Piper Down Public House

She said:

While growing up in Eastern Canada, I met people from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds: German, French, Welsh, Dutch, Scottish, Irish, and others. They were my friends, classmates, neighbors, teachers, farmers, lobster trappers, miners, store clerks, and so on. In school, we were taught about the rich history and diversity of the Maritime Provinces. In Canada, the fact that most of us came from immigrants was a point of cultural pride, and we referred to our sociological composition as a mosaic, rather than a melting pot.

Why do I mention all of that? It’s because, as a kid, I was introduced to the Irish Rovers, who had a Saturday evening variety show¹. I loved the antics and was charmed by stories of four-leafed clovers, rainbows, pots of gold, unicorns, and leprechauns. But most of all, I loved it when my mother would delve into cooking up Irish fare for supper²: Irish stew, corned beef hash, boiled dinner, bread pudding, and shepherd’s pie. Yum! They were hearty meals that warmed us up on cold winter nights.

Then, when I left home to attend university and was finally allowed to patronize bars and such, I discovered two pubs that served delicious Irish fare that didn’t burn a hole in my pocket. In the years since, it seemed as though the places that often served up the best food were Irish pubs.

Which brings me to Piper Down. It did not disappoint. It was dimly lit, featured brick walls, aged wooden floors, dark wooden booths with red tartan cloth backs, emerald banners emblazoned with ads for Guiness Ale, TVs mounted all around the restaurant, an elaborate Irish crest mounted on the wall just past the very long bar counter. It was wonderfully casual, but the absolutely best thing of all was the food.

As we had arrived during their weekend brunch, I ordered the Corned Beef Hash with scrambled eggs. Oh. My. Word. It was positively delicious! The eggs were light and fluffy, the chipped corned beef homemade and hearty, and the cubed breakfast potatoes seasoned and cooked to perfection. Topping it all off were grilled onions and red peppers. There were also two slices of the best sourdough toast I’ve ever eaten.

I’d been waiting for a while—through all of our forays into the community—to stumble upon a truly great Irish pub, and I found it at Piper Down.

The one curious thing, though, is that the music deviated from what one would expect to hear in an overtly Irish pub: this one played rap tunes. For some reason, this really amused me and put a smile on my face.

Even for people who abstain from alcoholic beverages, going to Piper Down just for the food would be worthwhile.

He said:

Sure, there were 238 days left³ till St. Patrick’s Day, but why wait? Why fight the crowds? You can enjoy Irish food all year round at the Piper Down pub.

The neighboring parking lot belongs to another establishment, so we parked on a side street and walked the short distance to the pub. Kathy, a devoted suburbanite, muttered that it had better be worth it, but she would soon determine that it was.

The Piper Down is certainly a pub, with age restrictions, dim lighting, edgy music, a long bar, an equally long bar table in the center of the room, and of course the requisite dart board in the back. There was plenty of table seating, too, as well as another dining room in the back. A small stage sat unused during our visit, but it could obviously accommodate live music or karaoke. Banners with alcohol labels hung from the ceiling and walls. Over a dozen labels proclaimed the offerings on tap. We had come for the weekend brunch, so we found a more subdued atmosphere than we might expect from an Irish pub later in the evening. The patronage seemed equally divided between the bar and the tables.

The ample brunch menu included plenty of vegan and traditional fare. Kathy, ever the French-Canadian, almost ordered The Canadian, a poutine dish topped with eggs and Canadian bacon. However, the Corned Beef Hash won out, but she didn’t appear to regret it. I went with the Country Fried Steak and Eggs, which was delicious. The herbed country gravy smothered and completely hid the hammered steak. The rich, savory gravy was not shy with its crumbled sausage. Some of the fluffiest scrambled eggs I’ve enjoyed accompanied the steak, along with some perfect breakfast potatoes and tasty sourdough toast.

Brunch may be an unexpected offering from a pub, but it was a welcome and enjoyable one. The quality of the food makes me want to return for a traditional Irish dinner—er, supper—sometime.

Conclusion:

For great food and plenty of Irish charm, pay a visit to Piper Down, no need to wait for St. Patrick's Day. And don't forget their weekend brunch, served Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 2 pm.