Black Labrador

As an Englishman wandering in to a new pub in the States is always an adventure and I always look for the good things to pass on to fellow travellers. My trip to the Black Labrador left me searching for plusses. more

I've had to deal with the manager Armando on several occasions. His customer service and etiquette can be compared to that of a construction worker. I am truly shocked that this place continues to stay open. If it wasn't for the location and good beer selection, I'm sure it would close down in a week. more

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Was at the Black Lab today for the 2nd Time in as many months. On my first visit, a Saturday about 7PM. I was with a group of about 20-25, that had reserved the Churchill room. Meals were preselected and paid for When we got there, the room was not ready, however they seemed to be doing a brisk business in the other areas. OK, they were a little busy, maybe, we got there a little earlier than they expected. The room was set up, in a unorganized way, with our help. The food was good, served slowly but OK. Then today again we had the Churchill Room reserved. We entered, no one there to greet anyone at the front door. Again we were a group of 20 -25. Some like myself had been there before we knew where the room was and went on in. About half of the party wandered out side and in the restaurant until one of the group rounded them up and showed them where to go. We filled the room. We were all seated, No Black Lab. employee in sight. Then a young woman came in to the room from the back, looked at all of us and left. A few minutes later she and another server appeared and started handing out menus & taking orders for beverages. The drinks came quickly. I was with a group that was seated in the middle of the room. They handed out the menus to all that were seated against the walls and windows and left. After about 20-30 minutes they returned and started taking orders from those that had been given menus. We were left sitting. They took orders from those with menus, picked up the menus and felt. After a few minutes, I got up, went to the front entrance,stop a server in her tracks, with a tray in her hand, and asked her to please give us menus. She apologized for missing us, gave us the menus, Then she immediately wanted our orders. We hadn't even had time to read the menu. Told her so,and she went on to do others things. We made our decisions and we sat there. We had to hail a server to take our order. She did and then we sat. The orders of all the other were delivered, they started eating. We were sitting. One or two tables, that had small children, got served first, then the others . We sat. The tables with the children finished, paid their bill and left. We sat. We flagged down a waitress and asked if she could please take out order.The remainder of the room were almost finished with their meals, we were sitting with no food. they were clearing tables when ours arrived. My food was room temperature at best, the others at out table said theirs were on the verge of being cold. We were so hungry and had waited so long we were afraid to ask that they take the food back and warm it up. The woman across from me had pancakes and the butter did not melt on them. If the food had been hot I would not be writing this because it was good. We were finished and ready to leave and had to again ask one of the staff for our bill. Then we had to sit again and wait for that. I was really tempted to just walk out, but I did not. I paid exactly what was on the check and left. This might be a good restaurant if it was organized a little better. They knew we were coming both times and both times they did not seem to have enough staff or people that cared enough to try . I do not plan on going back. more

The Black Lab delivers everything you could want in a British pub, specially, a large selection of British beers. It is one of the few places where you can ask for ""a pint of the black stuff"" and they'll actually know what you're talking about (Guinness for those who don't). Their black and tans are superb, as only a true British pub can deliver. But the absolute best thing about the black lab is the location. For those of you that have never been there, it almost feels as though you've been transported to London, cobbles and all. A huge chess set adorns the outside and is always fun, specially after a few ""pints of plain"" (again, Guinness). By this time, though, you'll probably be ready for a spot of supper, and this is where the Black Lab shines. Order the Shepherd's Pie, the Bangers and Mash, or the traditional Fish and Chips and you'll start to wonder how it is possible that British cuisine has such a bad rep. I can't think of a meal I would rather have when I'm drunk than a big plate of shepherds pie, and a big plate it is, my SO and I usually share one plate and are more than satisfied. While the prices might not be exactly cheap, they are certainly better than the city's only other British pub, The Red Lion, and when you taste the magnificent food offerings, you'll understand why the prices are such, and feel like you're getting a bargain. more

From a true Brit. Pros: Cozy Cons: Not authentic, automatic 20% gratuity. more

They have the best bloody mary, I enjoy all the meals on menu, They have the best brunch on sunday and I just love this place. Great atmosphere and relaxing outdoor seating, its a great place Pros: Great food, with the English authenticy more

I fell in love with this resteraunt and have always enjoyed coming in!! The wait staff is adorable with there outfits and sometimes efficiant with there service, but its kinda hard to get great service when they are having to deal with rude customers who think that the whole world revolves around just them!! Its seems that if you come to a place like this you would understand that well good food always takes time to cook and will be cost more than a buck (thats what makes it fresh and delicious) but some people ruin the experiance for others when they are constantly being rude to the wait staff. If your having a bad day please go somewhere else or go be with your self and don't ruin it for everyone. I have always enjoyed coming to their establishment it just seems that lately they have been getting down right unclassy individuals coming in. Please don't come unless your going to be patient and classy, not rude and tacky..and if you don't have the money for good food, don't ruin for everyone around you and go down the street to the jack in the box or burger king its only three blocks over along with the rest of the FAST FOOD places.. thank you girls(staff) for always being wonderful and keeping a smile on your face and ours!! Pros: great food, and atmostphere Cons: rude customers more

A group from work went to eat fish and chips at the black labrador, the fish was breaded in what looked like corndog batter. Three of the people in the group ate fish and chips while the forth one did not. A few hours later all three people were throwing up and stomach pains, the whole night and the company had three people with sick leave the next day. I called the manager, and he denied that it was his fish and chips (we did not eat anything else, and only the people eating the fish and chips got sick). Obviously we are NEVER eating at the black lab again Cons: Got Sick From the Fish and Chips more

They have a beautiful building, outside (in front of the pub) is great when it's warm or the sun is shining. Just don't expect to get nice food. The fish & chips and the beef Wellington are a joke. The salads are hit-and-miss. Mussels, burgers and sandwiches are O.K. Pity, this could be such a nice place! Pros: Outdoor seating area Cons: Food more

I was in there with 5 co-workers last night (4/3/08), we typically had to go to the bar to either ask for our waitress to be sent over or to order drinks instead of waiting on the waitress to show up. Some of us wanted to order food and the waitress never came back to take our orders and one person in our party had ordered an appetizer which never was delivered. When we asked for our checks to leave the waitress asked if we wanted to wait on the appetizer that had been ordered at least 45 minutes earlier, we said no. She proceeded to say she probably didn't pay enough attention to us and didn't come by often enough....enough said. Have been there a number of times over the years but the service has never been like this, not sure if I will go back as there are so many other places to go. Cons: Service, Parking more

I think someone below summed up with English tearoom analogy. All I can say is that it is a place you can take Mum and Dad when they visit town. Not a bad place, not bad food, not bad beer, not bad service but then not great on all accounts. Pros: Mum and Dad dinner spot when they come to town Cons: Parking...Urggghhh the worst! more

Food was very good, I was with a party of 5 others-everyone enjoyed their meal. Waitress was very personable and service was slightly above average. The meals are specialties of Scottish/English fare. Not what one would expect if you are looking for standard American food, so be prepared for a hearty Scottish or English country style meal. It was not crowded on a Friday night, we had made reservations--ended up being 30 min late but had no problem being seated right away. I noticed several empty tables through the evening. This was a very comfortable pleasant dining experience. By the way, the parking garage behind the building offers free parking for Black Lab patrons! We had no problem at all parking-very convenient. The only downside was that the restrooms are upstairs-handicapped are provided a downstairs restroom. Pros: Entirely thumbs up Cons: Bathroom accessibility more

Horrible food. Terrible service. The beers not bad. Still won't be going back. . Cons: Bad food, service, value for money etc more

When I ate at this establishment, I could not believe the service. I was totally abandoned. I had to find my own place to sit, I had to flag down someone to bring a menu, I had to again flag down someone to order. My food came way late after I again got up to find out what happened to it. The food was bad, mediocre and my 10 year old niece could cook better than this. Again I had to find someone to bring me my bill. Don't bother, this place is simply not run by anyone who cares about quality or good service. Pros: they have chess Cons: horrible service, poor food more

Black Lab offeres a comfy atmosphere, tucked behind ivy-laced walls and a giant chess set. Favorite meal: Somerset Brie and Double Fudge Mousse Cake, served with a tall glass or two of Blue Moon. Pros: outdoor dining, unique food to the area more

Pretty Much this was one a terrible evening. The place was dead, the waitress tonight ( May 14th , 2007 ) was even more dead. She lacked a personality and any type of service standards. The food ws cooked wrong and all she said was well, uh I will talk to the manager. The manager or her enver came back to apoligize. Heck, she never showed up for anything but her tip! Bad food Bad service. Don't waist your money. Pros: None really Cons: Everything more

I've been there four times now. Whenever I have a friend come in town, I make sure to take them to the Black Lab. It just has such a good vibe to it. more

Inedible fish pie (unbelievably salty). This place really lacks a certain something in the atmosphere department. more

Food presented very well....generous portions. Taste wise very satisfying. Pros: Good food Cons: Poor service more