The Buckle — Restaurant in Ontario

Favourite establishment in this city and here's why:

I could say a lot about every aspect of this place, and none of it negative. The option to see a different, very talented live band almost every day of the week is one of many reasons to come here frequently. One year in and the place has already been packed to capacity with shows from guests like Ambush and contestants from American Idol.

The numerous activities offered by the bar such as line dancing, paint nights, the best (and often busiest) karaoke in town, darts, the reasons to visit just get bigger and bigger.

All of this before I've even mentioned the food. The burgers with local beef are homemade, as is the pulled pork which is delicious, there is a legitimate pizza oven used for the many Flatbreads that are all made entirely from scratch, the place in my opinion has the best fried pickles, chicken fingers, and fries (which there is a ton if competition for) in town. Hell, it's worth it enough to come just for thr buckle sauce if you like a savory, smoky dip. There are multiple food specials during the week with items not featured on the menu like chili and meatloaf.

Perhaps the best reason to visit however, in our experience, has been the people behind the place. The owners Jay and Lauren have been nothing but the sweetest, kindest, most helpful people we've ever met in our lives. They treat us like family and every member of staff has been incredibly welcoming and friendly every time we go there. From the very first visit, they all made us feel like regulars but there is nothing regular about this place. It's special in many very...

I’ve given this establishment a few times to get it right but it just hasn’t happened. From the odd hours (lights will turn on and they will announce they’re closing at 11:30). Even when a country artist had been at the Leon’s Centre performing which draws people to The Buckle, they had closed early.

Aside from the odd hours, some tables are able to order items from the menu and others aren’t.

The basement/bathrooms are subpar. Beyond the copious amounts of air fresheners, it smells extremely damp and possibly mouldy? The surfaces are constantly coated with vegetable oil for weird reasons which I won’t mention. All it does is ruin your clothing if you rub against the surfaces in the bathroom stalls.

Lastly… None of the women’s stalls had toilet paper so maybe other things such as this could be on the top of the priority list as this establishment could be...

Smitty has been entertaining my wife and I for years with his shows around town.

This was our first chance to visit his Bar/Restaurant and we were blown away. First, the décor and atmosphere is nothing like anything else in Kingston. It felt like I was in a bar in Nashville, or maybe a small town bar up north. There was some nice live music and happy patrons "cutting a rug" near the bar.

We ordered some food; dusted chicken strips, waffle fries and battered brussels sprouts. Everything was delicious. Like, much better than you would expect from pub food. Prices were fair, which is hard to find these days. Can't say enough good things.

Thank you Smitty and everyone else involved at THE BUCKLE! I'll be back for more...