Ben Wicks Restaurant

The Wicks is no more. It’s been reincarnated as The Local Gest.

Ben Wick’s has some stellar graphics and makes you feel like you’re entering somewhere cooler than you actually are.
The pit patio has heaters and lots of picnic tables. It is one of the smokiest patios I’ve ever been on, so be warned if you’re super bothered by smoke.
I’ve never ordered food here, but I’ve had their caesars (bad) and lots of vodka sodas (can’t really mess those up) and beer. They have an unremarkable beer list, but I was pleasantly surprised that they have Guiness on Tap.
PEPPER POINTS: For being an okay place to day drink near my house with free Wifi. Maybe that’s two PP’s? Whatever.
PEPPER’S PISSED: Crappy Caesars. Like pre-​mixed or clamato from a gun. I think this pissed point dropped them from a 3 to a 2.

3.5 stars
I was looking for a new place in the neighbourhood to try and found this place. The menu looked interesting and pretty cheap.
You go down some stairs to a sunken in patio. Inside you can go straight to the bar side (kind of a Cheers feeling in there), or go left to the dining room. Both times I went the place was nearly empty, which usually isn’t a good sign, however, the patio was hopping and there were a decent amount of people sitting at the bar. It certainly has an older crown, but then again I wasn’t going there to hang out for the evening, just to have a bite to eat.
Décor is outdated and the service the first time was a bit slow. The guy was running the bar and the dining room. Like I said though, there weren’t many people, so I don’t think that should be an excuse. The diet coke tasted a little funny too. Not sure if it was mixed properly that night. (I had water the second time)
Reading all of this, one may wonder why I gave this place 3.5 stars. The food! The food is to die for. I’ve had the Stuffed Chicken (Goat Cheese And Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast With Mushroom Risotto, Wilted Spinach And A Dill Cream Sauce). OMG HEAVEN IN MY MOUTH! The risotto was beautifully cooked, and the chicken… oh the chicken. So juicy, with so many flavours. The second time I went, I really wanted to get the chicken again, but I made myself try something new. I opted for the Crispy Skin Salmon (6 oz. Grilled Salmon Served With Parsley Lime
Couscous, Wilted Spinach, Oven Dried Cherry Tomatoes And A Balsamic Reduction) which I had my eye on before as well. It was just as delicious, and a tasty, healthy option. I’ve had a bite of the burger as well, which tasted homemade — a definite plus. And the fries are really good with a bit of herbs on them!

Ça fait très longtemps que je n’y suis retourné, mais c’était un bar de quartier sympathique à l’époque: c’est bien Cabbagetown dans toute son expression.

Who the eff is touring me around cabbage town? This place blew.
It had an old and uncool clientèle, the basement interior was drab and filled with the comics of famed cartoonist Ben Wicks (an unfunny motherfucker, for sure), and the service was brutally slow.
We sat at an empty bar and ordered: 2 burgers and 1 order of wings. The time to eat was apprx 35 minutes. Wow. I inquired several times about the long wait and was given the typical «it’s coming right out» line. Well I’m friggin’ hungry here, man, give me some of those lays or french fries or something.
«No more than 2 – 3 minutes, I promise». I decided to go to the bathroom and if the food wasn’t there upon return, leave. Luckily it was being plated as I sat down.
Dude goes «see? I told ya!» and I go «well, you said under 2 – 3, and now It’s been about 7… but time to eat, I guess» and he goes «…You fuckin’ muppet».
WTF.

My girlfriend and I stumbled across this place one night while we were walking around the neighborhood we were staying at. It was the most appealing place of the places we passed so we decided to try it out. It turned out to be a good decision.
The bar was set down in the street so you had to walk down some stairs to enter. There was a small outdoor area and a large bar that had a sort of Irish or Scottish feel to it. It was a nice night so we elected to sit outside. I think we got there pretty close to closing time so there was one guy running pretty much the whole place. He was very friendly though service was a little slow and sort of inattentive. There were just a few other people there, so even though he was on his own I thought it could have been a bit better.
We ended up getting a couple of pasta dishes which weren’t too bad. They were reasonably priced too. We skipped beer that night due to several previous nights of sampling Canadian beer. The highlight of the evening was the dessert. The Guinness chocolate cake and homemade lavender ice cream, while seeming like they shouldn’t go together, were a delicious combination. If I were back in that area I would definitely stop in again, for dessert at the very least.

Stopped in for a late dinner on a Sunday evening while staying at a guesthouse a few blocks away. From what I could tell it was empty inside and there was a smattering of customers outside on the patio. Seemed to have a variety of beer and wine and the food was pretty akin to pub grub. One dude was serving the whole patio and he seemed pretty nice and relaxed. My boyfriend and I ordered two pasta dishes. They were tasty, but the true star of the meal was desert, written on a chalkboard inside — Guinness chocolate cake and homemade lavender ice cream. It was truly decadent, and I was happy to not finish my meal in order to leave room in my tummy for all that wonderfulness.

Unilocal keep hiding bad reviews for the restaurant.
This place has really bad food and people should know that it is not eatable.

For years, I lived not far from Ben Wicks and considered it my little secret. Everything is consistently good and nothing seems to change much in the place other than the art for sale on the walls. Meanwhile, the prices are decent and the neighbourhood vibe is refreshing in this big city. Sitting right up at the bar and chatting over a seemingly bottomless glass of house wine is a great way to catch up with a friend.
The Left Door dining area has more of a focus on décor and comfortably seats a slightly different clientele. I’ve tried many items on the simple, but satisfying menu, but always seem to fall back on the fish and chips. The portions are generous and while the desserts are very attractively scribbled onto the daily specials chalkboard, I have only ever had room for their excellent bread pudding once.
The rather dim basement level dining room makes for nice candlelit dinners. Being seated near the front windows for brunch on a bright, sunshiny afternoon can make it seem like a completely different place altogether.

Very typical pub grub, great service and even better staff. I would see myself spending more time having a pint here than enjoying the wings or nachos. The bar is lower level with a great outdoor patio. You can find original Ben Wick’s art inside on the walls. Service and patio season will keep me coming back here.