Piper Arms London — Restaurant in Ontario

EDIT Update: I emailed them per their request and have not heard back from them. Looking at other reviews this may be a trend to watch. I’ve also since been back, and my wife in separate occasions. Overall quality of food hasn’t changed.

Floor managers seem to hover and float amidst tables more frequently than the servers - and it is very noticeable and generates a sense of gratuitous overkill to the point of being uncomfortable. Food is still meh at best. Much better dining options in the city for the same price point. I’ve adjusted my review to reflect these additional experiences.

Original Review: We were excited to stop in to try this new restaurant in London. We had some reservations about the menu due to the vast scope to choose from and, as our experience would tell, these worries likely played into long wait times for dishes - on top of being busy.

Now, we do recognize the establishment is only recently open so some leeway is being provided in some of the short comings of the experience and we do plan to return at a later date to see if some of the issues we had were related to being newly opened or if the experiences are going to be true to form.

We started our meal with the Tickle Your Pickle app. What we received was really disappointing (see pics). These pickles were tiny, almost end of the jar sized. The batter was basic and they were garnished with chopped iceberg lettuce - an interesting choice of garnish but at least they tried. Flavourwise these were very basic, as was the accompanying dip. These are NOT worth their price tag.

I had the Asian hot pot. The lobster was over cooked, but for the price of the dish and amount of seafood involved in the dish I wasn’t expecting anything extraordinary. The sauce/broth was the highlight of the meal. It’s unfortunate that the noodles and other items don’t really hold that flavour profile. Also, it is served with chopsticks so you will have to ask for a spoon if you want to enjoy the broth.

Our son had the Pulled Pork Poutine. Outside of having a small portion of fries that clearly had been left in the fryer too long, it was exactly what one would expect from a pulled pork poutine. Nothing special but not bad either.

My wife had the baked salmon pad Thai. This dish was initially served with undercooked noodles and the original baked salmon was way over cooked. The server and management were very good at rectifying the issue and were kind enough to remove the meal from our bill. The second serving was much better and ended up being the highlight dish of the night. The management was also kind enough to bring out a Cesar salad for my wife, at no charge, while she waited for the second dish.

Our server was friendly enough, however , she seemed quiet and nervous. She stalled and wasn’t sure how to proceed with the issue regarding my wive’s dish. She also wasn’t very attentive at catching empty drinks (water) for refill. Again, appreciating that it was busy, but it was also a challenge to try and wave her down for another glass. Perhaps the venue could consider water pitchers during this opening period to provide a short term remedy for the issue.

My final quibble, there are spelling mistakes on the drinks menu Smirnoff is misspelled twice in big bold letters. Obviously being a new restaurant these likely happened at time of printing and I assume they didn’t have the timeline available to rectify the issue, but was something that stood out like a sore thumb.

Also, be aware that they are advertising Jackson-Triggs VQA wines, however, they are showcasing on their wine walls the Jt Proprietor Select wines. These are not VQA, these are the base line Canadian international blend. I worked over five years for the company that sells Jt product. I would like to hope this inconsistency in product has to do with being a new restaurant that maybe, perhaps, did not receive their full compliment of JT VQA wines and are...

Hands down one of the best restaurants to come to London. It was worth the wait !! Love the 12.99 special with the purchase of a drink at lunch. Thanks, Leslie B, for the great service. Majority of staff members are fantastic !!

Food related suggestion: I ordered a burger my last visit, and my recommendation is that the burger needs some more flavour/seasoning. It wasn't flavourful in which I was surprised as I ordered the burger with the teriyaki and pineapple ring. I know of someone that ordered the meatloaf and same issue of lacking flavour. It is simply a recommendation to an amazing restaurant 😁 I hope this recommendation helps and please take it into consideration, as it would make the restaurant's menu items even better. Picture is from my first meal at Piper Arms. Definitely worth it to try as many menu items as possible, as their menu has 182 menu items which is incredible. All other times my meals have been flavourful, just the last 2 times it wasn't which you will read in the new update if you want to check it out.

*New update: I was there a couple of days ago, we weren't as impressed, but hope it will get better, as it has been a FAV restaurant we don't want to lose interest in it. Ordered the great Reuben sandwich unfortunately it didn't have a lot of toppings on it. I ordered the French onion soup and didn't realize I was going to be charged extra to substitute it instead eg. $3. I should have just had the fries, as wasn't keen on the soup, the flavour wasn't too bad, but it didn't seem like how it should have. The only soup I will trust is the one in the photo eg. The butternut squash soup. Also the French onion soup, it was a smaller bowl than any of the other soups, so felt confused why I was getting less. Size should stay consistent as customers will notice, and even noticing portions are decreasing, not enough to complain, but enough to notice. I hope this helps, as want to have more positive experiences than negative ones. Most of the waiters/waitresses we've had tbh have been amazing, but the one waitress we had the other day wasn't as good, but understandable things can get mixed up with a busy restaurant, so thinking it was due to the restaurant being busy. I won't mention her name, as I understand the restaurant is a busy one, and I am hopeful for a better experience next time. However hopeful not too many mix-ups start happening as it makes the restaurant experience less enjoyable. I will not order soups unless my fav is on the menu, and I will stay away from the sandwiches/burgers as not pleased with them. The wraps however are so...

We've been to Piper Arms four times since it opened, and three of those visits were very enjoyable. We won’t count our first visit, as it was their opening weekend and the staff was still getting settled. Our second and third experiences were excellent — great service, delicious food, everything was spot on.

However, our most recent visit last Thursday was disappointing due to the service we received. From the moment we sat down, our server, Leslie B., came across as rushed and rude. She hurried past us, briefly saying she'd be with us in a moment, then rushed by again and abruptly dropped water glasses on the table without a word.

After 20 minutes, she finally came to take our drink order — but insisted on taking our meal order at the same time. My husband’s drink arrived promptly, but mine did not. After another 10 minutes, we asked about it. Leslie tapped her finger on our table and curtly told us, “The chits go into the bar and they come out in order,” before walking off. As I suspected, my wine arrived with our food.

To be fair, the food was excellent — no complaints there. But the service left a very negative impression. Leslie seemed frantic and disorganized, while every other server around us appeared calm and professional.

For context: I’ve owned a restaurant myself and understand how tip-outs work. I always tip 20%, but this was one of the very rare occasions where we left no tip due to the rudeness and overall experience. After paying, we stayed a bit to finish my wine, and each time Leslie passed our table, she grunted or growled at us. It was uncomfortable and frankly bizarre.

In hindsight, I should have spoken to a manager — not to complain, but to give them the opportunity to address the behavior. We left feeling frustrated and disrespected.

We will return to Piper Arms, as the food and previous service have been great. However, we’ll be asking not to be seated in...