The Duke of Kent

The Duke of Kent (website, Twitter)
2315 Yonge Street, Toronto ON M4P 2C6 (on the east side, just north of Eglinton Avenue on Yonge Street at Roehampton Avenue) 416-485-9507
Google Maps

One of the more English pubs in Toronto and one of the better Duke pubs.

According to a dear friend of mine, the Duke of Kent Pub is not the place to go on a Friday evening. Older men crowd the doorway, drinking with their elbows sticking out, and ignoring all but the most insistent — but always polite — requests to move so you can pass. The penultimate time I was there, it was a weekday afternoon, rather empty, and we had a lovely time with no elbows at the ready and good service — this is after all a Duke pub and service is something I often find lacking with them. The last time we went to the Duke of Kent was a Saturday night and the crowd ebbed and flowed in the upstairs; it was quiet at ten, but very crowded and noisy at seven and eleven, and I had to squeeze through a few people to get to our reserved table upstairs — thank goodness there are toilets upstairs. The upstairs can get very, very loud. There are booths, which are a little big for two and a little small for four, cruiser tables, and regular tables downstairs and just regular tables upstairs, so you have your pick of seating. They have PubStumpers on Tuesday nights.

For those who enjoy a little history with their hops, the Duke of Kent is very close to the site of Montgomery’s Tavern, where part of the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837 was fought. Montgomery’s Tavern was burned to the ground after the Battle of Montgomery’s Tavern and the building that currently stands on the site is an Art Deco building with the royal cipher “EviiiR”, one of the few buildings that honours Edward VIII, who was on the throne for less than a year. The post office that used to be at that location is now being transformed into… you guessed it… condos. However, the facade with the royal cipher is being kept.

Number of visits by yours truly: a dozen or so, most recently on a Saturday night in January 2011
TTC information: just north of Eglinton Station
Booze selection: standard Duke pub selection of approximately 30 beers, including Strongbow and Bulmers cider (no Pimm’s)
Food selection: standard pub grub
Service staff: pleasant for a Duke pub. I left my husband’s camera once and they kindly called to let us know (we’d had a reservation so they had our contact information) and I hadn’t even realized it had fallen out of my bag
Prices: expensive like all Duke pubs
Toilets: at one point the ladies’ toilet upstairs was disgusting, but it was cleaned up after a while and much better. There are only two stalls in the ladies’ toilet downstairs, which isn’t enough for such a popular watering hole
Patio: north of the pub on Roehampton
Wheelchair accessible: there isn’t a wheelchair accessible toilet so it’s not wheelchair accessible
Televisions: several, with at least one upstairs
Live music: to quote the waitress: “rarely”
Piped-in music: standard ’80s

Rating: four pints (out of five)

The Flatiron and Firkin

The Flatiron and Firkin (website, Twitter)
49 Wellington Street East, Toronto ON M5E 1C9 (at the intersection of Wellington Street, Church Street, and Front Street) 416-362-3444
Google Maps

Lovely for a pint before a hockey game or to take the tourist who wants to see a different side of Toronto.

I like the Flatiron and Firkin for a number of reasons; the layout of the pub, the friendly staff, and the good food. Due to the layout a large group will have a tough time finding a good spot. However, if it’s just two of you, you’ll have a number of ideal spots and it’s great for tête-à-têtes as the booths are so private. The seating is very comfortable, but you can have a bit of trouble in getting in and out of certain spots as the seating and tables are fixed. The walls are full of various black-and-white photographs and old prints. The one thing I don’t like about the Flatiron and Firkin — and this is a complaint about the Firkin chain in general — is the number of televisions. Do you really need that many televisions and all showing the same sports show? The Flatiron and Firkin is in a great location, near the Sony Centre, the St. Lawrence Market, and the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts.

What’s a firkin? According to my nearest-at-hand dictionary, it’s a small cask for liquids or dried good, or a unit of alcohol that’s nine imperial gallons or about 41 litres. The Toronto “Flatiron” building predates the famous Flatiron in New York by a decade and the Toronto building is formally known as the Gooderham Building after distiller George Gooderham had it built for his company, Gooderham & Worts.

Number of visits by yours truly: two dozen or so, most recently on a Thursday afternoon in March 2011 (St. Patrick’s Day!)
TTC information: King Station, head east along King to Church, down to Wellington
Booze selection: about a dozen or so, including Strongbow cider (no Pimm’s)
Food selection: standard pub grub with lots of sandwiches and wraps. I quite like their bangers and mash
Service staff: pleasant and friendly, the busboys are very attentive
Prices: fairly decent
Toilets: very cramped
Patio: on the street facing south. At the moment, the building to the south is under construction, so you will only be able to enjoy the sun for a few months
Wheelchair accessible: no and the steps at the Church Street entrance are very uneven. I recall at least one friend tripping up the stairs
Televisions: yes, two from where I was sitting and I was facing a wall
Live music: no
Piped-in music: as it was St. Patrick’s Day, it was all Irish, all the time, so Enya and Sinéad O’Connor. On other days, the music is more ‘80s and ‘90s

Rating: four and a half pints (out of five)

The Duke of Richmond Pub

The Duke of Richmond Pub (website, Twitter)
20 Queen Street West, Toronto ON M5H 3R3 (on the east side, just west of Yonge Street, with the main entrance one block over on James Street) 416-340-7887
Google Maps

Great for watching local politicians or getting a bite to eat before a play.

I love going to plays, ballet productions, and the opera, so I have been to the Duke of Richmond a number of times over the years as it has a great location. It’s near the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, the Ed Mirvish Theatre (formerly the Canon Theatre), and Massey Hall, as well as the Eaton Centre and City Hall. One evening, while on my way to see South Pacific, I saw then mayor David Miller at a nearby table.

This pub, like many in the downtown core, can get crowded and the Duke of Richmond is no exception. Like many of the other Duke pubs, service can be hit and miss. A few months ago, I e-mailed to make a reservation using their internet reservation system and no one got back to me. However, another time I called as my husband had lost a treasured fountain pen, and we thought it might be at the Duke of Richmond. That time the person who answered the phone was very helpful, and, yes, we eventually did found the pen at home.

This is one of the nicer pubs in terms of décor, which is standard Duke pub style. If you are a large group you might have problems finding seating even at the quietest of times as so many of the seating arrangements are booths. However, two of the last times I was there, there were large groups at the back, so the pub might be able to accommodate your needs, if you happen to get someone helpful on the telephone.

Number of visits by yours truly: a dozen or so, most recently on a Saturday afternoon in February
TTC information: Queen Station, take the south exit to Queen Street West, then follow the sidewalk west around the corner to James Street
Booze selection: standard Duke pub selection of approximately 30 beers, including Strongbow and Bulmers ciders. Yes, they have Pimm’s!
Food selection: standard pub grub
Service staff: pleasant, but you can wait for service sometimes, which is annoying if you have a play starting shortly
Prices: expensive like all Duke pubs, but we’re talking tourist/politician/shopping central
Toilets: rather fancy
Patio: on the street facing west, with a lovely view of Old City Hall, however, that building blocks most of the sun in the afternoon
Wheelchair accessible: yes and no, it seems to be wheelchair accessible through the office building that the pub is attached to, but the office building was closed when I was there on a weekend and we couldn’t exit through it, even though the entrance from the pub to the office building was unlocked. I’d call ahead
Televisions: yes, three were visible from where I was sitting
Live music: no
Piped-in music: standard ’80s.

Rating: four pints (out of five)

Dark Horse

Dark Horse (website)
2401 Bloor Street West, Toronto ON M6S 1P7 (on the south side, just east of Jane Street) 416-769-4696
Google Maps

The place to go for a decent meal and a touch of English pub charm.

It might have been an anomaly, but my friend and I were the only women in Dark Horse pub (is it A or The Dark Horse?) for the two hours we were there for lunch and the place had about a dozen customers. The waitress was friendly and answered all my questions without getting annoyed. I thought it was an excellent pub. However, while researching this write-up I stumbled across a number of negative online reviews about the establishment, mainly concerning the serving staff, but I enjoyed myself and found the staff to be very good.

The décor was fancy with some Old World charm, there were glass chandeliers and wall sconces, dark wood and old prints and the kitchen was slightly exposed, which I always take as a good sign. There is a coin-operated breathalyser downstairs and a selection of chips/crisps behind the bar.

There is a Black Horse pub near Bloor and Ossington, and there are three Dark Horse Espresso Bars scattered across Toronto, so keep that in mind if meeting with friends.

Number of visits by yours truly: my first, on a Wednesday in early February 2011 for lunch, but not my last
TTC information: Jane Station. Be sure when crossing Bloor West to or from the TTC station that you cross at the lights as the intersection can be dangerous
Booze selection: about 15 on draught, including Blackthorn cider (no Pimm’s)
Food selection: rather small menu in terms of items, but generous portions and very yummy
Service staff: excellent; very friendly, pleasant, and patient
Prices: expensive (I was treated)
Toilets: they smelled nice. One of the cubicles in the ladies had a broken lock
Patio: on the street facing north. There is an office building to the west, so this might not be the place to go for a suntan or to enjoy a sunset
Wheelchair accessible: no
Televisions: two that I could see and they weren’t intrusive
Live music: no
Piped-in music: REM, Depeche Mode, the Beatles, nothing too annoying

Rating: four pints (out of five)