The Hideaway Pub & Grille

Choosing where to have a birthday dinner can be tricky in this city. There are so many options! Last night I held mine at The Hideaway and am I ever glad I did.
I’ve been here twice now, and both times I’ve left more the satisfied. The Cannon Balls are delicious, perfectly cooked scallops wrapped in bacon and sprinkled with green onion, sitting in a small pond of melted butter. You know what’s wrong with the sentence? Not one damn thing. I could eat order after order of these and be perfectly happy. My cosmopolitan (I’m bringing it back) was delicious and just the right potency.
Between the eight of us, we tried a main from every section of the menu and all of us were pleased by our choices. My salmon was perfectly cooked, with seasoned rice and green beans. I tried a bite of my friend’s side dish of macaroni and cheese, and it was very good. I have no idea why it’s not a regular menu item. My brother was delighted when he learned he could have a fried egg on top of his Classic burger. It’s the little things in life, isn’t it?
The rough spots here are also little, but still worth noting. Service can be a bit slow, but nothing that leaves you drumming your fingertips impatiently. Just know that your drink will be refilled five minutes after you wonder why it hasn’t happened already. Also, the menu on the website is out of date, which is a huge pet peeve of mine. Do not go looking for the escargot like I did. They do not have it on the printed menus at the actual restaurant, which was a bit of a letdown.
As we were packing up and paying the bills, the waitress asked me if I wanted an order of bread pudding to go, on the house for my birthday. How sweet is that? Almost as sweet as the email I received the next day, thanking me for choosing them for my celebration. It’s the personality behind The Hideaway that makes it so special, and why it makes it easy for me to recommend it. Go and enjoy a night of casual relaxation, and some damn good pub food.
We were also rick-​rolled. Best Birthday Ever.

I walked past this place a few times before they were open, and my curiosity was instantly piqued! So of course I just had to stop by, and Valentine’s dinner seemed like the perfect time. We went the day after, though, so it wasn’t very busy at all (always a bonus!).
Entering was a little confusing, as you use a side door and there isn’t much signage at all. We both felt a little nervous about it, worried we were using a staff entrance or something. Maybe some larger signage will help with that. Once we were inside though, the service and ambiance was incredibly warm and friendly. We were greeted immediately upon entering, and given our choice of seats. We chose to sit right by the fireplace, nestled into a little corner. Very cozy! The service was very quick, and very friendly, and the manager even stopped by to chat and make sure everything was okay.
As for the food, it’s average to above average pub type fare with a bit of a modern twist. I had what could be described as a deluxe grilled cheese sandwich, with bacon and tomato, and my man had the seafood chowder. Both were really good, really filling, and reasonably priced for the portions. Also, their fries are great, so, that’s kind of awesome. You have to have good fries.
We weren’t planning on having dessert, but after the manager stopped by and told us about their bread pudding made with krispy kreme doughnuts, how could we say no? So we said yes. And am I ever glad we did, because that was incredibly amazing. Delicious, and worth the visit just for that. I have no idea where they get the donuts from, but I want more.
So in summary: really awesome! If you’re looking for some pub food, maybe a little bit higher class than that, come in for a visit.

Mike and I returned to The Hideaway and the four-​star rating is consistent. This time we tried the fish and chips, aka «The Peggy’s Cove,» and the haddock with bananas and almonds. Both dishes were excellent. Dessert was a bread pudding made with … doughnuts and Belgian chocolate. Needless to say, it was very different (and delicious!) bread pudding. The owner’s partner (I believe) served us and was very friendly and engaging. We asked about the odd music choice, as mentioned in my original review; they then switched from Sirius station to station, so we heard a strange smattering of all types of music during our dinner. Apparently they can’t decide on suitable music for their restaurant. :-D However, it was another great experience overall.

I can honestly admit that I’ve walk by the Hideaway on numerous occasions and never really paid attention to the space. Luckily my friends are more observant and suggested it for a Saturday night dinner.
The space is actually much bigger than it appears. It has a cozy dinning area at the front of the restaurant with street views but then it actually expands all the way to the back of the building where they have a large table — perfect for group functions!
The menu is impressive — not overwhelmingly huge but enough goodies to put some thought into it. We started with the bruschetta which was delicious! What made this bruschetta different from others I’ve tried is that they placed the toppings (including balsamic drizzle — my fav) on top of a warm, deliciously moist baguette. It was a great change-​up to the traditional!
After my love affair with fish tacos in LA last June, I decided saw them on the menu and had to try them. They were served in hard taco shells instead of soft which made them a little harder to manage but they were still delicious. The mango salsa was very fresh and flavourful against the haddock.
My dinner pals had steak and chicken salad and both had nothing but rave reviews. All in all, I think the Hideaway is a great addition to the neighbourhood and I can’t wait to go back and try a few more menu items.

Very disappointing, both my meal and the overall experience. I ordered the special, shrimp and scallop penne with a vanilla cream sauce. For starters, our meals took over 45 minutes to arrive. Next, the 5 other guests I was with got their meals first while I had to wait another 20 minutes for my pasta. My meal wasn’t special, seafood was cooked well but the sauce was way too sweet. My friend got the ‘on d rocks’ pasta dish and barely touched it — the sauce was too watery. The server tried to make my experience better by giving me a complimentary dessert, but my overly sweet meal did not leave me wanting a dessert. A friend who are my dessert, the chocolate bread pudding, said it was good. I would not come back.

Good atmosphere. Friendly stafff & good service. Prices are good. Menu was small. I’m giving it a ³⁄₅ because the food was alright. I ordered the veggie burger, which was tasty, but the fries that came with it were soggy and soaked in oil, the oil probably needed some changing.

I stumbled upon this place due to being much too lazy to walk another two blocks to a place I normally frequent. As I type my review, I am stuffing my face with hand-​cut fries and the last of the cheeseburger that was too good to put down. It had a pretzel bun!
Their menu ranges from $ 8 apps to $ 20 (fried brie appetizer comes with some raspberry delicious stuff) mains but everybody at the table was making happy sighs and perfectly-​full tummy rubbing motions. The drinks were generous and delicious (purple fusion tastes like the most divine grape juice you’ve ever had instead of booze).
The décor reminds you of home, comfortable and quaint (but cleaner than your own). They have a nicer fine dining-​ish section that seats 50 and hosts private events, plus a casual section for 40.
The owner John kept us smiling and attentive service provided many refills. Definitely one of my new favourite spots. Do yourself a favour and get in here.
:Edit: I should point out this place would be really easy to miss as it’s in a basement without a ton of signage outside yet — but it’s worth finding.