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Cask and Kettle Irish Gastropub, Saint John, N.B.

The Cask and Kettle Irish Gastropub opened its Irish doors at its first location in Saint John, New Brunswick in 2016. It is located on Prince William street in the heart of the uptown area. I realized that more than 2 years had passed since I had their nachos, and it was time to re-evaluate them. In March 2021, I updated the review... and their rating improved!

2021 has been a very exciting year for nachos in our home town, and one of the reasons is that Cask and Kettle opened a new location in Rothesay, New Brunswick. We went on opening night and again a couple of days later on New Brunswick Day weekend in August because it was just that good. We went again in October 2021, and Cask & Kettle continued to serve stellar nachos. I have debated splitting the two locations of Cask and Kettle into separate blog posts. I think for now, I am going to group all the locations together like I did for Britt's and the Gahan House. Let me know what you think of that approach in the comments! Do you want separate articles for separate locations?

Cask and Kettle: Rothesay

Cask and Kettle Brisket Nachos (corn chip) - October 2021

Cask & Kettle Fried Chicken Nachos - August 2021

Cask & Kettle Fried Chicken Nachos - August 2021

Cask & Kettle Maple Bacon BBQ Nachos - August 2021

Cask & Kettle Maple Bacon BBQ Nachos - August 2021

Cask & Kettle Maple Bacon BBQ Nachos Empty Chips Left Over - August 2021

Distribution of Toppings

For our first trip on opening night at Cask & Kettle, Rothesay, we had the Fried Chicken Nachos and everything was perfectly distributed. As you see, there is no picture of the empty chips left over from that experience. However, on the third night, when it was busier, presumably because of word-of-mouth spreading amongst the local foodies, we had empty chips left over as shown in the picture above. I was disappointed in the second experience when it came to the distribution of toppings but I know this location is still new and perhaps some of the cooks are still perfecting their nacho skills.

When we visited a third time in October 2021, the distribution of toppings was perfect. Yes!!

Quality

I was excited to have the kettle chips on the first night because it had been a long time since I had Cask and Kettle kettle chips and they were due for an updated review. For both plates of nachos, there was a great toast factor and so much flavor in every bite. The cooks were not shy with the amount of toppings, cheese, and dips. I like how there are a lot of options for meat and the quality of the meat was superb. I also like the option to have corn chips, as I always say, I prefer the classic corn tortilla chip.

Value

The Cask and Kettle Nachos are $16.50 with salsa and sour cream. If you want to add grilled chicken, bacon, guacamole, or beef it is $3 more. In addition, if you want to add maple bacon BBQ pulled pork, fried chicken, or brisket, it is $4 more. I don't think there was an extra charge for substituting corn chips. Since the quality of these nacho experiences surpassed the quality we had earlier in 2021, I am going to say that the value has improved, and I can justify paying these prices. 

Quantity

So far, every time I shared the nachos, we have also ordered wings on the side. I was very satisfied with sharing the nachos and wings. I was so satisfied, I think I will be a regular now at Cask and Kettle!

Service

The service was excellent the first time we went! The server was very on top of things and very friendly. On the second visit, I did tell the server about the problem with the distribution of toppings on our Maple Bacon BBQ Nachos -  she seemed receptive to the feedback. The server on our 3rd visit was also very friendly and efficient. 

Conclusion

I am so happy that there is a Cask & Kettle in Rothesay now. The quality, value, quantity, and service were fantastic. I consider these to be the best nachos in KV. 

Nacho Blog Rating: B+


Cask & Kettle Uptown

Cask & Kettle Beef Nachos - November 2021

Cask & Kettle Beef Nachos - November 2021

Cask & Kettle Beef Nachos (what was left over) - November 2021

Cask & Kettle Nachos - March 2021

Cask & Kettle Nachos - March 2021

Cask and Kettle Irish Beef Nachos - 2017

Distribution of Toppings

I really think restaurants are making an effort to effectively layer their nachos. As you can see, I have no picture of the chips left over after the first delicious layer of toppings was eaten (March 2021). Therefore, Cask & Kettle has improved with the distribution of toppings because last time (2017), they had a lot of chips left over. I do think that the beef could have been more spread around on the chips instead of just focused on the centre. 

Update: In November 2021, there was no cheese on the layers underneath and thus they did not do as well with the distribution of toppings. 

Quality

After my previous visit, I felt like I wanted to go back and try the corn chip nachos to see if they were any better. The corn chip nachos came in round chips, and I am immediately wary of round chips. I think with round chips, there is more of a chance that the toppings could fall off. Also if they are round, it means that more than likely the chips are not house made. I think this time with the round chips, there was no issue with the toppings staying on them; although, I prefer the traditional triangle-shape corn tortilla chip. I liked the moist beef, and the amount of green onions, and the toast factor was definitely present. 

Update: In our last visit, there were no round chips but there the nachos needed to be cooked a little longer and there needed to be more cheese and effective layering of the cheese. 

Value

The Cask and Kettle Nachos are $16.50 with salsa and sour cream. If you want to add grilled chicken, bacon, guacamole, or beef it is $3 more. In addition, if you want to add maple bacon BBQ pulled pork, fried chicken, or brisket, it is $4 more. There was no extra cost shown for substituting the kettle chips for corn chips on the menu in March 2021, but last time I went it was $2 extra for the substitution. I still like the variety of toppings and I still think the nachos are a good value. 

Quantity

The nachos are good for sharing as a meal between a couple of people for a good size lunch.

Conclusion

We ordered the corn chip nachos a second time this year and we were happy to see that we had the triangular chips instead of the round chips that we received when we visited in March 2021. On our last visit, there was not a good toast factor and not enough cheese.

Nacho Blog Rating: C+