Port City Royal in Saint John

Great spot I really like how they decorated the place

Heck yes! Ramen broth had a lot of depth. Tartare was well portioned and presented lovely. Chix mouse had tasty jam that complimented well

The bar staff are always friendly and obliging.

Awesome good. Awesome drinks. I should go there more often. Food : 5/5

The food is refined and quality. On the other hand, the portions are really too fair, at least in the tasting menu at $55 + tax The service is pretty good Very pretty place, subdued lighting in a building that seems historic

Creative drinks & creative dishes to accompany the friendly service. Everything we tried from the refreshing margarita (yes a bit on the small side as mentioned by others)and the rich pit master to the tasty food did not disappoint at all. Would recommend to anyone visiting the area.

Amazing food - we had the scallops, tuna tartare, french onion mazemen, and halloumi + corn fritters. Drinks were also delicious, and the service was lovely

Very nice restaurant! The service is great. Everyone is friendly. The food is good, very good cuisine and great crème brûlée! We went there before 7 p.m. and the atmosphere was calm. We had the ravioli and the mezemen. Great ravioli but very small quantity.

The place is pleasant, the servers are nice. The prices are a little expensive, especially the cider ($12) fortunately some drinks are during happy hour at reduced prices. The rosemary fries are out of the ordinary and good!

What amazing burgers for Burger Week! We had the togarashi tuna and the ring sting chicken burger and both were absolutely phenomenal. Not to mention the tasty cocktails and delicious dessert! Cant wait to go back!

This place is my favorite restaurant Ive ever been. I admittedly spend far too much time in restaurants, and have had the great fortune to dine in some fantastic spots across North America and Europe so far, and I cant speak more highly of this place. The staff are fantastic, the food is almost always 10/10, and the restaurant doesnt have you packed in like sardines like so many others of this style. The menu is always changing, leading to so many constant new reasons to come back (and often), and its always nice to have a 100% reliable bar staff who kill it on the drinks like the owner does in the kitchen.

Ive been here a few times and every dish was delicious! No complaints about the service or atmosphere. I found that $17 cocktails and $8 margaritas was too much. The drinks were good but the margaritas were small. Their 3-course dinner is reasonably priced in my opinion though.

Nice foods and very friendly staff, one of my most favourite place for fine dining!

Great staff, great cocktails!

OUTSTANDING! Highly unique offerings, excellent service, amazing setting. Top notch.

Amazing cocktails I m never disappointed when I go here for a nice drink.

Very good food. Wine was wonderful.

Food was high quality and flavorful, staff were very welcoming and accommodating specially considering they were short staffed that night. Menu is a bit pricey but would recommend for special occasions. Cozy and dark atmosphere with clean washrooms.

Nice place to visit in Saint John, NB. Food and souvenirs shops. Atmosphere

Great service, location and food. Cool atmosphere

This place was overall ok however I think it s worth a visit to see for yourself. In my opinion the menu seems to be hit and miss. I would go again and just try different items and if it missed the mark for me I wouldn t go back a third time. They are going for a more upscale dining experience but fail to deliver that on a couple fronts (see below for details). They need to do some editing to their dishes (components and presentation) and then I would give them 10/10. Came here for a business meal with potential clients and ordered two bottles of wine (one red one white) for the table. When we wanted a second bottle of each we had to get a different kind because there was no backup supply. I had the Suarez cocktail, it was basically a fancy margarita. Was very tasty but was small for the price and the glass it was served in + presentation was underwhelming. For a fancy cocktail and price tag the glassware and garnishes need to be on point. For food we ordered a few orders each of fried halloumi (very good!!), charcuterie board (good), sourdough (good). the charcuterie board had some strange items like a chicken patty that was sliced into triangular prisms, reminiscent of liverwurst. The rest of the accompaniments were ok; brie, aged cheddar (loved this), gherkins, pickled fiddleheads, house pickles, some kind of kimchi relish (lacked flavour and out of place) and apricot preserves. All served with crostini. I felt everything was just ok, nothing too special and lacked cohesiveness. sourdough was served with molasses whipped butter, I wish there would have been traditional salted butter as an option as well. I personally ordered the three course meal. Appetizer was amazing!!!! roasted broccoli with sweet potato (I think?) and pickled duck egg. It was very good 10/10 Entree was strip loin on mashed potato with horseradish jus and glazed / roasted onions. I wasn t a fan of the grilled onions, I felt they took away from the dish and would prefer a more traditional side to a steak dinner. They also pour the sauce all over your dish so that also overtook the flavour. 7/10 Dessert was ok. Some components were very good like the white chocolate and almond bark, that was 10/10. the cake itself was dry. the strawberry rhubarb compote was good but unfortunately had raw rhubarb which negatively affected flavour (really tart) and texture (crunchy). ginger ice cream- again out of place, should just be vanilla overall 7/10

Exceptional meal, wonderful service and a great setting. 10/10

Hteat cocktails.

WOW. Food, staff, service. All amazing. It was our second anniversary, I had flowers delivered there, they weren t even open yet and they took them. The food is so good. The charcuterie board is out of this world, highly recommend it. I had the bbq beef brisket tonkatsu ramen, (mmmmmm .ramen) and my fiancé had the spinach ravioli. The shrimp and fritters ..Omg that sauce.

My fave place to dine in Saint John, and its NOT a basement joint as it says in the description.

GREAT PLACE! HIDDEN GEM! GREAT SERVICE AND VERY NICE. THE MENU WAS AMAZING. PRICES WERE REASONABLE. YOU NEED TO GO.

Well prepared dish, however service too long... too bad

My favourite restaurant in Saint John. We had an amazing dinner here. Service was fantastic, food was phenomenal (try the tasting menu!), and the ambiance is great. The dishes are carefully crafted and have so much flavour packed into every bite. Highly recommend for fine dining in the city.

Original dinner menu, daring and creative! Dining pleasure if you truly appreciate gourmet treats. A memorable evening once we got used to the cold rock hard seats.

We had a lovely evening at PCR to celebrate my birthday. The food was good, cocktails were fun and what impressed me the most was that I had left my birthday card behind, when I realized two days later what had happened they had it waiting there for me with my cash gift still included. Thank you PCR for your honest and helpful staff!

Great, caring owner. Jakob goes above and beyond. Highly recommend.

Had the pleasure of dining here this evening. Small but comfortable. Food was awesome, service extraordinary. Enough attention without feeling like youre being hovered over. Charcuterie board was wonderful with a different variety. Perfect portion sizes, perfect service perfect atmosphere with music not blaring and being able to carry on a conversation. Thank you for a great night and well definitely return. Unique cocktails that were delicious. Dont let looks deceive this is a place well worth visiting!! Highly recommend

I dont often have an emotional reaction to my dinner, but everything here is just so good. Several of the best cocktails Ive ever had were right here in lil olde Saint John, thanks to Port City Royal. If you get the chance to try the eggnog before the end of the Christmas season: take it.

Amazing food, amazing drinks, and amazing staff.

Not a whole lot on the menu to choose from. And very expensive. Nice little atmosphere, but cost us $70 for two and we didn t enjoy our meals much.

Great food and atmosphere

What an amazing place to eat.

Love the atmosphere drinks and amazing service. Cant wait to come back :) felt like New Orleans. Great vibes!

Fine dining anyone? These guys had the best blind tasting. So well worth it. A blast of flavors. Would highly recommend to visit

A local go-to for an stellar dinning experience. Locally sourced and beautifully presented. A definite stop Uptown for dinner.

Cool restaurant with a nice atmosphere. The food was great and service was spot on.

Phenomenal. Food, service, ambiance. Had a wonderful dinner and would highly recommend.

Delicious meal and very cool ambiance. Service was outstanding. Small but varied menu.

Beautiful ambiance and unique interior design. The tartare was good, but not the best. We are very disappointed with the main dishes: fried chicken with more bones than meat, cold noodles flavored with coleslaw sauce (next to Ramen soup on the menu...) The drinks were good and the waiters were nice .

Chill atmosphere, great music. We will return.

Phenomenal food and attentive service. Great beer and wine selections too!

Great cocktails and loved the atmosphere.

The cocktails are wonderful! Also very impressed with the service. We have always had a great experience. Love the decor and atmosphere!

Nice place cocktails. Just went for drinks and appetizers. Not a large choice on appetizers. However, they have a nice charcuterie board and delicious fries.

Great food and service. Always enjoy my time there

Had the 4 course meal, everything was delicious. Service was excellent. Only negative was the wine list that was a bit short. I will definitely go back next time I m in town!

One of the best spots in town! Great staff, very diverse drink selection, and menu items with a Maritime twist. Do yourself a favor and take the blind test menu, you wont regret it!

Interesting space. Hipster Vibe :) Food was different than we expected but for the most part delicious!

Everything is spectacular!! Service, food, ambience.... EVERYTHING! :)

Always excellent

WOW, had one of the best meals last night. The food, drinks, service and overall vibe is fantastic!

Nice atmosphere and good food! A good choice.

Just wow , barman was awesome and creative!! Food was excellent!! Truly recommend that place

Had the $50 tasting menu to see what this place was about. House bread with a magnificent molasses lard - tasted like duck fat, incredible. Followed by a house made copa and fennel salad, tomato soup with herbed dollop of cream/butter, sautéed shrimp with pea purée & corn fritter and creme brûlée for desert; overall excellent value. The food was creative, the cocktails were incredible & unique such as the Copper Penny (ginger, scotch, black sesame) or the Pumpkin Spice Maithai, the space is beautiful and set in the historic centre. Shout out to Tom for the last minute table, and to the rest of the friendly, caring and passionate service. A great place to discover in this beautiful city.

My second visit, first time eating inside. We didnt realize it was Chop Chop week and bought both the plate and the dinner, neither of us really sure what we were even ordering. We started with a carrot soup that was so good that we both fought back tears of joy. By some miracle of God, the dinner got progressively better with each course, prompting lots of swear words and moaning (which I apologized for). The music was also perfectly curated and the atmosphere was very laid back and comfortable. This was by far the best meal Ive had since moving to Saint John in 2019. Thanks a lot!

Easily our favorite restaurant in town

Very cozy, great service, inventive menu. Would definitely be visiting again.

Bring a lunch while you wait for dinner!!

Lovely space, great food, and attentive service. Menu was small and focused, with fresh ingredients. Some of the best mussels Ive ever had, and the chocolate cheesecake was to die for.

I ordered ramen from here on door dash and it was amazing! They wrapped everything individually and put the broth in a separate container so it didnt get mushy or spill. Its the first time Ive ever had the dish proper, and it was absolutely wonderful! Picture was halfway through me inhaling it XD.

The location was ideal and the restaurant was well decorated but the thats the only redeeming quality it had. Ambiance was dead and the food was sub par. It seemed like it was gonna be a happening spot but it couldnt have been further from the truth. Ending up only having a charcuterie board and cocktails which was more then enough. Skip it....

The best Romen you will get in SJ!!! Great cocktails and deserts. Dont know what to drink... try the Royal Palm, you wont be disappointed!

What a lovely place! The atmosphere was amazing! Highly recommend any of the Old Fashion selections!

Favorite bar uptown. Great menu and the charcuterie cant be beat! Perfect place for a relaxed vibe and craft cocktails. Tom is the best!

Love the Saturday night drink special!

Fantastic food, excellent service.

We picked this place on a whim while visiting based on reviews and were not disappointed. We both had the smoked haddock on sourdough with kettel chips and a citrus aioli and it was outstanding. My husband finished first and watched longingly while I finished mine. It was unanimous that we had just eaten the best fish wed ever been served in a restaurant. Our cocktails were expertly mixed, the service was very warm and professional and there was an all Beatles playlist while we ate. 10/10 experience.

Great French Canadian Meat Pie with beef and venison. Also one of the fee places with yummy bread pudding.

Loved it. Went late afternoon on a Sunday, nice and quiet

Old timey bar, has a bit of a hipster vibe to it. Cheap high balls on the weekends though, and service is fast and friendly. Definitely a good place to bring friends who want a bit of a taste it old style Saint John. Food options are also pretty killer, where else can you get duck meat on your nachos?

The smelt are fantastic with a wee dram!

The best drinks in the Maritimes by far. Some of the best food, and the kind of food you want find anywhere else. Any local owes it to themselves to at least come in for some drinks. This goes double for people visiting. Beautiful location and building

OMG So GOOD

So good. Amazing experience from start to finish. Beautiful presentation and excellent service. Definitely a new favourite.

I met Jacob last year at a wedding show where I was completely impressed with his catering samples. From then I knew I needed to go to the Port City Royal to get a taste of his dining menu. The restaurant is rustic and quaint, lighting to suit the ambiance and perfect back ground music. Basically all the atmosphere to have the perfect date night. We were greeted by Tom, and I can say for certain that his personality and mannerisms make him the perfect host. His timings were perfect his suggestions on meals and wine were spot on. We liked him so much at one point my wife asked him to join us, he didn t of course.

Good cocktails, awesome service. Just wish there were more seats. Limits the group size. Other than that, this is an awesome place :)

Amazing everything. Be warned, foodies will only like this style of food. Cocktails best in town

Amazing food and atmosphere. Decor is really great.

Love the food and staff. The owner, Jakob is great to deal with!

Incredible food! Everything was fresh and well balanced.

Great food

This is one of my favorite places to eat at in Saint John the food is delicious menu changes all the time so food never gets stale always something new to try. This latest visit here was during ramen night on Wednesdays so had to try it was a duck broth with buckwheat noodles, fiddleheads and spiced ground pork.

Try the burger

Great spot for a drink, a snack, a chat, a meal and an awsome happy hour. I recommend for all who love oysters and cocktails as much as me. They have an aweome setting very intimate and cozy. Ho check them out!

The perfect atmosphere to unwind over drinks and a meal. Bartenders and staff were very professional. The food was outstanding!

Very nice food, love it!

Pleasant staff. Reasonable lemon drop martini

This place is always amazing. Go here and you wont be disappointed.

We love it! Every dish is a surprise. Rustic ambiance is great.

Exceptional atmosphere, first rate service and $1.25 local oysters during happy hour...you d be missing out if you visited Saint John and didn t come in here.

I popped in here around 10 pm on a Saturday night. Enjoyed a couple of cocktails (bartender was super friendly and very accommodating) and had some poutine which was very tasty. Overall, a pleasurable experience and I will be back.

I went here for a few drinks with friends a few weeks ago. The atmosphere is amazing, drinks are perfect and the food is unique and flavorful.

This place does have some funky drinks and really cool food. I love the atmosphere. Its a little different from some of the similar places I have been in the past but it is very unique in its own way. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to have great quaily service and have a little fun with it a l. The prices are more than fair and they have such great staff. The washrooms are very clean and as I said its great if you are looking for a change or spice things up a little. Highly recommended for its uniqueness and originally. Enjoy!!!!

Amazing lunch sandwiches and soup, great service, rustic and cozy atmosphere. Been raving about it.

Tasty food

Not a huge fan of the food, love their drink menu even the moctails are good. Pretty cool atmosphere.

Great atmosphere, great drinks & yummy nibbles!

A great menu that takes chances. Excellent service. Some of the best cocktails Ive ever had. Love this place.

Wow!

Some of the best service Ive experienced along with some of the most unique food and drink experiences available in Saint John. The bartender Eric makes some of the best drinks around

If you only have a short time in saint john, eat here.

5 star reviews dont do this establishment justice. My girlfriend appreciates cocktails and had an outstanding one made in minutes (including recommendations from the server). Im a Scotch person and not only did the server have insight but he also had experience - including the recommendation of a delicious 18-year-old Scotch I hadnt tried before. Cozy atmosphere, friendly staff, delicious drinks and everything is well priced. If you arent on your way you are doing it wrong. Highly recommended.

Love the uniqueness of the menu here

Had the Scallops and fried clams. Simply amazing food. Staff was very attentive and friendly.

Another hip spot in uptown sj. Good food, music, and cocktails

Great atmosphere

Food was unique and tasty, and our extremely knowledgeable bar tender custom designed amazing cocktails for us based on general preferences. (He also provided us great info on what to do in the area). Highly recommend.

this is a great late night drink destination.

Great fare

Oh Patricia. Sonnets should be sung about you based on your incredible personality and equally wonderful customer service. The food was incredible. And to top it off, we received a special anniversary surprise drink and dessert. That was such an amazing surprise. Thank you for making us feel welcome and going above and beyond to make our experience unforgettable.

Loved the atmosphere of the place. Id like to give the place another chance because when we went it was super busy. The wait staff took almost an hour to sere a drink but we still enjoyed it.

Great food, great armosphere, great people!

first time here and tried their chop chop menu, great experience, and the food(Vietnam Pho) actually exceeded my expectation!

First and last visit. We tried them out during the chop chop promotion... the place was probably empty for a good reason. The food was just ok, and they were terribly slow with everything.. how long does it take to serve soup? We left and immediately went to another restaurant for a decent meal.

Good variety of drinks. Great people.

The place is in the middle of an alleyway which is pretty cool. very hipsteresque, and the service was good. started off with 20 oysters which were fresh. then moved onto the cheese starter as well as the pickles which were good. what stole the show however was the chicken liver. I was ready to order a second round but i knew i had more food coming. ordered the burger which was cooked nicely and washed it down with another 8 oysters. i would highly reccommend this place.

Local ingredients prepared with a flair.

Something different

If you are looking for a great spot to sip a classy drink and have a tasty meal then PCR is a must. Do it. Go. Now.

Menu is always fresh and changing!

With the prices they charge, I was expecting more. Food was good, but not wow, the appetizers were very disappointing.

Knowledgeable people will give you the best cocktail in town. Comfy couch too !

Funky setting, interesting drinks and food. Be prepared to wait for food....nothing pre-made here!

Favourite restaurant in town

Great drinks! Great staff! Definitely a must Check out!

Food is unique and always changing. Prices are really good considering quality and atmosphere is great.

There is no better restaurant in the city or the region. Originality of flavours and execution supported by the best cocktail bar in town. (And ignore other comments on here regarding aize of portions, they are just fine.)

Good food, menu changes regularly. Uses local ingredients.

Phenomenal. The food, drink and service were on par with the best Ive ever experienced across Canada. Eric behind the bar is an absolute pleasure to engage with in conversation and his knowledge of food and drink is vast and plentiful.

Food is amazing...get Eric to make you a Manhattan...

Delicious cocktails and food. Mostly locally sources ingredients, with a menu that changes frequently. Very unique dishes, and a super passionate mixologist

Overly trendy. Terrible experience. The staff were almost nonexistant. Took forever to get our drinks. Will not go back. And most certainly would not recommend. Drinks were good though. Waaay over priced.

Unbelievable cocktails and dishes, always exciting new items on the menu. Highly recommended to any open minded connoisseur of food and drink!

Best pub in Saint John!

Good food. A little long in the wait but overall a great experience.

Best food and cocktails in the city by far! Great staff, all locally sourced, fine dining at affordable prices. Very flexible when it comes to allergies, vegan, gluten free, etc. They also sell amazing loafs of bread. I cant say enough good things about this place. Go and try it for yourself, you wont be disappointed!

So impressed with this place. The food is outstanding (the tomato tart blew my mind), the service is super and the cocktails are one of a kind.

Fantastic meal and service. The atmosphere was cozy and had little hidden surprises. We ate several small dishes and all were great, from he fried clams to the tomato tart. Cocktails were finely made and tasty to boot.

Best place in Canada . All menu items are delicious. Great bar and awesome lounge area.

Amazing food and friendly wait staff. A great place for any meal in St. John.

Wonderful food and amazing service. A menu well diverse for all tastes. A must have in Saint John

Called ahead for a reservation randomly, and was told that they were fully booked but I could try to come in and see if we can get a table anyway. When I showed up, there were counter spots available everywhere at the front of the restaurant, at the bar, and against the open kitchen. I ve worked in the restaurant business for years, and it s better to try and accommodate customers in general and even if you show up at Freemans, or Cafe Mogodar in New York City, they ll always try to accommodate seating you. With this being said, the atmosphere was super cute, located in the historical building in St. John city center. The promise of the menu sounded very interesting. But bottom line was that the food was very mediocre, and although our servers were very friendly, there was a bit of attitude coming from the kitchen. We sat facing the kitchen and never once did either of the chefs smile at us or engage at all. They basically seem to be quite young, and trying to do interesting and innovative things. But from my experience as a dedicated foodie in every country I visit, this was nowhere near the value of what our bill came out to at the end. With all being said, the kitchen needs some pretty critical feedback if they re going to be charging that price point for what they offer and hold up against what would likely roll out in the future on the same price point. I ve traveled to India 20 times, and there a theme for that night was Indian. It was a kind of a slap in the face to anybody that knows the quality of good Indian food. And even if it was an attempt at doing some sort of fusion, it was far from the promise of what was showcased. With all being said, it seems that they have some pretty interesting cocktails, and may be great for a drink, and some light bar food. As I expressed, the ambience was very nice, and if they could improve the output of the food and drop a bit of the attitude, It could be an awesome restaurant.

Great bartender, exceptional and hard to find ales in the cellar, fantastic food. A must visit

Made a point of visiting after Port Royal was featured in EnRoute magazine. Fresh food, delightful flavours, creative cocktails and attentive service. I had a 3 course meal and was astonished at the end of the meal to discover that their oven was broken and everything was coming off the stove top or a barbeque. Their quick adaptation is another sign of their professionalism and skill. Equally excellent as a drop in for drinks as the seating caters to conversation and the atmosphere is relaxed. Very welcoming at bar if youre dining solo.

excellent!

Great service and atmosphere, they make you feel at home almost.

Didnt get the food, but the cocktails were outstanding.

One of the best meals Ive had. Cocktails are amazing and waiter was great!

Good drinks

Awesome hidden spot. Food and ambiance were spot on.

Best cocktails in Saint John. Going on a date, out with friends, birthday, out to meet the locals...this is your place for all things night life Saint John

The appetizers alone were fantastic.. as said above, the ambiance was great and service was fantastic.

Not from the area originally, but the best cocktails that I have ever had!

Knowledgeable staff, great atmosphere. Seriously, their lounge is the stuff of dreams.