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Grossman's Tavern
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Music:
- Live
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
- Has TV:
- Yes
11 reviews for Grossman's Tavern
11 reviews in English
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Review from Suzanne M.
Barrie, ON
2/5/2012
This place is fun ! We went list night for Patrick Tevlin and his Happy Pals, and it was poppin'. The place inside and out is nothing to look at, bathrooms were pretty fancy.It kinda reminded me of the dining hall at summer camp- just pick a seat and see who joins you. Lots of regulars having a blast. Beer was good, wait staff good, fries good, music- AMAZING.
-
Review from Flouny S.
Toronto, ON
4/5/2012
If there could be a dump's dump this place would be it. Granted I'm no prue but this place is really a dump!
I have never stepped into this scary pit of what they call the house of blues in Toronto but I can tell you that this place definately serves the worst of the worst riff raff.
Nothing is worse than coming home on a summer afternoon and encountering a stumbling drunk barely making it out of the doors and sprawling onto the sidewalk.
....I'm getting shivers just thinking about this place -
Review from Amber B.
Toronto, ON
4/3/2012
It's good if you're into dive bars. It's the opposite of fancy, but it's fun- cheap beer & liquor and lots of fun live music and dancing. I went with a few friends & got up to dance even though it was not my kind of music. If it's your type of thing, it is worth going to- I had a lot of fun! But Grossman's is a definite dive, so don't expect more- it is what it is!
-
Review from Howard H.
8/18/2011
Toronto's iconic live music dive bar should not be missed!
Make no mistake - this is a GENUINE dive bar - not "dive-chic" or "faux-dive" - this place is a dump. An iconic dump - but definitely a dump. You bring the wine bar crowd here and you'll have yourself a whine bar on your hands. But, if you've got some nice down to earth friends who enjoy a bit of old school live music and, shall we say, local colour?, then take them here.
BEER - Cheap and Cold
FOOD - Cheap and Hot
CROWD - Cheap and (mostly) cheerful
MUSIC - Free and pretty universally great
STAFF - Hardworking, decent, good folks
PATIO - Small, but fun
Got a big group? They've got lots of room and the regulars won't even notice you.
Look, at the rate we're going in 12 to 18 months this place will be boarded up replaced with a sign reading "Les Hommes d'Grosse - Luxury Condominium Residences starting at 236,000,000 Euro" and you will be wailing and moaning, rending your very expensive garment at the abject grief at having walked/driven/rode past a legend and never stopping in. Stop in, buy a beer, get some fries, soak in the history and maybe do your part to delay the inevitable.
(gets down of soapbox)
Jump off the Spadina streetcar @ Nassau St. (Kensington Market) and your there. -
Review from Angela L.
8/4/2009
Grossman's is a great dive to hit up with a bunch of unsnooty friends. The tables are large and there's always room for more. The beer is cheap and there's usually live music should you need either an entertaining focal point or lively background noise. The decor isn't as cute as the bright green exterior might suggest, but the folks inside are friendly and unpretentious.
The last time I stumbled in (quite literally, as it was the final stop of an impromptu bar crawl) with only a tenner and asked for a couple of the cheapest beers so that I could leave a proper tip, the bartender actually refused to serve me the the worst beer and shrugged it right off when I began to apologize profusely about the 50 cents that was left for his tip. Now, that's what I call quality customer service! -
Review from Larry D.
Toronto, ON
1/18/2012
Take the "gross" in Grossman's literally... although they've done an overhaul and have self-flush toilets now... what next? Awesome music, patrons from far-off galaxies... all walks of life... think the bar scene in Star Wars. No heads nodding in this place... whole bodies move! Didn't I see the Down Child Blues Band with Jeff Healey back in the days when you could smoke inside? Still the best place in town if you like people who like to share a table and listen to music that rocks your soul. No dance floor, just squeeze between tables to shake the blues! The best!
-
Review from Jes L.
Toronto, ON
2/16/2009
This is one of the first bars I ever went to - actually, it is probably the first place I was ever served beer. I love it like a dysfunctional uncle who makes lame jokes "pull my finger" and always smells like Canadian Club. It's hard for me to not get nostalgic every time I pass by.
I don't think anyone should be allowed to live in Toronto if they haven't had at least one drink and chat with the regulars. It is an institution onto itself.
And remember, this is the house of the blues (or so it claims - and really, why question it? Once you've hung out for awhile you become a true believer - just keep sipping the moonshine and everything will be ok). In many ways, it's a physical representation of 'suffering for your art'. Unlike other tourist attractions, there is no tidy aesthetic - that would be like trying to put a bear in a dress. It is what it is - and that's why it's been standing in the same spot since 1948. -
Review from Tim G.
8/30/2009
"I don't know whether
I love this place or hate it,"
said my friend. I agree. -
Review from Connie T.
Toronto, ON
12/1/2008
If you like to dress in pristine white suits and lift your pinkies up when you sip on a martini, walk past Grossman's. Lift up your cuffs and walk waaaaaaaay past.
I always wondered if the place lived up to its moniker; on a superficial level, it does. It's a pure dive bar, a dismal tavern plucked straight from road trip movies, that place where a burly skew-haired alcoholic enters the picture, and a big brawl ensues, ending with a squealing car, kicking desert dust in its wake.
Now, none of this is going to happen at Grossman's, given that it's right in Chinatown, with no dusty parking lots in sight, and heck, this is Canada. Nevertheless, it feels like a dingy dive and has the character and laidback locals to go with it. Bands play here seven nights a week.
Free wireless here, too, but I really couldn't picture sitting here for hours surfing the net. Come here if you're with a group of friends who just want something dim, dirty, and rough. Besides, you kind of have to visit this legendary dive at least once. And if you're afraid of staying inside, the patio on the corner of Spadina and Nassau is totally not a bad way to spend a summer evening. -
Review from william - Billy m.
Brampton, ON
9/12/2010
yeh I know 5 stars for an old tavernbut let me explain. If you live in the city if you visit Toronto you have to hit this place, because it`s an icon and a living part of history of this city. The food is alright the beer and shots are fine, but the atmophere!!!. Well there you go ,that`s the whole ball of wax .
I have friends who have played there, others who still play there. And I have walked in and yet to experience a band or group that I have not enjoyed. The staff are all hard working, those behind and infront of the bar.
The friday mike nights rock the place, and some of the people that play there are the old and extremely talented no gifted. the band there last night was incredble , and if you pulled up a bio no just ask some of thei locals you would get your socks knocked off on the talent that was up on the stage. The feel of the place and the surrounding neighbourhood says it all, stand out there at 1or 2 in the morning and you can still feel the city vibrate, then as you step back in you`ll notice some of the vibration is coming from there -
Review from Henry F.
London, ON
12/31/2009
What a dump. Would have been nice to see Jeff Healey Band when they were playing there. Nothing great about it.
