The Pickle Barrel

If we’re looking for positives, I suppose the location is very good. Also the presentation (how the food looks) is very nice.
Other than that it’s very subpar. It’s pricy, poor quality and the service is spotty. And the dining room is in the basement for some reason.
Also it’s great that you’re reply to all the reviews… But I think there’s a consensus here: people want cheaper/​better food

«I can’t tell you the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone» — Ed Sheeran.

Average, food was average. Too loud and chaotic, you can’t hear yourself think it is so loud. Waitress never checked on us. Not a business I will revisit or recommend.

We decided on Pickle Barrel because most restaurants we tried to go to this evening was beyond busy and had a minimum 45 minute wait.
When we arrived there was no one to greet us at the podium. In fact, a couple who walked in a few minutes after our party was greeted and seated immediately. So we asked for a menu.
After perusing through the menu and deciding to dine here, we were going to tell the server who handed us the menus we would like a table for 4 when another server (who happened to serve us for dinner) abruptly stepped in and took us. We felt a little awkward since initially we had no one greeting us at entry and now two servers were fighting over our dinner service.
We were given menus and less than 5 minutes to figure out our order. We of course needed a few more minutes and the a few more… Etc etc etc. Once we ordered our food we were asked half a dozen times about meal upgrades and additions. No thanks we already figured out our order now you’re going to talk about hidden options? So we ordered some drinks. My fiancé and I ordered some house special Bellinis (again asking for an upgrade when you’re offering the regular one on sale). We were served our Bellinis that contained no alcohol in them what-​so-​ever to warrant even spending $ 6 on them. Once our food came or server never returned to ask if everything looked alright or if there was anything else we needed.
My fiancé found the Jalapeño waffles far spicier than anticipated when he discovered a jalapeño stem in one of the waffles causing him to choke and need water to calm the spice.
We couldn’t find any server around to help us at all!
One of our friends actually went around to the kitchen and flagged down one of the bussers for water and again for refills on our drinks and again for a round of water for the table.
Again our server disappeared and later was seen being scolded by her manager for behaviour problems. Very unprofessional.
While the food looked great, it is only skin deep. My fish and chips were terribly soggy. The Asian nachos were nothing but wonton wrappers with two pieces of chicken and a mountain of cheese and soy sauce, undercooked steak and just disaster upon disaster. There was nothing that was noteworthy of this evening’s dinner apart from the experience. The abysmal service we received did not justify spending over $ 120 for a meal and drinks for 4 people.
It would have been nice if we were asked «how’s everything going?» Rather than constantly harp us for meal upgrades and more expensive options.
What a waste.

Oh Pickle Barrel, how do you continually disappoint in both food and service? I was here a couple of weeks ago to see Star Wars on the first Sunday it had opened up and our organizer didn’t reserve at the restaurant she wanted and they were filled to capacity as were choice 2 & 3. So what were we to do but go to the Pickle Barrel. We didn’t have a choice and for most everyone we viewed the PB as a last resort type of place as this was the case.
Even though she made the reservation a couple of hours earlier when we arrived the hostess kept the entire group of fourteen waiting outside. The official reason was that the table wasn’t ready even though we could clearly see the table was in fact set. When we finally got in the waitress confirmed that the table was ours and was set for at least 20 minutes!
After our food arrived, people were missing all sorts of things from mustard for smoked meat, toast to go with their all day breakfast,…etc. It seemed like the restaurant got over run by movie goers and was severely understaffed. The washrooms were also a mess and they’d run out of towels, and one of the soap dispensers was effectively non-​functional. That is a management problem… poor scheduling and poor check up on facilities.
I complained to the manager about the condition of the toilet and it was taken care of quite quickly though.
As for myself I ordered the matzo ball soup and smoked meat sandwich.
The matzo ball soup is underwhelming, kind of like weak chicken stock and matzo. I’ve had much better at other restaurants. The smoked meat was also very underwhelming, I would describe the flavour as bland.
This is why the PB will always be a last choice place to go.

I’ve been to this Pickle about 4−5x within extensive periods of time as I never really enjoy myself that much to want to come back quickly however, it’s the closest spot to meet good friends on a Friday night and so I suggest it when i’m feeling a steak or burger and feel that Jackastors or Joeys just isn’t cutting it. They have an upstairs bar area and a downstairs dining area. I have only ever dined downstairs and have had the chicken fingers, burger, steak and egg and the steak sandwich. Out of all of those the only thing that has really impressed me was their steak sandwich with mushrooms. It was very filling and my steak was cooked just perfectly. I am a big time mushroom and steak person and having a soft pretzel bun to go with the sandwich made it all that much better.
I would come back to the Pickle Barrel simply only for that steak sandwich as nothing else seems out of the ordinary that I couldn’t get at any local Jackastors around the area. The one thing that is disappointing about Pickle Barrel is their dessert menu. They do have several mini shareable dessert cups but nothing that great. They don’t serve ice cream in their sundaes but instead use Frozen Yogurt which is a big no no for me. I would have loved their Oreo Sundae as they come in a huge martini glass but the server did let me know they didn’t use ice cream so I had too pass.
Overall, the pickle barrel pricing is very similar to baton rouge just the quality of their food and menu do not range in the same level as Baton Rouge.

A three star «A-​OK» is pretty appropriate for my experience here. Service was friendly, and the food was decent. My team of four came here for a quick end-​of-​year lunch last month, and the place was completely full that Friday afternoon. We called to make a reservation just an hour before, so we didn’t have to wait for a table. I don’t remember our server’s name, but he was friendly and efficient, even though he was a little held up by all the other patrons he had to wait on.
We wanted to get the tempura green beans to share, but they were out of that so we got the deep fried dills instead. Not something I would ever order because I don’t really like pickles that much (don’t ask why I was at a restaurant with pickle in its name), but I was pleasantly surprised by these! They were fried well, and tasted tangy yet cool and refreshing with the garlic ranch dipping sauce. My fressor sandwich (marble rye, corned beef, pastrami, swiss cheese, coleslaw, russian dressing) was quite decent. The meat definitely isn’t the best I’ve had, but I still enjoyed it! The bread was a little dry, and the overall portion was huge. But I liked it and would’ve finished it all if I wasn’t so full already.
All in all, not bad but not amazing. I probably won’t be back because I rarely choose to dine at chain restaurants when there are so many options in the area.

We came on New Year’s Day to celebrate my mom’s birthday but it was totally ruined by some very unfriendly service. It was a cold day that night and my dad is 73 years old so he would liked some hot water. My dad does not speak good English but he tried to tell the waitress he wanted hot water instead of the ice water. The waitress was annoyed and she had an annoyed look on her face and then she brought the water after 20 mins. I totally understand it was a busy night and did not mind the waiting.
After she brought our water she disappeared for another 40 mins, by then we were starving and when I finally saw her in the area I waved and told her we were ready to order, she coldly nodded to my request and disappeared for another 30 mins. Eventually I stood up and started packing my stuff and was ready to leave, and then she came our way and asked what we would liked to order. I was very dissappointed in the service, I totally understand it might be short staffed that night so the service was super slow. However, I also think we were racially discriminated from the annoyed look on her face when she talked to us.
I’m never coming back to this place.

My recent email to Pickle Barrel Management, that of course, went unanswered:
Dear Pickle Barrel Management,
I wanted to let you know of a recent experience I had at one of your restaurants while out with my fiancé.
I was recently at your downtown Toronto location (Yonge and Dundas) at 9pm. The experience left a lot to be desired. I hadn’t been to that location for approximately two years, and I was disappointed to find out how much this location has deteriorated in terms of service, aesthetics and general menu.
Our server did not introduce herself, and did not tell us about your apparently new (limited time?) taco menu. My fiancé and I ordered the PEI mussels to start (always a favourite), and 1lb steak fajitas to share.
We still had an entire bowl of mussels when the main course arrived approximately five minutes later. The mussels were good as they normally are, but were not served with your usual bread. The waitress told us that the bread is no longer served with mussels or even pasta, a small detail, but affecting enjoyment nonetheless.
The steak for the fajitas was overcooked and flavourless. The size of the accompaniments was not appropriate for the amount of steak that we received.
The meal was lacklustre. When we asked for fresh side plates for our fajitas since the two we were given were covered in the mussel sauce, our waitress acted surprised, as though she didn’t understand our request. She reluctantly returned with some plates. She then left our empty plates covered in mussel shells until after we received our bill, on what was already a crowded table. The washrooms were in disarray – wet, and missing soap in two dispensers. We noticed a waitress who was handling a stacked trolley of old food, and someone’s dessert at the same time.
I in no way wish to get our waitress into trouble or reprimanded. The events were not her fault. It’s clear that the standards of the entire restaurant have slipped. Our waitress was not doing anything different than the other members of your serving staff that we observed. That’s your problem right there. As a consumer, this makes me wonder whether my experience is an outlier and that this particular location is subpar (although this would be mind boggling since this is your flagship location), or whether the entire chain has slid to low standards.
So, will we be back at Pickle Barrel? Probably not. If we want a nicer chain feeling, we’ll stick to Joey or Jack Astor’s or some other place down the street.

Have eaten at this location upwards of a dozen times over the years. Local chain with tons of tables & booths, so room for a lot of people. You can enter from the Yonge St side where there’s a bar and escalator that brings you downstairs. Or you can enter from inside the Atrium ‘mall’ on the lower level, where they have a take-​out section and dessert display case. Cute, semi-​modern décor with a lot of blue touches, and very nice bathrooms. The menu is gigantic and has something to please anyone. On my most recent visit I tried the Eggs Benny with spinach and tomato, with latkes. It was standard/​good and I’d get again. My favorite thing about having lunch or dinner here though is the selection of fun frozen drinks. Although it’s not one of my favorite places in the city, I’d go any time someone wanted to, due to the variety of menu options (never get bored with so much to try).

We went her for my daughters 17^th birthday. Told the waitress we were celebrating her birthday and nothing… Not even a happy birthday. My son asked about the difference between the child’s spaghetti and the adult one. The waitress told us it was much, much bigger and you get two meatballs. The adult dish came out the exact same size as the child one but with two meatballs for double the price with no of the other kids benefits, our PB breakfast had a hair on the plate and the blue cheese burger had about ¹⁄₁₆ of a tsp on blue cheese on it. Not going back!

Food is just okay. Large portions but that’s all I can say about it. Nothing special or good.

I’m a regular and I think it’s one of the best pickle barrel locations. Downstairs is a very spacious dining area while upstairs is more of a bar that’s pretty much right on Yonge and Dundas. Service is good, we once came last min with a group of 20 and they still accommodated well.
Food wise, they’ve kept their quality over the years and I feel like their portions are generally quite generous as well.

–Lost their quality when it comes to the pei mussels. Smaller in size and they don’t serve it with bread anymore.
–Rasberry lemonade cocktail too sweet and no taste of alcohol in it and the Pinacolada was too frozen.
–The peppers in my fajita had their price sticker still on!
Very unsatisfactory experience.

Usually end up coming here when we are all too lazy to walk anywhere else, and well had tried every other restaurant on Younge Street. It’s usually a safe default place to count on. We came here so many times, and have ordered numerous dishes. Most recently, we tried the alfredo pasta, pi muscles, penne pasta, chicken sandwich, and asian nachos. If I could recommend one thing for anyone to try it would be the asian nachos, definitely a must try. It’s so delicious and flavourful. The other items were OK, but the alfredo pasta wasn’t good, it was super oily (not buttery as it should be) and very under seasoned.
I always say I never want to come here again, but then I usually end up coming here once a year.

Wow, where is my seat, found it. Server was cute, he thought, NOT. Food was ok, nothing to write home about or Unilocal about. California grill cheese was ok. I had a roast beef, pastrami turkey sandwich, lots of meat shoved in bread with ranch dressing, why ranch? It was late and the restaurant was trashed, dirty tables, floors, and restroom.

Bön spot pour se reposer de la frénésie de Dundas Square entre 2 sessions de shopping intense au Eaton Centre.
Service rapide et efficace, grand choix de bière et restauration de pub classique.

The Pickle Barrel is a great place to eat in the Eaton Center. Their menu is seriously about 20 pages long. It is almost overwhelming. They make almost every type of dish: Appetizers, breakfast all day, steaks, burgers, stir fries, pasta, sandwiches and salads.
My favorite dishes to order:
–Thai Lettuce wraps
–Asian wonton nachos
–Arancini
–Fajitas
–BBQ ribs
–Belgian waffles with strawberry ice cream
I would definitely recommend that you save room for dessert, however, that’s very difficult because the portions are huge. If you don’t have room for a full dessert, they offer mini dessert cups in several different flavors. My favorite is the mini tiramisu.
The cocktails are also delicious. The frozen peach Bellini is massive, but very tasty!
It’s certainly not five-​star quality food, but it’s always delicious and the servers are always nice.

I have been here, to this PB for years and years.
Perhaps had dinner/​lunch here maybe twice. TWICE. Their food is just not all that special. Basically there is nothing at PB that is all that authentic and I submit that I could easily find far more tasty dishes at an equal or lesser price point somewhere else.
You want pasta? Go to Little Italy. Want some fish, my gosh, there are tons of other places. Coffee? They are a dime a dozen and are everywhere. Asian? Come on… Etc… etc…
Sure the menu is quite large but chains have never inspired me as a place to go eat if there is a better option. So what do I do when the rare time comes in which I find myself at this locale?
Drink.
Plain and simple.
Although in fairness, I have had some of their cheesecakes, again, maybe twice. They are not bad.
In fact the main draw for me has always been their location. The bar is not too bad for an impromptu drink, specially if you are meeting out-​of-​towners or need a quick place to sit down with friends when in the neighborhood. As PB’s bar never seems to be busy and it is easy to get a table.
Why PB’s bar? Nicer than a pub, not as packed nor as loud as the other venues across the street on the Northeast corner. Reasonably priced and it is easy for out of town friends to find as they get underground parking.
I give it an extra star simply because the locale is convenient.

This Pickle Barrel really needs to up their service level.
Came here for a work function and we asked the waitress to take a picture of us on a cell phone. The waitress did so in a heartbeat but her manager walking by made a snarky remark «are you going to stand there taking pictures all day or serve the customers?» We were all mortified and felt horrible for getting the waitress in trouble.
On another occasion a coworker and I came in to look at cakes and found no one to help us. Finally an employee on her break came by the counter and didn’t look happy we asked her for help. She told us no one works this counter and to go to the takeout counter to get help. She eventually went to find a manager to answer our question about nut allergies.

Our group of 7 seven came here in the evening on a Friday night and waited around 5 minutes for our server to come around and give us a table — somewhat expected for a Friday night.
Our server was nice but not too attentive and, as far as I recall, did not come around to check up on our meal once.
The menu itself was very overwhelming and they may have fared better to narrow down and focus on a fewer number of menu options in the future. The main problem was the sheer time it took between us placing our order and us receiving our food; it was probably close to half an hour or even more. We almost thought our server had forgotten our orders or something along those lines.
The food itself was mediocre, nothing too special. My Hoisin chicken lettuce wrap was a mess to eat, so I just ended up eating the lettuce and chicken separately. The lettuce was a little oily, so in general, this just wasn’t an easy-​to-​eat dish. Definitely not something you want to be eating on a first date!
A redeeming factor was no extra service charge for a party of 6+ people, since restaurants typically add on a tip for larger groups; our server was also very understanding in splitting our bill up at the end of the meal.
Overall, would only come back for convenience, but seriously lacking in terms of service and speed.