Lord William Pub: A Griffintown Surprise Worth Discovering

Tony Medeiros

Tony Medeiros is a Montreal-based blogger with over 20 years of experience covering pop culture and the culinary scene. Known for his engaging reviews and unique insights, he has built a trusted voice for readers seeking informed and entertaining perspectives on food and entertainment. @sandboxworld @tonymedeiros

My wife and I have walked through Griffintown countless times, and on many of those walks we would pass the Lord William Pub, tucked into what remains of the old industrial landscape along the Lachine Canal. Today, condos, trendy developments, and all the signs of a rapidly changing Griffintown surround the area. We had always wanted to stop in, but honestly, we thought of Lord William more as a watering hole than somewhere we would go for dinner. Then one day we looked it up online and discovered they had a full menu of proper pub food. That changed things.

In our younger days, we used to frequent the Peel Pub, so Lord William immediately gave me a little bit of that same feeling, although on a smaller and more intimate scale. Walking into a place like this makes you feel like it’s been sitting there forever. The funny thing is, Lord William opened in 2015, yet you would never know it by looking at the building. It has the character of a place that could have been here since the late 1800s, which makes sense when you learn what stood here long before the pub.

Before Lord William Pub came along, the site was part of the Caledonian Iron Works Co., an industrial ironworks complex. The surviving building dates to 1879 and is one of the older remnants of Griffintown’s industrial past. This building was part of Montreal’s metalworking and manufacturing history long before anybody was thinking about burgers, nachos and fish and chips.

We walked through the doors and I immediately had one of those Cheers moments. You know the feeling, where everybody knows your name. Well, nobody knew ours that night, but the staff was so welcoming that I could easily see that happening if we become regulars. There was a comfortable, neighbourhood feel to the place that made us settle in pretty quickly, and the service only added to it.

Our waitress came by several times throughout the evening to make sure everything was good, and even the chef of the evening came out to check on us and see how we were enjoying the food. They weren’t just doing the obligatory, “Everything okay?” and disappearing. They genuinely seemed interested in how our meal was going, and we felt like we were being treated like lordship at Lord William, which, considering the name of the place, seemed pretty appropriate.

A lot of people probably don’t expect to have a memorable meal in a pub, but I do. My wife and I have had some surprisingly good dining experiences in pubs over the years. Yes, these places cater to people looking for a drink, watching sports or winding down after work, but that doesn’t mean the kitchen has to take a back seat, and Lord William certainly doesn’t seem to think it does.

And that giant hamburger poster outside Lord William? If that doesn’t get you curious enough to walk through the door, brother, you don’t know what you’re missing. The place was hopping on the Sunday evening we visited, with a regular crowd having drinks, watching the games and winding down the weekend, while we had a different mission. We were hungry.

Originally, we were going to head downtown to one of those larger franchise steak-and-burger places that we had already reviewed. I decided to take a left turn and go in a completely different direction, and we certainly did not regret it. Inside, the lighting was dim, the atmosphere was just right and television screens were showing the latest NFL games around the room, giving me the occasional chance to sneak a glance at a game while my wife and I caught up on our busy week.

We sank into our chairs, the menus arrived and the evening officially began. My wife ordered one of those fancy lemon-based liquor drinks, while I went with my boring Coke. Hers looked like it belonged in a cocktail bar; mine looked like I was waiting for a pizza.

We started with the nachos, and this is where Lord William immediately separated itself from the generic pub nacho experience. You know the kind I’m talking about, a pile of chips, a little cheese, a few toppings thrown on top and halfway through you are wondering why you ordered them in the first place. Not here. These nachos came loaded and actually tasted like somebody cared about making them, and with the option of adding pulled chicken or ground beef, they could almost qualify as a meal by themselves.

Then came the burgers. I went with the Guinness Burger, which comes loaded with smoked Gouda, Guinness BBQ sauce, bacon, onion rings, lettuce, tomato and pickles, while my wife chose the Fried Chicken Burger with crispy fried chicken, coleslaw, pickles and ranch sauce. My burger was rich, smoky and messy in exactly the way you want a proper pub burger to be, with the Guinness BBQ sauce adding another layer of flavour while the smoked Gouda and bacon made it a serious burger rather than something you eat simply because you’re sitting in a pub.

My wife’s fried chicken burger was just as impressive. The piece of chicken was enormous, a proper piece of white meat rather than one of those thin little patties that disappear somewhere between the bun and the toppings. It was crispy, tangy and creamy from the combination of coleslaw, pickles and ranch.

The fries deserve a mention because I always notice a good fry. These had that perfect combination I look for: crispy and golden on the outside, fluffy and soft on the inside, with a real potato taste. They did not have that frozen, straight-out-of-the-bag feel you get at so many places, and they were light, not greasy, and held up beautifully beside the burgers. My wife even fake-offered to give me some of her fries, and I think she was testing me. I politely said no, but my stomach was screaming yes. She finished every one of them, and I knew it. She was testing me.

Lord William has plenty of other pub favourites on the menu, including fish and chips, poutine, club sandwiches, wings and several other burgers. There are also some less predictable choices, including Wagyu beef dumplings and buffalo cauliflower, so there is plenty here beyond the usual pub fare.

If you’re bringing the kids, Lord William has a kids’ menu too, with some pretty familiar choices that should make the little ones happy. They can choose from grilled cheese with fries, mac ‘n cheese, poutine, a hamburger with fries with the option to add cheese, or chicken tenders and fries. So while the adults are deciding between burgers, fish and chips or something from the pub’s more adventurous selections, the kids don’t have to settle for an afterthought.

And don’t forget dessert if you still have room, because after a meal like this, somebody at the table is going to find a little extra space. The dessert menu includes apple bread pudding, Oreo cheesecake, a brownie with vanilla ice cream, and a sundae loaded with brownies, ice cream, whipped cream, Oreo crumble and sprinkles. The listed desserts are fairly priced, making them an easy way to finish the meal without turning dessert into another major decision.

If you want to dine with a little flair and excitement, and try something that’s a bit different from the usual restaurant experience, Lord William is the kind of place where you can make a little adventure out of the evening. Have dinner, enjoy the atmosphere, and when you’re finished, you can take a romantic walk around Griffintown and along the Lachine Canal with your favourite person. Sometimes it’s not just about where you eat, but what you do with the rest of the evening.

For us, though, the evening wasn’t about checking off every item on the menu. It was about discovering a place we had walked past so many times without really knowing what was inside, and finding out that there was much more to Lord William than a place to grab a drink and watch a game.

And that’s the funny thing about Griffintown. Behind all those new condos and modern developments are pieces of Montreal’s old industrial history that are still standing, and Lord William Pub happens to occupy one of those pieces of history. It has managed to turn the space into something completely different without erasing what came before.

We went in expecting a pub, but we left feeling like we had discovered a neighbourhood restaurant with a great backstory, a welcoming staff, a lively atmosphere and food that deserves to be taken seriously. And who knows? Maybe next time we walk through the doors, somebody really will know our names.

Lord William Pub

265 Rue des Seigneurs
Montréal, QC H3J 0B3

Hours:
Monday–Thursday: 11:30 a.m.–1 a.m.
Friday: 11:30 a.m.–3 a.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m.–3 a.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m.–1 a.m.

One thing worth knowing if you’re heading there for dinner: we were told during our visit that the kitchen closes at 10:30 p.m., so don’t wait until the last minute if you’re coming mainly for the food. The pub itself stays open later.