Dooly’s Ottawa

One of the best pool halls I’ve been to in North America. GREAT Atmosphere and even better music! Tables a crazy level and house cues are great as well. Also a great beer list.

One of the top 3 places to play pool in ottawa but I’d say if you’re a pro looking for a real challenge to gamble on, this is the best spot. Despite the endless supply of pool tables, there is usually a 10 – 20 minute wait for a table on the weekends. Food is good and ample parking is a bonus.

I’ve come here several times for both work and personal reasons and my experiences have been relatively the same every time. I’m giving it a ⁴⁄₅ simply because it does what it advertises very well. It’s a great pool hall if your looking for a great place to play a quick game of pool. It has adequate seating and an average bar area, but you won’t be coming here for a sporting event.
Cons: the food is ok, not spectacular, and the the pool area can be crowded with so many tables so close together.

Have been driving by this place since we moved to Ottawa and thinking ‘we have to go there sometime’. With Groupon in hand, we finally did. Based on the signage and location, I was expecting your average pool hall — fairly plain, utilitarian, with wood paneling. Was I ever surprised! It’s really nice inside — dim lights, nice carpeting, spacious with two levels and nothing but pool tables — that is, no darts or snooker — they focus pool. There’s a nice bar with seating — and lots of seating close to every table.
Staff were friendly and answered all of our questions without ever sounding like it was the thousandth time they’d answered that questions, even though it probably was. ;-)
Cues were all in great condition as were the tables. Tables are charged by the minute, so you can go in and play 1 game and walk out, or play for 2 hours, or whatever suits you!
Food was one place they fell down. It was passable, but not fantastic. Pub fare (lots of fried items — wings, zucchini etc.) I’m ok with that as it’s not what they are in business for (so I’m not going to drop my rating based on the food).
Many TVs — so probably either a great place to go for sporting events, or a horrible place to go when major sporting events are on, depending on how you feel about sports and crowds. :-)
Really enjoyed Dooley’s. They focus on pool, they do it well. I’m so glad they did the Groupon, which got us in there, or I might never have figured out I want to go back. And they have beer. :-)
Would I return: Yes.
Would I recommend: Yes.
Edit on 16Jun2014 — David R. (Business Owner) is service oriented enough that he watches the Unilocal reviews, takes the feedback and responds. Awesome! I rarely give out five-​stars — and I thought about it when I did my review, but stuck with my 4-​star rating (which is a great rating). However — his responsiveness made me so happy with the business, I’m bumping my rating up to a 5. It’s really hard to find customer focused businesses, and I appreciate David’s focus on me, the customer. Love it! We truly enjoyed our evening at Dooly’s.

I have to admit, I was not excited to visit Dooly’s. My friend had a groupon he was itching to use, so the first time we went, a group of us headed out on a Friday night. We ended up leaving almost the minute we got there. The place was packed (we didn’t realize it was St. Patrick’s Day weekend or that they were showing a UFC fight), and so we decided to bail. I guess that left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.
So needless to say, I was not thrilled when my friend suggested we go play pool and have drinks at this east end spot. Located in a strip mall of St. Laurent, you wouldn’t think this place is anything special. Surprise! When you walk in, the place is HUGE. Tons and tons of tables, an upstairs and a room that can be reserved for private parties and a sprawling bar make this place pretty badass. The washrooms are spacious and super clean, which I appreciated, and the music (when we were there early evening on a weeknight) was amazing. Some sweet nineties jams, throwbacks like Ray Charles and a few Top40 songs thrown in. Totally my speed.
Our server was really sweet (though I did cringe slightly at her attire… I guess I should be used to the Moxie’s look by now) and was diligent in telling us all the specials. She got our drinks to us quickly and was friendly and polite.
You pay for the time you play, and since we were only there an hour it was pretty cheap. For the pool and drinks we each payed about $ 20, which I thought was reasonable for an evening out.
This would be a great spot for a date or a night out with friends. In my opinion, it might be the best pool hall in the city. Great atmosphere, lots of parking (as opposed to Maclaren’s, which I love… but ugh, the parking!), and nice staff. Woo!

I would give this two stars, but I think the circumstances last night played a part in the so-​so service that we experienced last night, so I’ve knocked it up a star.
Let me begin by saying all the staff that we met were amazing, friendly, and professional (and patient). The lack of service was clearly the result of being understaffed.
We (~30 of us) attended a friend’s birthday party in the private room at the back. Initially, the drink service was pretty good, but as the night wore on the wait for a drink order was at least 30 minutes at times. We waited over half an hour to settle our tab at the end of the night. To give you an idea of how slow it was, I had 4 beers in the 5 hours we were there.
Granted, there was a UFC pay-​per-​view event going on the big screens throughout the bar, but I would have expected a little better service for a private function that was reserved in advance.
Having said that, the food that was served was excellent. Chicken wings, sandwiches, and vegetable platters. There was plenty to go around.
Anyway, we were all there ready to spend quite a bit on drinks to celebrate our friend’s birthday, and waiting a long time for drinks resulted in not spending anywhere near as much as we had planned.
I suppose not waking up with a hangover this morning was also a plus in my favour. :)

Dooly’s is definitely my favorite spot for a fun night out for the best pool in the city, good pub food and great drinks. My company has had several office parties at Dooly’s and we are always happy that we go back time after time since the catering is amazing and it’s a treat to be playing pool on tables that are in immaculate conditions. My husband and I are big fans of Dooly’s and we highly recommend our friends to go there for a great night out without having to brake the bank.
What’s also refreshing is that Dooly’s is always keeping their establishment looking in great conditions, renovating and keeping with the times. Unlike so many other pool halls in the city where the places look tired and in dire need to a major cleaning job.

Dooly’s is probably the best venue in Ottawa for a game of pool. With reasonable rates, and even discounts when you become a member, this venue has tons of tables to play on.
They have a few deals during the week that are worth your while, including half price pool for ladies on Tuesday nights. Gentlemen — don’t forget to bring your lady on a date here, as they also get a rose!
Their service is always friendly, and will always have the game on television.
They event have darts — if you so desire.