Gahan House Port City — Restaurant in Saint John

Went with a very large group. I can't fault the wait staff for their level of service. Yes, it was slow, but we were close to 35 people, and another large group of similar size all showed up at the same time.

First time at Gahan House in Saint John, but I have been at one of their other locations (Halifax).

I had the brown bag 2 piece fish and chips and a Sydney Street oatmeal stout; my son had the steak Frites and pop.

I rather enjoyed the Sydney Street oatmeal stout. I generally only drink stouts and porters. While I am by no means a connoisseur or aficionado by any means, I found it very smooth, with a smoky, bittersweet flavour that I couldn't put my finger on whether it was chocolate or caramel. Also presented with a creamy mouthfeel that probably was the result of the oatmeal. All in all, it is a good choice for those who like oatmeal stouts on a warm summer day.

Chips were definitely crispy and had a good texture but had been overseasoned. I found the chips to be very salty, and while using some of the tartar sauce, gravy, and/or ketchup did offer some contrast, it was not enough to ensure a proper balance. The chips could have also been cut a little thicker, but that is just my personal preference as I don't feel shoestring style fries are appropriate for fish and chips.

The fish was good but not great. I think the fish had a decent amount of battering, but in my experience and personal opinion, the fish was slightly overcooked. The batter on the fish was darker than I would have liked, but not as dark as the Sydney Street stout I had. Unfortunately, the heavy lifting that the tartar sauce and lemon did wasn't enough to elevate the fish to a better ranking. Below the batter, the fish was flaky and fell apart sometimes when dipping into sauces, but otherwise, it was fine.

Ultimately, I think this just boils down to timing. The kitchen and wait staff were utterly slammed by two large groups, and trying to get quality plates of food out in a timely fashion is sometimes impossible when two large groups show up with last-minute...

Noting special about this place. Went last week and automatic door opener was broken. - a pain in the butt with a stroller. Whatever though. Upon seating we asked about sitting by the window. Told they were all reserved and can’t accommodate by the girl who sat us. Then learned that there was a leak on the main floor so only seating upstairs. also, their food order didn’t arrive and something to do with their beer didn’t arrive as well( nitrogen maybe). And lots of staff didn’t show up as a trifecta. This caused one couple to leave before ordering so we asked our waitress about their window table and she accommodated us. By the time we left only one other window table were being used. Steak arrived cold and aioli was in a small dish but was told it’s usually on the fries and the kitchen did it this way for some reason. Not a big deal but it was a lot of excuses for poor experience. Waitress Courtney was friendly, attentive and accommodating. No complaints with her service. Overall wouldn’t be my top choice to return. Oh and floors were strangely slippery. Both wife and I laughed about that. Both were...

We ate at Gahan House on July 1, 2018. The service staff was excellent; pleasant and mostly attentive considering how busy it was, and the food presentation & quality was top notch. We both ordered the Beach Chair Lager, a House-made soft pretzel and Brown Bag Fish & Chips. If this had been the extent of our visit I'd be rating it 5 stars, but unfortunately the cons outweigh the pro's at this location. It was sweltering hot outside, and there was no air conditioning, no fans, and no open windows. We were sweating profusely , and when we asked about lack of AC, were told they didn't turn it on when the patio was open due to the door opening and closing so often. Upon leaving, we saw the doors were actually just wide open. Which is okay, but with no air movement it was a very unpleasant experience for everyone trying to escape the sweltering temperatures. We were not given coasters, so our beer, like us, sweated all over, creating a mess. We had to ask for water about 3/4 through our meal. It was not offered. Finally, the bathrooms were clean, but I don't think the restaurant had ever been dusted. Gross! ...