Pony Corral Restaurant & Bar (Pier7) — Restaurant in Winnipeg

As a fore-note, keep in mind that a Ceasar salad is $17 on their menu. I got the breaded sole, subbed my veggies and potato with a fettuccine Alfredo pasta, upgraded the garden salad to a Ceasar salad, and it came with garlic toast. Salad came quick but it had bacon BITS on it. The super cheap fake bacon flavoured salty bits. I like a saucy Ceasar salad so that was the only thing it had going for it so I did begrudgingly finish the salad and withheld any comments about the cheap bacon bits to the server. Back to the fore-note, how the heck can they charge $17 for a regular Ceasar salad when it comes with cheap fake bacon bits!? That shouldn't even be in their kitchen! Not what I expected from Pony Corral and their menu prices. Side-note: hubby ordered the grilled cheese with burger patty and bacon and he got real bacon on his sandwich so I know they have real bacon in the kitchen, but his patty tasted like a frozen patty on account of the texture, orange processed cheese slice, and I think it was supposed to be a mozza cheese slice that felt like rubber, so that was disappointing as well (loads of fries though.) The sole was more like a greasy sole omelette like it was dipped in a mixture of beaten egg with a few bread crumbs mixed in, the pasta was runny but ok, and the garlic toast was the best thing on the plate. Back to the pasta.. I finished the fish omelette and ate about a third of the pasta and was going to take the rest of it home and as I was pushing it into the take-out container, the whole pasta pile flipped over and I saw what at first I thought was like a crispy edge of the omelette but a second glance and inspection with my knife revealed it didn't break apart like the crispy edge of an egg and it was in fact a brown/black 1"-ish long hair underneath the pasta.. nope, gross, pasta's garbage now. I mentioned it to the server and was offered a discount on the bill or free dessert and I was already full so I opted for the discount. We got the bill and they only took $5 off of a ~$30 dinner even though around 2/3 of my pasta went into the garbage on account of the hair. I talked to the server again and decided to opt for the dessert instead to-go since it had a greater value than the measly $5.. She was very understanding and offered to leave the $5 discount on and still give the free dessert, so kudos to her for the good customer service on that part. About 7ish minutes pass and I see a different server carry a brown paper take-out bag, looked kind of confused, and left it on the counter. I thought it was maybe for the guys 1 table over who were getting ready to leave. Anyways, 20 minutes pass, those 2 guys from 1 table over are long gone, and that brown paper bag was still there. No one checked in on us so we got our jackets on and asked the bartender if he could see when our dessert was going to show up. Turns out that brown paper bag that had been sitting there was ours and everyone just forgot about it and never questioned why it was there for so long. Safe to say we won't be eating there ever again. Would be a 1 star but gave an extra star for our server's kindness. The other 1 star for atmosphere was because the bar was practically empty and the hostess thought it was a good idea to put the group of 2 guys and 2 more guys within 10' of us. In a nutshell, cheap dive bar quality food with 4 star restaurant menu prices. Fyi we've eaten at Rae & Jerry's for the same price as our bill which was just over $80 and I had the fish there too and was way better (their Ceasar salad didn't come with any bacon but at least it didn't have CHEAP...

Absolutely sub par dining experience and horrible service on 08/31/13 ( a Saturday evening). Every bad thing you've heard about the Pony Corral on Pembina is true. I definitely wont return. I wish i had found out about its reputation for bad service and bad food BEFORE i spent my money there.

We were going out to dinner and decided to try a restaurant we hadn't been to before. To our surprise they had what looked like a great patio. The patio was fairly empty when we arrived with only a few tables having 1 or 2 patrons maximum.

The service was ...non existent. Despite waitresses occasionally fluttering around at empty tables not one came to our table and asked if we had been served or if we wanted to order drinks or food. After 15-20 mins I literally had to chase one down and ask her who the server was on the patio. I was told coldly " Her (the waitress pointed at another waitress) . She's really ..busy. I'll let her know. " . The thing is the server was NOT busy. There were very few patrons on the patio. Eventually the waitress i questioned was the one that served us. Almost reluctantly i might add. She wasn't foolish enough to be extremely rude but she was definitely distant and cold.

We ordered Steak & Shrimp and Fillet Sole dinners. We specifically asked for no bacon on our salads. Of course when the salad finally arrived the salad came out with bacon. They seemed to take forever to manifest at our table. No salt or pepper was on the table . When the food finally came it was luke warm at best and absolutely flavorless. Except the shrimp skewer - it was overly salty. 2 plates of Garnish/condiments were brought out for our baked potatoes before the dinners arrived. The food took so long to arrive that a different pair of servers ended up bringing the food out and taking one of the plate of garnish/condiments back with them. Why!? Now we have one tiny thimble full of sour cream and onions for 2 adult sized plates. We had to request they bring the garnish back to the table.

I went to wash my hands in the rest room and they had no paper towels in the patio restroom nor did the electric hand dryer work. Between the food, the service and the subtle attitude the bathroom not having basic necessities was the last straw. The manager was requested and he...went to a different table to check on a different group :| He was requested again and when he finally came over to our table he paid typical managerial lip service . He eventually said the meals would be taken care of. They weren't. Only one was . The look on my face practically dared the server to ask me for a tip. I personally wouldn't patronize this place ever again ...Period.

Horrible place. Go to Tony Romas as it's 30 seconds away from Pony Corral...

Wow, a gem tucked away...will definitely be coming back!

This location is tucked away near the river...so you've got a nice view of the Red River if you sit outside on their awesome patio or sit indoors, in their spacious, air conditioner dining room area.

Where to start...I tell you, everything about this place is fabulous. I'll break it down for you...

Parking: FREE and ample. They've got parking in the old Wendy's lot, as well as all the way down to the river...so you'll definitely find a spot.

Upon entry, you are asked to sanitize your hands with their supplied hand sanitizer and the hostess greets and seats you promptly (space permitting of course).

We opted to dine on the patio and were seated in one of their cabana seating areas. They've got fans going in there for you to beat the heat...or come those cooler nights, they've got heaters installed...so you'll be enjoying this patio space even on those cooler nights! This place was entirely sanitized before we were seated (the benches were still wet...so good sign!)

The waitress was super professional and good at her job. She took our drink order first, then food order. During our visit, the owner of the restaurant came to check in on us. Very impressed!

Menu: There is something for most every dietary restriction here...at least the more common ones...you want steak? They've got it! You want breakfast? They'll keep you fed! You only eat fish? They've got you covered. Are you a vegetarian? They have options for you too! And when I say options, I mean options...not just one or two things...there was easily 7 or 8 items marked as vegetarian...I was happy to see the selection!

Value: The food was delicious and the portions were generous...you may be taking food home! The price was right too...not super expensive, especially considering the amount of food you get and the experience.

Overall atmosphere: A very nice place to just enjoy yourself, have a nice conversation, enjoy a meal...while it is off Pembina, it isn't loud with traffic as it is tucked away...that's what I mean...it is a gem tucked away...you've got to visit. It is good for the whole family...young, old, young at heart, and everyone in between!

Inside the restaurant is huge...honestly you cannot judge this place from the outside...I felt as if I stepped into another place...dare I say I felt like I was on vacation!

I'm not sure why I waited so long to try Pony Corral Pembina...I know I won't wait so long to...