Design District Urban Tavern

Interesting venue with above average food, good beer brewed locally, and stand-​offish service.
Yes, they have the trendy bucket of bacon with maple syrup. Since I’m not a huge bacon fan I could care less. However, they do actually have other more creative and less trendy gastro-​pub fare that is worth trying. Some veggie options that were quite tasty too. Oyster bar at a pub is a bit odd, but hey, good on them for breaking the mold.
Beers available on tap from Brew Brothers seemed strangely out of sync with the season; it’s firmly in winter yet most choices were clearly lawnmower beers rather than après-​ski. Black Pilsner is excellent, however.
Service was hit and miss; had to constantly chase down the waitress for another pint. At a pub that’s an unforgivable sin!

Oh. My. Goodness. Came here on the weekend for a Christmas party and left stuffed to the gills! Our server, Garrett, was friendly and attentive from the time we arrived and all through the evening.
I loved the charming chalk boards that were on the walls and the side of the cooler near the front door. «Poutine for the people» made me laugh, and «Bucket of Bacon» says it all on the sharing menu. This is a place where you come to EAT. Having said that, I started with one of their seasonal cocktails — crabapple, basil and gin (think mojito). Very nice way to start the evening.
The appies that came for the group were all wonderful: risotto fritters, duck spring rolls, mission figs with brie and microgreens on a lavash-​type cracker. Then came our four course meal… oh dear. I really, really tried to eat it all (because it was so incredibly good).
Now I want to go back with some friends and have fun trying different things from the chalk boards!

Another night, another great time.
As per my usual routine, I ordered their duck poutine. It was a Friday night and I was feeling over ambitious, so I decided on a medium-​sized poutine. Mistake. Be prepared to be very full. Tim Hortons has really distorted my view of «medium.»
As always, the service was stellar. We’re talking about a busy Friday night too. Keep on rocking District.

My cousin and her hubby brought me to District for a poutine dinner. What I loved about this place is that I could pick and choose the toppings for my poutine. I loaded it with a fried egg, blue cheese, pulled pork, caramelized onions, mushrooms, and jalapenos. I also ordered a simple salad to feel some what healthy and get some veggies into my dinner.
Both the poutine and the salad were deliciously amazing.
The waitress was a doll; very nice and helpful.
So why 4 stars and not 5? The kitchen forgot about the pulled pork in the poutine. I understand it can get hectic in the kitchen, and things can get over looked. When I mentioned the missing pork to my waitress, she offered to get me some from the kitchen, but it was too late at that point. I was more than half way done with my poutine and feel incredibly full. I didn’t say anything at first because I thought the pork was hidden underneath everything I had ordered with the poutine. Also, the poutine tasted fine without the pork.
All in all, I was quite happy with District, and I would like to come back here for more poutine goodness the next time I’m in Calgary. Thanks for the yummy poutine memories District!

Love this place! One of my fave places to go eat in Calgary!
Everytime we come here we are always sure to order the bucket of bacon as an appie. It’s sooo good and comes with a side of maple syrup for dipping.
One of my other favorite things about this place is when you sit down at your table you will find a pad of paper listing a variety of cheeses and meats. There is a pencil at every table so you can just circle your selections. It comes on a cheese board with crackers and jams and is always very delicious!
Also the craft beer they sell here is excellent!

I wanted to like District, but there are quite a few fatal flaws to this place. I think the only redeeming quality at all is their Brew Brothers Beer.
Maybe it all came down to how we were received, but aside from tweeting 5 hours before heading down asking about kitchen hours, and not receiving a response. Still. To taking the only vacant table in the whole establishment which was:
1) right next to the kitchen
2) next to the where the servers wrap cutlery and I mean literally right next to.
3) had several servers come by to wrap cutlery and no one addressed us.
It wasn’t until (who I assume was) the manager came out of the kitchen after about 15 mins and asked if we had been served. I said no and instead of asking what she could grab us, blamed shift changes and went off to find who the hell was supposed to be serving our section.
Finally, we had a server, I ordered some of their lovely Brew Brothers, I do like how it is served in a mason jar, but for the price I feel it is too small of a serving vessel.
I get the notion that District is trying to find a niche by covering all possible bases. ‘We brew beer, we don’t like menus, look at our kooky chalkboards with our ever changing menu of stuff we will never perfect, oh and look, we LOVE BACON, everyone loves bacon, so you’ll love us!‘
Can I say, District’s bacon is not good. If you like almost burnt bacon where there is no texture and you could potentially chip a tooth while attempting to eat a piece, then this is your cup of tea. I can not think of a more unappealing thought than trying to eat their bucket of bacon. But some people do, and I saw quite a few people seated nearby order it.
I ordered the mac and cheese and my other half ordered their chicken club.
My mac and cheese was kind of like cheese noodle soup, it was supposed to have bacon and some over stuff. The only bacon I got in here were chunks of bacon fat accompanied by some long strips of garlic clove.
It came with a side salad where the dressing was almost non-​existent, so i just didn’t bother trying more than a bite.
The chicken club looked really good, and the fries were nice as well as their house ketchup, which is more like tomato chili jam. I ended up pouring some of that into my mac and cheese. The tomatoes they used on the club were really beautifully red and fresh and I thought he was thoroughly enjoying his sandwich, until he told me they had burned the bread on one side (sandwich side in) and his last few bites were just char, ruining the beginning promise of club sandwich goodness .
I ordered a bacon caesar after my beer, which means you don’t get any pickled stuff and you just get a famous slice of burned bacon stuck to the top of your rim. The caesar was spicy though and nice, but a mason jar isn’t really conducive to drinking with a cocktail full of ice and no straw. I was wiping my nose after every drink after the first couple sips (from the ice hitting my face, not the spice).
Food was underwhelming, drinks were okay and someone threw up in the urinal in the men’s bathroom and we had to listen to one of the cutlery wrapping servers discuss its clean up with another staff member while we ate.
I am not really impressed, especially at your social media team. It’s pretty lack luster when they don’t check your direct @ mentions on one of your busiest nights when that is probably what you pay them for. ie) customer service.
District is just a night club that decided they wanted to serve food all the time.

My BF and I went to District yesterday after work. They had both happy hour (daily 4 — 7 pm) and wing night (Tuesdays) happening. This is the best combination of specials in the city!
30 wings = $ 7.50
3 jars of home brew = $ 10.71
Seriously, why am I even buying groceries?
The jalapeño bacon cheddar wings were weird. I wouldn’t order them again. The sauce was thick and creamy. It tasted fine, but the texture was not appetizing. I think they would be way better with some type of dry salt flavouring. Salt and pepper and honey hot flavors were great. The wings have a good amount of meat on them too.
The Hairy Eyeball Brew Brothers beer is great. Light and a bit citrusy. Service was super. Kudos to our waitress for memorizing all of the wing flavours! There were around 10 different flavors, and for some reason District doesn’t like to write these things down on a menu :)

What can I say about District? I’ve been here so many times, particularly in the last two years or so, that I can’t even count anymore. I’ve celebrated two birthdays of my own there, and four birthdays of friends there. I spent New Years Eve there, I watched Olympic Hockey there, and I’ve known people who’ve worked there. I guess what I am getting at is that I like District, and I keep coming back, special occasion or casual weeknight bite with a friend. Honestly I think I like this place so much because it’s almost a habit of mine.
Basically, I love places at which you can punctuate your drinking with food. But not just greasy wings and stale nachos. I like places that have quality beer on tap, good food, and unique menu items. District fits the bill perfectly.
The menu (found not in paper, hand-​held form, but on chalkboards on the walls) changes frequently, so it’s tough to pin-​point one item as a favorite. But I can recommend the burgers and the mac and cheese (usually on the menu). Honestly their fries aren’t very good, which in turn affects the poutine, but other than that, they usually do a decent job. Though the food quality has dipped a little over the last two years, they still maintain a higher level of quality than most pub-​style restaurants, so I can still get on board with most of the menu, most of the time. Though there is the occasional time I am a bit disappointed by the food. But if you ever see a duck confit, or any roasted poultry, definitely try it, they usually do a good job with that. If you’re just looking for a nibble, go for the charcuterie.
As for the drinks, I’d say this is my favorite part of District. The quad long island ice teas and mojitos are great. A giant, cold drink in a mason jar. Order one of each, drink them half way down, and then mix them together. Now I know what you’re thinking, but just trust me on this one. My friend Haley and I do this regularly, and it’s great. Our friends refer to them as Long Island Mojitos, and/​or Island Mo’s. Go for it. *(If I see this turn up on the menu, I am taking full credit) ;)
They also have some decent beer on tap, and the bacon caesar is also tasty!
The other good thing about District? It’s location. A hop skip and jump from the train line means an easy way to and from, especially if you’re planning on having a couple of drinks. And of course, it’s connected to the Rhino. So if you’re looking to keep your night going, can’t really beat the 8 second stumble to the bar next door.

Drinks: ³⁄₅
Food: 3.5÷5
Atmosphere: 3.5÷5
Service: 2.5÷5
Overall experience: 3.5÷5
(1– Terrible; 3– decent; 5– Fantastic)
The District is adjoined to Amsterdam Rhino and is a small to medium sized bar. It’s divided by a row of booths in the middle and small tables set here and there. It has an urban, down to earth vibe; definitely for a more older crowed.
My first visit to the District was on a Friday night during a hockey play-​off game… boy was that the worst idea ever. We walked in at around 8PM and the place was packed so we had to leave to find another bar in the area. After about half an hour without luck, we went back to District and found a seat at one of the booths.
The service was horrendous… took them a good 10 minutes before they cleaned up the table and another 10 – 15 minutes before the waitress acknowledged us. She asked us what we wanted a drink, but we held off on ordering until the rest of our party arrived. She didn’t even offer us a glass of water in the mean time. I wonder if service is this bad normally.
One thing that attracted me the most to District was its fresh, unique food menu that elevates your typical bar food to a new level. They have a little bit of everything including oysters and mussels, and a bucket of bacon as appetizers; salads; a variety of burgers and sandwiches stuffed with bacon/​chicken/​or pulled pork; and mains. All at a very reasonable price.
One thing I absolutely HATE though is that their menus are on chalkboards located all around the restaurant. Their reasoning is because their menu constantly changes which is fantastic, but the menu expanded 4 chalkboards so I couldn’t see the ones furthest away from me. I was at a terrible angle, and the writing was too small. I was also uncomfortable with the idea of standing in front of a booth of people staring at the menu board above them.
Their drink menu consists of 2 oz ($ 10.25) or 4 oz ($ 15.75) cocktails; 16 oz premium draughts and house brews for $ 7; or bottles for $ 6.75. Not too big of a list. Their drinks come in neat glass jars. I decided to order their daily (1oz) cocktail special «Mellorillo» ($ 4.75) which is a beer cocktail of melon liqueur, blueberry vodka, apple juice, and Amarillo IPA. You could taste the blueberry and bitterness from the Amarillo. I’m not too fond of IPAs for their bitterness, so the after taste of the cocktail was distasteful. Definitely not your sweet girly cocktail. I also tried their «Bacon Caesar» which was disappointing. When the menu said it was infused with their home made bacon, I was expecting the caesar to be bacon flavoured. It was just a regular caesar with bacon pieces in it. The bacon tasted good with the alcohol though!
For food, we decided to order their yam fries with home made ketchup and aioli; mussels with chorizo and tomato sauce appetizer (around $ 11); and a mango brulee gelato ($ 7):
1. The yam fries were soggy and burnt, but the home made ketchup was delicious; tangy with a hint of cinnamon & spice.
2. The mussels appetizer was a perfect dish to share. It came with a giant piece of airy focaccia bread used to soak up the sauce which had many amazing textures and flavours. The chorizo added a nice touch of spice; and the tangy tomato sauce contained yummy chunks of sweet tomatos. A few globs of cheese were added on top which made the dish creamier. One dislike is that the mussels were really small and there wasn’t enough to warrant $ 11.
3. The mango brulee gelato was very disappointing. We missed the «gelato» part while reading the chalkboard so we thought it was a Mango crème brûlée. We got two small scoops of gelato which had a light Mango flavour. Definitely wasn’t worth $ 7.
My overall experience at the District was alright. I will probably come back to try more of their food and hopefully see that the service has improved. I recommend you check it out if you haven’t already been here!

I had lunch at District last weekend with a friend after reading the favourable reviews on Unilocal.I had been here once before when it first opened, but I hadn’t been back in a while and was eager to try the «Calgary’s Best BLT» as I’m a huge BLT fan.
We arrived on a Friday around 1:30, place was pretty dead so we seated ourselves right away. I knew the deal with the rolling menus so I grabbed one and pulled it over to our table and we decided on some appies. The waitress walked by a few times but kept saying she would «be right back» and looked busy, which was weird because there weren’t that many people in there? Once she brought our drinks (I had the Caesar, it was awesome!) I ordered the oyster platter — I love oysters and these were definitely not cheap! My girlfriend had the mussels. Both were really good. My friend cant eat gluten so I felt there weren’t that many options for her, but she wasn’t very hungry anyway so I think she was fine with what she had.
I settled on the BLT with poutine instead of fries. I was really excited because I thought it had to be extra good to call itself «Calgary’s Best» however, I was pretty disappointed. I guess I expected it to be loaded with bacon, which it wasn’t. And the aoili sauce was just dripping out of it. The poutine was alright, a bit soggy but decent. Needless to say I was underwhelmed. Our bill came out to roughly $ 75, and the service was spotty, so I probably wont be returning anytime soon.
One more note — I read an earlier review here about a waitress accusing someone of not paying their bill. I actually found it funny because as we were getting ready to leave, another party was settling their bill with the same waitress as ours, and she kept insisting they were $ 20 short. I wonder if it’s something that happens on the reg there.

District is a true brewpub, offering Brew Brothers beer, a long local favourite of mine.
First things first — please, for the love of god, take reservations! We waited in line approximately an hour and a half for a table. Not a huge deal, as we were warned about this and showed up expecting such a wait. The management was friendly and checked in frequently. Unfortunately, a few rockstars decided to bypass the line, hover tables, and pounce on them before us — much to the disappointment of others in line. but maybe I have to blame myself for not being too aggressive. but sue me if I believe in common courtesy.
Once we did get a table, our service was spectacular. Beer is served in mason jars which suits the venue’s vibe perfectly (rustic — oh, and loud, but still laid back). The poutine options are mind boggling and the share plates are pretty interesting. I would have to say, this seems to be the best way eat here — split a bunch of share plates. I had a pretty wildly customized poutine, west coast mussels, maple bacon, and a cobb salad and it was all very tasty and went very well with the beer selections. Our server was quick, helpful, and funny. Management was also excellent.
The only thing stopping this place from getting a 5 star rating is the lack of a reservation system. Otherwise it could very well be one of the best relatively new restaurants in the city and certainly a contender for best brewpub in the loud and lively category.
I recommend the Black Pilsner and Amarillo IPA.

We went on a Friday night, holy smokes. The line was out the door, and we waited for over an hour to get a table.
Thankfully we stayed, because it was worth the wait. I wish they’d just manage the crowd better. It is a loud, trendy place with the menu written all over the restaurant. We went with another couple so the 4 of us decided we’d order a bunch of random things and split all of it.
We ordered:
— poutine with lamb and green onions
— the bucket of bacon
— a delicious cobb salad
I have to say I’m a major sucker for this mason jar, bacon, rustic trend. So I ate up all of what they were about. There’s just something about drinking from a jar that makes you feel like a bad ass.
And dipping bacon in maple syrup just screams Canadian.
I also recently found out there ingredients are ALL from Alberta. So an even better reason to eat here.
I’d love to go back, I am just terrified of another hour long line up.

Finally had the chance to visit District last Friday for one of my best friend’s birthdays. We had a party of about 17 which is pretty big so I was interested to see how they would make out with such a big party as ours. Slowly our friends trickled in taking a seat at a long table some with stools sideways some with stools vertical. There wasn’t too much room to have everyone seating comfortably but we understand and we made due with what we had been given.
District has a pretty cool interior, looking inside and around it has a very cabin-​esque interior. The menu you have to kind of look around the place to see what they have, they don’t have a menu for you to look at — that is something I both dislike and like. I like because I am just walking around see what’s there to eat and I’m cool with that, I dislike because well I was hungry, lazy and didn’t want to walk around to see what I could eat.
I was really interested in trying the poutine but didn’t order any myself, luckily for me all my friends had ordered poutine just original no extras. Given the other reviews I have read I thought it would be fantastic but honestly and just in my opinion the original poutine was mediocre for my tastes. One thing I really dislike about their fries is the fact that they are so soggy. I hate soggy fries. I understand covered in gravy it will become soggy but not that soggy.
The bucket of bacon was pretty snazzy. I definitely had to try that out and it was pretty good for home-​made bacon. I liked the fact that also in their Caesers that instead of giving you a green bean or celery they had opted for their bacon instead.
I had for myself the District Chicken Club with a side of Yam fries. I asked the waitress if the bread could be lightly toasted cause I hate how toasted club houses are usually at different establishments. Well, they basically just gave me not toasted cause the only thing toasted was the crust — which made my sandwich just fall apart basically. The Yam fries again, with the fries they didn’t look too appetizing to be real. It looked burnt but it didn’t taste burnt which was a bonus.
I also had the chance to have a piece of pork chop one of my other friends ordered and that tasted fabulous but only if you were to have 4 – 5 bites because any more than that I can tell and from what he told me it became really salty to chow down on.
I thought the service was great for the fact that our lovely waitress was waiting one entire section of the wall to herself. She let us know beforehand the service is going to be a little slower than usual and the fact that they let us know that was a big thumbs up for me as to what to expect for service.
At the end of our meal they also gave us a round of lemon drop shots on the house I am thinking because it was my friends birthday! I thought that was pretty cool of them cause usually it’s just a piece of cake at what cost? A round of shots for 17 people sounds and tastes a lot better!
I’ll definitely be back here to try out some more items and try out the poutine again with a few extra add ons and see how I like their poutine then, until next time!!!

I love District… at least I really want to. They have such a great concept but the last few times I’ve been there the service has been very poor. I took customers there & talked it up as such a great place. Then we had such bad service that it was laughable. I contacted District and they said they were «looking into it». That was months ago (and I reminded them once since them) so I feel like they just don’t care.
I will probably still go to District occasionally but I won’t be recommending them because I can’t insure that they will have a good experience b/​c it’s so inconsistent.

I have no idea what in the hell a «Gastropub» is. It sounds nasty to me, like some sort of stomach illness. I don’t know why restaurants can’t just be restaurants anymore, but I guess we as a society have demanded this sort of «creativity» from our eating establishments, so we need to lie in the bed we’ve made.
Wow, that was philosophical.
Regardless of all that pointless, stupid banter, I really like District.
When you come in, don’t expect to be passed a menu. Why? Because you need to get off your lazy butt and read some of the chalk boards lining the walls. If that sounds like work to you, you’re probably gorging yourself on McDonalds, so you don’t deserve a place like Distric anyways.
Take a quick hop around the room, wink at some good looking patrons and then make your way back to your seat where a waitress will stop by to take your order. The night I went the place was absolutely buzzing, but our waitress didn’t miss a beat. She even let us sit at a table reserved for someone else at a later time if we promised we’d be out of there before they showed up.
Now THAT, my friends, is service.
I ordered a Hairy Eyeball. it cost me $ 3.75 and came in a mason jar. That’s a reasonably priced drink and a by-​golly-​gee fun way to drink it. It reminded me of being a kid at Montana’s, only now I could have grown-​up wobbly pops.
Anyways, I had a BLT and fries. Anywhere else, that would be an underwhelming order, but here it was great (with one small exception).
1. The bread was expertly toasted by a toasting wizard.
2. I wouldn’t normally call bacon an aphrodisiac, but when it hit my tongue, strange things happened.
3. My lettuce was fresher than the new Childish Gambino album.
4. The tomatoes were juicier than a Kardashian heiny.
5. Chipotle aioli. It was wonderful.
My fries were crisp. Their skin smelled of happiness
.
My ONE and ONLY complaint stems from their ketchup. I am a ketchup purist, and this was some sort of hippy attempt at ketchup which I fully appreciate but nonetheless was not over the moon about.
But that’s just me, and ketchup that is not to my liking is not enough reason for me to give this place anything less than a serious recommendation. The food is locally sourced.
They have a bucket of bacon. They apparently have the greatest poutine known to mankind (though I cannot attest to this myself). Apparently the menu is always changing, and that gives me a serious reason to return.
Great service. Delicious food. Creative menu items and presentation.
I’ll definitely look past the dorky name and definitely be back here next time I find my stomach rumblin’ near 11^th.

Another Unilocal Eats night, another restaurant! Wednesday night found me at the District (admittedly, it was my second visit this week). In past visits, my food choices generally revolved around pub food and appys. District is a great place to hang out, drink some Brew Brothers beers or drink your share of whatever’s on special that day (Wednesday is the lemonade. They say it’s spiked, but I think they’re playing games with me. It goes down so smoothly!). During this particular visit, I asked the bartender what I should order. He suggested the salmon. Salmon at District? But it’s known for its poutine and buckets of bacon…
Well, the whole point of the week is to get out and try things you normally wouldn’t, so salmon it was! And it was good. The fish was mighty and the bones were, well, nonexistent. There wasn’t a single bone in any forkful of fish I ate. I must say, as an entrée kind of place, I’m impressed!

When I die I want to be embalmed with gravy and buried in cheese curds.
And when I pass on to the other side my immortal soul will end up in a place that serves unlimited quantities of build-​your-​own poutine. A poutine that’s structured on hand-​cut locally-​sourced fries, unctuous gravy and only the finest Montréal cheese. A poutine that can be topped with an almost endless array of additions including bacon, onions, mushrooms, peppers, cheeses, cured meats and the like.
This kingdom-​cum-​restaurant would serve up said poutine combos in varying sizes based on my amount of hunger at the time — small, medium and large. And of course to wash down this heady, toothsome, delicious meal, I’d have a choice of cocktails made as a single, double or quad and served in varying sizes of mason jars.
One chilly night in Calgary I thought I had died and gone to my proverbial poutine-​laden afterlife when I realized I was just at District, an altogether too-​well-​lit brewery, bar and restaurant in downtown. This awkward space has the feel of a brewpub (well duh, it is one) that’s burdened by a bit of an identity crisis. The food is way too good for this setting; the menus are strewn on chalkboards all over the walls, many of which can’t be seen from one specific seat (so you have to get up and walk around to see all the options); and the flow lacks any real feng shui. It doesn’t have the feel of a place I’d want to spend a ton of time in…
but I would spend eternity there for the build-​your-​own poutine if my arteries would allow. Oh, and the gigantic cocktails that are surprisingly good for how giant they are (size and flavor are usually inversely proportional). Well, okay the added bonus of super friendly service and ethos of only stocking local, natural products of the highest quality is something that drives straight to my pleasure center (almost as fast as a hot, gravy-​covered bite of cheese and potato).
If you’re visiting Calgary or even a local, do yourself a favor and seek this place out. Bring a pair of sunglasses if you want some mood lighting, and make sure you wander over to check out the giant poutine menu in the front corner of the joint. It’ll bring you endless happiness.

This is a difficult review to write — all you have to do is read my previous District review to figure out why…
Made a group reservation (several weeks in advance) for Friday, Feb 11 at District for a large group, to celebrate my sweetie’s birthday. Having met at District & both loving it, seemed a most appropriate place to be celebrating. We looked forward to sharing some drinks & a meal with our friends.
Unfortunately, despite having confirmation in writing of a reservation, someone forgot to write it in the book. Shit happens. I get it. However I had not expected to be made to feel like I was in the wrong & an inconvenience by the manager. He seemed willing to let my group of 12 (most of our group being loyal & long-​term District patrons) walk out. Fortunately Jarrod (server extraordinare) & Chef Heather (we took an amazing canning class with her) stepped in. We were found a table on the Rhino side, with assurances we would be moved to the District side as soon as they could clear up room for us. That never happened.
A band was playing on the Rhino side & incredibly loud, making it impossible for our group to visit. Sadly a good portion made their exit earlier than expected due to this. Could not blame them.
Our food was not up to the usual standards we have come to expect — the bun our burger was served on was dried out & stale. Yam fries were over cooked. The poutine with duck confit & caramelized onions was a hit though. When it came to dessert, the only thing left with chocolate banana cake — not what we were looking for.
Nobody came to check on us. Not even once. No attempts to even give the birthday boy a free drink to apologize for the schmozzled mess (& yes, they knew!) After our group was gone, we headed to the District side to meet another couple. Imagine our surprise to see a big EMPTY table. This is most definitely NOT the service we have come to expect from this group. Even the service on the District side was slow, even though it was not all that busy.
Despite my deep love for District, once our Groupon has been used, I do not know that we will be back — at least not without stellar improvement over our last experience. The ball was dropped in a major way & the lack of service, care & follow through are enough to turn a fan girl away. Breaking up is always hard to do. :(

Reading other people’s reviews on this restaurant and walking past it a handful of times got me all excited about going there and trying it out.
Their website says that they are a «gastropub» I am not entirely sure what that is nor what it takes to become a gastropub. What I do know is that The District doesn’t exactly have your normal pub food. I even called them the day off, and their exact answer was «There is no menu, its whatever the chef brings with him from the market.»
That answer got me really excited. My fiancée and myself shared a rack of lamb and decided that we should try at least something else. The lamb was tantilizingly juicy, not burnt nor undercooked. We also had fish and chips… which was quite forgettable.
Atmosphere was meh, music a little too loud and everyone was trying to push and move past you. And having my drink out of glass tomato jars was unique in itself but it felt contrary to the whole pub, especially when there is Lady Gaga and Black Eyed Peas playing. Coming from an atmosphere point of view I did not enjoy the place, food wise yes.

I’m a bacon fanattic and have found a home at The District. Favorite menu option is «Bucket of Bacon». A generous portion of bacon is delivered in a bucket together with a side of syrup. yum.
Another menu option that is popular is the Poutine. It is served with delicious cheese curds and the gravy is tastely.
No printed menus, all food options for the day are written on chalk boards. They pride themselves on many organic options.
Combination of booths and high tables, they can usually accomodate a group of any size. Live music on Thursday nites is always good.
Staff is limited, so service can be slow. And be guarenteed that you will wait for your bill. (ask for it early & you won’t be frustrated). It is also loud… expect it to be — and you will be okay.
I really enjoy this place. Remember, order the Bacon — you will love it!
Note: see previous review about Midnight Stampede Breakfast. I have attended both they have hosted — and they were both INCREDIBLE!

District is a great concept pub/​restaurant.
The main reason for this is that all their food is bought local. They cook based on what is in season and available. I think this represents what more restaurants should adopt — especially as customers care more about where their food came from.
Add in an excellent selection of beers and you have a winner (Blanche ‘de Chambly on tap — that is all).