Toronto’s best new British pubs
Where to stave off the cold with hearty comfort food
We may be through the worst of Arctic-cold weather this winter has to throw at us (fingers crossed), but we’re months away from patio season. Until then, the move is to thaw out in a cozy pub with a plate of something comforting. Too often, though, pub food means greasy fish and chips, leaden pies, and vegetables boiled into submission. Done properly, however, British pub food is exactly what February calls for: hearty, satisfying and made to take the edge off the weather.
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A handful of new restaurants are giving the British standards the attention they deserve without losing the comforting qualities that make them wintertime favourites. Some introduce global spins, others keep things traditional, but all of them deliver on the same promise: good cooking and a reason to leave the house despite the weather.
Roxton Public House
1112 Dundas St. W., roxtonpub.com
From the team behind Man of Kent, Roxton Public House keeps the formula simple: a crowded room, a bar that prioritizes pints and cooking that takes pub food seriously. The vibe matches its sibling’s easy energy, drawing neighbourhood regulars and sports-bar veterans who like an unfussy night out.
The menu is mostly British, with the occasional international detour. The table can start with snacks, like onion bhaji or spiced peanuts, then drift into heartier mains. The fish pie comes loaded with shrimp, salmon and haddock in a creamy white wine sauce under crispy potato, while the beef pie with mash and parsley liquor is the proper UK version done right. And piri-piri chicken with roasted corn proves that the kitchen doesn’t feel bound by geography.
For drinks, there’s Guinness on tap, a few house cocktails and a short, serviceable wine list. Discount burger Tuesdays, happy hour and trivia nights keep the spot packed even during the middle of the week.
Punch
30 Mercer St., punchtoronto.com
Le Germain Hotel Mercer’s new restaurant delivers its namesake jolt on entry, with a dining room designed for maximum impact: wood-panelled walls climb to soaring ceilings where chandeliers cast a soft glow over leather banquettes. In the kitchen, chef Mandar Kulkarni threads Indian spice through British pub staples with a steady hand, drawing on family recipes from both cultures and a resumé that includes Don Alfonso. Butter chicken pot pie arrives under shortcrust pastry freckled with cumin and nigella. Kebab spices give the scotch egg an aromatic lift, with curried ketchup adding another layer of warmth.
Related: This Toronto hotel’s new restaurant is fusing Indian and British flavours
The menu avoids sending diners into a food coma with lighter counterparts like a crunchy chaat-style slaw and ginger-glazed black cod in gentle meen moilee. Indo house music plays while bartenders pour pistachio-spiked sours and chai-laced old fashioneds. It’s modern London by way of King West.
The Dorset
457 Wellington St. W., thedorsetwellington.com
Weymouth-born executive chef Ryan Lister brings the flavours of his childhood to O&B’s upscale pub set on two floors of the Well, each with its own distinct personality. The main floor is all British countryside with red walls and oil paintings, a space that buzzes with pints and chatter. Upstairs, it’s serene seaside with pale woods and shades of blue that feel lifted from the Dorset coast. Details throughout pay homage to English tradition, right down to the Denby pottery imported from across the pond.
Related: What’s on the menu at the Dorset, O&B’s new British bar and restaurant inside the Well
Lister channels memories of home-cooked roasts and stews into a menu that splits the difference between pub fare and fine dining. The Sunday roast hits all the classic notes, while dishes like Panko-crusted BC halibut with crushed English peas show a lighter hand. Cottage pie and crispy prawn toast keep the cozy canon intact. Drinks lean into British whimsy: a Dorchester Pimm’s pitcher lands sweet and herbal, while the Twiggy goes bright with sloe gin and soda. It’s relaxed and refined in equal measure.
General Public
201 Geary Ave., generalpublic.ca
Jen Agg’s Geary hotspot borrows the comfort cues of a pub, then nudges the menu toward steakhouse richness. In the two-level, 100-seat space, the main floor plays up warm wood, deep-green banquettes and custom millwork, anchored by a glowing L-shaped quartzite bar lit with milk-glass lamps. Upstairs, the mood shifts to something softer and more playful with mirrored ceilings, velvet seating and pastel pinks.
Related: What’s on the menu at General Public, Jen Agg’s gorgeous new restaurant on Geary
British pub staples form the backbone of the menu at General Public, but there’s a clear chophouse current running through the cooking, with hat tips here and there to the Black Hoof. Baked oyster rarebit comes with cheddar and Guinness, curried lamb tartare arrives with pappadums, and the chicken-and-bacon pie is loaded with taleggio and chanterelles. Seafood towers, caviar service and raw bar platters match the restaurant’s big-night energy. Behind the bar, gin takes top billing, from a straight-up G&T to more involved drinks like the Hard Stare, finished with saffron and Seville marmalade.
The Iron Cow Public House
101 York Blvd., Hamilton, ironcowpublichouse.com
Matty Matheson’s massive new pub inside Hamilton’s TD Coliseum is exactly what you’d expect from him: unapologetic comfort food with a chef’s eye for detail. The sprawling space feels snug thanks to plaid details, homey touches like a framed spoon collection and a buzzy central bar. The menu fits the Matheson mould, with pub classics pushed bigger and smarter. Chef Coulson Armstrong executes the vision, reworking British pub mainstays with clever tweaks.
Related: What’s on the menu at Matty Matheson’s massive new Hamilton restaurant
Ultra-crisp beer-battered haddock is served with chunky twice-fried chips. Butter chicken is reimagined as a cheese-topped dip paired with garlic naan. There’s a supremely cheesy Welsh rarebit on Dear Grain sourdough and a full roast dinner complete with Yorkshire pudding. Cocktails stick to the classics, like a dirty martini with savoury olive and feta brine. The wine list is primarily Ontario, while the taps are mostly Canadian, with several beers brewed in Hamilton.
Jessica Huras is a freelance writer and editor with over a decade of experience creating food, travel and lifestyle content. She’s a content editor for the LCBO’s Food & Drink magazine, and her work has appeared in the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, Chatelaine, Toronto Life and Elle Canada, among other publications.
