5 Best Pubs in Toronto (2026)

Independently ranked by our review of ratings, reviews and reputation · How we chose

By Thorne Savarin, Culinary Explorer · ✓ Data verified July 2026 · 8 min read

A good pub in Toronto has to do two things at once: pour a proper pint and give you somewhere to actually sit and talk. The pubs on this page have logged nearly 20,000 Google reviews between them, and the ratings run from 4.3 to 4.7, tight enough that atmosphere and food end up mattering more than the star count.

Short answer: Scotland Yard Pub on The Esplanade is Toronto's top-rated pub (4.7 stars, over 5,200 reviews), an independent Scottish pub running since 1978 with 17 beers on draft and a patio. C'est What? is the pick for craft beer, brewing its own on site near St. Lawrence Market, and Town Crier pours 50 taps with German and Belgian food in the Entertainment District. Expect CA$20 to 40 per person for a pub meal with a pint.

Jump to a business

1. Scotland Yard Pub
2. C’est What? Inc.
3. King Taps First Canadi…
4. Town Crier
5. The Queen & Beaver Pub…
Get listed

Toronto's pubs, side by side

#	Business	Rating	Reviews	Best for
1	Scotland Yard Pub	4.7 ★	5,226	Classic pub night / patio	View ›
2	C’est What? Inc.	4.5 ★	3,568	Craft beer / brewpub	View ›
3	King Taps First Canadian Place	4.3 ★	5,088	Financial district happy hour	View ›
4	Town Crier	4.5 ★	3,012	Beer list / German and Belgian food	View ›
5	The Queen & Beaver Public House	4.4 ★	2,894	British pub / theatre district	View ›

Our top picks for a proper pub night

#1 Overall🕑 Open 7 days

Scotland Yard Pub

4.75,226 Google reviews

Scotland Yard Pub is an independent Scottish pub on The Esplanade, in business since 1978 in the St. Lawrence Market area of Old Town Toronto. It pours 17 beers on draft alongside hand-crafted cocktails, runs a weekend brunch from 9am, and keeps dart boards on hand for a proper pub evening. The kitchen leans traditional, sausages, fish and chips, poutine, built around the draught list rather than around it.

What people praise

Reviewers say it genuinely feels like a Scottish pub, right down to the decor and the fish and chips
Deep, well-kept draught selection with a happy hour worth timing your visit around
Dart boards and a patio give it range from a quiet pint to a livelier night out
Staff get singled out by name in review after review for friendly, attentive service

Worth knowing

One reviewer clocked the noise as moderate rather than quiet during a busy dinner service

Reputation scorecardrank in Toronto

Rating4.7 / 5

Review volume5,226 · 98th

Confidencevery high

Recency2 weeks ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown78% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: The highest rating on this page and the closest thing to a straightforward, old-school pub visit, patio included. It also keeps screens for sports, so it doubles well if a game happens to be on.

Website Book now +1416-364-6572 Directions

56 The Esplanade, Toronto, ON M5E 1A6

#2🕑 Open 7 days

C’est What? Inc.

4.53,568 Google reviews

C'est What? is a brewpub near St. Lawrence Market that brews its own beer on site alongside a broader craft and import list, paired with a scratch kitchen the site calls a market-fresh menu. It also runs a small stage for live music and keeps a pool table and board games for after dinner. The vibe reviewers describe is casual and pubby up front, with food that reaches noticeably higher than typical pub fare.

What people praise

House-brewed beer plus a wide craft list, called out repeatedly as a genuine draw
Food described as a cut above typical pub fare, from bison burgers to perogies and Sheppard's pie
Pool table and board games make it a good pick for settling in for a few hours
Handles a Sunday lunch crowd of 30-plus without the service falling apart

Worth knowing

One reviewer found the calamari skippable, though the rest of the menu drew praise

Reputation scorecardrank in Toronto

Rating4.5 / 5

Review volume3,568 · 88th

Confidencevery high

Recency2 weeks ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown62% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: The best pick here for someone who wants a real craft-beer pub rather than a sports-focused room. It ranks second mainly on review volume, not on how people feel about it once they're there.

Website +1416-867-9499 Directions

67 Front St E Downstairs, Toronto, ON M5E 1B5

#3🕑 Open 7 days↩ Responds to reviews

King Taps First Canadian Place

4.35,088 Google reviews

King Taps at First Canadian Place is a downtown pub in the financial district with over 50 taps, a patio, and a happy hour that runs daily from 2 to 5pm plus late night. It leans into weekday routines: half-price wine bottles all day Tuesday, weekend brunch until 2pm, and a menu built for groups grabbing drinks after work. The room itself is exposed brick and open layout, closer to a modern pub-restaurant than a traditional snug.

What people praise

Over 50 taps and a daily happy hour make it an easy after-work default
Patio gets specific praise as an inviting spot for lunch or drinks with colleagues
Staff went well out of their way for one group celebrating a courthouse wedding
Weekend brunch and Tuesday wine specials give it more than one reason to show up

Worth knowing

More than one reviewer describes it as the loudest room they have been in, hard for conversation
Pricing runs high for what you get, according to a few recent reviews

Reputation scorecardrank in Toronto

Rating4.3 / 5

Review volume5,088 · 93rd

Confidencehigh

Recency3 weeks ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown63% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: Strong for a downtown happy hour with a crowd, less so if you actually want to hear the person across the table. Go for the taps and the patio, not for a quiet catch-up.

Website Book now +1289-367-8808 Directions

100 King St W, Toronto, ON M5X 1E1

#4🕑 Open 7 days

Town Crier

4.53,012 Google reviews

Town Crier is a pub in the Entertainment District pouring 50 beers on tap from around the world alongside a food menu of traditional German and Belgian dishes, schnitzels in particular. The owner has 35 years in the industry, according to the site, and the pub keeps two indoor areas plus an outdoor space, with weekend brunch running 11am to 4pm. It is built as much around the beer list as around the room itself.

What people praise

50 beers on tap draws specific praise as extensive and worth exploring
Sausage plates and schnitzels rated highly, alongside a full weekend brunch menu
Outdoor area plus two indoor rooms give it flexibility for different group sizes
Staff stayed attentive even on a packed World Cup match day, per one recent review

Reputation scorecardrank in Toronto

Rating4.5 / 5

Review volume3,012 · 78th

Confidencevery high

Recency2 weeks ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown64% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: A close second to Scotland Yard on rating, and the deepest beer list on this page by reviewer accounts. Worth the trip on the tap selection alone.

Website +1416-204-9588 Directions

115 John St, Toronto, ON M5H 1X9

#5🕑 Open 7 days

The Queen & Beaver Public House

4.42,894 Google reviews

The Queen & Beaver Public House is a British pub near Dundas Square and the theatre district, serving classic British dishes made from scratch, including pies from its own Q&B Pie Co. It keeps a cozy upstairs den, a dining room, a front terrace and a rooftop patio, giving it more distinct spaces than most pubs on this list. It also screens the English Premier League and local pro teams, so it covers both a relaxed pub visit and match day.

What people praise

Fish and chips, Sunday roast and sticky toffee pudding all draw strong, specific praise
Multiple distinct spaces, den, dining room, terrace, rooftop, suit different kinds of visits
Stayed friendly and fast even fully packed during a Champions League final
Scratch kitchen and in-house pie company set it apart on the food side

Worth knowing

A couple of reviewers found the fish a little off on one visit, calling it a one-off

Reputation scorecardrank in Toronto

Rating4.4 / 5

Review volume2,894 · 73rd

Confidencevery high

Recency8 weeks ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown61% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: The most rooms-in-one pub here, useful whether you want a quiet den or a rooftop patio. It is not the top-rated pub on this page, but the range of spaces is unmatched.

Website Book now +1647-347-2712 Directions

35 Elm St, Toronto, ON M5G 1H1

Your business here

Get listed on this page, in front of local customers already searching for you.

Claim this spot ›

Watch: 5 Best Pubs in Toronto (2026)

How we rank these pubs

Every number here comes from live Google data pulled in July 2026, not from opinion or payment. Rating is the pub’s current Google star average. Review volume measures how many customers have actually rated it, weighed against the other pubs on this page. Confidence combines the two, so a high rating built on thousands of reviews counts for more than the same rating on a handful. Recency checks how recently people are still leaving reviews. No pub can pay to move these numbers.

What does a pub visit cost in Toronto? (2026)

Pricing at these pubs runs on a fairly consistent band based on reviewer-reported spend per person, though it varies by how much you drink and whether you eat a full meal.

Job	Typical price
Casual pub meal with a pint	CA$20-30 per person
Full meal with a couple of drinks	CA$30-60 per person
Bigger night with food and several rounds	CA$60-100+ per person

Ranges compiled July 2026 from reviewer-reported price-per-person figures on Google for the pubs listed above. Actual totals depend on how much you drink and whether you order a full meal.

Pubs across downtown Toronto

These pubs cluster around Old Town and St. Lawrence Market, the Financial District, and the Entertainment and Theatre districts, all within walking distance of Union Station. Searching for a pub near me downtown? Every listing below has a live phone number and address so you can find the closest option and check what’s on tonight.

What to check before you head to a Toronto pub

Does it take reservations, or is it walk-in only for the bar and patio?
What’s on tap right now, and is there a happy hour window?
Is the patio open and is it first-come or bookable?
How loud does it get on weekend evenings if you want to actually talk?
Is there a cover charge or minimum spend on big match nights?
What time does the kitchen close relative to the bar?

Frequently asked questions

How did you choose these pubs?

We started from pubs in Toronto with a public Google presence, then ranked by rating, review volume, consistency and recency. See How we rank these pubs above.

Are these rankings paid?

No. Rankings come from public Google data. A business can pay to be a Featured Partner, which adds a badge and top placement, but that never changes another business’s score or position.

How often is this updated?

The data carries a verified date, July 2026 on this page. We refresh listings periodically so ratings and review counts stay current.

Which Toronto pub has a patio?

Scotland Yard Pub, King Taps and The Queen & Beaver all have outdoor seating, and The Queen & Beaver adds a rooftop patio on top of its front terrace.

Which of these pubs is quietest for conversation?

Reviewers flag King Taps as the loudest room on this list. Scotland Yard and The Queen & Beaver get more mixed noise reports depending on the night and table.

The bottom line

Scotland Yard Pub is the safe default for a proper pub night, the highest rating here and a genuine Scottish pub feel with a patio to match. If beer selection is what you’re after, Town Crier and C’est What? both go deeper on the tap list than anyone else on this page.

More categories in Toronto

Own one of these businesses, or want to be here?

Claim your spot on this page: Basic listing $50 or Premium $100 for the top spot, held a full year. Both include a permanent link to your site.

Get listed See pricing