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Dark Horse
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Music:
- Background
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
16 reviews for Dark Horse
16 reviews in English
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Review from Diane C.
7/21/2010
I came here for dinner with a friend last Saturday night. She lives in the west end and has come here before, so I thought I'd give it a try.
The patio was fairly large, and because my friend got there before me, we had no problem getting a seat.
My friend and I shared an appetizer - the bruschetta - which turned out to be (a) a pretty huge serving for 2 people (b) chock-full of tomato and LOTS of cheese. It was greasy, as Melanie C. described previously in her experience with the food, but it was good.
I ended up ordering a burger with fries. I noticed the menu mentioned the "bun" was actually flat-bread, but I was imagining TWO pieces to substitute the bun. Nevertheless, it was a different way to eat a burger, and I didn't have a problem with it. It was fairly good.
The waitress was fairly good with the service - by which I mean better than The Yellow Griffin (which has awesome burgers but delivers its service at a craptastic pace).
And an added plus was - despite not seeing a beer list - actually having what I wanted on hand. I'm a Red Stripe fan, so anywhere they serve it leaves me impressed.
Perhaps my review would be different if it were a different time of the year, and I had to sit inside. But as far as I could tell, it was pretty decent. -
Review from Scott M.
Toronto, ON
5/21/2012
With heavy heart a dole out the lowest possible rating for this pub which is a mere 2 blocks from my house; a pub that I have frequented several times, never been impressed, but never been aghast... until yesterday.
The Dark Horse is one of those places that should surprise you with the food, and it usually does, and SHOULD grab a 3 star rating. But I fear that without any other compensation for what was one of the WORST dining experiences I have ever had, I am left with nothing more to do than YELP and vow to never go back.
A long weekend with perfect weather, the patio seemed like a natural choice for lunch. Long time server, we'll call her Katy to protect her identity, was quick with the drink order, and that would be the lone highlight of the visit. I will try to keep this brief(ish):
Ordered food at 12:40. After 40 minutes, and two assurances that food was 5 minutes away, we notice that the table next to us, that had been seated after we had ordered, was getting their food. Katy returns, I inquire if there was a problem, and pointed out the table dining next to us eating and we were now an hour waiting. Her response was that the kitchen makes the easy to prepare orders first. Uh, okay. We had ordered the complex gastro feat of Eggs Benedict, Fish and Chips, and Club Sandwich. Good to know.
At 1:45 Katy comes back to our table with this: "Hey guys, I want to get your set-ups right.. remind me who had what?" Umm... the set-ups were three sets of silverware, all the same. But we dutifully re-ordered an order that had obviously never been placed.
The food arrives at 2:05, without an apology (how can that ever happen? Read about it WAY too frequently) and there was a problem with the Eggs Benny. My partner had asked for no Hollandaise sauce, and the order was swimming in it. She also asked for a side of beans that was nowhere in site. In fairness we ordered 90 minutes ago... I had forgotten that nuance too. The "hashbrown" potatoes were boiled potatoes, only partially cooked, not browned, no onions, peppers etc. Sent it back.
I went in to speak to Katy about this and was shocked by what I saw. The place was empty inside, save the MOUNTAIN of dirty dishes that had overflowed the bus area onto the bar. One person in the kitchen, no one behind the bar. Katy was running the entire front on her own. For this, and despite the lack of apology, or offer of any credit (they struck the Eggs Benny) I didn't take it out on her tip.
To the owner: where were you or the manager on a sunny day over a long weekend leaving the place to be run with one in the back and one in the front? The hospitality business is hard work, get back from the cottage and lend a hand or you'll be out of business before you know it. There are far, far better pubs on the same block, and the patio card is wearing thin. -
Review from Justin B.
Etobicoke, ON
5/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
Came here for a drink with friends on Easter Sunday @ 10pm.
I ordered the calamari, dark horse club and a Cesar. Food was on par with the price but could have been better.
The chicken was too small for the bun. Calamari tasted like it was from frozen. The fries were overcooked by the looks.
Overall not a bad place to drink but if your a foodie you will not be impressed. -
Review from Greg B.
Whitby, ON
8/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
Location location location... really that is all this place has going for it..
Service = slow
Food= Meh
Patio= great!
I would really only go for the patio and a pint. Expecting anything more from this place will only leave you very disappointed! -
Review from Teena D.
5/29/2011 2 photos
My husband and I were there yesterday afternoon.
The patio is great for people watching on a Saturday afternoon. The service wasn't great, though. We ended up going inside for our own beer since we hadn't seen a server. When the server eventually did come out, she was abrupt and not very friendly.
I won't be rushing back. -
Review from Melanie C.
Oakville, ON
7/8/2010
Came here for drinks on a super hot day. We were able to get seats on the patio, but service was hard to come by. Definitely understaffed. No beer list in sight and the waitress didn't rhyme them off to us, so ordering drinks was a bit of a guessing game.
A few people in my party ordered grilled cheese sandwiches, burgers and fries. Everything was really greasy, and we all agreed that made it extra tasty.
The waitress had no problem giving us separate bills, which was very convenient. But for some reason it took her forever to come around to swipe our cards and make change.
The ladies' restroom was a scary sight. One of the toilets was so out of order it was covered in garbage bags.
Lots of free parking nearby. (Please don't drink and drive!) -
Review from Todd V.
Toronto, ON
10/3/2008
Firstly, a big round of applause for the Dark Horse as they've achieved something no other place has done yet on Yelp. That's right, step forward. You get my first "1". You should be applauded for your efforts because the weight of evidence that you've compiled over my time visiting you has warranted this.
From your surly staff that seem to have the serving nous of freshly decapitated poultry, to your sometimes-acrid-always-funky-smelling dining area, to the dirty pint glasses you serve ill-poured beer into, to the food that appears to have been assembled by first-year university students grappling with a kitchen for the first time because their mother's no longer cooking for them, you have surpassed expectation. The crown jewel for me was the "Hot Turkey Sandwich" special that had a small portion of turkey loaf (does anyone still use that these days and still call themselves a "restaurant"?), cold peas, and even-colder gravy poured over the top, I'm assuming directly from the freshly-opened tin.
Please, don't ever change. You've got a huge, spacious patio that could be served efficiently by adequately managed staff. You could find a chef that not only took pride in their work but also might know how to use those big heat-generating boxes that take up a lot of space in that kitchen. You could also close for a weekend and clean the bejeezus out of your dining area so that people wouldn't want to use the patio in February. But don't you dare change a thing. You'd lose your "1" rating from me, and that is an honour of distinction. You may now thank the Academy, God, etc, etc, and so on. -
Review from Irene J.
ON
11/6/2008
Just OK.
Nice patio. Weak wait staff. Good Cheeseburgers. Could be a total hot spot if they made it the place to be in BloorWest.
Don't know how to accomplish this. I think I would like the Dark Horse more if it were in a less reputable part of town. Weird eh? -
Review from Luke A.
Toronto, ON
8/27/2008 1 photo
Here's a pub that feels more like an authentic English pub than other places--take the Victorian-inspired furnishings and wallpaper, for example. They have many high-end beers on tap, and the food is a notch above the usual pub grub.
Dark Horse has a spacious outdoor patio, which is popular on warm afternoons. They've been trying to expand the patio around the side of the pub, and keep it open later in the evenings, but local residents have been fighting Dark Horse on this for a number of years now, and it doesn't look like it'll be happening any time soon.Listed in: My Neighborhood
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Review from Samantha F.
York, ON
10/18/2009
I don't care that the service is sometimes crap, or that the food isn't really always super fantastic. This is a great local for me to go with a friend, on a date, or with a group. I love the patio, love that it's not full of typical Bloor West pretention and love love love that when I ordered the ploughmans meal it came with a jar of Branston Pickle - and a spoon.
The English born girl in me shed a tear of joy at that very moment.
The red damask walls inside fill me with joy, and a friend pointed out that some of the tables inside have marks on the tables from people's elbows. A sign of a local pub that has heard many good stories and its fair share of drunken eves.
Sorry Firkin up the road, I've always loved you but the Dark Horse has bumped you to my second choice in Bloor West. -
Review from Erika S.
Toronto, ON
6/30/2009
Amazing pear salad.
Large patio.
Usually understaffed, but they do a great job.
Amazing ciabatta bread. And that's important. -
Review from TOFoodReviews n.
Toronto, ON
7/1/2011
The most common praise of Dark Horse is its patio; the most common complaint about Dark Horse is its lack of service on the patio...
If you've been to Bloor West Village, you know that there aren't a lot of patios in the neighbourhood, and any patio that you do find is likely going to be small, cramped, and full of people. With the exception of the Firkin on Runnymede, Dark Horse has one of the biggest and best outdoor spaces in the village to drink pints, people watch or eat burgers and fries.
But, as many people have pointed out before me, the service can range anywhere from slow to crappy when you're sitting out there. While you're waiting, you may even be waiting so long for service that you'll feel compelled to go inside and get your own drinks, which causes the server to give you attitude when she eventually gets to your table, which causes you to feel uncomfortable; you see the vicious circle taking shape here...
All-in-all, the food at Dark Horse isn't half bad. Granted, they aren't going to win any awards anytime soon, but for pub food that goes well with a few drinks, it's pretty decent. While some of the food, like the calamari and nachos, is previously frozen and highly unimaginative, other items, like their Village Burger or fish and chips, are clearly made in-house and truly tasty. They also serve a weekend brunch that is worth checking out, but expect to wait for a table; it fills up quickly with the neighbourhood locals.
All of the expected draft options are here...I think. Truth-be-told, the server never actually rattled off the draft list to us in the limited time she spent at our table. Luckily, there were a few beer-branded signs in the patio, which makes the process a little easier, but a lot less convenient.
Dark Horse's problems are easily fixable; they just need a bit more staff. Trust me, sit back on the patio, have a pint, and watch them work. It'll quickly become obvious that they're understaffed. Another server or two during their busier times, and Dark Horse could be fantastic.
Truth be told, it's just a pub, and a fairly average one at that. If you're in a hurry, you may want to avoid this place, but if you've got some time to kill and want to soak up some sun on a patio, Dark Horse provides nicely. -
Review from Nick P.
Toronto, ON
1/2/2011
Best beer garden in Bloor West Village. I say "beer garden" but it is actually their front patio. Great place to grab a pint and some food. The service is okay but not great. With some tuning of their staff and kitchen , it could easily be a 4/5 star. Bottom line, it is a good local pub in the village.
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Review from Angela L.
4/26/2010 1 photo
Considering that we dropped in on an unexpectedly chilly weeknight, Dark Horse was pretty busy. The blood red Victorian wallpapering and dark wood furniture in the large room only dimly lit by chandeliers created a moody atmosphere in the otherwise casual space.
Despite having a multi-paged food menu so packed with delicious sounding options that will make you change your mind several times before you actually order (bangers and mash or Canadian bangers and mash!?), Dark Horse's long list of drafts is not listed anywhere other than out of the mouth of your server.
With everyone at the table in a burger kind of mood, we studied the list extensively and were excited to note the emphasis Dark Horse put on not only their fillers, but also their breads. Our veggie (with alfalfa sprouts and guacamole), pulled pork, and blackened chicken burgers were all scrumptious (with the creamy boost of a shared side of mayo).
While I'm sure that their foccaccia would have been good too, I was really happy that I asked to substitute it for the Italian flatbread, which turned out to be the most cloud-like piece of chewy goodness I have ever tasted.
I can't wait to go back and sit out on the patio on a warmer night! -
Review from Christina C.
Toronto, ON
7/17/2010
I used to enjoy going to the Dark Horse definitely a cool atmosphere but the last couple times I have been the service has been so bad that I refuse to go in again. The last time we sat for 20 minutes with thirsty/hungry children, saw our server 5 minutes after we sat, she took our drink order and we never saw her again! We flagged down another server for help and waited longer and finally got up and left. The couple sitting beside us were just as irritated with the service. This is not the first time I had bad service but this is the final time I will have bad service at this place! Won't be going back.
In fact a friend wanted to have her going away party here and I suggested another place nearby which she gladly accepted my other recommendation. Large group giving their money to a venue with better service! -
Review from Ross P.
Toronto, ON
9/30/2010
This pub has more going for it (spacious patio, size) than many pubs in Bloor West Village. It has a head start over it's competition but unfortunately due to a compete lack of hospitality it finishes a long way behind more customer friendly bars in the area particularly Brydens and Classico whose management and staff go out of the way to make customers feel important. The state of the Dark Horses' washrooms and the time it takes for maintenance to be carried out shows what low priority customer comfort is to Dark Horse's management. Until there is a change of philosophy and/ or management I intend to enjoy myself elsewhere!
