I dropped by with a friend before seeing a musical. The location is great, right in the heart of downtown Stratford and a short walk away from the theatres. The ambience is cozy with dim lights and comfortable booth seats. They are doing good business -- they were already filling up as soon as they opened, and by the time we left (around 1pm), they were completely full! I had wings, and my friend had the daily sandwich and pasta salad. While she was happy with the taste and portions of her food, I cannot say the same. The wings were quite overseasoned, so the overpowering flavour was salt, and the overcooked meat did not taste fresh. The price was reasonable, and the service was alright, though. The menu looked like it offered a good variety. read more

Bentley's Restaurant - Gastropubs Near Me - Stratford, Ontario

August 29/2024: Dinner with my Al. This was without a doubt the NOSIEST restaurant I think I've ever been in! It was loud off the chart. My iwatch kept going off tell me it was too loud! I had the Chicken Flatbread ($18.99) with a side salad. It was good but again not great. I found the crust was a little hard meaning it was reheated. We had a number of servers. They were all polite & such. There was both interior & exterior seating available but very little covered outdoor seating. read more

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Visited on Sunday morning 11am and there was some people already even before opening time. We ordered chicken wings and daily sandwich combo. Both were tasty and good portion. The server was very friendly and attentive. I like this local pub ambiance. It was quite spacious too :) read more

Bentley's Restaurant - Gastropubs Near Me - Stratford, Ontario

This restaurant stays open the latest in Stratford, so if you are hungry late at night, this is your best bet. Large menu with many choices such as poutine, flatbreads, salads, burgers, sandwiches, pastas, seafood and more. Full bar too. The food is decent. My vegetarian flatbread was good. The poutine was okay. We came here because it was the only place open late and we needed to eat. It's solid but it's not my first choice. It's large and has plenty of indoor and outside seating. Friendly service. read more

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Visited Stratford on a weekend on our way to a local farm, and stopped by Bentley's for lunch. I enjoyed the soup special with a sandwich. It's a little cafe/ bar so it's nothing super fancy. It's just small town vibes. Take a seat at a booth and check out the specials. I'll say it's really nothing impressive, but it was decently priced food at a decent portion sizing. Good place to go if you're in Stratford looking for a quick bite. Please please please wipe down your booths more though. It's already a dark, grungy looking place - having sticky booths/tables doesn't help the vibe. read more

We stayed at the lofts upstairs from this bar I mean UPSTAIRS... you have to walk a lot of stairs to get to your loft... Once in the loft it's cute a downstairs with couch fridge microwave coffee maker.... Then more STAIRS to get to the bedroom... They offer free parking three blocks away in a parking garage (weird) but when we got there there were no more parking spaces... just not cool the loft itself was cute but was a little worse for wear.:we won't be going back read more

Stopped here for an early dinner after the theatre and it was okay. Though not crowded it seemed understaffed. Our table was set but obviously had not been wiped down and was sticky to touch. Waitstaff was friendly but not attentive (or overwhelmed). The food was good basic pub fare - crispy fries and crab cakes were delicious. But not the best ambience read more

Visited on a Sat afternoon with a reservation and got a booth in the very back. The booth seats weren't clean. Most of the dishes we ordered were okay, nothing great, but one of us got the smothered chicken and it was completely raw chicken. They gave a replacement but the chicken the second time around had almost burnt crusting and pieces were much smaller probably to ensure it wasn't raw again. The servers were okay in acknowledging it but only gave that meal for 50% off - in my opinion more should have been done considering the risk if we had eaten the chicken. Nothing tasted great enough for us to want to return again after that. read more

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We arrived to town late and chose the Bentley because it was one of the few places open after 9...but we genuinely loved our dinner. Pulled pork quesadilla and Caesar salad were great. Rustic meza platter also very good: tabouli was the weak link but the falafel and hummus were very good. The service was excellent. She went above and beyond. read more

A lovely sunny afternoon walking around the nice little shops in downtown Stratford Ontario can really work up an appetite. What better place to go then the exciting Bentley's Restaurant. I ordered not really the healthiest item on the menu but I wanted something filling. I got the five cheese macaroni with fries on the side. I only got a drink of water to go with it all but it was enough. Macaroni was fabulous, the fries were pretty much what you expect from any other bar and grill . Otherwise service was fast and friendly no complaints there. Huge menu with other great items which I've had before. I will return again and suggest this be at least the top 3 places you visit in Stratford in terms of lunch and dinner choices. read more

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if you are looking to have a nice meal, skip this place. it smells like sewage and made it impossible to have an appetite. our server reeked of cigarette smoke which did not help. read more

It took a fair bit to be greeted by a greater, but once seated, things progressed as expected. I had a club wrap with a ceasar salad. I started with the Caesar. If I return, I don't think that I will order the Caesar again. Too much garlic. The wrap seemed good. I thought it was kind of plain tasting, but that was probably because of the strong garlic Caesar I started with. Nevertheless, it wasn't bad. Server fast, friendly and efficient. Restaurant and washrooms were nice and clean. There are some menu items that I am interested in trying. I would return if in the area again. read more

We stopped into Bentley's for a quick drink and nibble while enjoying Stratford's shops. The kind server steered us toward the antojitos. Sooo good. It was the perfect mid afternoon snack for two or three. Great service. Fun pub atmosphere. read more

Lesson learned: do not judge a restaurant by its gorgeous menu outside. My family and I travelled to Stratford to attend the annual swan parade. It was our first time going to the small town, and we had no idea what we wanted to eat for lunch, so we strolled around downtown trying to find a good restaurant before the parade. When I walked past Bentley's, I was instantly hooked by their menu outside: beautifully decorated with so many good options, so I recommended we eat here - bad choice. First of all, the doors are odd. When you walk in the front door, there are 2 new doors to choose from. Both doors have signs that welcomes you in, but only the door on the left leads to the greeting table, the door on the right leads to the dining area. We walked in the right door first (since both doors have "come in" signs) and we were so confused when diners stared at us and no employees came. So Bentley, please, remove that welcome sign from the right door, it is very confusing. Another family came in after us and they were just as confused about which door to enter from. Alright, once we got in, we sat ourselves and our waitress came. The staff are the best - they're super nice and attentive. That's probably the only nice thing I can say about this place. What I didn't appreciate: 1. The tables were RIDICULOUSLY sticky - and I mean sticky like melted candy sticky 2. The booths are dirty 3. The food was honestly really bad. My mom and aunt both had the crispy chicken burger and they said it was under-seasoned and the bun was cheap grocery store bun. My dad and I both got a side of soup, it was seafood flavoured and it was absolutely disgusting. I have never had such disgusting soup before. It was very salty, and smelled weird and overly thick. You can tell it was made at least a few days ago, and not fresh at all. We both had 1 little bite (not sip, too thick to sip) and never touched it again. I ordered the steak and onion pie - the flavours were delicious but I'm pretty sure it was microwaved. The food came out relatively quick so I guess that's good. Overall, we were unimpressed. Definitely our first and last time going to Bentley's, and it's such a shame because this restaurant has great potential. read more

I love Bentley's. Always have, always will. I began my Bentley's dining career at the tender age of seven drinking Shiley Temples at the bar out of big, heavy glass steins. It was the BEST. I was a huge fan of their chicken fingers & fries... they have the best PLUM SAUCE I dunno if it's made in-house or something, but I would take a bath in it. When I worked (almost) next door to it, at The Wardrobe (http://www.wardrobestratford.com/), my favourite lunch to grab was a Bentley's Greek Pasta Salad. Mmmm. Now it's listed on their menu as "Mediterranean Pasta" under salads. It's tricolour rotini pasta with red onion, tomato, and cucumber, sweet peppers, feta cheese, black olives and our own vinaigrette. The Regular is $7.50 and the Large is $9.50. It's still a favourite order of mine. Now when I go to Bentley's it's usually to meet people for cocktails, or a quick pre-theatre or late-night meal. It's a great pub-style place to go with great food. The garlic cheese bread is particularly delightful, as is their grilled cheese - they use olive-oregano bread made in-house and they make it with Havarti... OMG it's amazing. If you're ever in town looking for a place to stay, the lofts above are AMAZING too. read more

Bentley's Restaurant - Gastropubs Near Me - Stratford, Ontario

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Dropping in for lunch, my companion and I were quite impressed by the tasty food Bentleys serves up. Conveniently located on the main drag in downtown Stratford and featuring a large bar (with an enticing selection), Bentleys offers typical pub fair with a few theater town twists to keep it interesting. This visit, I opted for a steak and mushroom pie, a good choice with its rich and flavorful broth, hearty chunks of beef, and a fresh side salad accompaniment. My companion had the salmon and crab cakes, a flavorful and refreshing combination that came with a large bed of "Stratford slaw". Now, I normally am not a fan of slaw of any sort, but this was pretty good with a vinegar base and a tangy flavor. We both tried the split pea soup, which was thick and creamy, and split a tiramisu for dessert. The pastry itself was a bit light on flavor (which was fine with my companion who isn't a huge coffee fan anyways), but the whipped cream on top was amazing. Oh, and the coffee itself is delicious too. The place itself has a comfortable "lived in" feel - the booths aren't very comfortable and the paint is chipping, but it's clean and cozy, without pretentiousness. There are some cushiony chairs by the bar on one side if you're more in the mood for lounging. Service is friendly, casual, and calmly efficient. No complaints there. And prices aren't bad, especially for the area and quality of food. Our entrees were in the $13 dollar range, but there are plenty of snacks and sandwiches at or under $10. The selection is large, too, with something for everyone... from burgers and poutine to Indian butter chicken and quiche. When we arrived, the dining room had just opened, so reservations were not a necessity. However, by the time we left around 12:30 or so, the place was absolutely packed. It was "American" weekend, so that could be part of the reason, but if you plan on going at the normal lunch hour, you might consider reservations. I believe it can get pretty crowded in the evening too. read more

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Recommendation from the owner of the Swan Motel where we were staying - wanted a good burger and told to head here from what their Motel guests said. Did not disappoint - got a grilled, hand formed burger with cheese, crispy fries and really tasty gravy - not your standardrown stuff. We also ordered a Cobb salad which was devoured heartily. We also got a refreshing dark & stormy cocktail - served in a tall glass. Pretty standard family pub atmosphere with good service and tasty food. read more

It's reliable. We usually go once a year. Good beer choices. The food is fine, but I just think it's not as good as it used to be. Fish and chips batter is a bit doughy, as another reviewer said. Have it elsewhere. Hubby liked his pasta and son liked his shepherd's pie. Service was a bit haphazard, but not awful. read more

Great place for a drink or food ,the service is Very friendly(and fast) and the food menu is really good for a bar type and we found the drink menu excellent. Also I had the beer on tap and was fresh and crisp that tells me they keep their draught lines clean .Overall we were very pleased and we have tried several bar/restaurants in this city . . read more

We stopped here for a quick snack while touring Stratford. Its a busy place, food is ok. We ordered fries, nachos, wings and soup. The nachos and homemade guac/salsa were great. The fries were average. read more

Service was super slow and just generally sucked. The out of town people next to us even commented that "this place was never known for its speedy service. . Gf ordered a chicken sandwich featuring avocado and without any word of warning they brought her sandwich out missing the avocado. When questioned, they simply shrugged it off with barely an apology - no attempt to make amends or make the experience better. No water was delivered to the table. My silverware was taken away with the appetizer and not replenished. It's just truly a two-star experience and there are MUCH better places around to have a better meal and better experience. At least the burger was good. read more

Some friends and I enjoyed the atmosphere and the food here. The walkway between the tables was extremely narrow and could only fit one person through so that was difficult when needing to use the restroom. Also the booths were very short according to the tall friends that I was with. However I still really enjoyed it here. The food was excellent and all of us especially enjoyed the spring rolls. I ordered the Kale Power salad and had some sweet potato fries on the side and both were very tasty. The service was good as well. read more

I asked for well done. There was absolutely no doubt in her mind of what I wanted. But... dropped it off totally under done. Said sorry, laughed it off in my face, and walked away giggling. Bitch!!! read more

Always a good place to try something new. If your looking for a place in Stratford that will please everyone, check out Bentleys read more

Bentley's Restaurant - Gastropubs Near Me - Stratford, Ontario

This is a very good restaurant in the heart of downtown Stratford! I had the Shepard's pie and it was very good!! The service is fast and friendly! The restaurant has a casual, yet trendy feel and is very enjoyable to be in! It's a great place to go if you are going to a play in the nearby theatres in the area! Overall the times I've been here, it's enjoyable! *Side Note: the shepards pie has lamb in it, so those not a fan of lamb -- do not order! read more

It's a good food and nice environment Caesar Salad French Onion Soup Mediterranean Pasta Prime Rib

The food is fantastic! We try new places but when we are wanting delicious food, good service and great atmosphere this is our go to. Always consistent standards, fast service and friendly staff. Prices are equal to comparable restaurants and did I mention the food is fantastic? read more

My partner and I stopped by for a bite-to-eat prior to my nephew baseball game at 6:00pm. The place was dead, fair-game for a Monday I suppose. We sat ourselves at a table when we arrived were greeted by our waitress promptly. It was a hot day out so we started with a big glass of iced water: fitting considering we're going to be sitting under the evening sun watching baseball in less than an hour. I ordered the cheddar burger, and my partner order the Cajun Jabalaya. The ambiance is pub-ish with soft music playing in the background. The restaurant was clean and inviting. The prices are reasonable, especially considering the location in downtown Stratford. Rooms are available (lofts@99) upstairs for those who wish to get it on with one of the locals lol. Suppose you could also use a room if you were attending a show, but not sure this would be your location of choice for such activities. Other than my Burger bun being a bit hard, the food was delicious! The waitress didn't come back to check on our table, otherwise I would have mentioned it. We had to flag down our waitress to get our bill so we wouldn't be late for the ball game. She was polishing silverware:) We will be back but not in a hurry. read more

Bentley's Restaurant - Gastropubs Near Me - Stratford, Ontario

*** LOCAL WATERING HOLE *** I love Bentley's. From the bartenders, to the food, to the drinks, to the bar computer games, great times always to be had! The menu is eclectic but everything I've ordered I've been pleased with. The bartenders are so friendly and they make you feel at home. Definitely the bar locals love going to and the bar most recommended to tourists. Always a packed spot, especially before a theatre show it's best to make a reservation or eat at the bar! read more

Made a reservation for Saturday dinner before a show. Glad we did. Really enjoyed our meal, nice service lots of choices. Was actually pleasantly surprised at the quality. I had a steak sandwich with mushrooms, onions and mozzarella. Perfectly cooked and tender and totally tasty. Hubs got a smothered chicken he really liked. Reasonable read more

Ordered Poutin. Don't do it. The salad was the second dish we ordered. What can you do wrong with a salad? You can overprice it and over dress it. Sweet and underwhelming for $16. Disappointed. read more

I first came to Bentley's on a cool and very rainy night. And they had exactly what I wanted: hot & steaming macaroni and a big, foamy Guinness. And that is how I think of Bentley's: -Solid -There when you need it -Staffed by friendly people I loved the Macaroni. The Shepherd's Pie is also very good. Bentley's may be my second favorite place to get Shepherd's Pie. I love Stratford. And it has always been too long since I have been there. Bentley's is one of the reasons that, on cool and rainy nights, I find myself wanting to go back. read more

Have walked by this place so many times on our annual trips to Stratford. The sign boards featuring their features and the dishes people are having on the patios usually draw our attention, but we usually make reservations ahead of time, and Bentley's has somehow not made our list. Finally this year, we left our lunch options open, and decided to give this place a try. When we arrived in Stratford, it was getting to be the lunch rush, around 12:10pm and the patio tables were basically full. We went inside, and were confused due to no signs / hostess in sight. There was an open doorway to the right leading to tables, and an open doorway to the left, leading to more tables. We followed a couple in as they took the left entrance, and found an unoccupied booth. It took a long time to get acknowledged by a server. The menu is quite large, offering mostly pub-type foods. Knowing we were headed to a matinee afterwards, we ordered quickly once we were able to summon her attention. Two of us ordered the daily soup - mushroom - this was actually pretty good. I ordered loaded potato skins which were overdone and dry. Another in our party ordered a veggie burger - verdict was "meh", and sadly, the quesadilla another ordered was also considered "meh". The descriptions in the menus sounded better than the food tasted. As it was lunch rush, service was not prompt, and we were never "checked on" mid-meal. It also took some time to find our server to settle the bill, when we wanted to head out to our show. It's a shame, as we try to take advantage of every food stop on our trips to Stratford, and we've experienced some excellent meals in all price ranges. I guess our sixth sense had deterred us from coming to Bentley's on all our past visits (despite being drawn to it when walking by). There's no need for us to visit this restaurant again. read more

Went here for dinner with some friends on a Sunday evening after we couldn't get into Pazzo or Fellini's. I found it quite cool inside the restaurant and almost needed to keep my coat on throughout the meal. I ordered the mezze platter, which came with tabbouleh, hummus, tzatziki, pita bread, falafels and olives. The best part of the plate were the falafels, which were actually really good. The rest was a disappointment, especially the pita bread that had the texture and taste of cardboard. The service was friendly though and she discounted my friend when she brought her out the wrong meal (which my friend decided to eat anyway). I probably wouldn't choose to come back here again with so many other great choices in Stratford. read more

Service was really great. Prime rib was good and Thai noodles were very good. Shepards pie was good too. Local beers excellent.

Took FOREVER to get served a drink at the bar. A guy next to us had already been waiting 6 minutes for anyone to acknowledge him. We popped in just after noon for a drink and a quick snack before the theater. The place was busy with families, singles and lots of older people chowing on pub food. We finally got our drinks and the bartender gave my boyfriend the Mill St. Tankhouse Ale instead of the Organic Lager. He noticed the hoppiness immediately and she was nice and happily exchanged it. He ordered the Poutine and I had a Spicy Caesar and the deep fried Brie (Rule # 223 of Dining out: if there is fried cheese on the menu... ORDER IT!) Our food arrived without haste and we asked for our bill at the same time so we wouldn't be late for the show. The poutine as pretty disgusting. The gravy was Franco-American style canned crap and the fries were pretty soggy. Cheese was just shredded Mozza, which made it hard to eat for all the stringiness. Curds are proper and Poutine dare not be served with out them. Fried Brie was good. But how can deep fried cheese not be good? (Hence the aforementioned rule). I would come back here, despite this low scoring review. I think they were just really busy and I like the local pub feel and the set up of the place. It reminds me of a few places I used to drink after my shift when I worked in Niagara-on-the-Lake. I would love to see this place closer to midnight. It's a real nice, dirty pub. And if you need a place to sleep then have rooms upstairs, too. One stop shopping? Possibly. read more

There's alot of critique in some of these reviews that I don't think is fair for pubfare. For what it is - a pub with food offerings, this place is good. We enjoyed the patio and service was alright - a little slow with no followup during the meal. The beer was cold with good selections. The food was also good and filling. Ordered the mac and cheese which was a little burnt but otherwise tasty. Again, it is pubfare so take my rating for what it is. Overall a good place for a drink and lunch. read more

This pub style restaurant has a comfy feel and a menu that reminded me of pub fare in a London pub. I chose the steak and mushroom pie. Tasty but a bit overdone. Friends were happier with the quiche of the day and the soup. The variety of menu items made this a great place for groups to ensure everyone can find something to tickle my tastebuds. Bon Appetit! read more

Great service with helpful staff. Tried the soup of the day Spicy Sweet Potato & Carrot along with salmon and crab cakes which were absolutely yummy! Waitress was prompt, food delivered quickly and piping hot. read more

I dined here with a group and found the experience to be overwhelming. I felt the capacity of the restaurant was high, could not feel air circulating (in July), and music was overbearing - making my attempts to converse useless. However, we did have the most wonderful waitress! She served the group with kindness and hospitality I had not seen elsewhere. I look forward to writing a revised review after dining solo. read more