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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!
Sadness in Bloor West Village
Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I have revisited a couple Bloor West pubs and thought I would throw in my two cents.
First, the good – A Dark Horse did indeed have Fullers ESB and Mill St., and I quite liked the pub – much better than what I remembered. A bit of an older crowd, but for some reason the open room environment worked well when it was busy. I stopped in a couple of times – after work on St. Patrick’s Day (rather busy, but not crazy) and on a Sunday afternoon a week ago (not so busy then). With Rebel closed, this will become my “stop in once in a while within walking distance pub” – for now.
Now the not so good – gave Yellow Griffin another try. I don’t think I had been in since I watched a couple of Euro 2000 games there, not too long after it first opened. It has a nice cozy interior and friendly enough staff, when you can find them (they always seem to be rushed and overworked there). And the food I had, standard pub snacks, was certainly above average and reasonably priced. But the beer was awful – and I don’t just mean selection – I can choke down the standard firkin type tap selections when I need to, but I had a pint of Tetley’s and my wife had a Guinness and both were sour tasting and just plain bad. That was just my experience and I am not likely to stop back anytime soon, but in does seem busy enough in there, so good luck to them – they’ll need it with that Firkin open now in the former Bert and Ernie’s.
I also tried to check out that Wembley Pub further along in the Kingsway Village area, but it was closed for a private function. I also stopped back in to a former regular spot Whelan’s Gate on the other side of the Bloor West Village, a pub whose upstairs still has some of the best character to be found in T.O. in my opinion. I don’t know what it is, maybe it was the Phil Collins blaring as I walked in on St. Patrick’s Day (again, at round 5pm, it was just filling up then) or the bouncer (!) who wouldn’t let me go upstairs to meet my wife who was holding down a chair for me (because the fire marshal said so, despite there being no line up), or the other afternoon a few days later when I visited, but the place seems to have lost some of its charm. Can’t put my finger on it. Good brunch though, and the Tuesday nights can still be fun.
So that was my Bloor West pub crawl at various points over a week period – there are a couple of other sports bar type places in the west end of the village, and in the former Chop House location is something called Dr. Generosity (?? – every time I pass by it, Motley Crew’s Dr. Feelgood pops in my head, which is something I don’t wish upon anyone), but that’s about it. The LCBO in the village is also pretty poor (and small), but the fairly new one at St. Clair and Keele makes up for that. If anyone has any other suggestions or hidden gems for this area I’d love to hear it, as I do enjoy many aspects of the neighborhood, just not the beer selection.
Oh yeah, lurked around the site for a few years now and posted a few things under an old user name (Abbott Ale) earlier this year. Really enjoy the site, and looking forward to meeting some of you at any upcoming events (Judge festival and Church Key Spring Revival are the next two I plan to attend).
Jeff
First, the good – A Dark Horse did indeed have Fullers ESB and Mill St., and I quite liked the pub – much better than what I remembered. A bit of an older crowd, but for some reason the open room environment worked well when it was busy. I stopped in a couple of times – after work on St. Patrick’s Day (rather busy, but not crazy) and on a Sunday afternoon a week ago (not so busy then). With Rebel closed, this will become my “stop in once in a while within walking distance pub” – for now.
Now the not so good – gave Yellow Griffin another try. I don’t think I had been in since I watched a couple of Euro 2000 games there, not too long after it first opened. It has a nice cozy interior and friendly enough staff, when you can find them (they always seem to be rushed and overworked there). And the food I had, standard pub snacks, was certainly above average and reasonably priced. But the beer was awful – and I don’t just mean selection – I can choke down the standard firkin type tap selections when I need to, but I had a pint of Tetley’s and my wife had a Guinness and both were sour tasting and just plain bad. That was just my experience and I am not likely to stop back anytime soon, but in does seem busy enough in there, so good luck to them – they’ll need it with that Firkin open now in the former Bert and Ernie’s.
I also tried to check out that Wembley Pub further along in the Kingsway Village area, but it was closed for a private function. I also stopped back in to a former regular spot Whelan’s Gate on the other side of the Bloor West Village, a pub whose upstairs still has some of the best character to be found in T.O. in my opinion. I don’t know what it is, maybe it was the Phil Collins blaring as I walked in on St. Patrick’s Day (again, at round 5pm, it was just filling up then) or the bouncer (!) who wouldn’t let me go upstairs to meet my wife who was holding down a chair for me (because the fire marshal said so, despite there being no line up), or the other afternoon a few days later when I visited, but the place seems to have lost some of its charm. Can’t put my finger on it. Good brunch though, and the Tuesday nights can still be fun.
So that was my Bloor West pub crawl at various points over a week period – there are a couple of other sports bar type places in the west end of the village, and in the former Chop House location is something called Dr. Generosity (?? – every time I pass by it, Motley Crew’s Dr. Feelgood pops in my head, which is something I don’t wish upon anyone), but that’s about it. The LCBO in the village is also pretty poor (and small), but the fairly new one at St. Clair and Keele makes up for that. If anyone has any other suggestions or hidden gems for this area I’d love to hear it, as I do enjoy many aspects of the neighborhood, just not the beer selection.
Oh yeah, lurked around the site for a few years now and posted a few things under an old user name (Abbott Ale) earlier this year. Really enjoy the site, and looking forward to meeting some of you at any upcoming events (Judge festival and Church Key Spring Revival are the next two I plan to attend).
Jeff
I hit a bunch of the bloor pubs the other night. The new firkin Meh... probably won't be back. My sleeman lager order netted me a sleeman cream ale, sat up in the rooftop patio area which might be fun in summer.
Yellow Griffin seemed ok, bottle selection looked way more interesting than the draft.
The Woodhouse Lounge was the best of the bunch. Bunch of german beers including one I've not seen around anywhere (ATTENTION RATEBEERIANS!) Called Isenbeck. It wasn't on when I was in but I will head back to check it out. Atmospheres is sort of a cross between a restaurant and a ski lodge (?) but its nice.
Yellow Griffin seemed ok, bottle selection looked way more interesting than the draft.
The Woodhouse Lounge was the best of the bunch. Bunch of german beers including one I've not seen around anywhere (ATTENTION RATEBEERIANS!) Called Isenbeck. It wasn't on when I was in but I will head back to check it out. Atmospheres is sort of a cross between a restaurant and a ski lodge (?) but its nice.
The Last time I was out in the Beaches Fullers ESB was on tap at the Feathers. The Feathers address is 962 Kingston Rd. In his 1993 book "In search of the perfect brew" beer historian/writer Ian Bowering writes If you can't afford to fly to England, are homesick or just want to see and feel what a real British pub is like, you need go no further than the Feathers.He also wrote about the food: Toad in the Hole, Steak and Kidney pie, Bangers and Mash, Steak and Mushroom Pie and of course Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding. So who said anglo-Canadians don't have any ethnic foods 