Since August of 2009, Big Tide Brewing Co. has been providing hand-crafted all-natural ales and lagers. It is located on Princess Street in Saint John, New Brunswick, and of course, I had some nachos one cold night in November of 2018, again for a nice supper in March 2021, again in September 2021, and finally in November 2021.
Big tide seems to fluctuate with distribution of toppings, going from bad to excellent and back to bad. Again this time we ordered the Full size Bigger Tide Nachos, and the distribution was just not the same as last time. We went a third time in November 2021 and the distribution continued to be poor.
Quality
The corn chips were crispy and fresh, the two cheeses were blended together. Last time, we were told that they cook the first layer, then add a second layer on top and cook that too... but this time it was pretty clear that they didn't do that for us. It happened on our last visit in November 2021 as well.
Value
The nachos at Big Tide come in different variations to accommodate for customers' needs. There is the Big Tide Nachos which comes in the half size for $9 and the full size for $12. I will add that you can get kettle chips if you do not like corn chips. In addition, there is the Bigger Tide Nachos which also comes in the half size for $16 and the full size for $19. For an additional $2 you can add: pickles, peppers, olives, jalapenos. For an additional $4, you can add proteins such as bacon, ground beef, chicken, BBQ chicken, pepperoni, and chili. I really enjoy how many options you have for these nachos as Big Tide considers that different customers have different taste buds. I do not often see this many options when ordering nachos at a restaurant.
Quantity
I thought the Bigger Tide Full Size Nachos were sufficient to share with a couple/few people for a meal, or a few more people for a great snack.
Big Tide Beef Nachos - November 2021 |
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Bigger Tide Chicken Nachos (beneath the cheese) - September 2021 |
Bigger Tide Nachos (beef) - March 2021
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Big Tide Beef Nachos - November 2018 |
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Big Tide Beef Nachos - November 2018 |
Distribution of Toppings
Big tide seems to fluctuate with distribution of toppings, going from bad to excellent and back to bad. Again this time we ordered the Full size Bigger Tide Nachos, and the distribution was just not the same as last time. We went a third time in November 2021 and the distribution continued to be poor.
Quality
The corn chips were crispy and fresh, the two cheeses were blended together. Last time, we were told that they cook the first layer, then add a second layer on top and cook that too... but this time it was pretty clear that they didn't do that for us. It happened on our last visit in November 2021 as well.
Value
The nachos at Big Tide come in different variations to accommodate for customers' needs. There is the Big Tide Nachos which comes in the half size for $9 and the full size for $12. I will add that you can get kettle chips if you do not like corn chips. In addition, there is the Bigger Tide Nachos which also comes in the half size for $16 and the full size for $19. For an additional $2 you can add: pickles, peppers, olives, jalapenos. For an additional $4, you can add proteins such as bacon, ground beef, chicken, BBQ chicken, pepperoni, and chili. I really enjoy how many options you have for these nachos as Big Tide considers that different customers have different taste buds. I do not often see this many options when ordering nachos at a restaurant.
Quantity
I thought the Bigger Tide Full Size Nachos were sufficient to share with a couple/few people for a meal, or a few more people for a great snack.
Conclusion
My experience with Big Tide is the main reason why it is important not to let reviews expire and to re-visit the top 10 frequently. The time allowed before reviews expire is 2 years, which is a good time period where a restaurant can learn and improve. Unfortunately, we noticed a decline in quality in September and November 2021. Hopefully next time we go, Big Tide will once again be ahead of the competition in terms of the quality of their nachos. Nevertheless, their service, different variations available, and good value remain, so it is still worth checking out.
Nacho Blog Rating: B-
My experience with Big Tide is the main reason why it is important not to let reviews expire and to re-visit the top 10 frequently. The time allowed before reviews expire is 2 years, which is a good time period where a restaurant can learn and improve. Unfortunately, we noticed a decline in quality in September and November 2021. Hopefully next time we go, Big Tide will once again be ahead of the competition in terms of the quality of their nachos. Nevertheless, their service, different variations available, and good value remain, so it is still worth checking out.
Nacho Blog Rating: B-