The food is fantastic. Try their pizzas. Service = heaveanly. Look at the artwork Trappist beers. Wow! The best in the East Coast. read more

Pub Italia - Italian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

I've been to Pub Italia twice thanks to various locals' recommendations. However, the experiences have been mediocre at best. I remembered I had the seafood pasta in the rose sauce the first time. While the food was good, it did not stand out from other regular pasta restaurants but was priced about 5 - 10 dollars more. I think I paid almost 40 dollars for one plate of pasta (it was for takeout too.) I ordered the lasagna at my second visit, and it was subpar. The meat was quite dry & grainy, while the sauce was overly salty. The plating was also quite rough, while it was still consistently pricier than other restaurants. The only reason I gave it two stars is because of its outstanding collection of drinks (on tap or in bottles), and the atmosphere is excellent (the patio is amazing during the summer!) I wouldn't come back for food again, however. read more

Pub Italia - the interior of a restaurant - Italian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

Ok folks I have to rate this spot on 2 levels one for the beer selection and one for the food. The beer selection is almost second to none in the city with all types and regions represented well here (kudos for the Belgian beer selection). The place has character to boot as well with old style interior and euro sidewalk feel for seating outside. Now comes the bad part the food. Being an Italian pub I was expecting at least a half decent pizza. Nope the pizzas we got were horrifyingly bad. I would go far as saying they are using frozen pizza probably (Dr. Oekter called they want their pizza back) unacceptable IMO. So average out to 2 stars come here for drinks stay away from the pizza. read more

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@jasonsalwayshungry on invite we went for Pub Italia in the little Italy neighborhood, in Ottawa great atmosphere is was super busy dim lighting lots of beer and food flying in and out I went for the "The Cotroneo"named after the owner. Grilled chicken, bruschetta salsa, pesto aioli topped with goat cheese & drizzled with a balsamic glaze this celebrity list of ingredients in the end was a little busy for me and a little lite on chicken 7.9\10#ottawa #ontario #canada #alwayshungry #foodie #foodcritic #vanlife #foodtour read more

Pub Italia - a man holding up a menu - Italian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

Good food, but amazing selection of beers from around the world. Small wine selection, but still a good assortment. read more

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So I can't believe that I haven't reviewed Pub Italia yet. I've been to Pub Italia many times, mostly with beer-loving friends. They have an extensive beer menu, which they call the "Beer Bible" in keeping with their church theme. So it's neat if you like beer, and the decor is cool, as it looks like you are drinking in an abbey. However, the food is just ok in my opinion. It's pub food. I don't like beer, so this place has less appeal to me, but my beer-drinking friends love it. They do have mixed drinks, wine, and coolers for those who don't drink beer. They don't have kombucha though, or any craft sodas, so if you're not drinking alcohol, your choices are pretty limited. The food I feel is overpriced for what it is. I've had several of the appetizers (they used to have an appetizer combination platter which had calamari, fried zucchini sticks, fried ravioli, veggie sticks, and maybe some other things, but I think they took it off of the menu) and some of the sandwiches too. Nothing was ever bad, but nothing ever wowed me. No complaints about service. Servers are nice and friendly. They have a great patio with lots of outdoors seating. The decor is a little over the top, bordering on kitschy, as it's supposed to look and feel like you are drinking in a church. I don't think this place was ever a real church though. If you're interested in drinking in a pub that was once an actual church, you can check out Brigid's Well in the Byward Market. It's inside the Saint Brigid's Centre for the Arts, which used to be St. Brigid's Church before it was deconsecrated in 2007. Anyway, Pub Italia is pretty famous and popular here in Ottawa. read more

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Casual with upscale flair. Beer, thin crust pizza, best goat cheese salad in town. Parking- behind the restaurant or street parking Plenty of spots for large or small groups - interior is like a church with Christmas lights and a fun atmosphere. There are lots of little spots/booths etc to discover- not cookie cutter. I always order the Dante pizza and goat cheese salad. Mamma Mia (pizza with meatballs) is good too. I think the pricing is fitting and fair not sure why there are complaints, it's not a dive bar. Love the huge selection of beers from different countries! Service here is also accommodating and always friendly. Great staff and owner. Def one of my fave spots. read more

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Great drinks 5 stars!! Large beer selection. I love the strawberry fruit beet and the guava sour. Horrible food zero stars!! read more

The decor at Pub Italia is definitely worth the hype. I spent my entire meal just looking around at the various decorations on the walls. Their pizza is excellent as well; I would definitely recommend it. The staff are friendly and I'm looking forward to returning in the future! read more

Great food and drinks but poor service. It was my birthday, it had been mentioned when reservations were made. The server forgot and made us pay for cake. We also only spoke to the server once, she took our drink order and food and never came back. She didn't bring out our food or bring us the bill, we had to go up and ask. read more

Good fast service, decently priced I'm vegan so I got their spinach salad without the chicken and asked for more cranberries instead of walnuts, they put way goo much dressing on the salad (but it was lemon garlic which is my favourite) and there was actually way too many cranberries my fault for saying I wanted more but it's like the spilt the bag in. Bill for 1 salad, 1 pizza and 1 beer was 45$ kind of pricy ' I suggest if u get the salad get the dressing on the side !! My boyfriend really enjoyed his pizza but 14$ for a salad is a bit much especially since it's an extra 3.50$ to add chicken to salads since I said no chicken it should have been -3.50 but none the less it was a good experience and sitting on the patio with my love was nice read more

Pub Italia - Italian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

We ordered the house salad, Abbruzzi and Italian dressing pizzas and everything was amazing!

If you're in the area and want to relax on a patio, this would be a great choice! I came here before going to an absolute comedy show, as it's just a few minutes away. The reviews initially scared me, as I wanted a pizza but it seemed the pizza was frozen, not fresh, and looked like a flatbread. So I actually didn't order a pizza...but it was Tuesday and thankfully there were specials (that were posted in the women's washroom...perhaps they could post specials online or at least have a menu with them on the tables)? Daily specials: Tuesday evenings it's half price mussels and $5 Kichesippi beer. Mondays it's half off wine bottles. And for the other days, I'm not sure, since that's all I saw on the bathroom doors...lol! They have a "beer bible", with lots of beers, so you'll definitely find something you like! Mussels: I I tried the ho ho mussels and the urquell mussels ($17 regular price, but half off); for pub mussels I was pleasantly surprised! The sauce was really thick, rich, and creamy, and there was more than enough of it, so I had way over my daily requirement of bread...oops! Condiments: There's also spicy olive oil (not spicy at all), parmesan, and chili flakes right at your table, which I appreciate, so I dipped my bread in either oil or mussel cream sauce. Pasta: I also tried my friend's spaghetti, which contained lots of sausage, and was really satisfying as well. We were glad we didn't try the pizza, as the mussels and pasta were pretty solid! Service was somewhat quick and efficient, which surprised me, as the amount of people on the patio was steadily increasing. Decor is really unique and interesting and very...sacrilegious, with drawings of nuns drinking beer, for example. It definitely added to the experience! Overall, I'd come back if I was in the area, or if there were other food specials on other days of the night. For $17, the mussels wouldn't be worth it, but at half price, it's allright! read more

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I've been dragged over to that place a dozen times by friends and family inviting me out and it's consistently terrible. I have no idea why people keep going there when there are better places (for everything) so close. Every time I've been there I've tried something new off the menu and it's always lame. I'm pretty sure most of it is from the freezer isle of the grocery store. Any Italian restaurant that serves Kraft salad dressing should be embarrassed. I really can't cook and I can make a Caesar salad dressing that's 100x better. Can't say I've been served by every server in the place but the ones I've dealt with are always unhappy, unfriendly and likely overworked. They'll interrupt when they want your order. They'll point at the menu when you ask for a local beer recommendation. No redeeming qualities in this place. read more

Excellent atmosphere, has almost every alcoholic drink that you could ever want! Covered and non-covered seating available and a HUGE patio. Great for gathering with a group of friends. I personally am not a huge fan of the Italian food, I've tried the pasta a few times in the past and it's not my favourite, but the pub food is a safe bet if you are looking for some food! Reasonable pricing on food and drinks as well and such friendly staff and fast service! One of my favourite places to go for drinks in LIttle Italy and such an Ottawa staple. read more

Pizza's good. Nacho's meh. Decorations are interesting. Service friendly. Just surprised there's no seafood pasta..

Endless selection of beer, server was knowledgeable on beer and food menu. Prices fairly reasonable for the food. Between the two of us tried the pizza , pasta and a salad and all 3 were tasty! read more

Pub Italia - Italian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

Pub Italia is an interesting blend of Irish and Italian. They've got a some pizzas and pastas, and a good-sized beer menu in the book on your table labeled "Beer Bible." It's actually one of the most popular places on Preston Street. It's an all-around solid choice. The food makes par, and the prices are very fair. Except for charging me for two drinks when I got a refill of regular Coca-Cola. Parking can be tough to find - but if it's after 5pm, you can park in the Scotiabank parking lot (across the street). Also, you must appreciate their classic Fiat 600 that is parked on the corner! read more

Pub Italia - Italian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

The interior is to die for and perfect for the Halloween spooky season!! I came on a Tuesday for their 1/2 price mussels ($8)- I ordered the curry mussels and it actually had a moderate curry taste! We ordered the shrimp gratin ($14) and tasty little bastards ($11) as appetizers. If you love cheese you will love these apps! The shrimp gratin reminded me of the Keg's lobster gratin which I absolutely loved! The seafood pasta ($22) was also delicious and included a generous amount of seafood as seen in the pictures. I also had a strawberry chocolate beer ($9.95 for 20oz) which was amazing! I'm not a huge fan of beer, but gulped this down quick. They also have an extensive beer menu with some fruity beers. Can't wait to come back here to try some more! read more

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A chance meeting with Pub Italia this afternoon made me oh so happy I stopped by. My fam and I were planning on heading to Stoneface Dolly's for a late brunch, but we we arrived to a long line down the street and a 45 minute wait time. What did we expect, right? So we took a stroll down Preston, and while almost everything else was closed (it was Victoria Day Monday), Pub Italia's patio beckoned us with open arms and plenty of tables. This might have been the first time I've been here when it wasn't packed, though it was still busy enough. We were seated on the south end of the patio, which was still nice, but not as fun as the main courtyard. That being said, the weather was great and we had lots of space. Our server, Rebecca, was an absolute doll and so great at her job. She was sweet as pie and super helpful without being intrusive or hovering. My sister and I split the pollo pizza and the feta salad and I ordered the one and only beer I'll drink - Fruili.The pizza was awesome - the thin crust was perfectly crisp and full of yummy herbs. It was topped with thinly sliced red onion, chicken, red and green peppers and mushrooms. It was delicious, though we expected it to be a lot larger for being labeled "meal size". There was enough for about 3 small slices each, hence why we ordered the large feta salad. The salad, which is essentially a Greek salad, had tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers, olives & feta cheese in lemon and oil dressing. It was FANTASTIC. They were super generous with the feta, and it was crumbly and yummy and so good. Just the right amount of dressing! For dessert, we all tried something different. Mama bear had a divine raspberry chocolate mousse cheesecake, sister Laura B had the chocolate indulgence and I had the gluten-free banana cake with peanut butter frosting. Mine was practically perfect in every which way - moist and delicious banana cake with peanut butter layered frosting. Dear god, it was good. I tried bites of the other two as well, and they were equally divine. I was really impressed with their desserts, and the service. So glad we ended up here to enjoy the afternoon sunshine! read more

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Regardless of if you're a fan of Little Italy or not, if you like beer, this is a place for you. Typically I'm not much of a beer person, but based on a staff recommendation I went with one of their sour beers, and totally loved it. The decor is really cool- it looks almost like an old church, but more over the top... totally fitting with their beer "bible" though as I said it felt almost over-done and gawdy. It does make for some funky photos though! It's definitely a busy spot, a little on the noisy side, but to me it felt like it just gave it more of a lively feel, rather than "loud". I would say the food here is pub food with a twist. I tried the Irish Nachos which were pretty cool since they were on large potato chips rather than tortilla or corn chips, and the Tasty Little Bastards which were deep fried ravioli. I would say it's not the most diet- friendly place, but sometimes we need a cheat night and this would do the trick or me. There is free parking located in the back, but for the space of the pub, it is fairly limited. Luckily, depending on the time of day, there is ample parking on Preston Street. read more

You must come to this place. Yes, they have great beer selection (over 34 draft choices and 200 bottles), Yes their menu is called the beer bible, Yes they have a great appetizer (Irish nachos rock) but that's not the main reason you need to visit this pub its the atmosphere, the setup. Go inside, go to the toilet (trust me on this) you will feel like you are in an Italian church mixed with a Belgian Abby, coupled with a B-horror movie and a Halloween hunted house. Yes its exactly that. I was lucky enough to attend a Yelp "office hours" event here and I will defenetly come back ! read more

Pub Italia - Italian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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The pub portion of Pub Italia is still solid. They have the largest beer menu in town but the food has really gone downhill since I first came to this place. I wouldn't really recommend anything on the menu as it's mediocre to ok. We split a bunch of appetizers and pizza the last time here and they ranged from crappy to ok. I think my last review mentioned that our pasta was terrible. I don't think that leaves much left on the menu that I would eat. Refer to my other review for some pros of Pub Italia but I wanted to update my rating. Pub = solid, restaurant = mediocre. read more

This is a cool building and I would come back here just to look at everything again and have a drink... and the meatballs with their meat sauce were great. BUT, the pizza, no. It was a house lunch special to get a margarita pizza with a salad for $14 but we gave almost the whole pizza away. Cheaply made frozen crust. They may say the pizza is made fresh to order, but not the crust. The salad was good. I love little Italy and a lot of thought went into this place. Italian church meets Irish Pub is best I can describe it. Take several minutes and thumb through the Beer Bible, wow, lots of choice if you like beer. Service was ok. At least they were honest and told us to steer away from the lasagna... I guess the noodle consistency is an issue for the true Italians. I appreciated that frankness. We had one shot at having a pizza meal in a city I love that I know has amazing pizza but we blew it here. Go for the meatballs though! Parking in the rear of the building. read more

Pub Italia - Italian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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Hubby had been advocating to go here for a while - and his description just wasn't doing it for me: "Great beer selection" he says. "Most popular place in Little Italy" he says. "Who cares?" I say... Well - after attending a Tulip Festival event on Pretoria, we were looking for a place for a quick drink and a snack, and Pub Italia came up, so over we wondered. Found out they have outdoor, indoor, and - bonus! - indoor-outdoor seating with heaters. Perfect! So there we sat (indoore and outdoods) in what I can only describe as an oddly decorated room for a place called Pub Italia. Maybe I need to travel Italy - but I felt more like I was in The Sound of Music movie - very Swill Alps feel to me. (They are neighbours, I suppose...) Yes - I probably spent too much of my time there dwelling on this. (sigh) Waitress we had was mediocre. I felt that her table side manner lacked finesse. She was ok - but not engaged. She was there, because she had to be. Training might help. However - everyone else we interacted with were great! (Hostess, other wait staff.) At any rate - ordered the Voodoo Meat Balls - and they were great! Menu looks solid -will return to try more in the future. Yes - beer selection is as good as rumoured. So - food and atmosphere good. Wait staff, hit and miss. Would I return: Yes Would I recommend: If you are in the neighbourhood - it's definately worth stopping by for a beer - and to ponder the decor! :-) read more

Excellent service and excellent food, loved the atmosphere inside; it was beautifully decorated and even the outside patio is a wonderful spot during the summer. read more

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Pros: Pub Italia is the coolest looking pub I have ever been to. It looks like a converted monastery, and you could have fooled me into thinking it really is. All of the details are there. And I'm a sucker for Christmas lights, which seem to be everywhere you look up. The service is very good. They have a very long beer menu. Cons: the food is hit or miss. I'm had a wrap the first time I went, which I enjoyed, but today I had the goat cheese salad, which was lousy, and so was my friend's Pasqualle pizza. But honestly, who cares - I want to keep going back just for the atmosphere. read more

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The good: 1. The beer selection. Has pretty much any kind of beer you want, although if you are looking for a microbrew from the USA, you'll strike out here (with a couple exceptions). Given your other options though, not sure why you'd feel the need. 2. The Urquel mussels. Yum. 3. The service was efficient and prompt. The average: 1.The classico pizza. If you're in the mood for pizza, go for one of the other options. 2. Prices. Not a bargain, but not super expensive. 2 beers, 1 pizza, one plate of mussels came out to be $45 (including tax and tip). And due to road work, getting here is a pain in the arse if you follow Google maps. Might want to give the place a call if you're an out-of-towner like I am to get better directions. And it looks like that road work will take a loooong time, so if you're reading this even 6 months from now, this still might be an issue. read more

Verdict: Awesome courtyard ambiance, food=meh. So, this place is a great stop for the courtyard ambiance, and for the selection of beer. In fact, they have a beer bible (see photos) which is extensive, and well, let's just say great. The food is simple pub fare. I had the meatball sandwich, and I must say I could have purchased a cheaper, better version across the street at the Prescott. If you're out with a group of friends and want a good stop for drinks outdoors with friends, a good stop. read more

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First off the the beer selection is great, the atmosphere and decor is great, a busy vibe however we were there to eat as well and that is where they lose very serious points. You should and could be 5 stars . A Gastropub they are not !!! It is very clear with a little effort they could push out quality food offerings but it appears their raison d'être is slinging high profit beer. We were a party of 5, got our first round of drinks all good. We then ordered three different pizzas they looked fine but tasted like grocery freezer variety. Actually grocery pizza tastes better!! Caesar salad had very little flavour and almost no dressing. Voodoo meatballs were plentiful,although lacking the advertised spicing in the sauce they were pretty good. Shrimp au gratin were ok. More beer+++, helped forget about the food!!! A little advice to management- this area is growing with new condos, businesses, etc., it may be time to revamp your food program, bring in properly trained chefs/cooks and expand your menu offerings with well made, fresh food. Too much good competition in the area for the consumers $$ for an establishment like yours to not be at the top of their game. Best Wishes!! read more

This is the safest bet if you're looking for a good restaurant on Preston Street. It has great food, good service, unique decor and a huge dining area. Pub Italia also has the most expansive beer list (charmingly called the Beer Bible) than any other Ottawa pub that I know of. My favourite drink is their Fruli beer, which is a strawberry white beer from Belgium: it's so friggin' tasty. However, take my recommendation with a grain of salt because I've been told I don't like "real" beer. This pub is a fine place to bring a group of people, your parents or your date. There are different sections winding throughout the pub that each set a different atmosphere, although it all has a vague mock church decor. It's always safe to choose their pastas or pizzas since they have so much selection and great quality ingredients. read more

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Come here for drinks, not for dinner. We came in because it was one of the only places serving food at 10 pm on a Sunday during Winterlude. The atmosphere of the place is quite interesting. Beer meets Christ. And the beer list is quite impressive. Sadly, we were quite disappointed with the food quality especially considering the mains are at a higher price point for a pub - $12-22, mostly $14+. -Momma Mia Pizza - (16.35) - 5/10 - cheap premade shell with dull toppings -Pasta - Rigatoni A La Rosa (17.25) - 6/10 - Served with cold cubed asiago on top -Mista Salad (10.50) - delicious, only thing we enjoyed Come for drinks, not for dinner. read more

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Went to this place for a school event. The food is kind of medium, but they have so many types of beer you wouldn't believe it. The waitress helped me pick and she was very knowledgable. I never actually chose my own beer, just asked what she recommended. Apparently there are over 200 beers offered. read more

I love this place! I love the decor, I love the table settings (we had our own private little booth in a corner, very intimate), the pizza was amazing, and let's not forget the BEER BIBLE! The Beer Bible was the only reason why we went and we tried a good variety of beers... We are leaving looking forward to visiting again and trying new beers! read more

The food was amazing and the service was great! The food wasn't to much or too little, just right. The pesto pasta was amazing you have to try it. They have everything from pizza to pasta and even nachos! read more

We stopped in here during Italian week in Little Italy and it was a great place to grab some shade and a nice cool drink. Beer lovers will love this place--Beer Bibles for all! The patio was full, so we got a nice booth with a big table back in the Abbey section, which is pretty nifty and also nice and cool. In addition to the huge selection of beer, Pub Italia has some yummy nibbles. We had the cheese plate and the zucchini sticks to share--very good! I would like to go back and sample more of the menu for sure. Our server was friendly and perky--but when someone didn't order beer it kinda threw her for a loop, hehe. She was able to split up the bill easily enough and everything went smoothly. Overall, a very cool place to hang out. read more

Pub Italia is a Preston Street institution with a great patio, great decor, and great service. There is a lot to like! My mediocre star rating is for the meh pizza I had last night. A thin-crust pizza with mozzarella, basil and fresh tomatoes. It could have been so, so much better. The crust was thin, but planky - neither crisp nor soft - indicating that no fresh dough had been used. The mozzarella was regular old pizza cheese, not fresh mozza, the tomatoes - just a handful of diced tomatoes added after the pizza came out of the oven, and a light sprinkling of chopped basil - at least it was fresh and not dried. Other pizza places have raised the bar for good, simple, thin crust pizza. PI has got to get with the program and not just rely on beer and fried snacks. (Voodoo meatballs are four stars, but you have to ask for bread to go with.) read more

I attended my first Ottawa Yelp event here and it was quite nice! I had the opportunity to meet Samantha, the community manager, as well as connect with some old and some new Yelp friends. I recommend the "Tasty Little Bastards" on the menu - fried ravioli filled with savoury squishy stuff (cheeses?). One serving of about 7 raviolis was enough to satisfy me and my manfriend nicely, in combination with my little bottle of bubbly and his DELICIOUS beer (I always try his beer). This place has a massive and excellent selection of brews, so beer connoisseurs take note! When we first entered, I didn't know if I'd like the vibe because the crowded patio out front just seemed like more of the same ole same ole, but the inside is really interesting and not what you'd expect. Decked out like a devout religious-inspired cavern, with intimate booths and a votive grotto on the way to the bathrooms, the décor really adds a sense of sacred imbibing. Leave your guilt at the toilet! I'll very likely go back to this sweet spot in the heart of Ottawa's Little Italy. Just... don't talk about the mob. read more

Sadly Pub Italia is slipping in my books. I really wish that this place hasn't gone downhill the way it has. Don't get me wrong, the beer menu and beer bible are still phenomenal but the food and service really need to improve. I went for lunch today and everything on the menu has shot up in price by a few dollars. Previously I was willing to tolerate the slightly overpriced food for the beer bible but $16.00 for a bowl of below average pasta is crazy. Instead of everything being overpriced by $2.00 everything is overpriced by $4.00 or $5.00 which really doesn't make it worth getting food here. Also the service is not great, while you used to automatically get bread and oil as soon as you order beer or food, you now have to ask for it, so people who don't know the place would miss out. Our server today was also way too slow in bringing the bills after we asked for them. When you have people coming from work for lunch you need to be able to get people their bills quickly as opposed to waiting over 10 minutes to bring the debit machine after you bring the bill. I really don't think I'll go back anytime soon, except maybe for beers. read more

Not bad! Went into Pub Italia with 2 of my friends. We all split the nachos as an appetizer, and they were alright (the cheese used was good though). For my main, I enjoyed the Alfredo Mac n' Cheese casserole dish. Once again, an enjoyable dish put nothing over the top special. I definitely would recommend a stop in here if you want to eat some decent food at reasonable pub prices. read more