The Host Pub and Grill - St. Catharines

I agree with another review that the food at this restaurant lacks creativity. The dishes are very basic and lack flair. However, I did enjoy the French onion soup.

I went to this restaurant for lunch with my girlfriend and we were amazed by how delicious the food was. We always passed by this place but had never tried it before.

I ordered a large chef salad to-go, but received a garden salad instead.

My SO and I are fairly regular patrons of the Host, so that says something; it is comfortable, the staff is friendly, and the specials are reasonable. Breakfasts are amazing! Unfortunately, the lunch, dinner, and tapas offerings are hit and miss. Wings and flatbread are usually good, but salads are wilted and uninspired, and various tapas items are bland. I think the problem is that the menu is too extensive; they should focus on fewer items, but make them their specialty. Better to excel in a few areas than be mediocre in many. Staff also needs proper training. They are friendly and relatively quick to respond (once again the breakfast staff are wonderful - I can't say enough about their breakfasts), but there have been a few occasions where the service just hasn't been up to par. And if a customer is paying for a draft, then fill the whole glass! We received our pints only two thirds full. Not acceptable. We'll keep going there, for breakfasts (!), and the occasional beer (bottled), but don't think a lunch or dinner there is ever going to happen again. Too many disappointments. Didn't say we never gave you a chance.

We started with the crab cakes which were the size of burger patties and they were delicious; the Thai sauce is good but use it sparingly because it has a slow burn. They have a great selection of burgers, pizza, and pasta. Their spice level is a little higher as we noticed with the chicken wings; the mild wings were more like medium wings. Service was great. They also have tapas on Mondays and Wednesdays so that you could try a little bit of everything.