(Image: Gabby Frank)
Name: The Craft Brasserie and Grille
Neighbourhood: Liberty Village
Contact: 107 Atlantic Ave. , 416-535-2337, thecraftbrasserie.com , @thecraftliberty
Owners: Chris Pagonis and Dean Tzembelicos
Chef: Adrian Andaya
The Food: Salty, spicy and cheesy pub grub: sliders, sandwiches, decked-out fries and various handheld apps. There are some heartier mains as well (mushroom steak frites, cider-glazed pork chops), but for those who are just here for the beer, there’s a small snack menu (plantain chips, house-made pork rinds, guac with wonton crisps) to help soak up the suds.
The Drinks: Draught beer. Lots of it. The 120-beer-long list is divided into categories (refreshing and crushable; smooth; fruit and cider; roasted and rich; the big bold and bitter; complex and thirst-provoking) to help the uninformed and the indecisive. Matt Sieradzki, the bar’s own Prud’homme beer sommelier, put together the massive menu. Over 80 of the taps pour Ontario brews.
The Place: A cavernous space that can seat 296 pint-drinking people. The bar occupies the lower level of a 110-year-old building in Liberty Village, and any modifications made along the way were carefully monitored and approved by the city’s Heritage Preservation Services. Later this summer, the bar’s capacity will increase by 50 when a street-side patio is added.
315466 (Image: Gabby Frank) https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-04-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-04.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-04.jpg 1200 764 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-craft-brasserie-liberty-villages-new-120-tap-beer-bar/slide/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-04/ toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-04 0 0
(Image: Gabby Frank)
315467 An easy way to work through the 120-beer-long list is by ordering flights of four ($10.50). https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-05-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-05.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-05.jpg 1200 800 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-craft-brasserie-liberty-villages-new-120-tap-beer-bar/slide/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-05/ toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-05 0 0
315469 Madras poutine: potato pakoras covered in madras sauce and fontina cheese, topped with a fried egg ($12). https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-07-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-07.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-07.jpg 1200 795 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-craft-brasserie-liberty-villages-new-120-tap-beer-bar/slide/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-07/ toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-07 0 0
315462 Spicy chili cheeseburger: applewood cheddar, green chili, relish and fried pork rinds ($10.50). https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasseri-09-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasseri-09.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasseri-09.jpg 1200 800 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-craft-brasserie-liberty-villages-new-120-tap-beer-bar/slide/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasseri-09/ toronto-restaurants-craft-brasseri-09 0 0
315471 Crispy chicken sliders: buttermilk-fried chicken topped with spicy jicama slaw ($12). https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-09-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-09.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-09.jpg 800 1024 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-craft-brasserie-liberty-villages-new-120-tap-beer-bar/slide/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-09/ toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-09 0 0
315470 Baked ore and cheese: orecchiette noodles, brown butter cheese sauce, green peas, chorizo and bacon ($16.50). https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-08-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-08.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-08.jpg 1200 800 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-craft-brasserie-liberty-villages-new-120-tap-beer-bar/slide/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-08/ toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-08 0 0
315468 Blueberry skillet: a skillet-cooked pancake topped with maple beer syrup, crème fraîche and fresh berries ($9). https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-06-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-06.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-06.jpg 1200 795 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-craft-brasserie-liberty-villages-new-120-tap-beer-bar/slide/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-06/ toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-06 0 0
315465 https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-03-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-03.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-03.jpg 1200 778 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-craft-brasserie-liberty-villages-new-120-tap-beer-bar/slide/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-03/ toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-03 0 0
315473 The keg room. https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-11-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-11.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-11.jpg 1200 795 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-craft-brasserie-liberty-villages-new-120-tap-beer-bar/slide/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-11/ toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-11 0 0
315464 https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-02-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-02.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-02.jpg 800 1200 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-craft-brasserie-liberty-villages-new-120-tap-beer-bar/slide/toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-02/ toronto-restaurants-craft-brasserie-02 0 0
West: 94
East: 6
Looks fun!
I visited yesterday with friends and was greatly impressed by this new restaurant. The beer selection is obviously amazing, but beyond that was delicious food and a friendly wait staff.
It’s definitely worth going back again for another visit!
Amazing food and a huge menu of exotic beer to choose from. A definite place to visit if you’re a beer (and food!) connoisseur. Go for the flights!