The Bar Towel

NRman wrote:

eric hasler wrote:

Just to be clear, when you say "They" you are referring to The Only?

Yes, his post subject line. S'ok, Eric doesn't know we ignore that.

I have been WITH people at The Only who complained among us that the service was not The Queen's English, so they'd never return to this Den of Slack. Good! Never had a bad time there myself. I just talk to staff like very familiar friends, I assert what I want and don't sit somewhere invisibly waiting for barely-existent service. It's impossible not to get what you want leaving over the bar or reading the draught booklet, and I like the place just as it is... I guess precisely for the too-relaxed vibe, and the lack of anger-repressed Toronto types* that refuse to go there.

(*No shot at Eric, who is essentially fair and right in his comments.)

C'est What - Really like the underground vibe here and the fireplace in the winter is a great spot to unwind. Took my lady there on our first date and she now attributes this place to her new found appreciation of beer.

Bar Hop - Great spot in a good part of downtown. Haven't had the food yet but the beers were great and atmosphere was very inviting. Staff were quick and very friendly without being obnoxious.

WVRST - Still love this place. My friends and I try to make it before every TFC match and none of us have ever really had a bad experience. Love me some 1L steins of Paulaner, duck fat fries, and currywurst calabrese sausage.

Victory Cafe - Location is great and the patio is awesome. Nachos are killer.

C'est What

I love the atmosphere. I really like that there are board games and cards available. Too many places I feel like you must order some food or you are taking up a valuable table. At C'est What it feels like you are encouraged to just sit down and drink some beer and have a little fun. If the famiy is all together downtown then my daughter loves to watch the fish. I don't think I'd want her there later at night but during the earlier hours it has always felt family friendly.

Victory Cafe

I like the location and the selection. The only downside is that it can be WAY too loud for conversation when the place is crowded and the music is turned up.

Bryden's

Funny, it is the closest good beer bar to home for me but I seem to find myself at the downtown bars more often. I like to comfy seats and GLB casks.

Volo

I would like to like Volo more but as others have said it is just too small. I hate making the trip there only to find I cannot even get inside. Great beer and I can always find a fellow beer fan to strike up a conversation with if I came alone but too often it is just so packed that it isn't fun to be there if I even get in.

toweringpine wrote: Bryden's

Funny, it is the closest good beer bar to home for me but I seem to find myself at the downtown bars more often. I like to comfy seats and GLB casks.

I used to live beside brydens before i moved back to ireland. Love the place and really miss it! Would the monks kettle not be closer to you than brydens though? I used to work there. Had a pretty good sleection of beer and pretty good food too

Belgian,thank you for the respectfull reply and yes the 'Only' does have a certain charm to it which is why I went at least twice a week for the past 7 years or so BUT a total lack of service is NOT a badge of honor. I accepted this but when there are no customers in your establishment and a paying customer requires table service you make an exception and don't chastise the customer for this. And I am curious to all,do you still tip well when you get said crappy 'service' at the 'Only'? I don't I mean I tip accordingly and when a service staff says to me....'we are not noted for our service' I say 'Well I am not noted for tipping well for crappy service' I believe this is fair and I mean it's reflected in their take-home pay. If I worked in the service industry I would do my best to ensure that the paying customer was served to the best of my abilty so I should(operating word is should) get a respectable tip. So having said that I left both times from the 'Only' with more money in my pocket then the 'service' staff did.

eric hasler wrote:...a certain charm to it which is why I went at least twice a week for the past 7 years or so BUT a total lack of service is NOT a badge of honor...

I guess it's like buying gas, there's self-serve and there's expensive...

what does this mean...•Editor’s Circle Award: The Only Cafe

eric hasler wrote:what does this mean...•Editor’s Circle Award: The Only Cafe

From the Golden Tap website (http://goldentap.com/editors.html):

The Editor's Circle awards will be handed out for significant achievements in the Ontario craft beer industry, separate from the main voting and not matching the same categories. These awards will be determined by a selection of Bar Towel members and associates.

The Editor's Circle awards will not have set categories. They will be awards for exemplary achievements that drive craft beer in Ontario. It is possible no Editor's Circle awards will be handed out in a particular year.

eric hasler wrote: If I worked in the service industry I would do my best to ensure that the paying customer was served to the best of my abilty so I should(operating word is should) get a respectable tip. So having said that I left both times from the 'Only' with more money in my pocket then the 'service' staff did.

sounds to me like you have an axe to grind, sir.

first, as a patron of the Only, I'm happy that your dog isn't allowed on the back patio. if you want to drink beer and hang with your dog, do it at home. i want to drink beer in my gatch and, thankfully, i do so from the comfort of my couch and not on a patio. ever think that most people aren't coming to the bar to hang with your hound? and your dog's not of legal drinking age, so its illegal, never mind the health code issues.

i was talking to someone today about the Only. sure, it has a smell on one side. sure, the patio's super smokey at times. and its narrow near the bar. but...its the quintessential East Danforth bar. it summarizes that little piece of Toronto quite well. its like Cheers with more Carla and less Diane.

you can't get off your butt to walk to the bar and order a drink? you seriously need to be served? really? i gripe, but walking to a bar to select my beer is not on my ever-growing Gripe List.

but back to the original question:

1. Volo
2. The Only
3. Beer Bistro
3a. Bellwoods (the lines irk me and the West Queen West crowd there irks me)

atomeyes wrote:(Dogs and bars don't mix.)

i was talking to someone today about the Only. sure, it has a smell on one side. sure, the patio's super smokey at times. and its narrow near the bar.

What IS that smell? And the cigarette death stench will sometimes waft right through the bar if the breeze is northerly, which can't be right.

And this isn't Europe. You can't be in a public house with open food or drink and bring Fido. Why do dog owners always assume that? I sympathize, but dogs are both a huge limitation and a constant responsibility. Dog people actually live their lives around this...

It is hard not to be a homer when picking your favourite bars, I think.

Locally, I enjoy hanging out at The Ship, but at night it is just so damn loud, it is tough to really hang out there.

Judge is great too, but again, as it gets late at night, it is just a scream fest.

Milos Beer emporium is also fantastic....I've only been once, but hanging out there is like hanging out with family. You likely won't be treated better anywhere else.

In Ottawa I never really found a hangout even though I spent a lot of time there.
I enjoyed the Wellington Gastropub, but it isn't really a place to hang as the bar area is fairly small.
Actually, Cottage and a Kitchen was an awesome place to just hang out and have a few beers, but I do not know if they are still there.
I noted that even while in Ottawa, there were too many Toronto Maple Leafs fans at a lot of bars, so I would avoid locations with those types, as I do not associate with guttersnipe.

I really like C'est What for Toronto....a few times I went the service was a bit shoddy....actually, it was non existent, so I guess it wasn't even shoddy, but I love the vibe and all the taps. Nevermind this expensive bottle nonsense.

I enjoyed Beer Bistro a lot too, but it was like businessman central when I was there last and the place seats 9 people so it has a cramped feeling. The fries are awesome, and it is the only place you can order a quad and chug it, and the staff thinks nothing of it.

Other gems in Hamilton include The Galley Pump, and The Balmoral.

SteelbackGuy wrote:Actually, Cottage and a Kitchen was an awesome place to just hang out and have a few beers, but I do not know if they are still there.

Nope. Building soon to come down to make way for a condo or something like that. Been closed for a long time now.

Belgian wrote: What IS that smell? And the cigarette death stench will sometimes waft right through the bar if the breeze is northerly, which can't be right.

i assume its from the days when smoking was allowed in bars. it smells like dankness or dirt. either that or there's a mold problem.
its only near the front entrance. so it could also possibly be coming from the fridge?

I'm going to add to this list but say this is more of an "underrated" bar/restaurant - Harbord House.

Solid Ontario regulars, one rotating that is often a GLB or Amsterdam one-off, and their cask selection has improved greatly over the past year or two from when it was almost always Arkel's Best Bitter. It's very much a "U of T" place, which seems to be a hang out for profs and grad students alike, but the atmosphere is still pretty good.

Also the food, while getting pricey, is pretty good.

Last night I had a cask of Durham's Fresh Hop Pale Ale, and pint of freshly tapped Amsterdam Oktoberfest (first time I had that one!)

Locally - Really like The Only and C'est What, though Bellwoods is climbing the list.