1858 Caesar Bar — Restaurant in Collingwood

The food seemed like it looked good, so I considered that. We were a large party that came early intentionally and ready to wait till we could sit. We were celebrating a big life event. Caesar bars are fun right? So the party decided to try! I'm a huge casaer fan, and we were all in good spirits and excited to pack into this place best we could, as we saw it was small.

The kid, and I do mean kid (I question if he is old enough to legally work there he looked so young) they had working must have been on his first shift and left to fend for himself because he was so clueless. This seems harsh, but humour me, and listen to this whole shpeel we had to endure: "you'll have to wait a half hour" (that's cool even if we don't all get seated at the same time, we're here to sit, buy Caesars and laugh), "but you can't wait there" (huh?), and also he wasn't sure if he would actually make space for us and if he remembered maybe he think about sort of making a space for us, and then we could come back and they'd maybe have a space. This was his vague circular tale as he also assured us that the really large party upstairs was almost done and they would have lots of space.

This, I know now already, is going to end poorly.

So we schlep back pointlessly a half hour later and SURPRISE! There is no space and the toddler forgot about us. So now we have to wait 20 minutes, are told to stay there as this was somehow our grandiose screw up. Or, we could buy and insanely overpriced drink to go for the place that treated us like second rate people.

I would rather drink Coors light than ever give this joint a cent of my...

Disappointed First Visit, but Still Hopeful We came here on recommendation from my brother—he had visited before, loved it, and asked us to grab one of their hats. My wife and I showed up about an hour before closing. Even though we just came for the hat, we figured we’d check out the place and see what made it so great.

Unfortunately, we didn’t really get that chance.

We were asked if we wanted to sit inside or outside. When we said outside, the waitress told us we could sit on the patio, but it would take a few minutes since she’d have to clean a table—or we could just sit on the street. The way it was phraysed made it seem like she didn't want to clean a thing...Not wanting to be a hassle, we sat street-side.

Eventually, menus came, and our waiter (who was fantastic—big props to him) let us know that the kitchen was already shut down. I’ve never been to a place that closes their kitchen a full hour before closing time. Maybe I’d understand a limited menu... but completely closed? That was a first for me.

So we just ordered a drink each. Toward the end, we felt pretty rushed to leave.

The food sounded amazing, and the inside had a great vibe. But based on this visit, the experience left a lot to be desired. Hoping it was just an off day, but from what we saw, there’s definitely room for...

A friend recommended that we check out 1858 Caesar Bar in Collingwood. Not knowing what to expect we decided to go there Saturday for some appetizers and a Caesar. While we were in line it was recommended that we start with a flight of Caesars and then go on from there.

After enjoying our flight of drinks we decided to go with the Jamaican Jerk Caesar and a Feeling Dill Caesar. We both agreed that the feeling dill was amazing.

If you're looking for something that is different than you've ever tried before check this place out. Be sure to sit on the main floor level and enjoy the ambiance.

The staff were amazing and the atmosphere was fun.

PS. The prices were very reasonable and you will not not be disappointed.

Update - We returned to Collingwood in May 2024 and headed over to 1858 Caesar Bar. This time, it was retro wing night, and wings were $.58/ea. Service was top drawer, and the drinks did not disappoint. Looking for some adventure, get the Surf' N' Turf Caesar - complete with lobster tail, 2 shrimp, meat cheese - the works. Even if you don't like...