The Keystorm Pub — Restaurant in Ontario

I was a customer here on an admittedly busy Saturday night. We were seated at the last table and I was given a broken bar chair to sit on (missing a cross support, very wobbly to the point of falling off). I immediately requested to my group that we go somewhere else. But since the server told us there was l a mere 30 minute wait for food, they wanted to stay.

20 minutes later, she finally returned to take our orders. After 45 minutes waiting, we desired to ask how much longer, but the server was clearly avoiding us. When we finally waved her down and asked her to cancel the food if it wasn't ready yet, she said it was being plated RIGHT NOW. Alright. 15 minutes later and we wanted to leave again. Server, once again, wouldn't come near our table.

Finally she brought out the food, apologizing (flatly) for the wait. We ate our food over the next 20 minutes and watched our server avoid us some more. One of our party of four realized they had been served the incorrect salad. 30 minutes after being served the food and we hadn't been checked up on. Plenty of socializing by our server with other guests and employees, though. We sat finished (except for the untouched salad) for another 15 minutes, desperate for the bill so that we could leave.

I can understand the difficulty of being a server in a busy restautant (I was too at one point) but the passive aggressiveness that the server exhibited when she realized we were dissatisfied was completely unprofessional. If she happens to read this review (she will recognize this story), I just want to tell her that I don't blame her for the wait or the lack of seating. However, if she wants to make more consistent tips by offering a basic quality of service, I would recommend that she lose the egotistic attitude towards guests and be more honest and communicate better. I wouldn't have minded the extended wait if I didnt feel like our table was invisible.

Perhaps the other servers offer a better experience at this restaurant. However, I will be avoiding this place from now on. NOT recommended for anyone on any sort of schedule.

TL;DR: The server treated us like garbage. Watching her laugh and chat with her coworkers while we sat with empty glasses was frustrating. I don't even remember the quality of the food because of how upset I was that our evening was ruined. If you want to be ignored by your server and be told fantasy wait times for your food, this is the...

Obviously the Keystorm pub is quite popular; whenever I am there on Wednesday night's "Open Mic" night starting at 8 PM, the place is jam-packed. And why wouldn't it be? It is a magnificent building with a lot of historic aesthetic and it is in a great location right beside the Cenataph (sp?) right in the centre of downtown King Street. The pub itself is quite spacious but be sure to grab your seat quickly on Wensday nights and weekend nights because it is pretty much first-come-first-serve and you may lose your opportunity to find a place to sit.

This pub does serve some good food and has an interesting selection - albeit confined to a single one-page menu - but be warned it can get a bit expensive. It is rare to find anything $10 or less and the average seems to be $15 - $18. But it never disappoints and if you've got the cash then I very much recommend eating there. And one of my favourite things about the Keystorm is that it serves late. I've seen people order food at close to 10 PM whereas in other pubs like the Union Jack the kitchen closes at 7 PM. So don't take that for granted. The drink menu is not that bad, with a very reasonable selection of craft beers available as well as draft beer, wine and liquor.

The atmosphere is great, too. Lively and energetic without being actually rowdy, which is another thing I like about the Keystorm. You will find the nicest people there who are only looking to have a good time with others. One common complaint I hear about the Keystorm is that it is loud and noisy, which is true. That is something you may need to cope with. But it also has an air of friendliness and openness that you don't find as much in other Brockville pubs. And despite the loudness and the croudedness, the staff there still manages to provide great friendly and intuitive service. I don't often need to wait long before I get a drink refill, often I get one before I am finished the first glass. And the staff are cheery and upbeat as well, which is another thing not to take for granted. If you do want a mood-lifter then the Keystorm is a good place for that.

So all in all, I highly recommend the Keystorm for those who are looking for what it tries to offer, because it offers that very well. Sure, there are flaws; it can be crowded, noisy, not much in the way of heating, and you do need to find a seat quickly. But that is more-or-less up to you to decide whether all that...

Dan Thompson and the Keystorm Pub staff, I am new to Brockville, I was just on your patio and am positively speechless! Absolutely incredible. I should admit I am not impressed easily but the fresh strawberry daiquiri (yes, fresh strawberries!) and my half nachos were by far the best I’ve ever had. I applaud you! Service was very friendly and I respect that it took longer as the servers were exercising more caution and Covid measures than are even required. Social distancing was also respected. Plates were removed with gloves, name and number were taken in case of outbreak. Very admirable as some could complain about these procedures and the extra time they take. But in these times we must exercise patience for safety measures. Well done!! I’ll definitely be back. The keypad is sanitized after every use, I saw this for myself. Did I mention FRESH strawberry daiquiris?! 😀 Kudos to Amanda and the Keystorm staff!! If you are concerned with Covid 19 precautions and safety measures, this is definitely the place to enjoy a patio!! I have recently heard people are calling the staff names for working. This is just nasty and you should be ashamed of yourselves! These people are no different than other service staff who have families to take care of. Show kindness or simply be quiet. Let’s support local businesses before...