Watchman’s Pub & Eatery

If I’ll be to show someone who’d never seen it before an absolutely «vanilla» Canadian pub, Watchman would have been an almost perfect example of it. With all good and bad sides, I think it’s quite authentic.
It’s also rather beaten, or well-​worn, whatever it is — just feels like there were thousands of heavy butts wiggling on these benches, thousands of happy bellies getting filled at these tables, thousands of random people watching sports, playing arcade games, talking, meeting each other… Is «used» a bad thing for a pub? I don’t think so, in fact I see it more of a testament of being useful.
I really liked the pub fare. Fish and chips, checked. Poutine, checked. Tap flow, checked. Food was prepared well, served reasonably fast, cutlery and other necessary tools were handy and clean. Price and portion size were also absolutely on the spot and well-​balanced.
Service could’ve been a bit faster, but that bit of a slack was definitely compensated with friendly and genuine approach — so no complains, all good here.
Is Watchman a place to rave about and invite everyone to check as a local celebrity? Not in my opinion. Now is it a solid, working place where you can comfortably drop in and enjoy what pubs are existing for? Most definitely.

Fun pub. had the rib special and a few pints. ribs were good and the beer was cold. service was friendly. good pub atmosphere. i am new to the neighbourhood so i’m glad this place
is within walking distance.

I ended up here because I asked for my friend to take me to their favorite dive bar. Well, they delivered, but Watchman’s didn’t quite have the you’d-never-expect-it-to-be-good-but-it-so-is! charm I was hoping for. I browsed the menu but only ended up having beers, so I can’t comment on the food. Not sure if I’ll be back to give this place a fair assessment, because it doesn’t really have anything that makes me think I need to try it. With so many options on 17^th, Watchman’s isn’t high enough on the list for me to drop in again.

Good service (very nice staff, very involved/​attentive manager), good prices. See bands, see games, still be able to talk and hear the people you came the bar with. There’s no particular crowd that goes there it’s just an unpretentious place you have fun and hang out in, it’s been around for a long time and there’s good reasons it has.
Someone giving a 1 star review because it doesn’t offer vegan food, and –god forbid– had ‘drunk revelers’ in there isn’t fair. If you have such a strict diet you should probably check first, if you don’t like drunk people celebrating a birthday you probably shouldn’t be in a bar.

The Manager, Peter was so great to us! Excellent service and so accommodating ! Great food when we needed some, thank you for the great experience in your club!!! And the band last night Rocked!!! Thanks Peter!!! From your very satisfied customers from Brooks Ab!

This place feels like it’s where other bars go to die. While some bars can be charmingly dive-​y but have secret 1ups like amazing food, or a crazy bartender that yells a lot, but is secretly a teddy bear; I don’t know what Watchman’s has going for it, really. I used to work across the street and I think I ate at every place within walking distance *except* Watchman’s. Last month, my suspicions of «ew, gross, sketch bar» were confirmed.
I stayed longer than I wanted to, because my friends and I were trapped in a booth between drunk birthday revelers, and I guess none of us wanted to be the party ruiners that showed up late and left early. The waitress was efficient enough, and was apologetic when my drink unexpectedly came with a cherry in it (which I am deathly allergic to — asphyxiation). The menu had nothing vegan on it, except possibly the «Asian Vegetarian Spring Rolls» — which, yeah, wouldn’t consider to order since there’s nothing else «Asian» on the menu.
TL;DR — This place doesn’t feel welcoming, and the menu and limited drink options certainly aren’t welcoming either.

Great Happy Hour specials. Nachos are super and the Friday steak sandwich is great at ½ price

I will say that the drinks are reasonably priced. I never ate here, but judging from the menu it seems like the food is reasonably priced as well. But I just wouldn’t hang out here at all. Kind of seems a bit divey and not in a fun way like Ducky’s or something like that.
One of my weaknesses is that sometimes I have trouble pinpointing the factual reasons for feeling icky about a place, person or thing. However, perhaps this next anecdote would be an example why I felt uncomfortable here.
One of the patrons chose to wear gym shorts from the 1970s that accentuated the flatness of his buttocks and the whiteness of his skin (real snug and not in a Calvin Klein kind of way). And to make things more interesting he decided to further enhance his look with the shoes and socks with shorts look. Nice!
Now I am far from a fashionista and a man’s buttocks aren’t objects I naturally gravitate towards (not that there is anything wrong with that), but it was little things like this that turned me off from Watchman’s. Plus the beer selection is a bit limited and it took forever to find my waitress to pay my bill. It always humors me when it’s such a chore to give a pub my money.
I must be in the minority because it seems like a popular place, but I am not sure I would want to come here again. Maybe it was just this visit.

I went to Watchman’s on a Sunday night with a friend for some food and a couple drinks (Translation: At least 100oz of beer each).
We ordered our usual 100oz beer tube with it’s own tap and I ordered the chicken quesadillas to start. Yummy. They were crisp and tasty. For my main, I went with a Kansas City hot dog with fries. It’s pilied high with ground beef and cheese. So big, in fact, that I had to use a knife and fork to eat it.
Our server was pleasant and attentive, even with the workout of bringing multiple beer tubes to our table.
This was another good visit to one of my favourite places on 17^th.

Yikes. I had been the Watchmans a couple of times before but the last visit has definitely molded my opinion and its not a good one.
Went there with a buddy for Monday Night Football game and was enjoying the drink specials until the bill came. We had two servers over the course of the night and had 4 pints a piece. The bill came and it had 9 pints instead of 8 on it honest enough mistake. When we brought it up to our server she went over to the manager. We overheard her conversation and it was filled with justification on how it wasn’t a mistake and we had that extra beer. I am an honest man and we most certainly did not. It wasn’t the cost (4 dollars) it was the principle of it. For the management team not to trust a new customer a strike the beer from the tab was absolutely ridiculous. Its a cost analysis, you strike a definite 4 dollar waitress error from our tab and you get more of my money. You don’t and you have lost a customer for life.
Great decision Watchmans I appreciate that you showed your true colours so early in our relationship.

If you’re looking for a place to have a good beer and a decent meal without breaking the bank, Watchman’s is the place. It’s a bar and doesn’t promise to be anything else, but they just happen to have decent food and clean taps for a reasonable price.
I have only been there during the day, when it is pretty dead, so I can speak to the nightlife, but Watchman’s is a good place for lunch because you’ll always find a seat. The staff are also quite friendly, and with the handful of regulars that frequent the bar, they can hold a conversation.
For $ 11 I had a Guacamole Burger (Guac, Provolone Cheese, Bacon etc.) that was big, pretty tasty considering the Establishment and it came with two sides. The chili I got reminded me of Wendy’s Chili– which is good, but by no means quality chili– and garlic potatoes which were good and covered in gravy. Then, with a couple of beer added to the tab, my total bill was $ 25 plus tip. Try to find a better/​cheaper deal on 17^th.
There is obviously a lot of competition on 17^th Ave, but Watchman’s fills a void in bars toward the west end (Uptown I think they call it) of 17^th Ave that lacks good places to have a drink.
Don’t expect a classy joint, but expect good food, good beer at a good price.

Watchman’s is great for Nacho’s and Balloon’s of beer. It feel’s like a local neighbourhood pub but right on 17^th. Every time i have gone its been the right atmospher for great convorsation and a great time. Some waitresses dont seem like the happiest campers but the bartenders seem decent and all the food is top notch. a new favorite for sure.

All’s clear for you to have a great time at Watchman’s Pub on 17^th. This dark cozy pub has a nice casual comfortable vibe to it — less «meat market», more «meet market» than other watering holes along the Red Mile. The service is friendly and casual, and the pub grub is a cut above what you might expect. Particularly on Thursday, when $ 9 will get you a healthy portion of crispy flaky beer battered fish and fries that over-​runneth the plate. There’s no skimping at Watchman’s.
Nor do they skimp on entertainment options, as they feature tons of flatscreen TVs, 2 Big Buck Hunter shooting games, and a Golden Tee video machine for you indoor sportsmen.
Besides that they also have an unobtrusive bank of VLTs if you’re feeling lucky. And lucky you’ll be to find yourself at Watchman’s particularly during summer when their spacious patio provides one with the perfect perch to people watch.

There is just something about a grimy exterior of a pub filled with young rock gods on their night off that fills me with the glee. I love the people at Watchman’s, though I admit I have not visited often enough to define a «regular». Unlike Chad’s experience, in mine the people inside have always been pretty friendly, relaxing during a game or after a show and willing to chat up new comers. The service has always been a little bit lacking, true… You get pretty good at flailing in their vicinity after a while.
Overall, I think that The Watchman’s is pretty serviceable, and is a much better place for a quiet, cheap pint and some conversation than many other bars in the vicinity. It is definitely convenient, and if I’m tempted to nip down to Tubby Dog after chilling out here, who can blame me?