Paupers Pub

I’ve been to Paupers many times. They generally have good customer service and a nice atmosphere. The menu is ok and they often have deals (ie. a specials menu) which make it quite affordable. It isn’t normally overly packed so you can usually get a seat, even on a Friday night.

In a building that used to be a bank is now a cozy pub. Walk in and there will be no one to greet the guests, allowed to choose any open table to sit down at. The decoration was a mix between a family style restaurant and a sports bar. It had a very homey and comfortable feeling to it. First glance at the menu and nothing seemed to eye catching.
Went with the stuffed burger which comes with a choice of side: fries, house salad, soup or coleslaw. Went with the soup because it sounded delicious and it was. Creamy smooth cream of chicken soup with a hint of spice and some tortellini. Comes with a pack of crackers that tasted great crumbled up in the soup. The beef patty was stuffed with cheese and it was good. Needed more cheese though, since it was only in the centre bites of the burger. Simple, decent burger that was lacking some sauce so added ketchup on top.
Overall, the drink deals are good so definitely a place to consider grabbing a cold one at but would be ordering food to go with the drink.

Came here on a Friday after work hours and was glad that this place wasn’t too packed. We were on the ground-​floor patio split among 3 tables, since our party was fairly large. The half-​price starters from 3−6pm were great to split. Sweet potato fries were definitely the best in our opinion. The rest of their menu didn’t seem that exciting or special though.
Service was great and I’ll probably come back, to be honest, mainly for their starters!

I usually end up at Paupers only because it’s located in a good spot. While there’s nothing ostensibly wrong with it, I can’t say anything about the food has ever really jumped out at me. And I’ve had experiences with really awesome service, but I’ve had just a couple more experiences where the service was pretty slow and inattentive. It always seemed to be under-​staffing, but who knows?
There ARE times where I seek Paupers out, and that’s because of the awesome rooftop patio. Certainly one of the best views in Toronto. That said, the last time I made it up there, there were a number of pigeons hanging around the overhang and bombing bird crap danger close.
EDIT:
Thanks for the reply Janet! Can’t wait for patio season :)

A pretty average pub. Went on a Tuesday and it was pretty packed and noisy. The service was quick and gruff — didn’t really care for it either way. The food is good for the value — the store bought fries were cooked well and the burgers were pretty good. I wouldn’t go out of my way to go back, but if I’m in the area and really hungry I’d be happy to go here. Oh yeah — they don’t take debit but have an ATM at the entrance. Super convenient!

Came in with some friends after a show at Lee’s, had some cold beer with wings and they were really good. The wings weren’t the best but I still enjoyed them. The price wasn’t very bad as it was well within budget for the food we got. Onion rings were great and. service was good too no real complaints. Oh wait yeah the waitress did stand on the couch and began changing the chalkboard sign which is okay to do at the end of the night but not while wearing a skirt and exposing your cellulite legs to people that are in the middle of eating. Other that everything was good.

Not bad but a tad too expensive. I would avoid going here again just for that reason.

The best part of Paupers is the rooftop patio. It’s big and, if you avoid the high tops at the very back (I think there’s kitchen exhaust or something coming out of there — it smells), a pretty solid place to spend some time drinking beer. There’s no real view, but sometimes it’s good enough just being outside.
Service has fluctuated between awesome and average, so I think it’s very much luck of the draw. The ladies bathrooms have never been the best but on my last visit 2 of 4 stalls on the second floor were completely unusable due to dirt or the back of the toilet tank being on the seat (no idea what that was about).
Food is average. When I read the menu, however, I feel like I’m being nickle and dimed to death based on the pricing and the set-​up. Maybe I’m being oversensitive, but it just seems a lot more blatant than other places.
Go in with middling expectations, enjoy the rooftop patio, and take advantage of some great outdoor drinking space in the Annex!

I wanted to try their rack of ribs special which was advertised all over the place the day we were there, but they were sold out by 7pm. If you no longer have the special by dinner time you should consider erasing it off the board and not give people false hope. As a result I didn’t get anything to eat and was extremely hangry. I didn’t much care for the décor either. Safe to say I won’t be back here again.

The rooftop patio is great, have an awesome view of the city.
Food is pretty good too. Just shared apps, the Thai chicken and calamari.
Thai chicken is three large breaded pieces of chicken, in a spicy/​sweet Thai sauce… Very good.
Calamari is breaded in something wonderful because they were melting in my mouth!
The vibe was good, 25’s to 40’s crowd, good mix of music.
Fun place to start your night on the weekend, or for a night cap during the week.

Food: ⁴⁄₅
Service: ²⁄₅
Location: ³⁄₅
In the heart of the Toronto Annex, this place is perfect for those Friday night patio hangouts with friends. You’re within walking distance from the subway, restaurants, and plenty of entertainment venues. They have a patio on the side with a street view and a roof deck.
There are lots of great beers on tap for the beer lovers out there. When I went I got the Canadian burger (it has bacon!) with a side of house salad. The salad was a bit bland but the burger was fantastic. The service was slow and they screwed up on a few of our orders (sides and omissions).

I was within walking area of the Annex and seeing as how it’s patio season now I decided to try out one of the places on the list of patio places put out recently by Evelyn. I was here early for lunch, right when it opened and during the week this place isn’t so busy during opening I’d imagine over say a weekend. Still this place is really large and while I could see the rooftop patio sort of from the street, it’s not open at lunch. They do have a side patio facing Lippincott which is just fine.
I’ll start off with the check in offer. I’m not sure if this is part of the patio season or not but the wording may need work. The check in tag line reads,
«50% off Your First Check In, Check In here to unlock this offer».
OK so while I didn’t expect 50% off my entire bill I was expecting a wee bit more than what the offer REALLY was. For anybody that checks in you have to slide the offer, actually check in with or without comments and you have 4 hours to use the offer. The thing is the tag line is ambiguous to say the least. The actual offer is 50% off a STARTER (app) with the purchase of a beverage. So the gaping misunderstanding could be that there is an assumption of 50% off something but not specific until you actually check in. You can’t really see what the offer is until you physically check in and you can’t check in unless you are within proximity of the business. The only benefit of this check in is that it would trump their regular same offer but that is only valid between certain hours (normally not lunch time).
When I mentioned the check in offer the server wasn’t sure how they would do it because they normally only give specials during their happy hour. She said she’d speak to the manager or somebody. She said they are always doing something but they aren’t made aware of these offers.
Regardless of the check in the place is a very accommodating size and a nice feel to it. It does feel a little divey inside and outdated but that is part of the charm of it. I saw a photo coming back from the patio and the place was once a CIBC back in the day. It is a really nice structure and it has a large solid footprint as well.
I had ordered for my wife that was meeting me for lunch. I had an Amsterdam Boneshaker to start. Honestly I felt the pour was short. It was served in a small snifter type glass but I really didn’t think it was anywhere near a pint size if it was full but this had so much head on it. I should have said something but I didn’t. I just wasn’t in the mood.
I had ordered the smoked turkey with brie on a ciabatta and side salad for her and a cheeseburger with fries for myself. I also ordered the onion rings as a starter but everything basically came out at once. I have to say the food was really good. I’d give a 4 for the food alone. The burger I had wasn’t frozen. On the menu it said it had 3 ounces of cheese on it and melted it probably had more. The onion straws are a nice touch. I love crunchiness when I can get it. The onion rings were good too, nothing too out of the ordinary but a solid starter. My wife enjoyed her food and saved the other half of her sandwich for later in the day.
Overall the experience was ok. The server wasn’t aware of the check in offer or wasn’t even sure if she could honor it at first. It turns out they were able to honor it. On the receipt where they applied the discount it was marked «Four Square» tsk tsk! So I saved a whopping 3 bucks on what was listed as a 50% off my first check in.
Regardless of the check in the service was also ok, the space is a nice space but the food was great. The drink was good but I think I should have had a little more… I have a photo of the drink as it was served with the amount of head on it. If I’m wrong about the volume of this, please somebody let me know. I’m not an expert in snifters and they are strange to me all around.

We ducked in on a rainy Sunday to grab some dinner and a drink. We were delighted to find there were ½ price starters from 3−6pm! Nachos and tacos were excellent and even comes with chilli for dipping. Everyone enjoyed their mains. Service was excellent! Friendly and very quick!

The only thing I would change is opening the 2^nd floor a little bit earlier. I like it better than the first floor, more room for bigger groups and it just feels cozier to me.
Their spicy sausage pasta is AMAZING, good selection of beer, the live music is a nice touch. Another thing I love about it is that it doesn’t get too loud like a lot of the bars in the area.

Pauper’s saving grace is its rooftop patio. It is probably the only reason I go here from time to time. The drinks are ok, caesar tasted pretty good although it could do with some garnish — it’s what adds to the fun of ordering a caesar! Servers seem to be hit or miss — had a nice waiter when I went today, but my last visit was kind of a disaster. The last time I visited, I ordered a sangria. The sangria was served to me with a fly in it. I politely notified the waitress that she had served me a drink with a fly in it and her response was quite surprising. Rather than apologize and offer me a new drink, she said «So would you like me to scoop it out with a spoon?» Um… does she know that flies eat poo? When I told her that I did not think that was hygienic and I would like a new drink, her attitude made it seem like I was being unreasonable and inconveniencing her. I could see her take the drink to the bartender, who then looked pissed at having to make another drink. I really hope that it is not their practice to just scoop out an offending contaminant and re-​serve the food/​beverage.
If it weren’t for the roof top patio, I’d never go back. Why do I have to love roof top patios so much…

First time there. Had one grouchy waitress and one waiter that was cheerful and pleasant.
Their suicide wings were really good. They didn’t have a vinegar taste that I imagine all suicide wings would have but they had a dryish seasoning that they used which I thought was quite delicious. The wings were hot but no where close to Duff wings armegedon or death sauce.

I recently had a staff appreciation event at Pauper’s. Janet, the GM, was very helpful with taking my budget and needs and suggesting the best possible options. Their platter menu features a quality mix of both meat and vegetarian items — and with decent prices.
As for the event, our group of 20 was given a generous section of their second floor which they have available for private bookings. Upon arriving, both the bartender and manager greeted me by name and we discussed how I’d like the food and beverage services to happen. Much like the main floor, the 2^nd floor has the same plush cushioned booths. It’s very warm and inviting.
As the evening progressed, the Pauper’s Pub staff were always there for us but equally remained behind the scene so we could enjoy ourselves. Change the music? No problem. Al, our bartender, was totally professional. In fact, I don’t think he even left for a bathroom break!
I highly suggest this location when you have a limited budget but still wish to provide your group with an enjoyable time. Location wise, the venue is close to 2 subway stations and on a street with late night bus service. Bloor Street has plenty of cabs but always good to have an affordable option so guests get home safe.

Nice place with nice service. Food is OK. They lack espresso coffee.

The pub itself was clean and well laid out but our group had the rudest and most unpleasant waitress which lead to us leaving earlier than anticipated and heading to the Green Room down the street.
I ordered a Tom Collins which looked and tasted like extremely sour kool-​aid, I would not order that drink again.
I might go back in hopes that I will get a better waitress next time as I did enjoy the actual space, it’s like a smaller and cleaner version of The Madison Avenue Pub down the street.

Met up with a pal here on Saturday night. Right in the Annex, you’re within walking distance from the subway, restaurants, and entertainment venues. Paupers is a casual bar with a great selection of beers and a pretty good food menu. The drinks here are quite reasonable for Toronto standards. I had a bottle of Desperado for $ 6. There’s a lot of seating so it’s a great place to meet a group of friends; there are also a lot of booths so you can meet up with a friend or two.
Bonus — Check in with Unilocal and you get 50% off of one appetizer.
Good for: drinks, pub grub, groups

L’une des valeurs sures du quartier Bathurst, un étage et un rooftop avec vue imprenable sur Toronto.
Choix de bières correct et restauration de bars pubs à la carte: nachos, burgers, sandwichs.
Service rapide et efficace.
One of my favorite bars in the bathurst district, one floor and a rooftop with an amazing view of Toronto.
Good choice of beers and goods meals: burgers, nachos and sandwiches.
Staff is cool and quick!