https://rocwiki.org/The_Old_Toad/CommentsRecent Changes of the page "The Old Toad/Comments" on Rochester Wiki.en-us https://rocwiki.org/The_Old_Toad/Commentshttps://rocwiki.org/The_Old_Toad/Comments?action=diff&version1=1&version2=2&ts=13058089952011-05-19T12:43:15ZDamiankumor+2008 comments <div id="content" class="wikipage content"> Differences for The Old Toad/Comments<p><strong></strong></p><table> <tr> <td> <span> Deletions are marked with - . </span> </td> <td> <span> Additions are marked with +. </span> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Line 1: </td> <td> Line 1: </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <span>-</span> This page is for archiving comments prior to 200<span>8</span> for '''["The Old Toad"]'''. </td> <td> <span>+</span> This page is for archiving comments prior to 200<span>9</span> for '''["The Old Toad"]'''. </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Line 38: </td> <td> Line 38: </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td> <span>+ ''2008-01-03 16:15:32'' [[nbsp]] As a Brit, I must say that this is not an "Authentic English Pub." I'm not even sure they are trying. I get particularly annoyed when they "cream flow" OSH and the Green King IPA. That is not how to serve them and there is a significant loss of flavour. The Pittsford pub is a much better representation of a British pub, and a much nicer place. Hell, even Monty's Korner is a better "English" pub. --["DanBatcheldor"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2008-01-22 12:40:38'' [[nbsp]] I don't know how it can't be an "Authentic British Pub" when all the furniture and surroundings come directly from England. Plus 95% of the staff is English. Just because they cater to some American styles of beer doesn't mean the pub loses its authenticity. My wife is British and I have been to England many many times. The Old Toad looks just like a classic English Pub...right down to the staff and one of the owners. Do your homework. --["SoupThirtyfive"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2008-01-23 00:19:14'' [[nbsp]] I've been to England a bunch of times, have family there, my cousin owns a pub there. I think the Toad is the closest to an English pub sort in an Epcot sort of way--those who don't know the difference will feel like they are in an English pub. I'd agree with Dan above. The Toad by far has the appearances, but it's a lot more than the glassware, the furniture and accents. It is the practices. The Toad is the closest to an English pub in a touristy way, but there are many other bars that fit the description better in spirit.<br> + <br> + I agree--The Old Toad may look more like an authentic English pub, but Monty's Korner *feels* more like one.<br> + <br> + I still love the Toad, including the food. --["BadFish"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2008-01-26 18:17:34'' [[nbsp]] Soup35: Is being born in England and living there for 25 years not enough<br> + homework for you? --["DanBatcheldor"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2008-01-29 00:09:57'' [[nbsp]] DanBatcheldor: being born in England and living there for 25 years has nothing to do with doing your homework on The Old Toad. Pay attention. You bad mouth the place about its authenticity and the only thing you have to back it up is the cream flow beers. FYI - I have seen OSH on cask there too.<br> + <br> + "...this is not an 'Authentic English Pub.' I'm not even sure they are trying." - You gotta elaborate a little more than passing judgment on some 'middle of the road' English ales. --["SoupThirtyfive"]<br> + ----<br> + I don't core too much if it's truly authentic. I like the atmosphere and the beer selection. The food quality varies wildly. We recently went for "curry night" and I found it to be pretty awful. Stick to the pub grub and you'll probably be OK. -- ["JonGary"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2008-03-24 16:23:57'' [[nbsp]] Saturday the 23rd. That’s twice in a row I've waited 20 minutes without service and twice in a row I've left without spending any money.<br> + From now on I’ll order exclusively from the bar and bring my drinks back to my table myself. I truly love the place, but I’ve just gotten so incredibly bored by their poor service. The staff have always been nice and I don’t wish to avoid giving them tips, but to continue to pay them to not wait on me makes no sense.<br> + So I left and went to Tap &amp; Mallet, had great attentive service and a wonderful meal.<br> + As usual. --["ZedOmega"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2008-03-24 18:38:53'' [[nbsp]] The bar takes about 20 minutes too. --["DarrenKemp"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2008-05-01 10:17:50'' [[nbsp]] Amazing beer selection. Horrid authentic English food.<br> + <br> + Interior needs a remodel. I dont care if they are going for authentic English style, remodel to be a clean authentic British pub. --["users/MrRochester"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2008-07-16 18:28:07'' [[nbsp]] I went here with a bunch of friends for a birthday party. We had a huge party and I literally sat around for twenty minutes waiting for a server to come over before getting tired and thirsty and just going up to the bar. I had to flag down one of the bartenders, asked him for a beer and some chips with gravy. He takes my credit card, gives me my beer, and then doesn't say another word to me. He didn't ask if I wanted to start a tab, so I assumed he just forgot to give it back and I had to flag down another bartender to give my card back. Fourty minutes later, my friend who sat down at the bar and ordered twenty minutes after I did gets her chips and gravy, so I flag down the bartender again to ask him where my food was. He looks at my friend and tells her that she is eating my chips and gravy and then suggests that we share them. Half an hour later my friend finally gets her chips and gravy. So yeah, he obviously forgot to put mine in and then just lied about it. I know the place was packed, but I shouldn't feel like I'm inconveniencing them by having them do their job.<br> + <br> + Oh, and the chips and gravy weren't that good. One of my friends got the garlic bread, and I would recommend that instead. The only good part about this whole experience was the beer. Needless to say, I will not be back since I can get good beer at dozens of other places in Rochester and not sacrifice service. --["Users/CatMagro"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2008-08-02 19:54:20'' [[nbsp]] A pretty nice place to hang out with a good beer and have a conversation. The service is very slow and the food mediocre- we made the mistake of ordering desserts and would not do that again. --["Users/ShawnaLusk"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2008-09-03 11:44:56'' [[nbsp]] This used to be one of my favorite places in the city.<br> + Getting someones attention for an order or for help is close to impossible.<br> + A place I used to frequent at least once a week has turned into a place I would only stop by for a quick drink - at the bar. --["Users/BethSumner"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2008-10-02 11:20:33'' [[nbsp]] The Old Toad is best for a drink and maybe an appetizer early in the evening. At 6pm, you can easily get a drink from the bar. And, an oddity, we actually saw a server roaming the dining area, something I haven't seen in the last several of my trips to the Old Toad at night. If you're looking for a good 10pm spot, stay away from here. It'll take you several minutes to get the attention of the bartender, then you'll squeeze through a crowded sitting area with no hope of finding a table. Also, the beer prices are starting to approach my 'too expensive to have more than one beer' limit, at a minimum of $4.50 and up to about 7 bucks. The Old Toad DOES have a couple taps of Real Ale, and the local brew I had from the cask was excellent. I'd recommend this place for an early evening drink, but you might want to find someplace else to meet a large group of friends for a night out. --["Users/MRich"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2008-10-16 09:38:22'' [[nbsp]] The cask beer/real ale rocks. The food is less consistent depending on what's ordered, but when it hits, it hits. I didn't care much for the fish and chips, but I love the Piccadilly (Basically a tuna melt with bacon.) I wish I had a better idea of what "authentic" is, but until I can save up for a trip to England, I'll keep going to the Toad for beer. --["Users/HandsomePete"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2008-11-14 09:19:36'' [[nbsp]] This used to feel more authentic until they put that awful yellow submarine in the window. And I feel like they added more Beatles pictures, which is also lame. Still have great beer, and great food if you like British food. The service is dreadful though. Very slow, and it can be difficult to get a server's attention. Regardless of the poor service and tacky decor, I find myself still going to the Toad rather frequently, and I enjoy it. --["Users/StevenDibelius"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2008-11-25 11:00:23'' [[nbsp]] What people must remember about The Old Toad is that it is run by STUDENTS from the UK. The business is there for these students to learn about small business management. I feel that the bitching on this website is because people are not aware of this. As for the English cuisine, again, this is being cooked by students, not professional chefs. If you have to wait a long time for service, this is because service in the states differs from the UK. People do not just sit down at a table and expect to be served in the UK and many of the servers, especially the new ones take a while to get used to this. Fri - Mon TOT is very busy, especially on trivia nights. There are only ever four people serving and on occasion these servers can have up to 15 tabs each.<br> + <br> + For all of you who would rather go to the Tap and Mallet or Montys Korner, do it, because the guys who work there deserve a break from people like you. --["Users/Lucy"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2008-01-03 16:15:32'' [[nbsp]] As a Brit, I must say that this is not an "Authentic English Pub." I'm not even sure they are trying. I get particularly annoyed when they "cream flow" OSH and the Green King IPA. That is not how to serve them and there is a significant loss of flavour. The Pittsford pub is a much better representation of a British pub, and a much nicer place. Hell, even Monty's Korner is a better "English" pub. --["DanBatcheldor"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2008-01-22 12:40:38'' [[nbsp]] I don't know how it can't be an "Authentic British Pub" when all the furniture and surroundings come directly from England. Plus 95% of the staff is English. Just because they cater to some American styles of beer doesn't mean the pub loses its authenticity. My wife is British and I have been to England many many times. The Old Toad looks just like a classic English Pub...right down to the staff and one of the owners. Do your homework. --["SoupThirtyfive"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2008-01-23 00:19:14'' [[nbsp]] I've been to England a bunch of times, have family there, my cousin owns a pub there. I think the Toad is the closest to an English pub sort in an Epcot sort of way--those who don't know the difference will feel like they are in an English pub. I'd agree with Dan above. The Toad by far has the appearances, but it's a lot more than the glassware, the furniture and accents. It is the practices. The Toad is the closest to an English pub in a touristy way, but there are many other bars that fit the description better in spirit.<br> + <br> + I agree--The Old Toad may look more like an authentic English pub, but Monty's Korner *feels* more like one.<br> + <br> + I still love the Toad, including the food. --["BadFish"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2008-01-26 18:17:34'' [[nbsp]] Soup35: Is being born in England and living there for 25 years not enough<br> + homework for you? --["DanBatcheldor"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2008-01-29 00:09:57'' [[nbsp]] DanBatcheldor: being born in England and living there for 25 years has nothing to do with doing your homework on The Old Toad. Pay attention. You bad mouth the place about its authenticity and the only thing you have to back it up is the cream flow beers. FYI - I have seen OSH on cask there too.<br> + <br> + "...this is not an 'Authentic English Pub.' I'm not even sure they are trying." - You gotta elaborate a little more than passing judgment on some 'middle of the road' English ales. --["SoupThirtyfive"]<br> + ----<br> + I don't core too much if it's truly authentic. I like the atmosphere and the beer selection. The food quality varies wildly. We recently went for "curry night" and I found it to be pretty awful. Stick to the pub grub and you'll probably be OK. -- ["JonGary"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2008-03-24 16:23:57'' [[nbsp]] Saturday the 23rd. That’s twice in a row I've waited 20 minutes without service and twice in a row I've left without spending any money.<br> + From now on I’ll order exclusively from the bar and bring my drinks back to my table myself. I truly love the place, but I’ve just gotten so incredibly bored by their poor service. The staff have always been nice and I don’t wish to avoid giving them tips, but to continue to pay them to not wait on me makes no sense.<br> + So I left and went to Tap &amp; Mallet, had great attentive service and a wonderful meal.<br> + As usual. --["ZedOmega"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2008-03-24 18:38:53'' [[nbsp]] The bar takes about 20 minutes too. --["DarrenKemp"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2008-05-01 10:17:50'' [[nbsp]] Amazing beer selection. Horrid authentic English food.<br> + <br> + Interior needs a remodel. I dont care if they are going for authentic English style, remodel to be a clean authentic British pub. --["users/MrRochester"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2008-07-16 18:28:07'' [[nbsp]] I went here with a bunch of friends for a birthday party. We had a huge party and I literally sat around for twenty minutes waiting for a server to come over before getting tired and thirsty and just going up to the bar. I had to flag down one of the bartenders, asked him for a beer and some chips with gravy. He takes my credit card, gives me my beer, and then doesn't say another word to me. He didn't ask if I wanted to start a tab, so I assumed he just forgot to give it back and I had to flag down another bartender to give my card back. Fourty minutes later, my friend who sat down at the bar and ordered twenty minutes after I did gets her chips and gravy, so I flag down the bartender again to ask him where my food was. He looks at my friend and tells her that she is eating my chips and gravy and then suggests that we share them. Half an hour later my friend finally gets her chips and gravy. So yeah, he obviously forgot to put mine in and then just lied about it. I know the place was packed, but I shouldn't feel like I'm inconveniencing them by having them do their job.<br> + <br> + Oh, and the chips and gravy weren't that good. One of my friends got the garlic bread, and I would recommend that instead. The only good part about this whole experience was the beer. Needless to say, I will not be back since I can get good beer at dozens of other places in Rochester and not sacrifice service. --["Users/CatMagro"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2008-08-02 19:54:20'' [[nbsp]] A pretty nice place to hang out with a good beer and have a conversation. The service is very slow and the food mediocre- we made the mistake of ordering desserts and would not do that again. --["Users/ShawnaLusk"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2008-09-03 11:44:56'' [[nbsp]] This used to be one of my favorite places in the city.<br> + Getting someones attention for an order or for help is close to impossible.<br> + A place I used to frequent at least once a week has turned into a place I would only stop by for a quick drink - at the bar. --["Users/BethSumner"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2008-10-02 11:20:33'' [[nbsp]] The Old Toad is best for a drink and maybe an appetizer early in the evening. At 6pm, you can easily get a drink from the bar. And, an oddity, we actually saw a server roaming the dining area, something I haven't seen in the last several of my trips to the Old Toad at night. If you're looking for a good 10pm spot, stay away from here. It'll take you several minutes to get the attention of the bartender, then you'll squeeze through a crowded sitting area with no hope of finding a table. Also, the beer prices are starting to approach my 'too expensive to have more than one beer' limit, at a minimum of $4.50 and up to about 7 bucks. The Old Toad DOES have a couple taps of Real Ale, and the local brew I had from the cask was excellent. I'd recommend this place for an early evening drink, but you might want to find someplace else to meet a large group of friends for a night out. --["Users/MRich"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2008-10-16 09:38:22'' [[nbsp]] The cask beer/real ale rocks. The food is less consistent depending on what's ordered, but when it hits, it hits. I didn't care much for the fish and chips, but I love the Piccadilly (Basically a tuna melt with bacon.) I wish I had a better idea of what "authentic" is, but until I can save up for a trip to England, I'll keep going to the Toad for beer. --["Users/HandsomePete"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2008-11-14 09:19:36'' [[nbsp]] This used to feel more authentic until they put that awful yellow submarine in the window. And I feel like they added more Beatles pictures, which is also lame. Still have great beer, and great food if you like British food. The service is dreadful though. Very slow, and it can be difficult to get a server's attention. Regardless of the poor service and tacky decor, I find myself still going to the Toad rather frequently, and I enjoy it. --["Users/StevenDibelius"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2008-11-25 11:00:23'' [[nbsp]] What people must remember about The Old Toad is that it is run by STUDENTS from the UK. The business is there for these students to learn about small business management. I feel that the bitching on this website is because people are not aware of this. As for the English cuisine, again, this is being cooked by students, not professional chefs. If you have to wait a long time for service, this is because service in the states differs from the UK. People do not just sit down at a table and expect to be served in the UK and many of the servers, especially the new ones take a while to get used to this. Fri - Mon TOT is very busy, especially on trivia nights. There are only ever four people serving and on occasion these servers can have up to 15 tabs each.<br> + <br> + For all of you who would rather go to the Tap and Mallet or Montys Korner, do it, because the guys who work there deserve a break from people like you. --["Users/Lucy"]</span> </td> </tr> </table> </div> https://rocwiki.org/The_Old_Toad/Commentshttps://rocwiki.org/The_Old_Toad/Comments?action=diff&version1=0&version2=1&ts=12863125222010-10-05T21:02:02Zalexandergartleyadded pre-2008 comments <div id="content" class="wikipage content"> Differences for The Old Toad/Comments<p><strong></strong></p><table> <tr> <td> <span> Deletions are marked with - . </span> </td> <td> <span> Additions are marked with +. </span> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Line 1: </td> <td> Line 1: </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td> <span>+ This page is for archiving comments prior to 2008 for '''["The Old Toad"]'''.<br> + <br> + ------<br> + ''2006-09-18 15:04:49'' [[nbsp]] One of my favorite places to just hang out and sip great beer. The food is pretty good as well, particularly the Yorkshire Pudding. With the expansion of the dining section however the service can be really slow when it’s dinner time and the place is full. I usually don’t stay too late so I have no idea what it’s like when the neighborhood fills with the baseball cap, frat boy crowd at night. --["ZedOmega"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2006-10-16 20:14:40'' [[nbsp]] I'm not a big fan of the look, but the drink selection is great, their liquior selection is good and the prices are fair. --["TravisOwens"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2006-10-17 15:30:12'' [[nbsp]] Great place to grab a few pints; you could almost swear you were in London if not for the hoardes of us Americans... ;P --["CatherineConnolly"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2006-11-10 22:01:58'' [[nbsp]] I really like the atmosphere, and the strongbow on tap, but not the food so much. --["JodyBenedict"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2006-12-13 16:03:35'' [[nbsp]] The Old Toad is a great alternative if you aren't interested in a sports bar or dance club. The extensive beer list is great for beer drinkers and I enjoy the selection of ports, but I recommend skipping the food. I've never had very good service - walking up to the bar for each drink is a better bet than waiting for a server. In the winter they serve a delicious hot mead that has me waiting for the mercury to drop each year. --["EllenKelsey"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2007-01-08 19:45:44'' [[nbsp]] Your dinner (your food and not drinks, and no one else's) is free on your birthday. --["BrendonTroy"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2007-01-29 10:01:30'' [[nbsp]] If you love beer, there is no better bar in Rochester. They keep a constant rotation of excellent draught beers. The fine people in charge of picking the brews obviously know what they are doing. The food is tasty, but it can vary from year to year as the kitchen staff turns over (they are British students on year-long internships). My favorites are the Beef and Ale Pie and the Trafalger Square sandwich. Their chips (fries to us yanks) are top-notch. The best thing about this bar is the atmosphere. There are no TVs, and the music is low so you can have actual conversations. There are tables, upholstered benches, and a cozy room with a fireplace. The clientele is very friendly and, dare I say, a little classier than the rest of the nearby haunts. --["EastSideStephen"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2007-03-23 08:35:54'' [[nbsp]] Toad is a Rochester gem. Great cask beers and nice servers. Also, phenomenal chips w/ gravy. --["KimBee"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2007-03-23 10:24:38'' [[nbsp]] One of the few places I've been to this side of the pond where you can get malt vinegar on your chips / fries. Great beer too. --["DanielMiner"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2007-03-23 12:51:47'' [[nbsp]] Daniel, Most places in Roch will give you malt vinegar for your fries/chips. This is because Roch is overrun with places that have Fish Frys on Friday. So, they always have Malt vinegar around. --["KimBee"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2007-03-23 14:39:12'' [[nbsp]] Funny, toad is the only place locally I've seen it out and about, so to speak, whenever I've been there. Guess you have to ask for it specifically (or it only comes out for the Friday Fish Fry) at most other places. --["DanielMiner"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2007-05-14 18:10:59'' [[nbsp]] Joe McBane, the bar manager, is supposed to be working on opening a new beer bar in the building MacGregor's was in on ["Gregory Street"]. --["TomMaszerowski"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2007-05-30 10:55:25'' [[nbsp]] Tom:<br> + That's good news, I hate to see the McGregor's location boarded up like that. --["MikeRoss"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2007-07-10 15:45:31'' [[nbsp]] Amen MikeRoss. I lived kitty corner to MacGregors on Gregory for a couple years, and I went back earlier this summer and could not believe it had closed! That's a great area. --["RocGirl"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2007-08-10 17:16:06'' [[nbsp]] Yea, the word on the street is that Joe is working on opening a pub on gregory where Macgregors formerly was. I had heard that Macgregors closed because of the neighbors complaining about noise, I really hope this won't be a problem. --["ChrisBeerBuddyOsburn"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2007-11-09 13:59:58'' [[nbsp]] A brilliant selection of beers. Any bar that serves Chimay Bleue or Unibroue's La Terrible is aces in my book. --["AlAbonado"]<br> + ------<br> + ''2007-11-12 10:12:34'' [[nbsp]] Our favorite place in Rochester to go. Great atmosphere. And best of all really good beer. If you're looking for Bud Light or Labatt Blue this place is not for you. They have a bottled beer menu with close to 100 different beers on it. --["RocGuy14610"]</span> </td> </tr> </table> </div>