Looking for the original Bar Towel blog? You can find it at www.thebartowel.com.

We have a trivia question in order to register to prevent bots. If you have any issues with answering, contact us at cass@bartowel.com for help.

Introducing Light Mode! If you would like a Bar Towel social experience that isn't the traditional blue, you can now select Light Mode. Go to the User Control Panel and then Board Preferences, and select "Day Drinking" (Light Mode) from the My Board Style drop-down menu. You can always switch back to "Night Drinking" (Dark Mode). Enjoy!

the fat belgian

Discuss Ontario's brewpubs, pubs, beer bars and restaurants here.

Moderators: Craig, Cass

Post Reply
matt7215
Beer Superstar
Posts: 3047
Joined: Fri Sep 05, 2008 11:18 am

the fat belgian

Post by matt7215 »

whats the deal with this place? its right beside smokeless joe but it only has one place rating on ratebeer. the bottle menu looks decent. is there a reason id never heard of it before i walked by last night?

mintjellie
Seasoned Drinker
Posts: 1118
Joined: Sat Sep 05, 2009 1:22 am
Location: Barrie, Ontario

Post by mintjellie »

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16575

Has three reviews on beeradvocate.

matt7215
Beer Superstar
Posts: 3047
Joined: Fri Sep 05, 2008 11:18 am

Post by matt7215 »

mintjellie wrote:http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16575

Has three reviews on beeradvocate.
seems like a place that would've come up in my time on BT.

ill plan to stop by the next time im in the area.

still seems strange that there are no toronto reviews on either RB or BA

User avatar
Wheatsheaf
Posts: 411
Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2003 7:00 pm
Location: Midtown
Contact:

Post by Wheatsheaf »

A few older BT threads here and here but not much since 2006.
Here's to the slow path.

User avatar
Jon Walker
Seasoned Drinker
Posts: 1899
Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2001 8:00 pm
Location: Wherever you go there you are

Post by Jon Walker »

I never reviewed the place on either site when it opened. From my recollection the food was decent but pricey. Overall, IMHO, it had the feel of a place that was geared more toward pretension than the connoisseur. The "entertainment district" is generally not a draw for me. Even Smokeless Joe's has lost its appeal since it stopped stocking and importing exclusives and the prices have always been prohibitive. The rent in that neighborhood is apparently ridiculous.
I don't always piss in a bottle but when I do...I prefer to call it Dos Equis.

User avatar
GregClow
Beer Superstar
Posts: 4038
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2001 8:00 pm
Location: Parkdale
Contact:

Post by GregClow »

The wife and I went there once with another couple, and had a pretty lousy meal. Unless they had some really rare gems on the beer list (which they don't), I doubt I'll ever go back.

User avatar
JerCraigs
Beer Superstar
Posts: 3055
Joined: Sun May 25, 2003 8:00 pm
Location: Toronto

Post by JerCraigs »

Its pretty meh. I had a decent meal there once but for the price I'm not in a big hurry to go back. I don't remember the beer selection being anything special at the time but that was a while ago.

User avatar
shintriad
Bar Fly
Posts: 646
Joined: Thu Jul 15, 2004 9:19 pm
Location: Toronto

Post by shintriad »

Went there for the first time recently and had a really light meal. The food was good but it's very expensive. The atmosphere's kinda nice. Good tap list if you want some high-quality Belgians, but again, pretty pricey.

I work in the area and it still strikes me as a good alternative to Smokeless, where it can be tough to get a seat on some nights.

midlife crisis
Beer Superstar
Posts: 2009
Joined: Thu Jan 08, 2004 7:00 pm
Location: Toronto

Post by midlife crisis »

I've been there a couple of times this year. I found it to be quite pleasant. Very nice ambience, decent Belgian tap list (Delirium, De Konninck, several others) and a bunch of solid enough Belgian bottles (Gouden Draak, Westmalle, etc) if no rarities. I enjoyed the food.

WilliamEstevan
Posts: 26
Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 10:32 pm
Location: London, Ontario

Post by WilliamEstevan »

I went a few summers ago and found it expensive for what you get. Totally agree that it seems more suited for the pretentious lot, there was certainly nothing noteworthy in a bottle or keg when I was there, nor was the food worth the price. A big, solid "meh" from this guy.

Post Reply