The best places to eat and drink near the Rogers Centre
A dozen bars near the Rogers Centre to grab more-affordable beer and grub before or after a Jays game
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Steam Whistle Brewery and Biergarten
Walk to the stadium: 2 minutes
There’s no place closer to the Rogers Centre to grab a beer and a bite than Steam Whistle. Back in the day, it was just a place to take advantage of free tastings before a game, but their German-inspired beer garden means you can down steins of pilsner while also snacking on things like soft pretzels, fried pickles, currywurst and chicken schnitzel. 255 Bremner Blvd., 416-362-2337, roundhouse.steamwhistle.ca/biergarten
The Rec Room
Walk to the stadium: 2 minutes
While there’s nowhere closer to the stadium for food and drink than Steam Whistle, there is one place that’s just as close, and that’s the Rec Room, which is directly across Roundhouse Park from the brewery. If you can handle hordes of children hopped up on sugar and screen time, the bar here has quite a few beers on tap, mostly of the easy-drinking kind. 255 Bremner Blvd., 416-815-0086, therecroom.com
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The Pint
Walk to the stadium: 4 minutes
This spacious sports pub cooks up 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 before first pitch. 277 Front St. W., 647-340-6395, toronto.thepint.ca
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Bar Hop King
Walk to the stadium: 7 minutes
Baseball stadiums aren’t known for having stellar craft beer selections. So, for a pre- or post-game farmhouse ale, lambic or dry-hopped sour, this King West bar is the place to go. The list of 36 drafts and bottles is carefully curated and constantly changing, and there are even a few cask selections to pair with menu options both expected (wings, burgers) and unexpected (bone marrow crostini, chicken liver parfait). 391 King St. W., 647-352-7476, barhopbar.com
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Amsterdam Brewhouse
Walk to the stadium: 8 minutes
It’s easy to forget that one of the city’s largest brewpubs, cut off from the rest of downtown by the Gardiner, is just a short walk from the stadium’s southeast corner. 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. The waterfront views aren’t too shabby, either. 245 Queens Quay W., 416-504-1020, amsterdambeer.com
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General Assembly
Walk to the stadium: 8 minutes
Sure, you could order a lukewarm cardboard-flavoured slice from the stadium—or you could hit up General Assembly beforehand for some quality pies and negronis on tap. 331 Adelaide St. W., 416-583-5571, gapizza.com
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RS
Walk to the stadium: 9 minutes
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 ACC. But, with 25,000 square feet to fill, there’s plenty of room for Jays fans too, especially once baseball becomes the only game in town. The beer list is long and fairly generic, but there’s a long list of cocktails, coolers and sugary shots, like the Swedish Berry, which tastes just like the candy but boozier. 15 York St., 416-815-7325, realsports.ca
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The Loose Moose
Walk to the stadium: 9 minutes
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 three decades—to go along with another 30 or so domestic and international macros. 146 Front St. W., 416-977-8840, theloosemoose.ca
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Union Chicken
Walk to the stadium: 10 minutes
Stroll off whatever GO train or TTC subway brought you to Union Station and directly into Union Chicken, one of the first sit-down restaurants to open in the recently renovated transportation hub. Fill up on tasty fried (or rotisserie or Nashville hot) chicken and white cheddar biscuits, and you won’t be tempted to spend a fortune on stadium food later. 65 Front St. W., 647-350-0096, unionchicken.com
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Town Crier
Walk to the stadium: 10 minutes
Smack in the middle of the Entertainment District, the Town Crier serves a solid selection of Belgian and German beers. The 50 drafts, along with an impressive selection of Trappist bottles, make it a great place to explore old-world classics before settling for, well, certain other kinds of beer. And, to eat, something you’re not likely to find being hawked in the aisles: moules frites. 115 John St., 416-204-9588, towncrierpub.ca
Wvrst Union Station
Walk to the stadium: 10 minutes
Step one: get off the GO. Step two: walk right into this beer hall. Step three: fill up on sausages, duck-fat fries, and a ton of craft beer, cider and wine. Finally: head to the game via the covered walkway feeling buzzed and satisfied. Union Station, 65 Front St. W., 416-283-3251, wvrst.com
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Mascot Brewery
Walk to the stadium: 10 minutes
This subterranean spot on King West turns out shareable small plates (truffle fries, deep-fried cauliflower) and heartier mains (burgers, birria tacos) to go with its lineup of craft beer. Bonus: every day between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., the bar offers a selection of $5 beers, $10 cocktails and $6 snacks. 220 King St. W., 647-347-9553, mascotbrewery.com
Steam Whistle Brewery and Biergarten
Walk to the stadium: 2 minutes
There’s no place closer to the Rogers Centre to grab a beer and a bite than Steam Whistle. Back in the day, it was just a place to take advantage of free tastings before a game, but their German-inspired beer garden means you can down steins of pilsner while also snacking on things like soft pretzels, fried pickles, currywurst and chicken schnitzel. 255 Bremner Blvd., 416-362-2337, roundhouse.steamwhistle.ca/biergarten
The Rec Room
Walk to the stadium: 2 minutes
While there's nowhere closer to the stadium for food and drink than Steam Whistle, there is one place that's just as close, and that's the Rec Room, which is directly across Roundhouse Park from the brewery. If you can handle hordes of children hopped up on sugar and screen time, the bar here has quite a few beers on tap, mostly of the easy-drinking kind. 255 Bremner Blvd., 416-815-0086, therecroom.com
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The Pint
Walk to the stadium: 4 minutes
This spacious sports pub cooks up 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 before first pitch. 277 Front St. W., 647-340-6395, toronto.thepint.ca
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Bar Hop King
Walk to the stadium: 7 minutes
Baseball stadiums aren't known for having stellar craft beer selections. So, for a pre- or post-game farmhouse ale, lambic or dry-hopped sour, this King West bar is the place to go. The list of 36 drafts and bottles is carefully curated and constantly changing, and there are even a few cask selections to pair with menu options both expected (wings, burgers) and unexpected (bone marrow crostini, chicken liver parfait). 391 King St. W., 647-352-7476, barhopbar.com
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Amsterdam Brewhouse
Walk to the stadium: 8 minutes
It's easy to forget that one of the city's largest brewpubs, cut off from the rest of downtown by the Gardiner, is just a short walk from the stadium's southeast corner. 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. The waterfront views aren't too shabby, either. 245 Queens Quay W., 416-504-1020, amsterdambeer.com
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General Assembly
Walk to the stadium: 8 minutes
Sure, you could order a lukewarm cardboard-flavoured slice from the stadium—or you could hit up General Assembly beforehand for some quality pies and negronis on tap. 331 Adelaide St. W., 416-583-5571, gapizza.com
View this post on Instagram
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RS
Walk to the stadium: 9 minutes
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 ACC. But, with 25,000 square feet to fill, there's plenty of room for Jays fans too, especially once baseball becomes the only game in town. The beer list is long and fairly generic, but there's a long list of cocktails, coolers and sugary shots, like the Swedish Berry, which tastes just like the candy but boozier. 15 York St., 416-815-7325, realsports.ca
View this post on Instagram
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The Loose Moose
Walk to the stadium: 9 minutes
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 three decades—to go along with another 30 or so domestic and international macros. 146 Front St. W., 416-977-8840, theloosemoose.ca
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Union Chicken
Walk to the stadium: 10 minutes
Stroll off whatever GO train or TTC subway brought you to Union Station and directly into Union Chicken, one of the first sit-down restaurants to open in the recently renovated transportation hub. Fill up on tasty fried (or rotisserie or Nashville hot) chicken and white cheddar biscuits, and you won't be tempted to spend a fortune on stadium food later. 65 Front St. W., 647-350-0096, unionchicken.com
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A post shared by Town Crier (@towncrierpub_to)
Town Crier
Walk to the stadium: 10 minutes
Smack in the middle of the Entertainment District, the Town Crier serves a solid selection of Belgian and German beers. The 50 drafts, along with an impressive selection of Trappist bottles, make it a great place to explore old-world classics before settling for, well, certain other kinds of beer. And, to eat, something you’re not likely to find being hawked in the aisles: moules frites. 115 John St., 416-204-9588, towncrierpub.ca
Wvrst Union Station
Walk to the stadium: 10 minutes
Step one: get off the GO. Step two: walk right into this beer hall. Step three: fill up on sausages, duck-fat fries, and a ton of craft beer, cider and wine. Finally: head to the game via the covered walkway feeling buzzed and satisfied. Union Station, 65 Front St. W., 416-283-3251, wvrst.com
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Mascot Brewery
Walk to the stadium: 10 minutes
This subterranean spot on King West turns out shareable small plates (truffle fries, deep-fried cauliflower) and heartier mains (burgers, birria tacos) to go with its lineup of craft beer. Bonus: every day between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., the bar offers a selection of $5 beers, $10 cocktails and $6 snacks. 220 King St. W., 647-347-9553, mascotbrewery.com){kind=link}