Clay West Bar & Grill

While out in Bayer ‘s Lake with some friends, we dropped in to Clay West to refuel with a Burger Week burger.
This was my first time at CW, but I’ve heard good things about their food — a locally-​owned oasis in a desert of asphalt and chain food. It’s a very large space, with a mix of tables and booths, a couple large projection screens, and a small stage for bands. Being mid-​afternoon, it was quiet, with just a few other Burger Week stragglers trickling in and out.
Clay West’s Burger Week offering was a Cuban-​inspired one, coming with smoked ham, braised pork, Swiss cheese and pickles on a half-​pound patty. I ordered fries and a beer to go with it.
Unsurprisingly, the burger was noticeably large when it arrived — both the thick patty and the too-​wide bun. Meat-​bun ratio fail. The beef had a decent flavour that stood out against the other meats thanks to its thickness, but it was overcooked and dry. The ham didn’t really register on my taste buds, but the braised pork was really good. Cutting through the richness of the other toppings, the pickles added a little balance to the hearty burger.
The fries were a deep golden brown, as most hand-​cut fries are, but were crisper than most.
Our friendly server was on the ball, although that was pretty easy given the crowd/​lack thereof.
Clay West would have been better off with a wider patty that was thinner and cooked more evenly than the thick ones that are prone to being dry by the time that they’re cooked through. I doubt I’ll have the chance to make my way to Clay West to give them another shot, so hopefully they work on their execution for everyone else.

Great little restaurant tucked away in bayers lake. I’m here occasionally and have always had great food.
Service has been off and on but I find not many people know about this place and at 5pm all the franchise restaurants are packed, this place never!
Highly recommend the poutine and ice cream drinks.

Honestly, I quickly changed my mind about this place. I am not sure if management changed, but things are consistently mediocre now. The food sounds delicious on the menu, but hardly ever pans out to anything interesting. They use ice berg lettuce in their caesar… that’s one of my biggest pet peeves. And the fact that their bar selection is so limited is another strike in the negatives pile.
Also, for such a large place they don’t seem to be able to handle large groups– even with reservations. Even with a table of two I’ve witnessed insanely slow service.
After being open a while now I would think they would do something to make the atmosphere a bit more appealing, but it’s still wide open and dingy feeling. And it’s not the cleanest.
I really did have hopes for this place, but it turns out they didn’t rise to the occasion.

I have been here a few times, I always found the service and food good. I have had the burger, pasta and fish and chips and found it all good. The use social media a lot, especially facebook for discounts and special

Hubby and I went for lunch at Clay West again today — Social Media Sunday so you get 25% with the password from Facebook!
My hoagie meatball sandwich was really tasty and the meatballs were huge. I also tasted my husband’s boneless chicken wings. They were moist and delicious.
I understand there is a new chef and the menu has been changed a bit. Its worth checking it out!

While the décor is a bit dated at this location, they made up for it in their friendliness. Our waitress was very welcoming and came back a few times to check on us throughout the meal.
The kids meals are only $ 4.99 and include a soft drink or orange juice. Apple juice is an up charge (weird) and so is milk. it doesn’t pay to eat healthy these days I guess! Weird that they wouldn’t substitute even though they’re the same price on the menu as the pop! I would have been happy with no refills on the milk but swapping it for the pop just the same.
The kids ordered pizzas which were made on flatbread… a nice healthy alternative! And came with a caesar salad. For $ 5, it’s a good deal! Both were full after eating their meals! We ordered the pan haddock and an alfredo carbonara type pasta dish. The pasta dish looked very modern and was yummy. The pan haddock came with veggies (about a half carrot sliced and 2 pieces of broccoli) and a large portion of mashed potatoes. While it tasted good, the presentation reminded me of going to grandma’s house for some good ol’ style cooking. The presentation was drab and looked like anybody could have plunked it up on the plate.
While I understand that it’s a «Bar & Grill» the bathroom signage is a little to be desired. On each bathroom is a picture of a squirrel with the comments «Nuts» and «No nuts.» While the person who came up with this appears to have a sense of humor, it’s not very family appropriate during daytime dining hours.
All-​in-​all a decent meal for $ 40 for 2 adults and 2 kids.

Very nice location and great food. I had a hard time finding a normal burger, they all tend to have unconventional recipes. The last time I went I got the double and that was the closest to a standard burger I could find. The fries here are amazing so I was glad that I made this find. I’d definitely go back!

Had my first Clay West visit recently and it was pretty good overall. Since I only live 5 minutes away, I can’t believe it has taken me this long to visit!
Isn’t much of an atmosphere here — just a typical sports bar inside, and it’s quite dark. I had trouble reading the menus where we were sitting. The space is very large and open, though so it at least doesn’t feel cramped.
The service was a bit slow and disorganized — we had two different servers come up to get our drink order, one other to drop off the drinks, then one of the first two did the rest. I’m sure they were just overwhelmed bc it was quite busy (we went on a Thursday night, which is wings + half price apps from 4−10pm — I’m guessing it’s a popular night). The servers were all really nice at least, so the disorganization wasn’t a big deal in the end.
We took advantage of the deals and ordered two apps — the fish tacos and perogies — and 10 wings each. The wings were quite good — large with lots of meat and the crispy coating was tasty. But frankly 75 cents per wing isn’t a very good deal. The fish tacos were the best thing we ate — the cilantro/​lime mayo was really fresh and creamy and the slaw added a nice fresh flavour. The perogies were «meh» — they must have baked them in the oven and I feel this dried them out a bit too much. They were just ok.
Despite the pricey wings, our bill was very reasonable (about $ 38 before tip, including the food above and a pitcher of Moosehead). The good prices make up for the other «ok» parts of the experience.
All in all, a decent place for an affordable, quick and greasy meal close to home. I will be back!

The food was great, don’t let the outside exterior scare you off (old Kokomos). We ordered the Nachos, and my husband had a steak, the Pulled Pork Nachos are really yummer nummy, with cilantro crème sauce. They make almost everything in house, and the prices are affordable, large sizes, nice wait staff.
Its casual dining, so don’t worry about dress code. Hope to be back sometime before the summer is over. Its a better place to eat than all the fast food around Bayers Lake, without paying $ 20 + for a decent meal. Both meals were under $ 8.00 — $ 13.00, $ 10.00 pitchers, can’t go wrong. ;0
My only con, is to make a bit more cozier, a couple fire places, may warm the place up, it just such an open space.
We will be back to try more stuff on the menu! Plus the Nachos for sure!

Meh. Came here for dinner the other night and was underwhelmed. I wasn’t expecting much, but still.
I had the ‘vintage lemonade’ (just fresh squeezed lemonade) to drink and it was really refreshing.
I ordered the chicken/​bacon/​tomato mac n cheese. What arrived was a soupy mac n cheese with two sad, small half slices of tomato on top and large round medallion-​type chunks of chicken mixed throughout with some bacon mixed in. It came with a side caesar salad which was too lemony and all the lettuce were those small crunchy bits, bleh. Good croutons though.
Back to the mc n cheese. It was soupy, not creamy and the chicken seemed like it was some industrial restaurant supply company frozen chicken that was microwaved and tossed in with the pasta. For $ 15 I expect better. $ 15 is the same as what you pay for a fresh, homemade pasta entrée at Il Mercato. This was no Il Mercato.
Aside from the lemonade being good and our waitress very personable, I can’t say there is much to make me want to return.

We live in Dartmouth and will drive the 35 minutes it takes to get to Clay West specifically for the nachos and burgers. Delicious. Everything is always loaded and hot and delicious.

I have been to Clay West a couple of times, and although it has been fairly close to a year since my last visit, I don’t feel as though I am missing anything.
The food was good, not great, but it was satisfying to the taste buds.
The big drawback for me was during my last visit. Often in the mood for desert but rarely having room for it, I couldn’t say no to some blueberry grunt. As a childhood favorite my expectations were quite high. I sat in anticipation as it would take a few minutes to prepare the grunt, which I was stoked for, because it was being prepared fresh. The desert was finally present, and I dug in… But wait… my spoon went in the dumpling and dough was sticking to it, the middle was still cold. When the server came back I let her know the issue and she took it back for a fresh one to be prepared. Again, after much anticipation, I saw served another blueberry grunt. Same problem, the berries were hot and the dumpling was not all the way cooked. I thought maybe third time is a charm, but I was sadly, mistaken. After a bite of the third doughy partially cooked dumpling, I gave up, feeling disappointed and bad for all the waste, but I wanted to give a chance for redemption. I can’t remember if I was charged for the blueberry grunt or not, but I do recall not minding paying for it, because although it wasn’t edible, a business still needs to make money.
In conclusion, for the price of their food, I wouldn’t go back unless there were no other options and I had the extra cash to eat there.

I want to love this place I really do! but when you read this you’ll see why I’m torn!
Atmosphere– passable
Bathroom– passable
Cleanliness– passable
Décor– could use some
Food– Pretty Good
Service– wishy washy!
I’ve been here twice (which is how I ended up being the Duchess here), the two experiences were extremely varied! the first time it was very empty and quiet, the second time it was noisy and busy! so please keep that in mind as we go forth.
Atmosphere
It is your typical local watering hole that denotes the feeling of «those who like it, like it allot» There is a sense of community with this place. First time there was a wedding reception in the lounge, second time there was a bowling league party. So its got the vibe of a relaxed community place down pat!
Bathroom
Oh jeez, I almost hate doing these reviews lately since the bathrooms seem to be so hit or miss in this city!
Pro– Multiple stalls and sinks! Large mirror, and decent lighting.
Con– it looks outdated, the toilets are the low ones (we know I hate low toilets), the paper towel dispensers were hung oddly (ie spaced funny), there was a little bit of a funk, oh and my favorite con… A bottle soap dispenser with two real ones on the wall! (it wasn’t a mickey mouse one at least!)
Cleanliness
I do let this category slide in most cases but today I feel I need to comment on it, the first time we were here it was good, everything looked clean smelled clean and all that… Second time, it was a little less… I feel some consistency is needed. that’s all.
Décor
it could seriously use some! and some mega lighting upgrades! The lighting is horrible in the space, I know there are limits to what the building owners will allow (i know the company, i’ve dealt with them before), but to basically eat in the dark feels completely out of place! but thats just my opinion.
Food!
First visit
it was GREAT! everything tasted fresh, well cooked, and flavored.
I fell in love with the Fish tacos! My dad fell in love with the Atomic Burger.
Second visit
My favorite fish tacos were a little less awesome, the tortillas were dry around the edges, the fish was less colored, something felt a miss (or possibly I am remembering something that wasn’t there). I liked my classic poutine, just the right amount of crispy fries with the flavorful gravy it was good!
Dad ordered the Clay burger… he didn’t enjoy it as much as the previous one said something tasted odd, but he couldn’t figure out what.
so on the food issue, I am the most torn! I was in love with the Tacos, now i’m feeling pensive. I think theres some Consistency issues that need to be addressed all over the place.
Service
This is where Im having the hardest time with this place. it is more inconsistent then any where else in this place.
First visit,
Waiter was quick to give us menus, quick to offer suggestions when asked, He was busy and by himself but he still made the time to make sure everyone was good. My drink came quickly, as did the food, He seemed to really care about service and speed. Which I appreciate!
Second visit
completely different experience! (and not enjoyably different) We were pushed to order, even had the drink menu basically thrust on us with an abrupt change of waiter from one person to another. Neither were very nice, they were very «Can I take your order now.» and kinda rude. I understand being busy, but if you have time to STAND AROUND then you have time to serve your tables with kindness.
There were 4 of them on, 2 were doing next to nothing while the others were busting their butts! not impressive. Our drinks came slowly and with excuses, Dad ordered a stella and the stella glasses were all dirty so he got it in a bigger glass.
the food arrived, again this waiter decided something needed apologizing for, my tacos were 1 minute behind everything else but apparently that is worthy of «Sorry for the delay»
No offence, but 1 minute or less isnt a big deal! My drink was empty… I clearly wanted another one, I ordered another before the food hit the table… I was done eating by the time it arrived… I almost wanted to say «take it back, I dont need it now»
Again, I understand being busy! but WOW! If you have two wait staff who are standing around, and running off outside, then you can sure have an extra hand behind the bar!
To ADD to this, when I went to the bathroom these same two waiters were standing around the order terminal chatting (about customers), when I came out they were still chatting about customers!
HUGE thing you DONT DO! If your going to complain (which is what they were doing) about the people who are going to GIVE YOU MONEY, DO IT IN THE KITCHEN NOT ON THE DINING ROOM FLOOR! LEAST OF ALL BY THE BATHROOM WHERE THEY CAN HEAR YOU!
To SUM up quickly, ADDRESS THE SERVICE STANDARD! and get some lights!
(Im at my word limit… DAMMIT!)

This place was a disaster
Half the stuff on the menu they were out of when we went, would have tried the «meatloaf» if available.
Service was piss poor
Food we ended up with was very blah.
Would not go again.

I’ve been back!
It was even better this time.
We got the pulled pork sliders! Oh ma gad! fantastic!
Then being on a burger kick lately, i scanned their burger menu!
What’s this? Peanut butter? banana chips? on a burger?
I AM IN! And it was on!
Only down fall was the way too much cream cheese they add!
so I peeled it off, and was in the Burger zone of awesome!
I can’t wait to go back, for
A) that burger again.
B) wing night
C) wing night for ½ price apps (aka pulled pork sliders)
P. S. they also serve Barking Squirrel beer so good!

Was in today for lunch with a friend.
Its not really all the impressive on the inside.
I spied on their specials board they had a blue cheese burger on today. Perfect. I’m down for that. I ordered mine up with a side of onion rings, my friend a bowl of seafood chowder and potato skins.
The food arrived and looked good. The burger came on a big crusty ciabatta type bun. The first bite was tasty, then I realized the burger itself was terribly bland. If it weren’t for the blue cheese there wouldn’t have been any flavor to it. And the onion rings were your standard run of the mill, nothing fancy, onion rings. In fact I’m pretty sure I’ve had better from the freezer section at the grocery store.
Her chowder looked good, and she says she enjoyed it. And the potato skins were good as well.
Service wise, it was adequate. No fancy bells and whistles but it wasn’t bad either.
Will I go back? Maybe. Will I avoid it like the plague? Probably not.

If I had written this two nights ago, I would have gone at least 1 star higher.
I got quite sick unfortunately from the food here. (I say that because other than a few pieces of toast in the AM, it’s all I had)
The old Kokomo’s building still has the skeleton of that time, with a stage on the floor, and a very open style dining room. We chose a booth, but quickly realized the seat backing was sturdy and I started getting knocked in the back by a boisterous person leaning into it.
After a quick seat change, I got a little bold with my choice. The Peanut Butter Banana burger was it, and I eagerly awaited.
The food came pretty quick and looked great. The peanut butter burger consists of a peanut paste (which looks a bit unpleasant, but is great tasting) The banana chips added a nice crunch, and the meat seemed well done and moist.
The burger was stuffing, and desserts a just the ‘pre-​packaged’ style, so we didn’t partake.
All in all, aside from getting sick, I have always had a pretty good experience.

They have the best pulled pork I’ve EVER tasted.
Very friendly and timely service!
Definately my new go-​to place in Bayers Lake.

Started with Nachos, they had a Clay burger and chowder. The burger had a fried egg and a weave piece of bacon. Amazing.
My wife had the onion burger. It looked awesome, but I was way to stuffed from my food.
That clay burger was excellent, it was a simple but well executed burger. Easily one of the best burgers I’ve had in Halifax.
Will be back here for sure.

Mike and I hit up Clay West for lunch. I was not a fan of Kokomo’s, and it doesn’t look like much has changed.
The décor (if you can call it that) consists of what appear to be two large projector screens and a digital countdown to St. Patrick’s Day. We were seated at a booth, which was quite nice … I think. It was too dim to tell for sure.
The staff were friendly, but when I asked our server what a «bacon weave» was (all their beef burgers come with this), I was told it was bacon «weaved into the patty.» It was not; it was a small lattice-​work of bacon placed on top. We both got the mushroom burger, which was good if not small. For appies Mike tried the mushroom soup which was okay, and I had the garlic bread which was really tasty and well presented. The fries with our burgers were awful; unpeeled, undercooked shoestring fries that dangled limply from our fingers.
We skipped dessert as their options are very limited and there was nothing that appealed to me.
Other than the garlic bread, the only good thing about Clay West is it isn’t an expensive restaurant.