Bruce Wine Bar — Restaurant in The Blue Mountains

My husband and I are here Dec 28. We have been here many times in the past and always had a great experience and meal. This time was completely different and the service was terrible and the food was just ok. We thought right away that there must be a change of management.

Here are the things that transpired from the moment we arrived until we left.

The young lady with the frizzy hair did an awful job greeting us when we arrived. She was not attentive, little rude with a chip on her shoulder and it was just a very cold greeting.

We were sat at the bar which was nice because it still feels like dining at a table but with my action. The young lady I mentioned earlier was quite annoying as she kept throwing empty cans into the metal garage can and it was just so inappropriate hearing the clanking every 5 minutes and she didn’t just set the cans in she tossed them from where she was standing which was about 3 feet away and it was just rude and unprofessional.

We were served one drink when we arrived but our glasses remained empty through our entire meal and out of 6 staff working not one personal asked if we would like another. Not even the bartender! and it wasn’t very busy. Our water glass was empty the entire time as well.

They had this little room where they stand behind a curtain when they don’t want to be seen if not busy because they all kept going behind the curtain and texting like no tomorrow. Again rude unprofessional and we still were not asked if we would like another drink.

We were served our meal and the waitress .. she looked more like a manager that just stood at the bar most of the time we were there … did not offer usual pepper or cheese for our meal. We were quite shocked because again we had to ask for it and we were paying 21.00 for a ceasar salad. Also no one asked us how our meal was the entire time we were there. Bad service!

They changed their ceasar salad and it wasn’t nearly as good as it used to be. They chopped their romaine in small pieces which is weird and instead of a nice homemade crouton… they served what looked like melba toast broken up for their croutons. For 21.00 don’t waste your money on this salad. And it was small.

The pizza was very good that’s the only thing we enjoyed about our entire experience. We would...

Went here on a Friday evening at about 6:30pm with 2 friends. Was told we would need to wait for a table, which was completely fair as we had not made reservations. Gave the hostess a cell # to reach us once a table was available and told her we wouldn't be wandering too far and were just going to go find somewhere for a bite to eat and a drink before coming back to see the band playing that evening.

We got the text, went back and each ordered a glass of wine. After already drinking half our glass of wine the same hostess came over and told us we needed to order food or pay $15 each extra on top of our drinks. I said "that would have been good to know before we went out for dinner after giving you our names for the waiting list". She was not apologetic or compromising at all, just shrugged at us and said "well obviously if we don't sell food we can't afford the band". I guess we are just ignorant tourists.

Poor customer service to not mention this to us when we specifically told her we were planning eat somewhere else and come back for drinks later on. We wouldn't have eaten at another restaurant before returning if we had known the policy. Also, to not mention it when we ordered our drinks and said we weren't getting food, just felt like we were taken advantage of and they were not transparent about the policy until we had already finished half our wine, kind of too late to leave without being charged at that point.

We ended up ordering some food just to at least get SOMETHING for the $15 cover charge but did not stay for a second glass of wine. Unfortunate because the band was great. Also we likely would have stayed late and spent even more on drinks than we did on food, but did not want to give them more business after the poor service.

Wish we had stayed at The Dam Pub down the road,...

Not my first visit, and definitely not my last! The Bruce Wine Bar is a great place to eat in or takeout! Tonight I was running late, so it was takeout.

My girlfriend and I were at the laundromat across the street, barely able to see each other over the stacks of laundry! So we decided that we deserved a treat for all the folding, something special, out of the ordinary… and the Bruce was our first choice… and it didn’t disappoint!

I got to jaywalk over and the only instructions were pizza and something different! The Bruce’s menu came through with flying colours!

Apple & Squash! (Roasted squash, matchstick Goldsmith’s apple, citrus & herb ricotta, roasted garlic & thyme cream base, toasted pumpkin seeds) $24.

And, there were two of us after all…

Tequila Lime Chicken! (Tequila, lime & coriander marinated chicken, charred corn, cherry tomato, white onion, tomato base, coriander lime crema) $24.

The Bruce has an open kitchen on the ground level where you can eat at high, heavy plank tables and enjoy the hustle and bustle of the Sous Chef and line cooks, while you enjoy the delicious products of their efforts! Or you can go upstairs to the cozy dining room that often has a musician in the far corner!

As noted, I was doing takeout tonight… ready as promised in ten minutes… and on our table at home in another ten! Both pizzas were as delicious as their names were intriguingly creative!

What a wonderful eating experience awaits you, hidden away behind the TD Bank on HWY 26 in...