Black Sheep Pub
• 11026 Jasper Ave. | Edmonton, AB | T5K 2N8
Average User Rating:
7.33/10
7.33/10
Recommended by:
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"New west downtown pub shows reasonably well"
R John
December 2010 — "As with many spaces, this pub has had many incarnations. There was the Stone House. There was Prohibition. And now there is the Black Sheep Pub.
This time around, it is a much warmer atmosphere, approximating one of the big English hotel or railway pubs in ambience. Which is to say it’s a big space, rather open, and what it lacks in quaint it makes up for in neat and clean. It’s also on a corner, so there are windows on two sides of the main room, down the middle of which there is a bar. There’s a separate overflow or private room at the back, as well. The washrooms are small and stressed.
We started, of course, with drinks, and a plate of nachos. Well, we started when the wait staff, of whom there appeared to be one working at that time, managed to come by and take our order. She was more than friendly, but she was also spread too thin to provide good, responsive service.
The selection of beers is good, and they had everything that we thought about wanting. The Big Rock Traditional Ale was very good, and the high-end tequila that we also tried was very nice. Both were reasonably priced for a downtown pub.
The nachos were another story. We had ordered them with chicken, and there were a few strings of chicken meat in amongst the over-baked chips, almost like an afterthought or a mistake. The secret to nachos, of course, is lots of cheese and not to make the pile too high or too dry. Well, no danger of it being too high, but they did manage to make them dry as dust. For the price, indeed for considerably less, we expected some more to the dish. And as with the chicken, or lack of same, so with the cheese. Very, very disappointing.
We were therefore very pleased with our mains. We had two, both lamb, as that seems to be a specialty of the Black Sheep. The shepherd’s pie was big, the potatoes on top fluffy and just browning, the meat in good-sized pieces tender and melt-in-the-mouth, the vegetables and the liquor of the pie just about right. It was perhaps a trifle over-flavoured with rosemary, and there might have been a little more potato on top than some might like, but the dish overall was very good.
The lamb burger was also tasty. The meat was done carefully, which is tough with lamb burgers, neither too dry nor too fatty, rather delicately flavoured for a pub burger. The bun, cheese and mushrooms on the burger were just right, too. The side of fries was good, and the side salad was acceptable if unexceptional.
The service was as attentive as it could be, but they needed at least one more server on. She did a noble job, but it couldn’t be enough with the large pub reasonably full, and filling up as we ate.
All-in-all, the Black Sheep was as good as the other nearby pubs, probably a bit better than Ceili’s or The Pint, and it manages to have a bit of the class that Martini’s carried with it in its heyday. The food is good (except the nachos) and the drinks are very well done. If you’re in the area, it’s a worthwhile stop."
User Rating
7.33/10
7.33/10
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DescriptionTraditional pub fare and nightly drink or food specials are highlights of this Jasper avenue watering hole, which offers a casual dining environment and much more.
Location Information11026 Jasper Ave.
Edmonton
AB
T5K 2N8
