Bill’s Pit

Let me preface this review with the fact that I’ve dined at Bill’s Pitt several times… when they were near Steeles/​Wilson, when they were in Woodbridge, and now that they’re on Highway 7. This location has probably the best décor…warm and comfortable… but that could be because this is a newer location.
Anyways…we arrived (4 of us) at 7:30pm for dinner. We were asked if we wanted a booth or a table… we opted for a booth.
Our waiter was friendly and advised of us the daily specials. Two of us ordered based on his feedback, two of us ordered off the menu.
Apps:
Organic Greens — I ordered this. It was organic greens tossed with balsamic and olive oil. It was VERY salty. a bit too much for my liking.
French Onion Soup — the person who ordered this said it was fantastic… one of the best he’s ever had. He said it’s how this soup should me made.
Smelt — the person who ordered this said they were delicious. They came with a chipotle dipping sauce and the portion size was huge.
Grilled Octopus — the person who ordered this said it was over-​grilled, which made the octopus tough. She didn’t finish it and showed us the underside of a few pieces which were charred.
Main Courses
Ribs — dry rubbed… but with a side of bbq sauce (which was very good). This was my order and they were perhaps the worst I’ve ever had at a restaurant. They were far too tough and without the sauce would have been inedible. Very disappointing. Garlic Mashed potatoes were good however.
Osso Bucco — the person who had this said she’s made better at home… she said the highlight of her plate were the garlic mashed potatoes. She was the most disappointed in her meal as she was the person who also had the octopus as an appetizer.
Steak — the person who had this said it was excellent. Came with baked potato and veggies. He said it was cooked perfectly and was flavourful.
Spagolla (sp) — fish dish. The person who ordered this said it was good, and she finished it all off.
So, out of 4 of us, 2 were happy with their meals, 2 of us were not… so a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ split.
Total for the above, with a bottle of wine and 1 Diet Coke came to (with tax) $ 238.
Would I go back? If looking strictly for steak… yes (strictly based on the carnivore who loved his steak).

First things first, when we walked in at 6:30 we were the only customers there. This should’ve been a warning sign. I ordered the chicken neptune — when it came it looked pretty gross. It looked as though a can of crab meat was dumped on top of the chicken. It was just overloaded with crab meat to the point where it was sickening. My fiancé ordered the ribs and couldn’t even finish his meal with how bad they tasted. The only decent tasting food were the mashed potatoes. We were considering having our engagement dinner here but after our experience, there’s no way we will ever go back.

To get to the point, this place is way overpriced for the quality of food it is serving.
The food isn’t terrible, but that isn’t to say it’s great. My soup was actually pretty good, but it was really messily served, there were splatters all over the edges of the bowl. For main, I had ahi tuna, and it was completely cooked through. Needless to say, it was really dry and unappetizing. My dad had a rack of ribs which were alright.
The service was decent. The waiter was fairly attentive and saw to our needs. However we were one of the only tables in the restaurant (that should have tipped me off).
Overall, the experience was on par with most chain restaurants. However, our bill was nearly double of what we would’ve gotten at a chain restaurant. For the same cost, we could have had a decent meal at fine dining restaurant. And despite what the décor and price is trying to tell you, the food is no where near fine. So moral of the story, skip this place, go to the nearest Pickle Barrel instead.

My boyfriend brought me here for dinner on Valentine’s Day. From the moment we walked in, I sensed something was off. We were seated quickly as the restaurant was about ¹⁄₃ full at 6pm. After a quick glance at the appetizer section of the one page V-​day menu, we both knew we had to order the grilled octopus, $ 18.
A long 20 minutes later, a very unimpressive plate of cut up «grilled octopus» was brought out before us. It was cold. The chefs excuse that was relayed to the server: «it’s supposed to be an octopus salad». Nope. The menu said «grilled octopus», that’s it. So she took it away and came back 5 minutes later with the same dish, but warmed up. It was rubbery, it was luke warm, and it was horrendous. We put it aside and didn’t take another bite.
At this point we had already ordered our main: the lobster and steak sampler platter for two. I was also sipping on a glass of wine while we waited and waited, and continued to be ignored by our server who didn’t take the courtesy to come back and ask about our uneaten appetizer. About 40 minutes later and no sign of our meal, my boyfriend and I paid and left.
We were terribly disappointed with this experience and now had the daunting task of finding somewhere to eat at 7:30 on Valentine’s Day. Thankfully, we had a happy ending elsewhere.
Maybe the original location is better? Maybe it was just a bad night for this place? Most of my restaurant reviews are positive, but I couldn’t stay quiet about this. I hope you have a better experience.

I had not heard of this restaurant until it moved here, but apparently it comes with a great reputation. It seems well deserved, they get check marks all around. Steaks cooked perfectly. I got the grilled octopus appetizer. It was huge, if we ate it all there would be nothing left for the main. My steak was huge as well. Maybe that accounts for the really expensive pricing. Look if your going to move north and try and reduce your overhead, pass all or part of that on to your patrons.
This is a really good restaurant, but with these prices they won’t see me again any time soon. Oh ya, and they’re are in the cursed mall that is very inaccessible or escapable. Many a restaurant/​store have died here. Add that to their pricing and competion, I wish them the best of luck…

It’s a personal point of pride (and a responsibility) to write the FIRST review for Bill’s Pit Restaurant. I was amazed to discover that what I thought was a new restaurant to the Thornhill area, was in fact a new location for a Restaurant that has been servicing the community for 45 years!
I’m thrilled that BP was a part of the Savour York Region restaurant week promotion, because without it I might have continued to drive past its Hwy 7 and Langstaff location, as I had done in the past. This promotion helped me to discover a virtually un-​reviewed local gem and be able to present it here for you all to read about!
Upon entering Bill’s Pit you’re immediately taken in by the elegant décor, the trendy upbeat background music and, (in my opinion) their eye-​catching bar which I feel is a major focal point for the entire restaurant.
I was seated at a quiet corner booth by restaurant owner Frank (who would soon double as my server) and we chatted a bit about his restaurant, chef and how things were going. He presented the regular menu and the Savour York Region Menu. After looking over both I decided to support the SYR promo and went with the $ 35 prix fixe, but looking at both, I’d say if you’re looking for excellent Italian/​BBQ fusion, this is the place to be!
My appetizer course was the: AHI TUNA CARPACCIO ROLLS (3 – 4 rolls stuffed with arugula salad and pesto dressing). This was amazing! I’d never had Ahi Tuna Capaccio before and the combination of fresh tuna, pesto and the nutty tones in the arugula were a literal symphony of flavour in my mouth. What a great start!
Next to follow I ordered the TILAPIA as my main course choice. Served with extra veggies in lieu of my starch of choice the Tilapia came stuffed with crab, scallops and shrimp and topped in a creamy white wine sauce. It had a perfect grill on it and was a full-​sized portion, which I felt was incredible value!
Following my main I was given the choice of dessert and my guest and I decided that we would each order one and share. The Crème Brulee option was perfectly done and given that I’m not a fan of this dessert normally, I was surprised at how mildly sweet the creamy insides were. That being said the crème brûlée was no match for the freshly baked HOT apple pie a la mode that was placed in front of me! a massive diet interrupting portion which could have doubled as a main course on it’s own. Amazing!
Overall my experience at Bill’s Pit was fantastic and now that they have their first review, I strongly encourage you to give them a visit and spread some love on them as well. I mean after 45 years you’d think a few more people would be talking about it right!
Fellas, a perfect date spot that’s totally under the radar. Impress your lady (new or old) with a surprise visit here.
Eatcrest Out!