Pub Down Under — Restaurant in Saint John

The Pub Down Under is a truly unique establishment.

Entirely lacking in pretense, this small and intimate bar is strictly & defiantly casual. Keep your expectations that way. Located "down under" a nondescript office building in Saint John's North end. It's not uptown, its down ... for whatever. It's under....ground, in the basement of a parking garage; there is nothing australian about this place whatsoever.

Except maybe that it must have evolved in complete isolation down there, a living fossil that survives God knows how, relatively immune to gentrification. You're not going to find any local-grassfed-hormonefree bison-burgers or vegan tapas. The owners are not interested in hiring a rotating cast of cute young college girls, installing a series of craft beer taps or serving garlic aioli. Its conservative, but relevant.

They have an excellent reputation for hosting well produced music events that showcase highly diverse & high quality local (and touring) artists. The promoters enjoy broad community support and gigs here are usually well attended. The whole bar is a dance floor, and the atmosphere is almost always fun, respectful and good natured. No need for bouncers.

The PDU has this rustic, watering-hole-in-the-wall feel. The ceiling is low, the floors carpeted (except dance floor). The basement of the parking garage isnt the most breezy and the air quality inside the Pub can get downright sweaty & steamy. Morning after often smells like last nights party. The atmosphere is both cozy and at times claustrophobic, what with the complete lack of natural light (as well as cell reception.) I love it.

PDU is thick with nostalgia and a mostly bygone sense of being a "public house" -the olde kind where the clientele, servers & staff are deeply loyal fixtures who long ago stopped noticing that no one's run a comb through it's hair in a while. SmallI, not cliquey. Welcoming, but in a slightly gritty, Saint John kind of way. The darts and pool are free. This is the quintessential place to meet locals as they are in their natural habitat. Cheap drinks, cheap food, outstanding live music. If you know the cook it tastes better. Don't expect to have your mind blown (2 pieces of fish and chips for 5$? How could it.) Breakfast, lunch, pub dinners and appies.

If you have found yourself at the PDU by happenstance you should buy a lotto ticket. People could grow up blocks away not know it's there. It is clearly not actively trying to win many new recruits: tucked away in a dank parking garage, it can't be seen from the street and has no signage to speak of. It doesn't even attempt curb appeal, let alone advertising. The attached hotel and office building + local devotees must provide most of the fresh meat.

The Pub Down Under exudes self confidence and an utter lack of desperation. It doesnt need you....

SHAME ON YOU !! Pub Down Under

Saturday night you made a choice to allow a group of approx thirty people that came out of the hotel to take a reservation that had been in place and that you obviously agreed too . This reservation was made for 40 guess that was for a celebration that had been planned for a couple of months by a friend to celebrate her friend's birthday. When I arrived at 6:45 and asked if she wanted all the guess inside to surprise her, she said that we could not go in because there was a large group inside that should be out by 7pm. That was bad enough, but then we see all those people going in and not coming out. She went back inside to speak to the people in charge, who by the way should have had a sign at the door letting people know there would be a private party. So this is what they say to her , they tell her that these people should be out of here in 1 hour, so they thought it was ok to make a party of 40 people stand around in a parking lot who by the way probably had not eaten since dinner time. NO THIS WAS NOT OK !! ... Remember this was a reservation that you agreed too.

So we had to think quick, my sister arrived and I asked her to call Vegas. Long story short, Vegas told us as long as we have patients because they only had two people working and they may be a little slow but that yes they could accommodate all of us. Well Vegas saved the day !! Thank you so much Virginia for accommodating us on such short notice. Food was great and we all had a wonderful time.

Feel...

I will start with the positive. The bartender was fast to acknowledge me 5 stars as she was friendly and fast even though she was super busy before serving the drinks she had made she walked to the food server before delivering the drinks she had in her hands to let her know i needed to place a take out order. Great job and thank you whoever your name is. The food server she was also polite, came reasonably quickly and very friendly and spoke clearly as well and took my order. 5 stars for her as well. My order was take out so i only seem my plate once I was at my accommodation next door. The food was nothing to be happy about it did the job of filling me up as it was eatable but that was just about it. The Hamburg patty was not burnt but dry and very dark on the outside. The fries where not crispy at all, the gravy was ok nothing very special about it also no vegetables. I had also ordered a draft while waiting for my food and I left right away when i received my food and i was only walking next door to the Holiday Inn the total was 17.50 way to much for sooo little food and taste. I was very disappointed. I would not recommend and definitely wouldn't go back. It wasn't awful or discusting but not worth it at all proportion is...