Friar & Firkin

Good food. Good pub like atmosphere. Went with friends and had a beer and the buttermilk chicken. I’ve also had the chicken curry and the fish and chips on separate occasions.
Come here if you want a clean, good pub experience.

Expired check in offer! (20% off the order) Arg!
Howeverrrrrr they made up for this
Wednesdays are $ 10 for a pound of wings! Great deal especially since I was craving wings! I went to this place about a year ago and remember it to be an inexpensive place to go to any night of the week.
Staff is very friendly and always available
The wings I had probably had the most meat i have seen on wings in a while!
Definitely back here for another wing night

This is probably the place to go if you’re trying to decide between The Fox &The Fiddle and this place. This place thoroughly understands what it’s meant to be — a cheaper, chill pub to relax in.
Like its sister pubs throughout the city, the food is pretty reliable, tastes pretty decent and has good drink and food deals throughout the week.
This particular place also has pretty friendly staff who are attentive and have a very good understanding of the pub’s menu. I get the sense that there are a couple of folk who also have a real pride for the place which can be a bit rare at times.
The food and drinks are also better prices than Fox & The Fiddle down the street.

Great place to unwind after a long hard day at work, or after a show or sports game on a weekend or a movie. Staff is very friendly and the drinks and food deals are super good.
A short walk from Osgood subway station makes it an ideal place to hang out any time of day. Much recommended for those who enjoy Irish pub fares and occasional social encounters with fruendly strangers.

Meh sight lines for the TVS (came here to watch blue jays)
Meh service
Meh atmosphere (funky British décor)
The cocktails were OK.

This little English pub on John St has become one of my new favourite spots in this area. They have drink specials everyday so it makes it worth while to stop in on any day of the week. They have a wide food selection so you will be able to find something that you will like. I had the grilled cheese with bacon and I wasn’t disappointed. The bread was crispy and there was a good amount of bacon in the sandwich. Their fries are okay, but where a little over done so I didn’t finish them.

Can’t complain about the drink deals. $ 5 Creemore and Rickard’s pints. Lots of seating and close to the entertainment district
I was only here for drinks so I can’t talk about the food.

Hit this place recently after a movie. Great location just steps from cinema. Staff super friendly. Got the $ 8 pound of wings (hot) and $ 5 Canadian. This is their Wednesday special. The wings were well cooked and not super spicy. They were also huge! Great deal. Beer was cold and wet.

We stopped in here for «after-​show» cocktails, but we should have gone elsewhere. Worst martinis we ever had — I mean they were really nasty. Seating in the small 2-​top tables is really cramped, so sit at the bar or one of the 4-​top booths. Unfortunately, we will never be going back here.

Very nice place. I know a big group owns these but it still had nice ambiance. Went for lunch with kids and it was fine. Free wifi. Variety of beer and food was good.

Drinks were well priced, my shepherds pie was tasty, but the service was exceptionally rough. To be fair, I was there with some people who could have been more polite. But when the waiter walks away and visibly rolls his eyes so hard that his head almost comes off… that’s probably where I draw the line.
We were there for a couple hours on a dead night. We had 2 servers (in between shifts I suppose) and neither were very nice. I tried to do the «hey, sorry about my buddies and that last hockey comment» eye contact move but they really didn’t care.
This place is really close to my favorite hostel and I’ll probably be back but it’ll surely be for the food and beer, not so much the friendly service.

I went here with a friend last Tuesday before seeing the Lion King at a theatre a few blocks away. I ordered the cider chicken and she got the daily special of pizza-​stuffed chicken. My chicken tasted pretty decent, but hers wasn’t even remotely pizza-​like on the inside and she really wasn’t happy with it. It looked like it was just a small piece of breaded chicken with red sauce inside and mushrooms on top. Our server never came by to ask how the food was and she wasn’t comfortable complaining, so she just ate it.
We had a little extra time and were still hungry, so we flagged down our server and said we didn’t have much time but wanted dessert. She said dessert only takes about 5 minutes, so we each ordered one (my friend got the lava cake and I got the sticky toffee pudding). It did only take about 5 minutes to get the dessert, and I could tell immediately why it was such a short wait. They were both pretty bad and quite sloppily assembled (and the whipped cream on mine looked seriously sad– see picture).
By the time we finished the desserts we definitely needed to get the check and get going. However, our server was MIA and it was at least 10 minutes before we saw her again. We said we were in a hurry to get the check and get out of there, so she promptly brought the check– then disappeared again. I finally got irritated and went looking for her, and she was just standing at the bar talking to someone. I had to interrupt their socializing to get her to run my credit card.
We managed to make it to the theatre on time for the show, which was great. Except I ended up having some serious gastrointestinal issues about half an hour in and I ended up missing a good chunk of the show. Definitely won’t ever return to this restaurant.

I’d never think to have lunch on a work day at a pub, but this place knows how to satisfy mah belly!
I ordered the butter chicken pot pie and it was delicious! The outer crust was crisp and the filling was packed with chicken. Although it did not taste like actual Indian «butter chicken», it was nonetheless amazing. The mashed potatoes on the side was made perfectly and the side veggies were nice and buttery.
Our server was extremely personable with nonstop jokes — he was happy to offer our whole table the 20% off Unilocal Check-​In offer even though we asked for separate bills.
This place is packed during lunch, but the food is served within ten minutes and the servers move around in lightning speed so the queue is usually not too long.
I will definitely be back and try out other items on the menu. They have numerous options if you’d like beer on tap — banana beer and the barking squirrel (?) are some of the more memorable ones mentioned.
The best part: similar to bubble tea shops, this place also have a stamp card for every entrée you order. Yes Friar, call me a fan!

Been here a couple of times, enough to finally write a review here.
This place is pretty chill and it’s seat yourself which is perfectly normal for a bar. Greeted and approached within a few minutes of sitting down.
Fair amount of choices to choose from. My absolute favourite is the butter chicken pie which comes with mashed potato veggies. I don’t recommend the veggies because they are over salted nor are the mashed potatoes good there is way too much butter for anyone. But you can substitute it for a different side, so I’m perfectly OK with that option.
Drink choices are standard like any other bar. They have domestic beers like Canadian and coors light plus premium beers like barking squirrel (?), Rickards white, Rickards red, etc. there’s wine and the typical cocktails. They have some specials and daily menu that I can’t recall right now. The best part is it’s conveniently located near the Scotiabank theatre.
Subway/​ttc is walking distance too so that’s always a plus with any bar right?

***************************SPECIAL #TOflood REVIEW************************
When we go to Scotiabank Theatre for a movie, we often end up here for dinner. Cozy little basement pub with good grub and cheerful friendly staff.
A special shout out to the staff of this Firkin: On July 8, 2013, they saved 4 very drenched people in the midst of the Toronto flood #TOflood. We had only been running 15 minutes from the Scotiabank to the pub, but we might as well have taken a bath in our clothes. The waiters rushed over with loads of rolls of brown paper towels to sponge our hair and clothes as best we could, and to SIT ON (!) Yes, we were that wet. I joked this would be an excellent night for a wet T-​shirt contest and the bartender laughed with me.
Fortunately we ordered dinner BEFORE the power went out for the rest of the evening. Since there were candles on every table and I had just enough cash for the bill in my wallet, the evening was saved (normally I pay by debit & don’t carry cash on me).
Came back to Scotiabank where we’d bought tickets & they were locked tight as a drum due to the power outage (which in turn was due to flooded hydro transformers in Etobicoke). Nothing to do but drive a long harrowing way home along Lakeshore Blvd. with the deluge still pouring down. Passed dozens of umbrella laden drenched people waiting outside subway stations for buses cause the subways were flooded too. Not a good evening to TTC!
But cheers to everyone at Friar & Firkin! You looked after us so wonderfully!

Was here on Saturday night, between 8 – 10 pm. Places wasn’t too full, probably because there was no hockey game on the tv. They sat us at high tops after asking if we were going to be eating — I guess you get sucky seats if you’re not going to be eating anything and just drinking.
Service was average. Drinks were well priced — vodka/​spritzer and my Caesar were each $ 5.95; my friend’s Strongbow was about $ 7.50. My Caesar was really good, the garnish was a pickle, an olive, a tiny red pepper and a cocktail onion. Overall, good vibe, if you’re in the neighbourhood — good choice for after a movie at Scotiabank.

Been here a few times and it is always packed. Most likely because the food is very good and the price can’t be beat, especially for being down town!
Not sure if it is still a Firkin, place seems to have several signs saying firkin and several without it. Who knows, food is still great.

This is a very average pub, but I’m a fan since it’s always been a solid and gratifying experience here. It’s fully underground save for a thin strip of sidewalk patio, which I don’t find appealing at all, but the interior is nice and cozy. The staff have always been friendly and efficient and I could not ask for more. The food is definitely good enough for a full meal and while I stick to what’s on draft they do have some good looking cocktail specials on hand to go with the season. While they don’t offer a great selection of beer they do have a house brew which I’ve tried and liked, but not enough to keep ordering it on future visits. But that’s more of a personal preference than a critique of the quality of their brew.
I’ve never found it too busy but then again I doubt I’ve been here on a weekend night to really comment on wait times. Amidst the over priced and far less charming concoction of big name bars a half block away the Friar and Firkin is a welcome presence that delivers on all fronts that one should expect a bar to deliver on!

Petit bar pub cosy à l’écart de l’agitation du quartier des affaires. Descendez un petit escalier et vous entrez dans un bar avec de la moquette partout et une ambiance «pub irlandais».
Service de restauration de bars classique avec burgers, ribs et pintes de bière.
Le coca est en refill!
A recommander le gâteau au chocolat avec de l’oreo, une surprise…

It’s the place to be! Bien sur sa popularité en fait un pub plein dès la moindre festivité dans la ville mais on comprend pourquoi quand on y va!
Il se trouve en plein coeur de la ville, en sous-​sol mais ce n’est pas génant pour ce pub! Il y a aussi une terrasse privée pour ceux qui veulent profiter de l’ambiance de la ville.
Le pub n’est pas très grand mais on s’y sent bien, des cloisons en bois séparent les groupes de tables, donc on est dans l’ambiance du bar mais on a son propre espace avec ses amis ce qui est appréciable.
Les boissons né sont pas chères surtout si on né boit pas d’alcool.
On peut aussi y manger pour des prix raisonnables, de 8 à 15 $ en moyenne et ce n’est pas mauvais. Les desserts en revanche sont exellents!!!
Le service est très bien.

We were looking for a quick bite and beer in downtown Toronto and finally settled on Friar and Firkin. The lure of the «pub» was just too much. After sightseeing for 2 days it was time to settle down.
Being a pub… they had beer… and they had their own home brew, Butler’s Pale Ale, which was served in 22 ounce «pints». This must be due to either metric conversion or «new math» because I’d never seen that before! Great beer… and 22 ounces!
Since we had planned a revolt from a our weight watchers program for the trip we decided to share a plate of 3 sliders and an order of Friar and Firkin poutine. I’ve become obsessed with poutine. Why can’t we get it here in the states?
Anyway… freshly cooked sliders, not the greasy mess that is served at most places, these resembled small hamburger that you would cook at your own home with fresh tasting, thick molded beef patties in freshly made buns. Totally yum…
Did I mention they had beer?
The of course, the poutine. Their «special» poutine was made with their own house cut french fries, topped with loads of cheese curds, and loaded with brown gravy. To make it even more nutritious they add shredded pork to the mix. It’s really a meal in itself.
And of course there was the beer… between the 2 of us we downed 4 «pints». So it cost us a few weight watchers points, but that’s what vacations are about.
Friar and Firkin is located in a hopping district of Toronto, on John St. just north of the theatre district so there is always a crowd there. The staff was great and the place has the look of an old pub.
Then of course there’s the 20% off your food bill if you check in on Unilocal…
… and the beer!

Decent pub downtown. Great area for people watching. I wish their patio was bigger — it only has a few tables, but if you can manage to snag a table outside you are set.
If you «check-​in» on your Unilocal app you get 20% off your food bill! ding ding ding ding
The staff here is really good, haven’t come across any douches yet.
Food is average, the usual wings, burgers, wraps, fish & chips and other pub grub.