Braaibar was our first disappointment in Stratford, unfortunately. Usually we have amazing dinners in this city. First, cocktails are the best part of this place. I enjoyed my choice (heads in the cloud). We ordered fries and spring rolls as starters. Fries were soggy and the portion was really small. Rolls were good but they arrived just warm. But the entrees was the biggest problem. This time fries were good, But the steak was terrible, opposite of tender and tasteful. The doneness was supposed to be medium rare, but came more for rare. It was supposed to come with vegetables, not only peppers. I enjoyed the sweet peppers but I expected variety. PEI Mussels were poor and the hamburger was good. No one asked how it was our dishes, otherwise I could say it personally about my steak. The waitress was so busy that she almost never appeared in our table.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 2
Eduardo H
The food was extremely disappointing. Fries were soggy and a tiny portion. Steak was too tough to eat.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 3
Grant Oyston
Visited for a pre-theatre dinner on a friend’s recommendation and was so impressed. The interior is beautifully decorated, but we took advantage of a warm September Saturday to sit on their quiet alleyway patio - also great. The streamlined menu allows for fast service, and I love that they that they offer half pints of their draft beers. Spring rolls with mango chutney and burger were both excellent, flavourful, and reasonable portions - some of the best fries I’ve had too. I’ll be back next time I’m in Stratford!
PS - they didn’t have the same line down the block as some of the touristy restaurants, perhaps because they’re about a block off the main drag. Don’t waste your time lining up elsewhere - just go to Braaibar!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Maria Luísa Raymundo
Braai Bar atmosphere is incredible, as well as the service.
My partner and I went to Stratford Festival (August 31st)and between the matinee show and the night show we booked a table at the bar. Our table was initially to dine indoors but the hostess kindly rearranged our reservation and had us sit on the patio.
We decided to book a table at the Braai Bar because I'm vegan and we wanted to make sure we went to a place where we could both enjoy the meal. Braai Bar sounded like the perfect spot, as on the first page of the website you have "Our talented team have curated a bar menu that will leave you wanting to try every dish. Whether you're vegan, vegetarian, gluten free or a carnivore, we have something for everyone". My partner called the restaurant Friday night to confirm whether there'd be vegan options, which was confirmed.
When the server gave us the menu, I couldn't find many vegan options. More precisely, the only vegan option they had was the Hippy Bowl and 2 vegan salads (options that were not originally in the menu but could be made vegan since I asked).
Since we had the table booked already and had a limited time between the shows, we ordered drinks, a tomato salad (really good!) as a starter and the main dishes - Hippy Bowl for me and a steak for my partner.
I don't have words to describe the Hippy Bowl. That was EXTREMELY disappointing. The Hippy Bowl was essentially a quinoa salad with vegetables. No dressing, no further preparation, no taste. And $23! I couldn't eat half of the bowl because how tasteless it was. My partner is an excellent cook so we asked for a take-out container and brought it home to use the leftovers for something else (picture attached of the delicious vegan sandwich he made with it).
We had a show to attend at 8pm, and would get home (Toronto) only around 1am. Therefore we had to stop by at a vegan diner in town to get me another meal (more $).
I understand the Braai Bar menu is focused on steak. However, when you advertise you have options for everyone, including vegans, the customer expects a dish that at least requires more preparation rather than throwing vegetables into a bowl. We all know that Vegan cuisine can be more than just plain vegetables.
It was extremely disappointing, considering the place is awesome, the service, and the patio is lovely.
I'm not the one to leave bad reviews or express my disappointment. I know vegan cuisine is still on the rise and places are getting used to having vegan clients and catering to them. This is feedback for a place that has potential and I would love to return to and have reasonable options with substance (e.g. pasta, risotto, flame roasted hearty vegetables, toasted crostini with heirloom tomatoes and balsamic reduction. For dessert: vegan chocolate cake, cookie, sorbet).
Thank you!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Yuliya Sidletska
Fish and chips was burned and my kids steak was so raw that they could not eat it... Our table was close to the kitchen so we saw the cook was sweeping the floor and without washing his hand went to prep dishes.
The interior is so nice and the waiters are polite.... very disappointing.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Preeti Saldanha
Ambience is nice and cozy. But service is super slow. We waited for 45 minutes for just 3 sandwiches. Food was ok too. The side salad had only raw onions and Lettuce. Very disappointed with the salad.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 2
Alejandro Garcia
Very disappointed with the tuna tartare, which was mostly gacamole. Name it different, but don't name it tartare, it's no tartare if you only sprinkle some tuna on top of guacamole. Lemonade was also very bad. Don't offer to make it if you are going to serve this, please. I couldn't finish it on a hot day.
Fish and chips, and burger weren't that bad, but nothing out of the ordinary.
I won't come again, maybe I will come back to the actual brai. But if you're looking for good places for lunch, there are are better and cheaper options in town.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Brad White
Went with some buddies, and we decided to order a bit of everything to share. So glad we did that as everything was amazing! If you're adventurous and it's your first time there as it was for most of us, I would recommend you do the same. We dined downstairs, and it was a very cool place. The service was great too. Highly recommend a visit if you're visiting Stratford.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
John Carleton
Bar menu has a limited selection.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Esther Reimer
This was my maiden voyage to Stratford but it won’t be my last. After enjoying a walk around the city, taking in all the great sights, we settled on Braii bar. This meal was a highlight of my year. I was unsure about ordering broccoli as an appetizer but it seemed the safest gluten free choice. Wow! It exceeded all expectations for texture, and taste. So did my Malay curry. The vegetables are vibrant in color and unique spices. The portions are hearty and the staff is cheerful and engaged in their clientele. A glass of the Pearce Predhomme Cynsault/Syrah was a perfect finish to the meal. I look forward to eating here again. Thank you. ~esther
WOW. Definitely top 5 places I’ve ever dined. From the app to dessert, everything tasted better than the next. We will absolutely be returning- and very soon hopefully!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Barbs T
This place is a treat! We always go to the Braai House located upstairs from this place. Since the same owners run this too we figured why not try it and we were not disappointed. The owners and staff are a delight! Love the food, service, and their ability to accommodate gluten free. 95% of their menu was actually gluten free. We will be back!!! OFTEN!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Justin Mergl
Great food and cocktails!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cheryl Fountain
We went last night for the 1st time. We made reservations for 3 but made a call in the afternoon to add a 4th person. We were told, if an issue they would call us back. No call. We arrive promptly and hostess barely even greeted us and seemed annoyed we had 4 guests.Our waiter was very nice and took our order, brought us drinks and we never seen him again? No check in too see if the food was good. No offer to order more drinks. We even had to flag down a different wait staff for cutlery.The food was absolutely fantastic - but the service didn’t deserve to be even tipped. We are locals - and it was very surprising how poor the service staff was. This was not the upscale experience we were expecting.Like I said food was amazing - but luckily, Stratford has MANY AMAZING restaurants! Sadly, we will not be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 1
Barbs M-T
This place is a treat! We always go to the Braai House located upstairs from this place. Since the same owners run this too we figured why not try it and we were not disappointed. The owners and staff are a delight! Love the food, service, and their ability to accommodate gluten free. 95% of their menu was actually gluten free. We will be back!!! OFTEN!
Braaibar was our first disappointment in Stratford, unfortunately. Usually we have amazing dinners in this city.
First, cocktails are the best part of this place. I enjoyed my choice (heads in the cloud).
We ordered fries and spring rolls as starters. Fries were soggy and the portion was really small. Rolls were good but they arrived just warm.
But the entrees was the biggest problem. This time fries were good, But the steak was terrible, opposite of tender and tasteful. The doneness was supposed to be medium rare, but came more for rare. It was supposed to come with vegetables, not only peppers. I enjoyed the sweet peppers but I expected variety. PEI Mussels were poor and the hamburger was good.
No one asked how it was our dishes, otherwise I could say it personally about my steak. The waitress was so busy that she almost never appeared in our table.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 2
The food was extremely disappointing. Fries were soggy and a tiny portion. Steak was too tough to eat.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 3
Visited for a pre-theatre dinner on a friend’s recommendation and was so impressed. The interior is beautifully decorated, but we took advantage of a warm September Saturday to sit on their quiet alleyway patio - also great. The streamlined menu allows for fast service, and I love that they that they offer half pints of their draft beers. Spring rolls with mango chutney and burger were both excellent, flavourful, and reasonable portions - some of the best fries I’ve had too. I’ll be back next time I’m in Stratford!
PS - they didn’t have the same line down the block as some of the touristy restaurants, perhaps because they’re about a block off the main drag. Don’t waste your time lining up elsewhere - just go to Braaibar!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Braai Bar atmosphere is incredible, as well as the service.
My partner and I went to Stratford Festival (August 31st)and between the matinee show and the night show we booked a table at the bar. Our table was initially to dine indoors but the hostess kindly rearranged our reservation and had us sit on the patio.
We decided to book a table at the Braai Bar because I'm vegan and we wanted to make sure we went to a place where we could both enjoy the meal. Braai Bar sounded like the perfect spot, as on the first page of the website you have "Our talented team have curated a bar menu that will leave you wanting to try every dish. Whether you're vegan, vegetarian, gluten free or a carnivore, we have something for everyone". My partner called the restaurant Friday night to confirm whether there'd be vegan options, which was confirmed.
When the server gave us the menu, I couldn't find many vegan options. More precisely, the only vegan option they had was the Hippy Bowl and 2 vegan salads (options that were not originally in the menu but could be made vegan since I asked).
Since we had the table booked already and had a limited time between the shows, we ordered drinks, a tomato salad (really good!) as a starter and the main dishes - Hippy Bowl for me and a steak for my partner.
I don't have words to describe the Hippy Bowl. That was EXTREMELY disappointing. The Hippy Bowl was essentially a quinoa salad with vegetables. No dressing, no further preparation, no taste. And $23! I couldn't eat half of the bowl because how tasteless it was. My partner is an excellent cook so we asked for a take-out container and brought it home to use the leftovers for something else (picture attached of the delicious vegan sandwich he made with it).
We had a show to attend at 8pm, and would get home (Toronto) only around 1am. Therefore we had to stop by at a vegan diner in town to get me another meal (more $).
I understand the Braai Bar menu is focused on steak. However, when you advertise you have options for everyone, including vegans, the customer expects a dish that at least requires more preparation rather than throwing vegetables into a bowl. We all know that Vegan cuisine can be more than just plain vegetables.
It was extremely disappointing, considering the place is awesome, the service, and the patio is lovely.
I'm not the one to leave bad reviews or express my disappointment. I know vegan cuisine is still on the rise and places are getting used to having vegan clients and catering to them. This is feedback for a place that has potential and I would love to return to and have reasonable options with substance (e.g. pasta, risotto, flame roasted hearty vegetables, toasted crostini with heirloom tomatoes and balsamic reduction. For dessert: vegan chocolate cake, cookie, sorbet).
Thank you!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Fish and chips was burned and my kids steak was so raw that they could not eat it... Our table was close to the kitchen so we saw the cook was sweeping the floor and without washing his hand went to prep dishes.
The interior is so nice and the waiters are polite.... very disappointing.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Ambience is nice and cozy. But service is super slow. We waited for 45 minutes for just 3 sandwiches. Food was ok too. The side salad had only raw onions and Lettuce. Very disappointed with the salad.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 2
Very disappointed with the tuna tartare, which was mostly gacamole. Name it different, but don't name it tartare, it's no tartare if you only sprinkle some tuna on top of guacamole.
Lemonade was also very bad. Don't offer to make it if you are going to serve this, please. I couldn't finish it on a hot day.
Fish and chips, and burger weren't that bad, but nothing out of the ordinary.
I won't come again, maybe I will come back to the actual brai.
But if you're looking for good places for lunch, there are are better and cheaper options in town.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Went with some buddies, and we decided to order a bit of everything to share. So glad we did that as everything was amazing! If you're adventurous and it's your first time there as it was for most of us, I would recommend you do the same. We dined downstairs, and it was a very cool place. The service was great too. Highly recommend a visit if you're visiting Stratford.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bar menu has a limited selection.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
This was my maiden voyage to Stratford but it won’t be my last. After enjoying a walk around the city, taking in all the great sights, we settled on Braii bar. This meal was a highlight of my year. I was unsure about ordering broccoli as an appetizer but it seemed the safest gluten free choice. Wow! It exceeded all expectations for texture, and taste. So did my Malay curry. The vegetables are vibrant in color and unique spices. The portions are hearty and the staff is cheerful and engaged in their clientele. A glass of the Pearce Predhomme Cynsault/Syrah was a perfect finish to the meal. I look forward to eating here again. Thank you. ~esther
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
WOW. Definitely top 5 places I’ve ever dined. From the app to dessert, everything tasted better than the next. We will absolutely be returning- and very soon hopefully!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place is a treat! We always go to the Braai House located upstairs from this place. Since the same owners run this too we figured why not try it and we were not disappointed. The owners and staff are a delight! Love the food, service, and their ability to accommodate gluten free. 95% of their menu was actually gluten free. We will be back!!! OFTEN!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food and cocktails!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We went last night for the 1st time. We made reservations for 3 but made a call in the afternoon to add a 4th person. We were told, if an issue they would call us back. No call. We arrive promptly and hostess barely even greeted us and seemed annoyed we had 4 guests.Our waiter was very nice and took our order, brought us drinks and we never seen him again? No check in too see if the food was good. No offer to order more drinks. We even had to flag down a different wait staff for cutlery.The food was absolutely fantastic - but the service didn’t deserve to be even tipped. We are locals - and it was very surprising how poor the service staff was. This was not the upscale experience we were expecting.Like I said food was amazing - but luckily, Stratford has MANY AMAZING restaurants! Sadly, we will not be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 1
This place is a treat! We always go to the Braai House located upstairs from this place. Since the same owners run this too we figured why not try it and we were not disappointed. The owners and staff are a delight! Love the food, service, and their ability to accommodate gluten free. 95% of their menu was actually gluten free. We will be back!!! OFTEN!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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