THE NEIGHBORHOOD PUB IN JP, DINNER AT JAMES GATE RESTAURANT AND PUB

If I lived in Jamaica Plain, the James Gate restaurant and pub might be my neighborhood bar... If i had a bar that i frequented, which i don't, since i rarely drink anymore. but that's getting totally off the topic. Last week, Katie and decided to head down to JP for dinner. Some of you may be more familiar with the restaurants on Centre street, but we wandered off the beaten path and ended up on South St. in JP in search of James Gate.

So the first nice thing about James Gate is that they have a parking lot. Don't be fooled by the first parking lot that you see up front, with only 5 spaces. There's a much larger one just half a block down on your left with like 20 more spaces. Only problem was that they didn't seem to have any more spaces available for us, but we managed to squeeze into a semi-spot next to a dumpster. (were there really that many people in this place?)

And upon entering the actually pub, the answer is, yes. There really were that many people inside. But the vibe was totally one of people hanging out with their friends for a beer and dinner. This was a neighborhood place and totally relaxed and comfortable. And there were still one or two open tables. Katie and I took one in a corner. I had noticed online that James Gate had 2 menus, a dinner menu and a pub menu. and I had wondered how they would separate the two, was the pub menu only served in the bar area? And what if you sat in the dinner area and wanted to order pub food? This question was answered pretty quickly when we entered. This restaurant is divided in half, with separate entrances to either side. The pub is dark, noisy and the bar takes up an entire side. But you can see through a doorway to the restaurant side with it's light yellow painted walls and art work. The restaurant side is also significantly more expensive.

Upon sitting down, we learned that you had to place your orders with the bartender. That's right, no real table service in the bar. Which was fine, but a little difficult trying to navigate past the people actually sitting at the bar while getting the attention of the lone bartender who was taking care of the entire restaurant. Katie ordered a turkey burger while I got chicken fingers with curry sauce.

Here's my dinner:
ok fine. I forgot to take pictures until i had already started eating. I got onion rings rather than fries. And they were good, but they put beer in the batter and it wasn't subtle. That kinda turned me off from the rings. My chicken fingers were a little too dry and stringy for my taste, but i really liked the curry sauce that came on the side.

And here's katie's turkey burger. So perhaps I'll try that next time.Katie deemed this the best turkey burger she's ever had.

All the food comes in huge portions, which is great for the amount that they charge. I kept watching huge platters of food whiz by. and though service is a bit lacking (it took forever to get the bartender to give me the bill) it's a really relaxed and comfortable place to hang out for a beer and a burger. So i would certainly give this place another try. Maybe next time I'll go for the turkey burger, or try something like the fish sandwich.