$10 Pitchers, 29 cent wings at Bobby Obriens with 20 degree weather. Get out and enjoy the sun!
Great weather, great location, and great patio but this is a truly foul pub with terrible food, poor service, beer in plastic cups, etc. Such a shame as the setting desrves better.Originally Posted by UrbanWaterloo
Bobby O'Brien's - April 1, 2010
First "Feels Like Summer" Pitcher of 2010!
That's a GREAT pitcher picture!I think this was the best April Fool's joke mother nature ever played.
Kitchener City Hall 10th Floor Patio - April 1, 2010
Ya the patio is definitely this place's saving grace. Its great but the food isnt great and the service is worse. The clients can be questionable at times (myself excluded from that last comment hah)
While the beach volleyball court is a cool touch, Id get rid of it, its never in use, always unkept, extend the patio or do something else with the space.
Maybe a small outdoor stage for some local group concerts.
"Only the insane have the strength enough to prosper. Only those that prosper may truly judge what is sane."
Ya I was thinking the same thing. On Wednesdays when they have Jazz (or whatever it is) the band stands on the concrete platform at the top of the stairs just to the left of the main entrance. Its a good spot, out of the way, but its probably too small.
One Eyed Jacks
45 Duke Street West in Downtown Kitchener
Website: http://www.partytown.ca/OEJ/
Seasonal place, not yet open for 2010. The outdoor pool table is a neat feature.
April 1, 2010
^Is that place a biker bar? I know ppl that go there, but everytime I'd walk by, the crowd there intimidated me.
I have nothing against One Eyed Jacks, never been there (don't even know what its like if anyone wants to share) but I'd like to see it torn down. Given it's location, its a prime spot for redevelopment.
Eh. A city benefits greatly from having weird little spots like that one. Don't be in such a rush to tear things down -- there's plenty of parking lots for the foreseeable future.
Yeah, that is very true. It is very easy to get caught up in academic argument in which we are calling for the intensification of this area or adding height to that property without taking into account the feelings of the existing residents/owners/customers, especially when there are so many empty lots/car parks already (almost makes me want to reconsider my desire to see Chainsaw demolished ASAP). I'd also hate to see all of the grit and interesting places removed from the area. Still, it would seem logical that the One-eyed Jack property be added to the Centre Block re-development.
Ya you're right. Especially about the surface lots. There's definitely a lot of properties I look at, think they look like junk especially where they could have alot of potential, and often think...tear it down! Maybe a little too easilly.
Definitely! And if not actually adding it to the project (which is unlikely at this point) have a separate development that compliments Centre Block
So looks like downtown is getting some new patios. I think. Is that what this means?
From Monday's Council Agenda p. 6
That the Mayor and Clerk be authorized to execute Encroachment Agreements satisfactory to the City Solicitor, with the owner(s) or operator(s) of Matter of Taste located at 119 King Street West, Taste of Philly Cheese Steak located at 98 King Street West, The Museum Café located at 10 King Street West, Café Maestro located at 24 King Street East, Coffee Culture located at 1 King Street West, and New York Pita located at 82 King Street West for the operation of a sidewalk patio for a period not to commence prior to execution of the Agreement by all parties and such use to terminate no later than October 31, 2010 or such later date as approved by the Director of Operations; and further,
That subject to compliance with the provisions of Council Policy I-1205 (Outdoor Patios - Encroachment Agreement), planters and plants be approved as alternatives to fencing on downtown patios.
^ This would be a huge step in enhancing the public space downtown. Way to go Kitchener!
Downtown Kitchener set for patio expansion
April 19, 2010
By Melinda Dalton
KITCHENER — Six new or expanded street front patios — made possible by King Street's new wider pedestrian space — will be popping up as the warm weather rolls in.
The new patios — at the Museum Café, Coffee Culture, Maestro Café, Matter of Taste, NY Pita and Philly Cheesesteak — will occupy space on the expanded sidewalk area of the redeveloped portion of the street between Benton Street and Gaukle.
Several of those businesses had patios before the redevelopment, but they were contained to small areas by seasonal fencing.
On Monday, city council approved a Downtown Kitchener Business Improvement Area initiative that will replace those fences with planters at all of the nonlicensed patios on King. Council also approved streamlining the process to get patios approved on the main street this season by allowing city staff to handle some of the finer details.
Usually, details including type and colour of patio furniture and any proposed signage and landscaping has to be approved by council.
“This will allow us to get through them faster and with more flexibility,” said Rod Regier, the city's executive director of economic development. “These (businesses) want to get going now.”
The BIA in is the process of purchasing rectangular planters for all the approved, nonlicensed patios, which will border the outdoor dining areas and remain on the street until the end of the season.
“The new streetscape, although wonderful, it doesn’t have a lot of colour and punch to it other than the banners that might be up there,” said Mark Garner, executive director of the BIA. “What we wanted to do, as part of beautification, is provide these planters and do some plantings in the area to get some vibrancy and some colour.”
The Museum Café, so far the only approved licensed street front patio, will still use fencing.
According to plans presented to the finance and corporate services committee last week, each patio will have between four and 10 tables.
Garner said the planter program is expected to cost between $5,000 and $6,000 this year, all of which will be covered by the BIA.
The patios themselves will be mixed between ones jutting out from the front of the business and others placed along the curb. Pedestrians will either pass along the sidewalk area or the pedestrian area by the curb to make their way down the street, depending on the placement of the patio.
The planters will be maintained by the business owners in much the same way as the BIA’s existing Duke Street planting program. There will be no additional cost to the city, Garner said.
“The building members are joining in to maintain those things because we’re really trying to let people start to take a little more ownership of the space in front of their store,” he said.
The BIA will also cover the cost of the plants themselves and any damage or vandalism to the planters.
The planters are still on order, but Garner predicts most of them will be in and planted by the start of the May long weekend.
The program will expand next year to include the stretch of King from Gaukel to Victoria, which will be ripped apart and redeveloped this summer.
“I’m expecting that places that currently don’t have patios . . . once they see it this year and vitality and what it creates and the people hanging out on a Thursday or Friday after work, I think will generate more interest among the membership,” Garner said. “Hopefully, we’ll just have patios wherever patios can be.”
http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/699358
Great news about the patios! Definitely will add life to King st. Im having trouble picturing these planters that will enclose the patios. Anyone have any idea what they're talking about? (The fence around The Museum Cafe makes sense since they'll be serving alcohol)
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