Bracebridge Barrelhouse — Restaurant in District Municipality of Muskoka

-UPDATE ONE YEAR LATER AT THE BOTTOM-

Honestly, one of the best restaurants I've been, overall, in a REALLY long time. I was extremely impressed with the staff especially. Our hostess & server were super friendly, they went over and above to make our experience exceptional. Our server gave us soup & beer samples before our meals; and I can see why, because we took soup to go on top of our meals! The portions were grand, the flavor was complete southern comfort with a flare, wow! RIBS & PULLED PORK WERE SMOKED TO PERFECTION!

My review comes with a heavy recommendation to attend Bracebridge Barrelhouse, for a flight of brew & outstanding meal. I can't wait to go back! Hats off to all of the staff at this well managed location. As a former server I could tell they were all happy to work there, which makes a world of difference. THANK YOU!

UPDATE 1 YEAR LATER:

We revisited this restaurant a year later, it has changed quite a bit, unfortunately we didn't have nearly the same experience as the last time. We were left waiting at the door for 20 minutes until a host greeted the 6 of us. The menu had completely changed, I had a hard time choosing something to eat, everything seemed quite generic, except a few vegan options, which I wasn't interested in. I dearly missed the cheddar ale soup from the year prior, I tried the cauliflower version and ended up throwing it away as it was overly salted with a bizarre after-taste. The bun on my pulled pork sandwich was very tasty and the presentation of the dish was nice. I tried the homemade ketchup, which was cool, but unfortunately I'm not a fan of cinnamon in savory dishes. Just overall, not the same welcoming or tailored experience. Perhaps they are more focused on growth than customer satisfaction. Staff seemed stressed and displeased to have more guests join the...

First time visiting the Barrelhouse. Covid protocols likely the main reason but there was no “vibe” to the place. Quiet, with no atmosphere despite being 2/3 of tables in use. The beer of course was spot on. Our server was good and she was attentive. We ordered the pizza and the Mac and Cheese (with the brisket). Pizza was good, a little soggy on the crust though and certainly a little heavy on the chunky tomato sauce, but flavour was very good. Mac and Cheese, if we had not added the brisket would have been boring. Cheese sauce was watery. Having a full view of the kitchen, it supposed to be “oven baked” but it spent very little time under the broiler or in the oven. The brisket however, very flavorful, and was a good addition despite the cost vs qty. Brisket is reheated in a frying pan, it was moist and flavourful. The only concerning thing was seeing the guys preparing our fold and handling their smartphones…….we all know our phones are not the cleanest and to see the phone in hands, hands on food and back to phone and back to hands was a little bit of a concern. All in all, would give it a 2nd chance, food overall good, beer great, service great, wished there was...

We were in town a week or two ago for a hiking trip and stopped by for something quick and easy. I have to say, most pubs, breweries etc, I don't have too high of expectations when it comes to service but the service staff here was truly exceptional. Our server was SO delightful and prompt while not hovering. She also added a little takeout rammy of aioli for us to take with our takeout... those little extra efforts help us to know that she genuinely cares about our experience even once we've paid and left.

We also noticed that when a glass was knocked off of a table a few over from us, we didn't even have a chance to blink before at least 3 servers/bartenders came racing over outside of their sections to help clean up... LOVE to see that.

The food was also absolutely top notch. I don't know if you make your blue cheese dip for the wings in house but my GOD, I don't think I shut up about it for the entire 4hr drive home. Next time I'm buying a litre of it!!

Thank you for such a great experience! You guys have nailed it and managed to find and train some really excellent staff who value their work... be good to them! They're not always easy to...