The Pub Down Under is located in Place 400 in the north end of Saint John, New Brunswick. It has live music, good beer, and cheap food. Does cheap necessarily mean good? A new location opened uptown and many people on Saint John Foodie love the Pub Down under (both locations). I think it is a great place to have steak and eggs, or to have a beer while watching some live music. Their nachos on the other hand... we've had worse, but read on for the details:
Pub Down Under: Uptown
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| Pub Down Under Beef Nachos - September 2021 |
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| Pub Down Under Beef Nachos - September 2021 |
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| Pub Down Under What was Left Over - September 2021 |
Distribution of Toppings
Unfortunately, we ran into one of the classic nacho problems: The top layer came off and we were left with many empty chips (see above). Oh dear!
Quality
The top layer did not have a good toast factor and there was no spice anywhere on the nachos. I thought maybe they could have done something with the beef (taco seasoning?), but everything was so bland. The chips were also chewy instead of properly toasted, similar to what we experienced at Boston Pizza a couple of visits ago. I did like how there was a lot of green onions and that there were two blends of cheeses.
Value
These are probably the cheapest nachos you can get in Saint John. The price is $9 for veggie and to add chicken or beef it is $3.00 extra. I think that considering the distribution of toppings and quality, the price is still too high. I would pay $5 more, which is the cost of a very cheap beer, for a good toast factor and distribution of toppings.
Quantity
I think it was sufficient to share as a meal. We ordered wings on the side but we did not need them. We probably had a good Labour Day appetite.
Conclusion
I really think that the Pub Down Under has good prices, and by ordering something like steak and eggs, you get a good bang for your buck. They often host local bands as well, and we always enjoy a beer and a snack while watching some local talent. As for the nachos, unless they improve the quality I would not recommend them. Just order something else! It's unfortunate because I want to give a good rating to a local favorite amongst the Saint John Foodies, but I have to be honest. In terms of the nachos, they were disappointing.
Nacho Blog Rating: D
Pub Down Under Place 400
Distribution of Toppings
Unfortunately, half the chips were left when I had that first layer of toppings. I had a plan to bring them home and then put more cheese on them to make a whole new plate. However, they did not make it home because I could not resist having the delicious chips on my break at work. Therefore, I would have really liked to see more cheese on them and layered.
Quality
Although the toppings were not layered, I found the chips to be very flavorful and tasty. If they could just add more to the chips!
Value
I cannot find the price of the nachos anywhere and I did not take a picture of the menu; however, my total bill came to $16.80 including a pop, tax, and tip. I think they were around $12 and that was with beef on them. I think they were accurately priced based on the quality and distribution of toppings.
Quantity
It was a good size for one person and for a meal but I think that if you were sharing, you should get wings or something else to go with them.
Conclusion
This is hard because I love the Pub Down Under as I used to go there quite a bit for shows and I used to work in Place 400. It was my old stomping ground! However, the nachos could really use some work with the distribution of toppings and the quality which is what is the make or break of nachos. If I could give a suggestion, it would be to add more cheese and effectively layer the toppings. I felt like I mostly just had chips.
Nacho Blog Rating: C-