my check to come back and sleep. Burger and fries: 5 stars Ambiance: 4 stars. Besides karaoke, too many rooms to figure out. Service: 4 stars. Was 5 until the very end. Other foods: Not sure. I'm glad I chose what I did. So we'll put this at 4.

Restaurant has overall nice look, but that's where it ends. Staff is more concerned about talking…read morewith themselves then doing their job. Only one bartender seem to be running her butt off while everybody else was standing around. The bathrooms are disgusting to say the least! How about cleaning the bathroom stall walls from time to time? The food is decent, but nothing special. Took almost 15 minutes to get the bill, which was 10 minutes longer than it should have been. We arrived about 5:30 on a Thursday afternoon, and the one end of the bar was just full of old drunk men. My God were they loud! Usually do not write reviews, but this place was recommended and was an absolute disappointment. Will never return!

I am so happy that the Brandan has brought the Hartley House back to a new level. I find the…read morestaff, atmosphere and especially the quality of food very enjoyable and I am sure he will be very successful.

I had lunch with friends at the hotel. The food is delicious and freshly prepared. The owners…read moreBrandon and his wife are most delightful. I had the best fish and sweet potato chips. My friend had there house burger. We were both very happy with our meal.

As with most small Ontario towns, there is naturally a Timmy's in Durham (pop. 2500). But before I…read morestopped there, I was thrilled to find Garafraxa, a cute little independent place that seems to have coffee shop/bistro/entertainment venue all wrapped into one. I stopped in for a tea, and was pleased to be offered a loose-leaf cream earl grey. The cranberry and pistachio biscotti was very fresh and a perfect pair for the tea... So yummy. I should note, I never ask for soy milk in small towns (was laughed at one too many times in the past), but a gentleman that came in after me (looked even more "out of town" than I did ;) asked for it... And the women serving, proudly announced she did have soy milk. Impressive. Wish I had some friends up here (hehe) - this place seems like a perfect Saturday night venue to grab a glass of wine and listen to live music :)

The first thing that caught my eye was the storefront. A hip basic black look with red highlights…read more Not something I expected to see in the small rural town of Durham. A pleasant surprise. I was also happy to see cafe tables and chairs outside. It was a hot day and I needed a place to sit with my dog. Stepped inside and again was impressed with the look of the place, especially the stage. At the back of the room was a stage, stage lighting and a large screen. I didn't realize Garafraxa's is also a music venue. Looks like an excellent spot for musicians to pump up their performance. The espresso prices were Starbucks expensive, but my latte was quite large. The spinach pastry I ordered is the mass-produced pastries I've seen and eaten in other shops around Ontario. I would have preferred a little something savoury that was locally made.

Great friendly waitress (Donna)... so pleasant and accomodating , then the super delish food and…read morecold beer was great...will visit often

Good food, Good service, Good surroundings. Good work to the owners!!!…read moreAnd if you want dessert--yummy!!

Food was pretty good... Service was really rushed... Bill dropped on the table without even asking…read moreabout dessert or additional drinks. Felt like they wanted us out. It was only 10pm on a Sat night

Breakfast ceaser was good but the chicken and waffles looks like it was served on eggo waffles…read more Very disappointing. Tried the Guinness poutine afterwards. The gravy was burnt. Probably won't come back. Wouldn't recommend to others unless you're up for a bad adventure.

Finally made it over to 519 to try the salt and vinegar fish and chips I keep seeing on instagram…read moreand it did not disappoint!! A delicious extra crispy chip batter coating a perfectly cooked juicy piece of fish accompanied by perfectly cooked fries, coleslaw and a creamy tartar sauce for dipping!! The place was packed but they got us in and as always the service was excellent!! Thanks again 519!! We will be back!! Zeke

we were seated in what was like a after thought in the restaurant, almost like a school canteen,…read moreeven though I had booked a table. we did ask to be moved into the other section of the restaurant but that was a big fat no. and yet, because we were in listening area. found out there was space for those who hadn't booked, and they got seated in that area. food was ok, the special was aunt Vicky fish and chips, nice size but not as good as we thought it could be, more batter than fish. my daughter had a chicken burger, with no mayo or dressing of any sort on it.also None of the beers my husbands likes were on offer. so had to go with something similar. this was the first time we had been there and it will be my last. the waitress was good, didn't bother hovering which is good for us. I would give it a 4 out of ten. to make the room we were in, make it less canteen like, should get rid of looking into kitchen no one wants to see there food being prepared and make it a cosier area. every spot in the other area had a tv, maybe just one large on the wall. meant to feel like a pub type place not a canteen.