The Saint John Ale House is located on The Boardwalk in Uptown Saint John. It has an upstairs, which looks like a traditional restaurant, and a downstairs, which is more of a pub. If you get there early on a summer evening, you have a front row seat to the entertainment on the boardwalk. The Ale House is known for its variety of ales; however, I am here to review the kettle chips. Saint John, N.B. has +-5 places that offer nachos with kettle chips instead of tortilla or pita chips. I can think of three places with kettle chips: Britt's, The Saint John Ale House, and Cask and Kettle. I do prefer corn chips over kettle chips but then again, maybe I have not had the "right" kettle chip nachos.
Update: I had the right ones at The Old Triangle in Moncton, N.B.
My review from 2017 had expired; therefore, I went back to re-vamp my review. I re-visit places because it's a possibility that the previous experience was a bad night or the chef had changed since then.
Distribution of Toppings
I would say that there was something for every chip, but there was not a lot of cheese and the toppings were falling off the chips. It just felt like a few loose toppings with kettle chips instead of the traditional plate of nachos. To be fair, the menu does not refer to these as nachos. Nevertheless, we still thought they could use more cheese.
Quality
I thought that the kettle chips themselves were crispy and fresh and that overall there was so much potential when it came to the quality. When I think of a place that does kettle chips well, I think of the Old Triangle in Moncton. The bacon was also pretty good on the chips but the chicken was not memorable. Finally, there was not enough sour cream to go with the kettle chips, which we felt was needed given the lack of cheese.
Value
The kettle chips have increased in price over the years and are now $16.25 and if you add chicken, they are $3.59 extra. (I seem to remember them being $13, once upon a time.) The price is pretty average; however, the quality and distribution of price does not justify the value. The Ale House is in a touristy part of Saint John and I think they increase the price because of the target market and increase in demand.
Quantity
This is not enough if you are sharing for a meal. I recommend just having them as an appetizer or a snack.
Conclusion
Regarding our visit in December 2019, we went to The Gahan House afterwards because we were left wanting real nachos after having these kettle chips at the Ale House. I honestly think that after 15 years of visiting The Ale House, the kettle chips have been very consistent and popular. That being said, I think they should also have real traditional nachos full of flavor, cheese, and toppings for their customers that visit them on the boardwalk. I'm making them passable, because I think their intent is to just have a snack while waiting for their big expensive meals there like lobster rolls and steak.
Nacho Blog Rating: C-
Update: I had the right ones at The Old Triangle in Moncton, N.B.
My review from 2017 had expired; therefore, I went back to re-vamp my review. I re-visit places because it's a possibility that the previous experience was a bad night or the chef had changed since then.
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| The Ale House Kettle Chips with Chicken - December 2019 |
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| The Ale House Kettle Chips with Chicken - December 2019 |
Distribution of Toppings
I would say that there was something for every chip, but there was not a lot of cheese and the toppings were falling off the chips. It just felt like a few loose toppings with kettle chips instead of the traditional plate of nachos. To be fair, the menu does not refer to these as nachos. Nevertheless, we still thought they could use more cheese.
Quality
I thought that the kettle chips themselves were crispy and fresh and that overall there was so much potential when it came to the quality. When I think of a place that does kettle chips well, I think of the Old Triangle in Moncton. The bacon was also pretty good on the chips but the chicken was not memorable. Finally, there was not enough sour cream to go with the kettle chips, which we felt was needed given the lack of cheese.
Value
The kettle chips have increased in price over the years and are now $16.25 and if you add chicken, they are $3.59 extra. (I seem to remember them being $13, once upon a time.) The price is pretty average; however, the quality and distribution of price does not justify the value. The Ale House is in a touristy part of Saint John and I think they increase the price because of the target market and increase in demand.
Quantity
This is not enough if you are sharing for a meal. I recommend just having them as an appetizer or a snack.
Conclusion
Regarding our visit in December 2019, we went to The Gahan House afterwards because we were left wanting real nachos after having these kettle chips at the Ale House. I honestly think that after 15 years of visiting The Ale House, the kettle chips have been very consistent and popular. That being said, I think they should also have real traditional nachos full of flavor, cheese, and toppings for their customers that visit them on the boardwalk. I'm making them passable, because I think their intent is to just have a snack while waiting for their big expensive meals there like lobster rolls and steak.
Nacho Blog Rating: C-