Just ask Natalie Wilson and she’ll tell you that Sudbury could use more pool tables, hearty comfort food and some good old-fashioned homemade cooking.
Wilson and her husband, James Poirier, opened On the Rail at the corner of Maley Drive and Falconbridge Road late last month.
Along with eight pool tables, she’s also hired a kitchen staff that is committed to serving all her favourites, from homemade soups, poutines, cheese-infused burgers to chicken fingers and fries.
Wilson said she loves the triple decker clubhouse sandwich and healthy options like the vegetable platter, too, depending on the day.
Wilson, who started playing billiards in her 20s after catching the bug from her parents, said she wanted a pool hall and restaurant combination.
“My husband moved to Sudbury from down south and joined a league my mom ran and the rest is history,” Wilson said.
Housed in the old Reise’s Chinese Restaurant, she said her team worked around the clock to get renovations completed by mid-August.
“We needed to degrease, take down some walls and wash other walls,” she said.
Wilson said the new pool hall / restaurant is beginning to create its own regulars.
“Already, we have recruited new players, and neighbours in the area are becoming regulars for takeout and dining in,” she said.
Wilson said food at On The Rail is fried in beef tallow to “ensure things were cooked healthier.” The fries are also served unsalted so customers can add their own to their taste.
Although only open about a month, On The Rail is already getting a reputation for its daily homemade soups, which run the gamut from cream of mushroom soup, roasted red pepper soup and chicken taco soup to butter chicken, broccoli cheddar and perogy soup.
Other specials include fish-and-chip Fridays from time to time.
Wilson works for Ontario Hydro while Poirier is employed with CN Rail so they are relying on a team of 10 to manage the kitchen, the billiards and the leagues.
“It’s been a pipe dream that has suddenly become a reality for us and we are just loving it,” Wilson said.
On The Rail is available for holiday party bookings.
The restaurant and pool hall is open 11 a.m. to midnight, Sunday to Wednesday, with the kitchen closing at 10 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, the hours are 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. with the kitchen closing at midnight.
Anastasia Rioux is a writer in Greater Sudbury. Let’s Eat! is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.