St James Gate

Love St.James Gate...great service and food...but...its an Irish Pub with Irish food...why not play Irish Music...just returned from Ireland and just loved the atmosphere in the pubs with the Irish music over there all day every day!

The greeting at this restaurant was pitiful. We should have just walked out. After seeing we were a party of 9, the waitress said she had no room in the restaurant but had a patio at the back. She did not walk us there and had a very sour looking expression on her face. The food was good. We were left confused with the bill. Someone noticed that there was a 15% already calculated for the tip. So we thought! I guess the workers are used to receiving extra but we didn't know what was expected!

Best pub food I have ever had. Fish and chips...

Best pub food I have ever had. Fish and chips were just like back home. The curry was just right and a couple of pints. Simple but excellent. The service is exceptional; the atmosphere was unique, cosy and welcoming.

First time visit but won’t be the last -- Took...

First time visit but won’t be the last -- Took some friends out for a fun night and we had a great time. Food was excellent (Fish & Chips, Village Meat pie, Curry and blacken Cajun chicken) , beer selection was good and service was friendly and fast (although we were in no hurry). Loved the atmosphere , they had live jazz (no cover!) , its a country pub that lives up to the tradition of great food found in small country pubs. Everything is made on the premises and it shows. We will be back..

Best Time of My Life!

What can I say about St. James' Gate? The atmosphere - comforting, warm and inviting. The servers? Enthousiastic (but not overly so), eager to engage in conversation, incredibly friendly, accomodating, and polite. It was as if they had invited you into their own home for dinner. The food? Out of this world. The Wexford Rarebit was a simple dish, yet so intensely delicious I wished we had ordered a second one! The Leahy's Cheese Dip was rich and warm, with plenty of melted cheddar - and not just generic cheese, but aged white cheddar. The vegetarian lasagna was absolutely exquisite! It lacked no flavour, and unlike other vegetarian dishes, it was rich in texture. Just incredible! The curry tasted authentic, the aroma? Superb. The stuffed chicken made you feel like you were eating in a five star restaurant. With all dishes reasonably priced, "The Gate" provides for a very affordable (and memorable) evening out. I would love to say we will be back next week, but half of my party has already been back twice this week! We even got to chat with the manager, a seasoned veteran, who was professional, yet charming. St. James' Gate has become our new favourite pick for an extraordinary dining experience!

always a pleasure

We frequent often because we get great service, if something is not right we know it will be fixed. recently visited Ireland and brought back a pic of the "st. James gate" for our local pub, hope it hangs where we can see and remember our great vacation. Only thing that would make this pub more authentic to Ireland is to lower the lights, a bit too bright, other than that a great local spot we will continue to frequent.

Great Food, Service ... now our local

We frequent the Gate on a regular basis and have not been disapointed. In particular on the weekends when they put on a couple of specials that are higher end dining. This was the first time for our friends and they are also hooked ... we are coming back next week.We have also been there on Thursdays when they have live light jazz ... makes for a great athomosphere, good conversation.

Greasy food and obnoxious manager

The veggie lasagna, which took forever to arrive was, greasy and horrid. The Cheddar soup was a struggle to get down. The aggressive, seedy-looking 'Kitchen Manager' refused to remove the uneaten lasgana from the bill. He and the servers could not get their story straight on how long he had been there and when the menu had changed. He reluctantly offered a $13 certificate but insisted on payment in full ... as if I would return. I agreed so that he would leave my sight as I was struggling with the thought that I had eaten something that he had touched. Slow service, worst food and worst restaurant experience in recent memory. There are much better restaurants in Carleton Place.

We frequent St James Gate weekly and have not...

We frequent St James Gate weekly and have not been disapointed. The service, the food and the athmosphere is excellent. A great little country pub that serves higher than normal quality pub food. We recommend it to our friends and have never had a bad "review".

Best fish & chips I have ever had. Fish was not...

Best fish & chips I have ever had. Fish was not greasy, batter was papaer thin and the fries were perfect. Not our first time and it won't be our last. Great service, great food , jyusta great little find.

We have visited many times, always impressed with...

We have visited many times, always impressed with the service and food. The two servers we had were friendly and eager to serve with a smile! We have eaten in many of the rest. in CP and keep going back to this one. It has food and beverages that my spouse and I enjoy. And believe me when I say he is a picky eater. I found the establishment to be clean and well run. When there was a slight problem it was dealt with to keep me happy.

My wife and I make a point of going out Friday...

My wife and I make a point of going out Friday for dinner. This is not the first time at St James Gate and as usual we were not disappointed. The chef’s week end special was excellent -- its high end dining quality at pub prices. We will be back

Fish was excellent, thin batter and moist white...

Fish was excellent, thin batter and moist white fish (Hadock). The curry was made to order, just hot enough and full of chicken. We were served by a young man, very professional and personable. We felt at home in a real Irish country pub ....Loved it

I (we) have visited the restaurant/pub several...

I (we) have visited the restaurant/pub several times since it opened. They recently hired a chef to run the kitchen and the food is always excellent. The chef creates specials and changes them regularly. The food and portions have always been good value for the money. The pub atmosphere is very comfortable yet still a place you can bring the family (all ages). It is worth visiting for a meal or a pint.

Love, absolutely love this place. Nice old...

Love, absolutely love this place. Nice old country charm. the Clarks have put together a great pub. Oh, by the way Tamara is amazing!!

I don't know why, maybe it's the atmosphere...

I don't know why, maybe it's the atmosphere there, but my kids are always well behaved there. They are patient there, and I can enjoy a nice beer and a good dinner with my entire family. The head chef has really done a great job there. The kids always want to go back. (They are 5 and 3). The waiter there even makes them a "Superman" drink. With all the restaurants in CP, we always come back here.

Visited a while ago it was good. Now it is even...

Visited a while ago it was good. Now it is even better --- service was fast, friendly and efficient. Food was excellent. A true Irish Country pub where the craic is great!

When it opened we went there many times. Tried...

When it opened we went there many times. Tried the menu over time. Service was excellent, food was good pub fare. Then the quality of the food took a nose dive. The fish and chips were so greasy you felt sick after eating. The corned beef plate had a small strip of dried out corned beef. The St James pie looked and tasted re-re-re-heated. The service was always good but I don't know what happened to the food. If they fix that, it's a nice little Irish pub.

They Boasted the best fish in town but they were...

They Boasted the best fish in town but they were mistaken, for an Irish pub they should make sure the fish is the best. It was way too greasy and overcooked. My husband had the sheppards pie and it too was greasy and overcooked. This place used to be a pretty good place to eat but the food has changed for the worse. The service was average nothing bad but nothing special.