5 Best Pubs in Toronto (2026)

Pedal Pub Toronto is not a pub, it's a party bike tour company operating out of Richmond Street West, running 90-minute pedal-powered group rides through downtown Toronto with music, drinks on board, one bar stop, and a photo stop. It shows up in a search for Toronto pubs because the name includes the word, but the actual product is a guided bike tour built for birthdays, bachelor and bachelorette parties, and corporate team-building outings, not a place to walk in and order a pint. Reviewers consistently name their pilot, the driver-guide, by first name and describe the experience as high-energy and social rather than a traditional bar visit.

Scotland Yard Pub has run independently on The Esplanade since 1978, built around Scottish pub decor and food alongside 17 beers on draft and a cocktail program. It positions itself as Toronto's football destination, official home to at least one club's supporters, and reviewers describe it as reliably busy on match days, with a weekend brunch service running bottomless mimosas alongside the regular menu. It's the most-reviewed name on this entire list, pub or not.

Town Crier is a German and Belgian beer house in the entertainment district, running 50 beers on tap alongside traditional dishes like schnitzel and pork knuckle from an owner with over three decades in the industry. The pub operates an indoor dining room plus a patio for warmer months, and reviewers repeatedly single out the beer selection as unusually deep for Toronto, including hard-to-find imports. It also runs a dedicated brunch service on weekends alongside the regular food menu.

Horseshoe Tavern is a live music venue and bar on Queen Street West that has operated since 1947, with a small front taproom and a separate back room where touring and local bands play most nights. It doesn't serve food, this is a drinking and live-music venue rather than a pub kitchen, and reviewers describe the front bar as fast, no-frills service built for high volume rather than a leisurely sit-down. Acts from The Rolling Stones to The Tragically Hip have played its stage, and the venue leans into that history rather than modernizing the room.

The Queen & Beaver Public House runs a from-scratch British kitchen near Dundas Square, including its own in-house pie company, alongside beer, cider, and wine in a multi-level space with a rooftop patio. The pub bills itself as Toronto's best British pub and leans into classic dishes: fish and chips, a Sunday roast, and sticky toffee pudding, alongside sports coverage of the English Premier League and local teams. Reviewers consistently order the fish and chips as a benchmark dish, with mixed but mostly positive results.