Review: The Dickens Pub in Burlington, Ontario

The Eggs Benedict at The Dickens - good, but the Hollandaise sauce is a bit bland

Can you tell that I'm doing a lunch pub crawl lately?

I've fallen in love with the fresh cut potato fries and buttery curry sauce that The Dickens Pub in Burlington, Ontario serves as an appetizer. If there was at least one reason to go back, it would be these Curry Fries.

Frank and I recently decided to stop in for lunch at The Dickens, a former favourite hangout of his from years past. Named in honour of Charles Dickens, The Dickens is designed in pub-style, with a long wood bar, and wooden tables for people to sit at for lunch, dinner or to hang out. What makes it less cozy than The Poacher is the fact that is is larger with the rooms separated. Nevertheless, you can feel comfortable hanging out in jeans, or slightly dressed up and meeting up with the girls for brunch.

I have to admit, I was impressed by the food. The menu has a number of traditional choices for appetizers, and a great brunch menu with breakfast foods as well. I chose the Eggs Benedict and couldn't resist the Curry Fries. Of the two, the Curry Fries won the prize.



Don't get me wrong - the Eggs Benedict is pretty good here too. The eggs were done perfectly and the food was laid out on a long rectangular platter. The bun and eggs, with a Hollandaise sauce that needs a bit of something to add zest to it, were paired with fresh hand cut Russet potatoes.

What made the Curry Fries so delicious was the sauce - not too hot, creamy and just salty enough to make me want more. The fries are crispy and lightly salted with sea salt - they taste as if they were freshly cut just that morning.



Curry Fries - I'm having cravings just looking at the photo



The menu is interesting here - I may have to try the Dickens Mac and Cheese next time as they use Kielbasa pieces, broccoli florets, elbow noodles in a Bechamel cheese sauce. Sounds delicious. They also serve Kielbasa and Perogies, and with my vast experience with perogies, I may have to taste test this dish sometime soon.

While the food is very good, the service is somewhat lacking. Trying to engage our waitress, who looked like she had just woken up from a night out on the town, was not very fruitful. Frank and I were in a good mood and chatty, and unfortunately, it didn't rub off on her. She was pretty good at serving the food, but didn't give us the same welcoming and friendly attitude we've experienced at other pubs recently.

You can keep track of the happenings at The Dickens via their blog, or you can follow them on Twitter. You can see photos of the interior here.

Rating: 3.5/5

The Dickens
423 Elizabeth Street
Burlington, Ontario L7R 2L8
Telephone: 905-333-4991