The Portly Piper

Great taste, great value and huge potions so you better go hungry. This place is always busy no matter what time or what day of the week we go. The service is great and you never feel rushed. When you’re really hungry, try the rib and wing combo with choice of side and slaw… you won’t be disappointed!

I’ve been coming here for years, and they continue to impress me every time. The food is stellar, the servers are great, and the pricing is fair. Never had a bad meal here.

I used to love this place, but our experience today totally turned us off. Our family went, seated ourselves, as is the norm here, and waited. The waitress ignored us. Another family came in after us, was greeted, given menus and cutlery while we continued to wait. She walked right past us as she went to the other table with nary a glance.
The manager was apologetic, but we left without ordering. We won’t be going back.

So after my first review of the poor service at this location, the owner requested I contact him to provide more information, which I was absolutely happy to do; he then asked me to come back in for a «free meal» to give them another try… now this could mean different things; a free meal for me and my friend, or just cover what I order and have. So after much debate, we decided to go back.
We were seated and I showed the manager on duty the email as instructed. Shortly thereafter the owner came to our table, introduced himself, then started to talk about how he thought my experience was from recently not from Aug/Sept…I’m not sure what this had to do with anything, but both my room mate and I felt uncomfortable that he felt the need to start a discussion about this… a bad experience is a bad experience. The owner then left the conversation with «Don’t worry, I’ll take care of the bill»…which really has one straightforward meaning.
The food was great, service was fine, nothing spectacular, then at the end of the meal (2 apps, 1 main each), the waitress asked us if we wanted her to bring the bill (I felt very awkward that our server was not advised of any adjustments with the bill and that I had to bring this to her attention)…I responded by telling her that the manager had advised that he was covering our bill. Our server returned a moment later with «here’s your bill» and to our shock, she then explained that the owner had covered «my meal» which consisted only of my main… not my app and certainly not what he had set an expectation for.
Needless to say, we will not be returning to this location again. Had an expectation not have been set of «taking care of our bill», this could have been a very different experience; had the owner said that he was covering my main, we would have been informed and known what to expect, however this was not the case and considering this was an opportunity to make up on an already poor experience, we certainly didn’t leave happy.

Awesome pub with great daily specials. It can get a bit busy, but they handle it very well. Menu has a huge selection of items and have not been disappointed with anything yet. Some of the best wings and ribs in Durham region (and great prices when on special too).

Amazing wings! My favorite ever by far! Juicy and huge with plenty of flavor! Tuesdays are 60 cents wing night!

I’ve eaten here a few times and it’s always yummy and reasonably priced. The décor is a bit dark in some areas but if your their in the evening it doesn’t really matter anyway.

This place is amazing. The food is superb, everything tastes great. Being new to Ajax, I didn’t think there would be bars that are busy all the time, but this place was rammed.
Had the sheppard’s pie, it was amazing. Nachos, amazing (single size is too much for 2 people alone). Pad thai was good, butter chicken was amazing. Will be going more often than not moving forward.

Great atmosphere, great staff, great food! We have never had a bad time or meal at the Portley :)

I really enjoyed my visit to the Portly Piper! I wasn’t expecting much being located in a strip mall in a Toronto suburb and it surpassed my expectations. Bloodies were pretty delicious and a recent beer selection. I had a basic BLT on wheat that was very good and just what I wanted. The bartender was excellent — juggling a pretty full bar (about 10 – 12 covers) and anywhere from 7 – 10 tables while I was there.

Love it! The service is excellent! Waitress’s are friendly, quick and nice. They have the best Greek salad,;chicken wings are the BEST in all of Durham area. I Also love their sandwiches! If you want a cool, fun place to hang out, this is the place!

I keep on coming back for their wings and sweet potato fries. I always go here everytime I am craving for some wings. The service just gets pretty slow and there was a time that we waited for almost an hour for order, the food made up for it.

Good for all ages of people, and sizes of groups. Lots of TVs and most booths have TVs built in them!
Have been here numerous times and always have a great experience.
Fun on a weekend nights to drink and party with friends; or to go lunch with your parents: p Great good, great prices and big menu.
I really like their wings and nachos! I’ve had lots of things on the menu and enjoyed everything so you really can’t go wrong! It’s good when you’re going with people who have a lot of different tastes.
Wish the actual bar was a bit bigger though.

Great food!

My dad suggested the Portly Piper for a low-​key birthday lunch on a Monday right before Christmas. I used to frequent the Portly Piper about 10 years ago; it wasn’t anything special but it was a nice, warm, inviting pub and I expected a similar experience this time around.
When I arrived, a part of the restaurant was kind of blocked off, so upon seeing the «please seat yourself» sign, I wandered over and found a booth for me and my folks. The bar here is raised, almost in the middle of the restaurant. They’ve done a nice job of sprucing the place up a bit in the last decade and there are TV’s EVERYWHERE. If you’re going to watch any kind of major sports event, this would be the best place to do it. We had a TV IN the wall of the booth, which provided some entertainment while I waited.
I ordered the Ruben off the main menu upon reading a review recommending it, but their lunch menu is fairly extensive. They have a lot of wraps and paninis on the menu, a great selection and it proved difficult to choose what I wanted. The Ruben itself was okay, nothing special and not the best I’ve had, but good just the same. I would definitely try one of their lunch wraps; my parents both ordered the same wrap and it looked delicious!
The restaurant was fairly busy for a Monday at lunch, but service was prompt and friendly and the food came out piping hot. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Portly Piper for a low-​key lunch, a night out at the pub or for a place to watch some hockey. I will be back to try some of the other stuff they have on their menu!

I’ve got to hand it to ‘em, these wings don’t disappoint! Yum! Absolutely love that they let you pick one sauce or two and they mix them, any combination, right on the wings. No dipping required (unless you want that of course) The pic I’ve included is of the Sweet Thai Chili + Hot. Spicy, sweet, what’s not to like?!
Wing night is Monday, half price, so be sure to check it out. Crispy, meaty, saucy, just pure deliciousness!

I go here regularly, big menu lots of selection. Wings are great, good size, my only gripe is they should have more selection of wing sauces. Always busy and on weekends they have a dj. Lots of tvs so it’s a great place to watch the game. Food is pretty good in general. Pub favorites, sandwhiches, steaks, pastas, curry and some Asian selections. Service is always friendly and they are very accommodating, even for restrictive diets.
I highly recommend if you want great wings, a good pub/​sports bar atmosphere, or have a group with varied tastes.

Located in a quiet strip plaza sandwiched between a variety of a different eateries and a packed parking lot we took our chances and gave this pub a try. It was a Friday night around 8:00pm and to our surprise we found a bustling restaurant packed with patrons. They had all sorts of people here: large groups, intimate couples, families with small children, families with teens, elderly couples, middle aged, and teenagers you name they had it.
I checked in with the hostess and she told us it would be a 10 minute. Truly I didn’t believe her but sure enough at the 10 minute mark she came over and led us to a large leather booth with a tv in the middle airing the Jays game. The restaurant is a bit a dated and surely has seen better days but it definitely had a lively upbeat atmosphere.
Our waitress came over and introduced herself and went over the specials for the day. Every week they have an additional menu of specials, I noted one of the specials of the day was an 8oz baseball steak and lobster for only $ 23 bucks! However I was more in the mood for some greasy food.
Thankfully our friendly waitress was very educated on the menu, she was so informative as I was torn between 3 entrees and she was soo good in helping me make a final decision.
Deli Reuben Sandwich– Shaved corned beef topped with sauerkraut, Russian dressing, Swiss cheese grilled to perfection on light rye bread
Stacked high with ample meat layered with that tangy kraut and a light coating of creamy Russian dressing with perfectly melted cheese held together with crispy toasted buttery rye it was perfectly done! Served with mustard on the side for good measure I adored this sandwich!
Oh and lets not forget about the side. I went with the onion rings. They were out of this world good! Thick cut super crispy golden exterior enclosing that tender sweet onion! Yum!
I can’t believe how good they did two traditional items. I was quite impressed!
Overall I have to say I will definitely be returning to this spot! Great food with wide variety of items, friendly and attentive staff, and very affordable prices. I can see why this place is soo packed!

Moved to Ajax in April and glad we found this place. Clean, good food, nice people. Had the double burger. Awesome. Making it a regular hangout.

I wouldn’t call this place a ‘pub’ but rather a sports bar. There are TVs in every booth and plenty around the bar. The music was played at various levels throughout our visit and was sometimes annoying and/​or too hard (it just didn’t suit the atmosphere at the time). We were there on a Saturday for lunch and to my surprise, the majority of the patrons seemed to be in the 60+ range… of course, we were there with my parents so that didn’t help matters either.
There lunch menu has a wide variety of food most of which is under $ 10.00 but you can also order from their main menu with prices ranging between $ 10.00 — $ 14.00.
We ordered:
Bangers and Mash — $ 10.99 (from the main menu)
Wings and Salad — $ 8.99 (lunch menu)
Lasagna with Garlic Bread — $ 7.99 (lunch menu)
Soup and Corn Beef on a Kaiser — $ 7.99 (lunch menu)
Since I have to try every restaurant’s Bangers and Mash, that was my main. They serve it in the traditional fashion with baked beans on the side however, they also covered it in fried mushrooms and onions which actually added a nice touch. The bangers on the other hand were like little stubby sausages and really fatty… not my idea of a proper banger. Two stars for that dish.
The Lasagna looked so good that I had to have a bite. I wish I had ordered that instead! The picture doesn’t do it justice but the portion size was quite large. It was so cheesy and meaty and the pasta was cooked perfectly. A really nice dish.
The wings were really plump and meaty. The order included five wings, carrot and celery sticks and your choice of side. My husband opted for the Caesar Salad. I must say, the ‘ranch’ dressing that is served with the wings is home made and is to die for! If you like garlic, you’ll LOVE this.
The Soup and Corn beef on a Kaiser was served with a side of coleslaw and although I didn’t get a chance to try it, it looked quite nice and my father seemed to enjoy it. Again, great portion size for the money!
Oh… and one more thing…
Now I must say, I’m not one that is often willing to venture into a restaurant loo but these took me by surprise! Wall to wall marble and they’re immaculately clean! It was almost as if you were stepping into a spa… quite strange if compared to the rest of the atmosphere, but in a nice way.
Overall, even though I wasn’t all that pleased with my meal, the rest of the experience was fine and the menu has a plentiful selection sure to please the masses. The service was quick and friendly and the loo’s are fantastic. What more can you ask for?