Dougall’s On the Bay

Dougall’s is located in Brighton, ON and is a nautical themed restaurant on the Presqu’ile Bay. We were able to sit out on the patio overlooking the water. It was a warm day but the breeze off of the bay was really nice. I ordered a merlot that was made from the region. I think it was from Pelee Island located near Windsor. The wine list is full of different wines, most of which from the Southern Ontario region, as well as a list of craft, import, and domestic beers. For an appetizer I ordered the oven baked brie with a cranberry salsa on it which came with bread. It was probably the best thing I’ve tasted in quite a while. After this the entrée came. I ordered the veggie burger with a side of fries (I was feeling the carbs and starch that day). According to the menu, all of the burger patties are handmade and gluten free for any of you who have an allergy or intolerance. I found the veggie burger to be a bit dry, although other than that it was good. It might be because I didn’t put any condiments on other than relish. I find usually veggie burgers are best with some kind of sauce or topping that is somewhat «moist» (hate that word) if you will, (i.e. apple butter, avocado), but other than that it was great. The staff were also very friendly and kind. I would definitely go back.

Much more than I was expecting to find in Brighton. An extensive menu, friendly staff and a great view. We had sandwiches for lunch and everything was fresh and nicely done. Bonus marks for having local cider on tap.

We have been coming to this restaurant for many years because there isn’t much else around. It was pretty average at best. This year there is much improved service, a new menu and probably a new chef. We are taking friends and relatives there rather than going to Cobourg or Belleville and having good meals served promptly. The bar still closes too early because I think they want to close the whole place early. The regular crowd seems to come much earlier than a city restaurant.

What a terrible experience we had today at Dougalls On the Bay. Not only was the service below par, the food was absolutely disgusting. Bland flavourless food, burnt dry bread for our sandwiches, and so cheap on the fillings and cheese. When our server asked how everything was we started to tell her and she just turned around and left. I was going to ask her for some sauce to put on the extremely dry sandwich but she never returned. Honestly this will be the last time I visit this restaurant. There much better places to eat in this area.

Absolutely beautiful view of the bay… Excellent food and service. Was very nice to have management visit every single table as well. Four and a half stars from me!

Dougalls,
Please stop serving reheated food to customers who wait too long. Please serve reasonably priced drinks, in a timely manner. If you’re open after 9, people will come and order night caps. Unfortunately you’re not. Even on summer weekends.
Stop abusing your awesome location to serve Brighton crappy, overpriced, food and drink. There’s a market for an upscale restaurant here between The Gables and Capt George’s, I’d love to tell my friends it was you, instead of sending them to Cobourg or The Port in Trenton.

Unfortunately this was a terrible experience. After waiting a full hour (and nearly finishing the bottle of wine ordered at the start), the food was disappointing. There was no bread or anything served to soften the blow of waiting an hour for food service. The seafood au gratin dish was ‘meh’, while the salmon with a ginger glaze certainly didn’t taste like ginger, or much of anything. It came with plain rice and overcooked vegetables. The waiter was pleasant enough, but not forthcoming with much information about why other tables who had ordered more recently had their food delivered sooner, and he didn’t bother wiping up a wine spill though he came back to the table several times and should have noticed it. The location is good and there are some other reviews online of this place that suggest the food and service are sometimes better, but we would tell friends to avoid Dougall’s.