Cracker Jack's Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Thorold

The food here has always been good, but the service continues to be consistently disappointing.

We went for dinner on Friday, and I asked our server if the gravy was vegetarian (I’ve been one for 7 years). I don’t mind if staff don’t immediately know the answer, but I do expect them to check. Instead, she told me, “I think it is, it’s just the powder in a packet.” That response didn’t sit right with me, since packet gravy can absolutely still be beef-based. I assumed she would confirm when she returned with our drinks, but she didn’t—she just dropped them off and walked away. It then took another 10 minutes before she came back to take our order, even though we were ready when the drinks arrived.

In that time, my husband asked the hostess about the gravy. She was wonderful—she went to the kitchen right away and came back in under 30 seconds to let us know it was indeed beef gravy. I’m grateful for her honesty, but I don’t understand why our server couldn’t have done the same. I was fortunate to know better than to trust her guess, but this was unacceptable service.

We ordered nachos and a quesadilla, but after waiting over 35–40 minutes with no updates or check-ins, we finally left. The server never came by to let us know where our food stood. We ended up going down the street to Boston Pizza and had a great dinner there—finished before our food at Cracker Jacks would have even arrived.

This experience was entirely service-related, and it’s a shame because this place was a childhood favorite of mine before the ownership change. Unfortunately, we...

Date of Visit May 3rd

Comfort Food with a Crunchy Twist! 🧀🔥 We dropped into Cracker Jacks in Thorold for a casual bite, and it delivered that laid-back, local pub vibe we were hoping for. The service was on point—friendly, fast, and super welcoming, which set the tone for a relaxed meal. We gave the fried chicken dinner a try, and while it had that crave-worthy golden crunch, it leaned a bit too far into crispy territory with a heavy batter that overpowered the chicken slightly. Still, the flavours were there, and it definitely hits the spot if you're in the mood for that ultra-crunchy comfort.

The real standout was the Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese—creamy, spicy, and packed with bold flavour. The heat balanced nicely with the richness of the dish, and it felt like a hug in a bowl with a kick.

All in all, Cracker Jacks is a solid choice if you're looking for hearty pub classics and good vibes in Thorold. With a few tweaks, that fried chicken could be next-level—we’d definitely be back to try more from the menu and soak in the neighbourhood charm.

Prices are fair and reasonable – infact, I would dare say comparably cheaper than must places offering similar fare.

There is plenty of free onsite parking.

Unfortunately for us – we got there just as their Karaoke was starting. We did not know this until it was too late. While many people came for the karaoke – we do not enjoy it. So it was a tad loud for us. (Personal preference – not a fault of the restaurant’s)

Otherwise – this is a pretty cool place, and I would...

Was in last night for a birthday party, 6 of us in total. Our server was Kelly Y, she was very friendly but maybe overwhelmed with her 4 tables. Problem started when our pints of Belgian Moon were flat. The manager came over and took care of the drinks. Our food came out and most of the food items were either wrong or completely missed. An order of fries that was never brought was still added to the bill at the end of the night! Our server never came to do a table check for the food, which could have avoided all our missing items. When she finally came back to our table, a few of us ordered more drinks, one member of our party in particular asked for a cesar. She came back 10 minutes later with everyones drinks but the Cesar; it didn’t arrive until 20 minutes after. It took over 25 minutes us to get our bills. I had to go over and speak to the manager who was watching the Leafs game with a table. His response for when I asked for the bills was “oh yah, I need to go and discount those drinks for the table, thats what took so long”; and proceeded to watch the game and not grab our bills. The restaurant was not busy, so I am unsure as to why we had such poor service. Being a general manger for a restaurant myself, the standards of service were very poor. Until something changes, I will not be recommending Cracker Jacks to any...