Pickle Barrel

Horrible food at high prices. They used to be good but now, all their foods are of very low quality and not cooked the way you ask for. Service is poor too and some of the staff are very rude. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY HERE.

Still waiting for my food. 32 minutes in. We are here with two kids and they’re absolutely starving. I didn’t think pasta took this long to prepare.

This is a good place for a bite before a movie, or even after. The restaurant is quite massive… did not expect to see that many tables. A wide selection of comfort foods did please me. I opted for the meatloaf which wasn’t spectacular, but still quite satisfying. Could have done with a bit more pepper or even hot sauce to add to the flavour. I would chalk this up as a place to go if you don’t care too much about having a dining experience, but rather a «I gotta eat so why not» venue.

I have had very poor experiences at 90% of the Pickle Barrel locations I have gone to. I have always had plenty to complain about… not that I am actively looking to pick on something but they have a horrible habit of disappointing chain-​wide. From poor past experiences I reserve the PB as a last option destination.
After a Saturday night at the movies my friend and I decided to go for a drink, she suggested to me we go to the PB. Considering it was for one drink, I figured it could not hurt.
When we approached the front hostess station, the two young girls were so self absorbed in their own conversation they ignored us. With no acknowledgement I was turned off and walked in to the bar area. They could not break away from their conversation for a mere second to welcome guests and to say you may sit anywhere you wish at the bar section. That is all I wanted to hear because sometimes they may be full due to the movie crowd.
The manager came by to check up on us about 3 short minutes after we sat down to ask if everything was okay, if we’d been looked after by the wait staff; I was pleasantly surprised by this very proactive manager; and I promptly informed her. She was so nice and attentive that she apologized and went to talk to the pair up front right away.
This is the only location of the PB where I have gone to a few times previous with groups and did not experience any of the other PB issues at other locations. I would have given a one star review for the poor customer service but the manager at the bar section brought it up to three, even though we only had a drink each.
I hope this management staff can set an example for the staff to be pro-​active and well trained. The entire chain of PB sorely need this level of management if they are to improve on a wider scale.

I’ve been disappointed by Pickle Barrel several times, particularly at the downtown location near the Eaton Centre. I came here with a group of about 10 or so, and thought I’d give the Fish and Chips a try again as it was a different location.
The atmosphere was dim, large, and modern. The service was slow. We were in a hurry to catch a comedy show near by and it took us a while to find our waiter to get change.
Unfortunately, the fish looked slightly burned, the batter was tough and not crispy; therefore, I was left quite disappointed. The best thing about the dish were the sweet potato fries and the tartar sauce. My friend ordered the same thing and his experience was similar. My partner ordered the chicken and waffles and it was mediocre. I tried a bit of it, and it was incredibly sweet as if they poured too much maple syrup on top.
Pickle Barrel has failed me again. There are so many better options in the Yonge/​Eg area.

Went there for company’s Christmas party. The place was very crowded but we had reservations.
The menu is ok, lots of options but the taste is nothing special. Prices are high for what they offer.

Went here two Fridays ago for an early dinner. Food was terrible and dried up. Service was slow, really really slow. The funny thing is that the restaurant was a mess but no one seemed worried about fixing it. Called the manager over who also didn’t seem worried or like she wanted to fix anything. Didn’t give a good reason why anything was so bad and just said to go and she would comp everything. What a disgrace, I left shaking with rage.
It’s been many months since I wrote this review and they have yet to write back to me. Very disrespectful, I’m astonished a corporate place could do this to people. Going to deter anyone to go here to avoid such awful treatment and food. You should be ashamed of yourself and your company!

Came here on a Saturday afternoon with a group of friends. I always like how the seats are arranged in Pickle Barrel. We sat next to the window facing Yonge Street, so it was nice and bright.
I ordered the Mixed Berry Waffle, Jenny’s Homemade Tiramisu, Samplers, Strawberry Banana Smoothie. The Waffle was actually really good. Sometimes I hesitate to get mixed berry anything at stores because I wonder if it’s going to be frozen or fresh fruit. But this was all fresh and very delicious. My smoothie was good — in fact it was finished way too early on. I absolutely loved the tiramisu. It’s presentation was impressive and the taste was not too sweet– but enough to finish it without feeling sickening sweet. I tried some of the foods on my friends plate — but it was quite simple. So I’m glad I got my waffle.
Our waitress was also quite attentive to our needs (we were a group of 7 with kids), and was interactive with the kids as well. Very awesome. I’d definitely recommend a visit.

The food and serve is very good, the dishes are a bit different from the typical chain restaurant types and the plating was beautiful but one thing i must say is that its a bit on the pricey side. for one large caesar salad with chicken it cost me $ 16!.. call me cheap but I think thats a bit much for some lettuce and grilled chicken. Other than that the food and service were good.

Definitely a great hangout place for the young and families but food is too off. There are plenty of options and lengthy menus but the taste of the food is either to sweet, salty or bland. Burgers are often dried, Greek food tastes like baby food, steak is alright but the poor vegetables accompanying it, looks that they have been in a steaming sauna. Their pumper nickel bread is a good starter. Prices are too high for just average unsatisfying food. The lengthy food menu definitely is a weak point and reduces quality significantly.

One of my clients is at Yonge/​Eg so I’ve eaten at this Pickle Barrel four times this summer. I had the Chicken Parm, smoked meat sandwich, buttered chicken and breakfast (bacon and eggs). Of the four, the breakfast was the best.
Anne was our server the last two times and she was friendly and helpful.

Came in today. In the first few minutes me and my friend had a great experience, the hostess was super nice and accommodated us just so we could sit somewhere we wanted to (the booth) she was awesome!
After that, it was all downhill. The waitress we had was HORRIBLE and barely even greeted or spoke to us. Getting water took forever and after eating we waited another 20 mins just for the waitress to come, never checked up on us once. The food was good at least but service made experience bad. We wanted to get dessert but didn’t want to have to wait as long as we did so we left. Won’t be recommending.

I will only give this place two star because the food was pretty okay. I got a caesar salad to start and then fish and chips as my entrée. It was all quite tasty.
The waiter took a bit of time to get our drinks. He did the bare minimum. Got our orders and then brought the drinks and food. He checked up on us perhaps once. My friends and I got there in time for their special that had a soup or salad and main entrée. It said on the menu to add a mini dessert for $ 1.99. I was definitely surprised when I was charged $ 2.99. When I asked him about it he hesitated and then told me it was the correct price. My friend said it was fine and paid for our meals. I knew I was not wrong so after dinner we went to the washroom and looked at the menu by the hostess station. It was indeed $ 1.99. I was not happy at all. Customer service was not a strong suit of the waiter.
I will not be returning.

Waited 2 hours for delivery (I ended up ordering from somewhere else in the meantime as I assumed my food wasn’t coming)
When it finally did show up the delivery guy was rude and not only was the food ice cold (obviously) but it wasn’t what I ordered… Even the drinks were wrong — I think someone stapled the order to the wrong bag or something. Regardless it was a terrible experience. Especially when I’m only a block away. If I wasn’t babysitting a newborn I would have walked over and gotten it myself and/​or brought it back over to ask what the hell happened.

I grew up with Pickle Barrel (the original location on Leslie) so it pains me to say this, but the food at the Yonge & Eg location is just crap. And I base that opinion not on one meal, but on several meals. I live and work at Yonge & Eg so I’ve had occasion to eat here over the years, mostly out of convenience.
My most recent meal was delivery… I got a menu in the mail announcing that Pickle Barrel would start home delivery, and being a delivery fan, I decided to give’r a try.
Not good. The stir fries were meh. The deli sandwich was just bad. The lettuce on the lettuce wraps was soaking wet. The fries were bleh.
This is consistent with my dine-​in experience at Pickle Barrel Yonge & Eg, both pre– and post-​renovations.
Attention PB Yonge & Eg, it’s time to step up your game!

I got the 2 course early dine (3:00−6:00pm) special. For the starter I got the mixed green salad and for entrée fish tacos.
The mixed green salad was enjoyable. The dressing was sweet-​sour (just the right amount) complemented by strips of slim apple slices. Sprinkled sunflower seeds was a nice counter balance.
The fish taco came with three piece and the presentation was nice. Close enough to the picture in the menu. This wasn’t a warm meal as I pictured it. The fish was soft and maybe too salty after eating a few bites of it. The dips added brighter flavour to a dark tasting dish. I was full in the end but the tacos wasn’t anything special.
The service today was fairly good. Came at the right times and explained some option.
The newly renovated restaurant had a modern feel and the washroom was pretty and state of the art!

I was at the restaurant for the first time early today. My friends and I were promptly greeted and seated. No more than one minute did our waiter come, introduce herself, and take our drink orders.
After a few minutes with the menus, we settle for a calamari starter and our main dishes. One of my friends food came before our and wayyy before our starter. The server was quite embarrassed and upset so she took our starters off the bill although we didn’t notice or cared which was sweet of her. She apologized and a manger showed up to make sure very thing was okay.
The food was yummy and so was the service. I would def return.

Besides the convenience of being at the Y&E Centre and the Energy industries legal epicentre, i would never go here if it wasn’t for the convenience of a lunch meeting.
That being said, every time i’ve come here — it’s been a reminder why chain restaurants do just ok, but never do well. Aged, confused menu, food out of bags — it’s just not worth spending your money on food like this.

There’s a lot of hate for this place. Why? I came here a couple of weeks ago on a Monday night to meet up with a former colleague. The location is great — steps from Eglinton, it’s easily accessible by public transport. You can also find a lot of street parking if you do your research and read the signs carefully. It’s a newly renovated restaurant (Nov. ’13) so the feel of the place is nice and clean. You get a great view of the Yonge-​Eglinton intersection if you sit by the windows. Services was excellent; our server came often to check on how we were doing. The food is pretty good — the menu is extensive that there’s something for everyone. For the large portions, pricing here is quite reasonable. If I need to meet up with someone at a convenient location, I might decide on this place again.
PS — The chicken hummus wrap was large and yummy.
Good for: groups, drinks, after work

Looking for «healthy» foods nearby somehow I ended up at Pickle Barrel. Ordered my usual Luau chicken salad and was sadly disappointed. The crispy wonton is much smaller than at the other locations where I had this. The dressing was lacking in volume as well as in taste. And the saddest part was the avocado! They have this «version» of what is almost an unrecognizable avocado that seems to be soaked in some sort of preservatives that gives it a yellowish tint. I’ve encountered this before at a Druxy’s at York. Both the taste and texture of the avocado is completely altered, you can’t tell if you are eating display foods. If you can’t get fresh avocados then don’t put in avocados! It was completely disgusting and of course I didn’t eat the avocados from another planet.
The service is mediocre as usual and now the food is bad. I definitely will not have this salad again!

Cheap ingredients, lake of taste, nothing attractive in this place. Go at your own risks.