Romby’s Tavern & Smokehouse
488 Lake St, St. Catharines, ON L2N 4H4
Some people might associate “dive bar” with a negative connotation, but I prefer dive bars and hole-in-the-wall restaurants to trendy or pretentious ones. I, personally, don’t need the food to look like art (it all ends up the same in my tummy), and then I have to stop for more food on my way home because I’m still hungry after paying $100+ per person for a meal. Give me some cheap, good portion-sized food at a comfortable, low-key restaurant or bar, and I am perfectly happy. I’m a cheap date!
On our drive home to Toronto after spending the night in Niagara Falls for our wedding anniversary last year, my husband and I stopped at Romby’s Tavern & Smokehouse in St. Catherines, Ontario, for lunch. I would classify Romby’s Tavern & Smokehouse as a dive bar or tavern, so you probably guessed that I was happy to go there, but they also had me at “smokehouse”.
I read in some reviews that Romby’s Tavern & Smokehouse’s Wolverine-flavoured smoked wings were what they were known for (and I love wings + they’re smoked), so that’s what I ordered. My husband went with his go-to meal at bars, a burger, and in this case, it was the Romby’s burger. The Wolverine-flavoured smoked wings were perfectly cooked and tender with a salty, peppery, Cajun, butter flavour, and a hint of smokiness. They were delicious! My husband’s Romby’s burger was on a brioche bun, and the double beef thick patties were juicy and flavourful. It was also cheesy and had smoked bacon and caramelized onions. Look at how big his burger is in the photo… Lastly, the fries that came with the burger were fresh-cut, pillowy, and seasoned with the right amount of salt.
Romby’s Tavern & Smokehouse has good customer service, an awesome menu, dart boards, a golf simulator, and live music on Fridays and Saturdays. Their food and beer are also cheap – one pound of their smoked wings was $11, and the Romby’s burger was $12. That’s cheaper than McDonald’s nowadays and a lot cheaper than spending $100+ on a meal…all around positives to me!
