The best sports bars in downtown Toronto
For all the non–ticket holders out there who still want to be close to tonight’s action
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The Pint
At this spacious sports pub, they serve 40 flavours of wings to go with 40-plus draft selections, some of which are available in 128-ounce table kegs. A deep lineup of happy hour specials means plenty of deals, too. 277 Front St. W., 647-340-6395, toronto.thepint.ca
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Wayne Gretzky’s
Though he never suited up for a Toronto team, the Great One’s namesake restaurant and sports bar is a Blue Jays Way institution. The bar has 12 draught taps and a menu of trend-hopping share plates, burgers and pizza, and there’s a sun-soaked rooftop patio lounge that stays packed during the warmer months. 99 Blue Jays Way, 416-348-0099, gretzkys.com
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The Ballroom
In 2010, 10-pin arrived in the downtown core, along with ping-pong, foosball and video games. The multiple opportunities to engage in sport make this clubland fixture less a bar and more a boozy athletic amusement park. Speaking of sports, you can watch them on TVs here—or, to be more specific, on 60-plus flatscreens and mega projectors. Yes. Mega projectors. 145 John St., 416-597-2695, theballroom.ca
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Real Sports
Maple Leafs and Raptors fans routinely fill this thunderdome of a sports bar, since it’s only a mid-range jump shot away from the Scotiabank Arena. The beer list is long and fairly generic, but there’s a huge list of cocktails and coolers, and it’s probably the only bar in Toronto with an entire menu of drop shots, like the Skittle Dunk: a one-ounce mix of Smirnoff raspberry and apple vodkas, to be dropped into a glass of blue Red Bull and chugged. Game on, indeed. 15 York St., 416-815-7325, realsports.ca
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The Loose Moose
This Front Street mainstay actually opened the same year as what was then called the SkyDome, but it’s evolved quite a bit since 1989. The most notable update: the 30-plus Ontario craft beers available on tap (most of which didn’t exist five years ago, let alone 29) to go along with another 30 or so domestic and international macros. There’s even a design-your-own old fashioned menu, with a choice of bitters and aromatics. 146 Front St. W., 416-977-8840, theloosemoose.ca
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The Office Pub
The John Street location of the Office Pub has food and drink specials every day of the week: $3 tacos on Tuesdays, $7 Kronenbourg pints on Thursdays and $5 caesars on the weekend, to name a few. But their Ultimate Triple Pork Rinchos are $22 worth of pre-game meat sweats. Pork rinds sub in for tortilla chips, and are topped with three other kinds of pig products (bacon, sausage, pulled pork), marble cheese, jalapeños, ancho chipotle sauce, pico de gallo and scallions. 117 John St., 416-977-1900, theofficepub.ca
WVRST Union Station
Step one: Get off the GO. Step two: Roll right into this beer hall. Step three: Fill up on sausages, duck fat fries and a ton of craft beer, cider and wine. Step four: Watch the game from your perch at the bar. Union Station, 65 Front St. W., 416-283-3251, wvrst.com
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Rec Room
This 40,000-square-foot play place in Roundhouse Park is an amusement park, and arcade, a VR experience and a sports bar, all in one. Right across the street from the Rogers Centre, it’s a convenient place for pints before a Jays game—or you can just watch the game on the Rec Room’s seriously big-screen TVs (and avoid paying stadium prices for tallboys of mediocre beer). 255 Bremner Blvd., 416-815-0086, therecroom.com
Amsterdam Brewhouse
Cut-off from the rest of downtown by the Gardiner, it’s easy to forget that one of the city’s largest brewpubs is just a short walk from Union Station. There’s plenty of seating and plenty to drink, with up to nine taps pouring fresh house brews, and a few guest selections on the bottled beer and cider lists. And the waterfront views aren’t too shabby, either. 245 Queens Quay W., 416-504-1020, amsterdambeer.com
 on Apr 1, 2019 at 5:57am PDT
The Pint
At this spacious sports pub, they serve 40 flavours of wings to go with 40-plus draft selections, some of which are available in 128-ounce table kegs. A deep lineup of happy hour specials means plenty of deals, too. 277 Front St. W., 647-340-6395, toronto.thepint.ca
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A post shared by Wayne Gretzky's Toronto (@waynegretzkysto) on Mar 14, 2019 at 9:02am PDT
Wayne Gretzky’s
Though he never suited up for a Toronto team, the Great One's namesake restaurant and sports bar is a Blue Jays Way institution. The bar has 12 draught taps and a menu of trend-hopping share plates, burgers and pizza, and there's a sun-soaked rooftop patio lounge that stays packed during the warmer months. 99 Blue Jays Way, 416-348-0099, gretzkys.com
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by The Ballroom (@theballroom) on May 5, 2019 at 10:44am PDT
The Ballroom
In 2010, 10-pin arrived in the downtown core, along with ping-pong, foosball and video games. The multiple opportunities to engage in sport make this clubland fixture less a bar and more a boozy athletic amusement park. Speaking of sports, you can watch them on TVs here—or, to be more specific, on 60-plus flatscreens and mega projectors. Yes. Mega projectors. 145 John St., 416-597-2695, theballroom.ca
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Real Sports Bar (@realsportsbar) on Jun 7, 2019 at 2:42pm PDT
Real Sports
Maple Leafs and Raptors fans routinely fill this thunderdome of a sports bar, since it's only a mid-range jump shot away from the Scotiabank Arena. The beer list is long and fairly generic, but there's a huge list of cocktails and coolers, and it's probably the only bar in Toronto with an entire menu of drop shots, like the Skittle Dunk: a one-ounce mix of Smirnoff raspberry and apple vodkas, to be dropped into a glass of blue Red Bull and chugged. Game on, indeed. 15 York St., 416-815-7325, realsports.ca
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by The Loose Moose (@loosemooseto) on Apr 12, 2019 at 7:10pm PDT
The Loose Moose
This Front Street mainstay actually opened the same year as what was then called the SkyDome, but it's evolved quite a bit since 1989. The most notable update: the 30-plus Ontario craft beers available on tap (most of which didn't exist five years ago, let alone 29) to go along with another 30 or so domestic and international macros. There's even a design-your-own old fashioned menu, with a choice of bitters and aromatics. 146 Front St. W., 416-977-8840, theloosemoose.ca
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A post shared by The Office Pub (@theofficepubto) on May 25, 2019 at 10:28pm PDT
The Office Pub
The John Street location of the Office Pub has food and drink specials every day of the week: $3 tacos on Tuesdays, $7 Kronenbourg pints on Thursdays and $5 caesars on the weekend, to name a few. But their Ultimate Triple Pork Rinchos are $22 worth of pre-game meat sweats. Pork rinds sub in for tortilla chips, and are topped with three other kinds of pig products (bacon, sausage, pulled pork), marble cheese, jalapeños, ancho chipotle sauce, pico de gallo and scallions. 117 John St., 416-977-1900, theofficepub.ca
View this post on Instagram A post shared by WVRST (@wvrst) on May 28, 2019 at 1:23pm PDT
WVRST Union Station
Step one: Get off the GO. Step two: Roll right into this beer hall. Step three: Fill up on sausages, duck fat fries and a ton of craft beer, cider and wine. Step four: Watch the game from your perch at the bar. Union Station, 65 Front St. W., 416-283-3251, wvrst.com
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A post shared by The Rec Room Canada (@therecroomca) on Jun 4, 2019 at 3:01pm PDT
Rec Room
This 40,000-square-foot play place in Roundhouse Park is an amusement park, and arcade, a VR experience and a sports bar, all in one. Right across the street from the Rogers Centre, it's a convenient place for pints before a Jays game—or you can just watch the game on the Rec Room's seriously big-screen TVs (and avoid paying stadium prices for tallboys of mediocre beer). 255 Bremner Blvd., 416-815-0086, therecroom.com
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Amsterdam Brewery??? (@amsterdambeer) on Jun 2, 2019 at 3:27pm PDT
Amsterdam Brewhouse
Cut-off from the rest of downtown by the Gardiner, it’s easy to forget that one of the city’s largest brewpubs is just a short walk from Union Station. There’s plenty of seating and plenty to drink, with up to nine taps pouring fresh house brews, and a few guest selections on the bottled beer and cider lists. And the waterfront views aren’t too shabby, either. 245 Queens Quay W., 416-504-1020, amsterdambeer.com
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