Captain's Table Restaurant — Restaurant in Trent Hills

It's been about 7 years since I've visited this restaurant, and when I had done so at that time, the food was terrific.

Our visit there on this occasion was part of a "leap back out" into the life my mother once knew before my step-fathers passing 2 years ago and to say the food has taken a drastic downturn from my last visit would be the understatement of the century.

My mother, son and myself all ordered the 2 piece fish and chips, (Haddock) which they cut into 4 pieces prior to breading it.

The meal comes with fries and a scoop of coleslaw. The fries were slightly undercooked and were done so in oil that was too old to even crisp the smallest cut of potato, the gravy was good however and the coleslaw was actually quite enjoyable.

The Haddock though..... At $20.99 the portion is large however, it lacked flavour completely, some garlic powder, sea salt, black pepper goes a long way in a batter but this was devoid of any type of spices and didn't even come with a slice of lemon.

My 3rd piece had some flavour to it, sadly it was not a good flavour and I passed on that and my 4th. None of the other meals had this experience with any of their fish pieces so we can safely assume it's not common and not bad storage.

My mother ordered stuffed mushrooms and enjoyed them thoroughly, my son and I shared an order of Calamari, which comes with the tiny babies for further enjoyment.

I was extremely unimpressed with the preparedness of that Calamari, it had an extremely strong taste to it, indicating they did not wash the meat before breading it, nor did they bathe it in ice water prior to breading. The baby octopus not only had a much stronger flavour, they also tasted like they hadn't been squeezed prior to breading either.

They could benefit from lowering the temperature of their drink cooler by 2 or 3 degrees, especially with how prone this area is to the heat index caused by humidity.

This restaurant is not wheelchair accessible which is quite perturbing to me, not only with the Accessible Ontarians Disability Act but with how long they've been in business and serving this community and it's seasonal visitor's they should have made the necessary upgrades for this by now, which would also alleviate that insane 3-inch drop just...

Hastings is a river town you could almost pass by without noticing. A few streets, a lock, a place to tie up and stretch your legs. But if you know, you know. And everyone here knows. The Captain’s Table is the center of gravity in this little place.

Inside, it feels like a time warp. Plain tables, vinyl chairs, walls that have seen years of fryer steam and conversation. No curated playlists, no fake rustic décor, no craft cocktail menu written in chalk. Just the hum of people eating, servers moving fast, plates slamming down hot and heavy. Packed with locals, the kind of crowd that tells you everything before you even order. If the people who live here line up for it, you already know it is right.

The fish and chips are the reason. Not good. Not great. Spectacular. Fish fried until the crust hits that perfect crackle, a batter that shatters but never weighs you down, flesh inside clean and moist. Fries thick and unapologetic, fried until they carry just the right crunch. Salted like someone still remembers food is supposed to taste like something. The plate they drop in front of you is obscene in size. A mountain of food that laughs at the idea of portion control. You eat until you cannot anymore, and the rest goes into a box that will make tomorrow’s lunch worth looking forward to.

The service is small town honest. No act, no script. Just people who have been doing this long enough to know the rhythm. A nod, a smile, a plate, and a quiet pride that does not need words.

This is not nostalgia. This is survival. A family-run joint in a small Ontario town turning out food the way it should be, no pretense, no garnish, no bullshit. Just pride in feeding people well.

If you ever tie up in Hastings, do not overthink it. Walk up from the lock, find The Captain’s Table, order the fish and chips, and understand why places like this are worth more than half the high-end restaurants in the world. Because food like this...

What an experience we had.... after entering the restaurant we witness a waitress mocking an older gentleman with mobility issues. After being seated and served our drinks the service turned terrible (staff was preoccupied preparing for a reservation). After a long wait our halibut came...but it was not halibut...it was haddock. I tried to choke it down but it was awful. After addressing this with the waitress I was informed that they don't make mistakes at the Captains Table. I was insisting she was wrong but she was a Karen so I paid my bill in full and left no tip. As we walked out the door we were told " don't come back you cheap Jew". We won't be and I suggest everyone does the same. I should add that ive been a loyal customer of theirs for many years and Im quite shocked with the treatment and language from the staff. The owner or manager better address the waitresses choice of words and make amends with me. This isn't the end...