Pour Boy serves its poutine two ways. There is the standard plate — golden fries, St Albert cheese curds, dark veggie gravy — and there is the Kashmir, where the gravy gives way to a homemade Indian butter sauce and the Quebec classic lands somewhere closer to a curry. That one swap says most of what matters about this Somerset Street West pub. The pub-food fundamentals are all here, and the kitchen keeps reaching a few inches past them, putting Pad Thai on the same board as the wings without making a production of it.
The wings are the anchor, served on a bed of fries and dressed from a long row of sauces — hot, mild, honey-garlic, honey hot, Thai chili, Cajun, lemon pepper, Spicy Dill — with the house Liquid Danger held in reserve for anyone who wants the extra-hot end of the scale. The same sauce family carries the cauliflower bites, the vegetarian counterpart that arrives on fries the same way. From there the menu fans out: a Pad Thai with onions, bean sprouts and egg and a choice of chicken or tofu; an Indian butter chicken over rice with chickpeas; a Philly cheese steak; pulled pork under barbecue sauce and fried onions; a barbecue chicken wrap with bacon and cheddar; a Greek wrap with tzatziki and feta. The Pour Boy Burger keeps it plain — a homemade beef patty with mustard, ketchup and pickles. Plant-based options are written into the core menu rather than appended to it: a vegan veggie wrap built on fried cauliflower and Thai chili sauce, a vegan veggie burger, fried tofu, edamame and crispy spring rolls.
Menu Tags
What to order
Tiers reflect how diners actually talk about each dish — Diamond is the rarest. Tap a dish to cast your vote.
Diamond· 3
Gold· 1
Silver· 2
On the menu· 13
Key Details
Address
495 Somerset Street West, Ottawa, Ontario, K1R 5J7
Pour Boy's strongest move is keeping the room affordable without shrinking the menu into basic pub staples. Pad Thai, Indian Butter Chicken, plant-based wraps, burgers, wings, and poutine give different diners a way into the same table.
02
Four-Night Event Rhythm
Trivia, open mic, comedy, and Blingo make the weekly calendar part of the restaurant's identity. It is a pub you choose by the night as much as by the dish, especially for groups who want the meal to become the outing.
03
Liquid Danger and Kashmir Poutine
The menu has memorable pressure points rather than only broad comfort-food categories. Liquid Danger gives the wings a heat identity, while Kashmir Poutine turns fries and curds into a butter-sauce pub signature.
Restaurantica Analysis
How the score breaks down
9.1
Uniqueness
8.5/10
Bang For Buck
9.5/10
Food Quality
9/10
Local Reputation
9/10
Popularity Factor
9.5/10
The Playbook
How to eat at Pour Boy
1
Order Pad Thai Before the Burger
Start with Pad Thai if you want the clearest read on why Pour Boy has more range than a standard neighbourhood pub. The chicken-or-tofu format makes it flexible, while the onions, bean sprouts, egg, and spicy profile give the table a fuller anchor before moving into burgers or snacks.
2
Put Liquid Danger on the Wings
Chicken Wings are the right order for testing the heat side of the menu. Start with the sauce level your table can handle, then add Liquid Danger only if you actually want the ghost-pepper end of the pub's personality; the fries underneath help turn the basket into a full round of food.
3
Split Kashmir Poutine With the First Round
Kashmir Poutine is built for sharing early because the Indian butter sauce makes it richer and more distinctive than the regular gravy version. Pair it with a beer or a 2 oz cocktail special and it becomes the table's bridge between snack mode and a real meal.
4
Pair Event Nights With Cocktail Specials
Pick the night by the room you want: Tuesday for trivia seatings, Wednesday for open mic, Thursday for comedy, and Friday for Blingo. If you are there for the event rather than a quick meal, build around shareables and Cocktail Specials so the table can stay settled without over-planning dinner.
5
Keep the Plant-Based Order in Play
Vegetarian and vegan diners have more than a token side here. The vegan Veggie Wrap and Veggie Burger can anchor a meal, while Fried Tofu, Spring Rolls, and Edamame give mixed groups easy snacks before the wings-and-poutine part of the table takes over.
Key Strengths
What this room does best
8.0
Budget Dining
Pour Boy earns this through accessible food and drink choices that still feel like a full pub night. Burgers, snacks, poutine, and $9.99 cocktail specials make it easy to build a casual meal without turning the visit into a splurge.
8.5
Live Entertainment & Interactive Dining
The weekly calendar is a real part of the visit, not a stray poster on the wall. Trivia, open mic, comedy, and Blingo give different nights their own shape and make the pub useful for groups who want the meal to become the outing.
8.0
Standout Signature Dish
Pad Thai, Liquid Danger wings, and Kashmir Poutine give Pour Boy a sharper food identity than a general pub menu. Each one points to a different reason to order: noodles, heat, or butter-sauce comfort.
7.0
Plant-Based Friendly
Vegetarian and vegan diners have several credible routes instead of one token side. The vegan Veggie Wrap and Veggie Burger can anchor the meal, while Fried Tofu, Spring Rolls, and Edamame keep mixed tables easy.
6.5
Late-Night Dining
The listed 2:00am close makes Pour Boy useful when the plan runs late, especially around games, comedy, or open mic. Treat it as a late pub anchor first, with food decisions guided by the night's pace.
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