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Good Old Sneakies...you never let me down!
This is NOT the place to take your fancy mother - the decor is otherworldly and the washrooms are scary - although packed with magic marker wisdom. Rather, this is the place to go with friends for great food, drinks, music and overall good times.
The King's Crown nachos are top notch, and I'm not sure Ive ever had better. They layer that stuff, so there's no bare chips at the bottom of you're pile. They are all covered with something delicious! Fajitas are great too....as is the burrito and vegan cupcakes.
This place is tried and true, so of course I'll be back!
I really like Sneaky Dee's, its cheap, has great specials every day of the week and yes, it does have some of the best nachos in the city. Sneaky's might look a bit sketchy from the outside, but inside the vibe is realy cool and relaxed, and you really can't get better tex-mex food for so cheap anywhere else.
And nachos and beer are not all they offer, they also have their "combination plates" which are tacos, burritos, and other tex-mex staples and all come with rice, beans and salad. The servings are HUGE and the prices are LOW. As a total bonus, vegetarians can also enjoy this awesometastic place, as they have several choices for those who do not participate in the compsumption of innocent animals.
The service is decent, nothing worth writing home about, but it is prompt and friendly enough. The only negative thing I can say about Sneaky's is that the last time I ate there, something definetly did not go down well. Consequently I spent the entire next day feeling ill and making constant trips to the bathroom. Call me crazy, but this incident hasn't managed to turn me off Sneaky's.
Is it possible to have 2 people eat for under 15$ ?
It is at Sneeky Dees!
My sister and i got breakfast today and the bill was 12$. I got the 2 eggs, bacon, homefries, toast and fruit for 8$ with tax and it was huge and so filling i couldnt finish it. She got grilled cheese and fries for like 5$ with tax.and it came with tonnes of yummy fries!
Love this place!
Listed in: Excellent Restaurants
Today I was yelping a good place to go for a cheap dinner.
I came across Sneaky Dee's!
The ratings…
Read more »
Sneaky Dee's is THE place to go for nachos in Toronto, hands down. It might not look appealing from the outside (to some) but you'll change your tune after the first bite.
I'm a vegetarian, and although I can't make friends with salad I certainly have picked up a few with the vegetarian Kings Crown.
Wednesday night is the Kings Crown + Pitcher special. If you're going to try their nachos, I highly recommend starting with Kings Crown (you'll never go back).
Don't worry vegans, they offer victimless nachos for you too :)
For all you beer lovers, there is a great selection to choose from (bottle and tap).
I *heart* Sneak's.
Listed in: Mexican!
Cheap Beer, HUGE Portions and some dirty TexMex food.
It's so good your body is going to feel it the next day.
Sneaky Dee's is a Toronto institution, it's great for dinner, drinks or after drinks munchies.
The Kings Crown Nachos are by far the best in the city (just be sure to get the beans on the side, or everything goes mushy).
Anything Tex-Mex on the menu is kick-ass, and the Chicken Wings are big and surpringly tasty for a TexMex restaurant.
I dont' care how dirty this place is, it's fuckin' great!
As if someone resurrected CBGB from the NYC Rock Graveyard and melded it with an enormous chunk of South-of-the-Border flair and dropped it into Toronto, Sneaky Dee's a a delightfully divey bar, plastered with teenagers, rockers and punk kids yammering away above a healthy does of ear-splitting volume. A good coating of graffiti finishes the picture.
The standout of my experience here are the the monster-sized nachos. Not for one person, or maybe even two, these overflowing plates of chips, cheese, beans, salsa, guacamole, lettuce and sour cream will defeat with ease any singular human attempting to consume them at once. Me included. I had no idea what was coming and I ordered them for myself. Let this be a warning to you.
I used to frequently be at Sneaks regularly when I went to U of T, but not so much these days. I was there for lunch recently so figured I might as well write a review.
The day time scene differs vastly from the night time scene, where the place get VERY loud and super busy. All in all, the food is pretty good, and I like hanging here at night for drinks too.
And yes, the rumours ARE true, they do have some of the best nachos in the city. Even if you just get cheese, there is something about them that I love and no where else has really been able to live up to.
I would say I'm a fan.
I was recently in town and I loved this place. All the same awesome atmosphere it had before when I use to live in Toronto. This place never gets old to me.
King Crown Nacho's... awesome.
Beer Selection... awesome.
Portion sizes... awesome.
and What's Poppin' upstairs was really fun. Had a blast hanging with old and new friends. I will def come back next time I am in town. Love this place!
Full Disclaimer here. I once moonlight as the Door Girl for the Wednesday night shitstorm that is What's Poppin. A 90's hip hop night with a VERY young but enthusiastic crowd.
Now that that's out the way...I can honestly say I love this place. It's gross, greasy and grimey but to me it epitomizes MY Toronto.
It was the first recognizable landmark I that I used to navigate my way around Toronto when first exploring downtown Toronto in my youth.
My first experiences with Sneaky Dee's were at The Wavelength Music Series ( http://www.wavelengtht... ) which once called this place home. My life became centered around seeing some of today's best known Toronto based bands in their formative years. Fast forward to years later, not only is Sneaky Dee's consistently great for live music, you can always count on having a great time both upstairs and downstairs in the actual restaurant.
It is probably one of my all time favourite brunch places, it's RIDICULOUSLY affordable, it suits my hangover cravings for Eggs with a side of grease and toast. Their Nachos are to die for too.
I loved this place even before I "worked there" which is not to say that it doesn't have it's faults. Sometimes the security guards are a bit to intense. (Which I understand goes with the demographic of people coming out in droves) Most of their wait/bar staff are phenomenal, and considering how tough it can be to work in the service industry I commend them, there are a few bad apples nonetheless, but I tend to not sit in their section to avoid any issues. (Yup I'm there lots).
They also don't take debit so bring cash to avoid any issues.
Another notable thing: If bringing a big group, heads up that they don't take reservations. If you are wanting to take a big group to brunch go early (before 12) or you probably won't get a table.
Dee's is a true dive but it is the first place I take all my visitors from out of town, it's the only way to explain what Toronto means to me.
I know it seems kind of silly to have a level of nostalgia attached to a restaurant, but it's been nearly 10 years and I still keep rolling in all hours a day. Don't see myself stopping to go there any time soon.
Here's the deal - I've been going to Dee's for about... oh... a long time & I'd have to rate it as among one of the best restaurants in Toronto. For those of you rolling your eyes thinking I'm just a cheap drunk or that I never got far from my uni hangout... think again. I spent most of my career in hospitality and Dee's wins first place in two categories that I judge a restaurant experience on.
Expectation - Does the restaurant exceed my expectations for value (food quality and quantity) and service? Yes. Dee's consistently delivers prompt, friendly service and reasonably priced food that is entirely prepared in their own kitchen. They do not use frozen prepared food. Even the guacamole is made fresh daily & they have lots of vegetarian options.
Ambience - Does the restaurant have a distinct feel? Do they know who they are and what they are about? Yes. Dee's is a family-owned restaurant that hires hip servers (but only the ones who want to work for a living) and allows the staff to determine the look of the place. It's clean, but a mish-mash of paint and old furniture. Still one of the few places to see a real punk band (upstairs), too.
As a former concierge, I have had the privilege of dining in the city's top established restaurants. Dee's is the measuring stick against which I judge all dining experiences in Toronto. Sounds silly - but when was the last time you got more than you expected?
My friends and I lovingly called it "Sneaky Disease" when it was one of our regular haunts back in university. It's sketchy looking as hell (and it used to be much worse in the past), covered in graffiti, plastered with old posters and junk on the walls and speakers pump out what amounts to my CD collection circa 1994 (grunge rock and brit-pop).
It also serves up some of the best tex-mex food and beer at a bargain. Brunch is excellent, and I love their Hawaiian nacho platter with ham and pineapple. Probably one of the best places in Toronto for nachos. They seem to understand that it is important to layer the cheese and chips, so as to not leave the chips at the bottom dry and naked.
Upstairs is a great bar for live music!
Five weeks into my Toronto experiment, I was starting to get just a tad homesick. It's been since January that I enjoyed the greasy, spicy and cheap Tex-Mex that so defined my Dallas childhood and most of my adult years. I love international foods, and Toronto delivers on my expectations for this, but sometimes you just want that dinner that reminds you of Friday nights at the local restaurant with your family and friends.
Now, Sneaky Dees still maintains some Toronto flair, and I would classify it as just a standard dive before calling it a true Tex-Mex restaurant., burgers and wings being a substantial portion of the menu. But they get the spirit of my favourite cantinas very well. The decor is tacky but balanced, sports are playing on just a few TVs, there is no bullshit standard dress code for the wait staff and the patrons are smiling. Yes, my friends, we have comfort food.
We began with a pitcher of beer, I chose Amsterdam Blonde for no other reason than it enabled me to explain to my friends that I just like blondes. The beer was a perfect choice, as it was cheap (finally, a drink value!), light and had a minor undertone of honey. I had a hankering for nachos, and ordered the veggie version.
I've been on a tirade for weeks that, likely based on my own poor decisions on where to eat, that I just can't find food that delivers the spicy kick I require. Between Indian and Thai, two foods known for making westerners beg for a glass of milk, I just can't find anything more than a slight tingle to my tongue. After advising my waitress of this problem, she decided that she could prescribe a remedy - house habanero sauce.
Oh caustic capsicum filled bonnets of fury. While the habaneros were certainly diluted for the tastes of the mere mortal, I was finally able to enjoy food that caused the mildest of sweats upon my brow. The nachos, somewhat pedestrian, using thin bagged chips, a salsa roja that tasted more like tomato sauce and lacking in jalapenos (an oversight by the chef), were wonderfully filling vessels for this ulcer inducing liquid.
I do look forward to trying some other items, such as the restaurant's take on burritos and tacos. Rest assured, though, that I'll be returning for fun, hot sauce and cheap beer. Give this place a shot when you're wearing some jeans, a tee shirt and hanging out with good relaxing friends.
I've been going to Sneaky Dee's since about 1994 when the Veggie Nachos were about $7.99. Since then the prices have gone up a lot, and these days the veggie nachos seem less consistent than they used to be. (sometimes less cheese or sour cream, sometimes not hot enough) but still my favourite thing to eat here and pretty much the only thing I ever order.
Sneak's is a total dive known to many as "Sneaky Disease" or "Stinky Dee's", but a dive in the best way possible. You can come at all hours and find people of all ages hanging out, drinking cheap bad beer and eating semi-decent tex-mex. The bathrooms are a nightmare and the upstairs hosts live bands, dj and other performance nights. If you've been a university student in Toronto, then you've spent some nights at Sneaky Dee's.
Highly recommended for post-clubbing, late-night existential conversations, drunken gibberish conversations with friends, etc.
All I can say is KING CROWN NACHOS. I think this would be one of my "last meal" choices if I were on death row.
I don't really care if its gross inside or the bathroom smells like barf. Its a freaking bar. Get over it.
Get in, have a beer or ten, get a plate of King Crown nachos and get the hell out!
Cheap beer, ok music,not my scene. It was fun though,went with some friends. Washrooms are a mess. I hear they have good nachos but it was too hot and sweaty to be eating. I probably would not return.
Saturday night a couple friends and I were enjoying a late night at Sneaky Dees and everything was fine until the end.
Our waitress came to the table, we left her a nice tip ($10 on $60), and she gave us a ten minute warning for last call. 1 to 2 minutes later a blond guy covered in tats came to the table and demanded that we pony up not only the beers the 3 of us had in our hands, but a full pitcher. When we told him we had just received a ten minute warning and were going to down everything ASAP, he proceeded to rip the pints from our hands and pulled off the FULL pitcher of beer from our table, gave a cocky smirk and poured everything out.
We received no compensation of any sort, and the manager's priority seemed to just be to get rid of us because we were on the verge of causing a scene.
Everything else was fine and the night was going great, but this was definitely one of those power tripping moments that quickly ruined the mood for everyone. Shame on you, and shall your children be born with tails, I hope the surgery to remove them goes horribly.
5 years ago I was intimidated to walk into this dive-chic tex-mex joint because of all the plaid and beards but now I find myself a regular (still beardless).
normally when I review a place I try to think as little as possible of atmosphere and focus strictly on food, but it's hard to do that for sneaks when you've been going there for so long. my bands played the upstairs, weird makeouts with strangers, making friends with the bouncers and servers, that kinda thing.
don't get me wrong, the food is amazing. their portions are huge, i'm barely able to kill my plate half the time. the special on Friday (2 burritos with shredded beef), kings crown, tres tacos and the wings (with avocado sour cream dip) are some of the many I can remember getting/loving. it's definitely that kid of uber-messy meant to mix with booze kind of eating, which is best with friends/big groups. or you can bring an annoying date here, the noise will drown them out.
last time a friend and I couldn't make up our minds on where to eat and were about to hit little italy. we saw this guy running by us and stops a man infront of us. 'you forgot your ensalada sir!' 'you ran all the way to college and clinton to give me a salad?' 'yep! have a good one.' Service is usually really good for such a busy place, in all my times there I've only had one pissy server and even then it was just kinda funny. tip your servers! people leave shit tips here for servers working in such a hectic enviro.
anyway we followed the busser back, realizing most of little Italy is shit compared to a place that feels like home (and how that chance encounter kinda led us there anyway) waited about 20 minutes to get in (fri night) and had a killer pre movie dinner.
Oh Sneak's, my trusty and reliable old pal!
Every mischief-making night out should conclude with a default visit to Sneaky Dee's, and it usually does. There really isn't anything not to love about this place.
The server turnover is low - you'll always see the same servers over and over again. There's the smokin' hot, bashful tattooed girl that every single customer (male and female) has a monster crush on, the smiley, friendly (white) girl with cheeky Trinny accent, the dude with the epic goatee that could be a Pantera stand-in...there must be something especially awesome about working at Sneak's that keeps these people employed there because the clientele certainly can get out of control and whiny.
The menu is epic. You have your choice of Tex Mex fare, wings, breakfast, soup, sandwiches and whatever else. I'm partial to the grilled cheese and veg burrito - just watch out for that "side order" of fries, because what it really is is a bulk shipment of potatoes from P.E.I. thrown on a plate. The portion is MONSTROUS. Easily enough for four people to share.
This isn't the place to go on a date or to have a quiet and serious conversation - your train of thought will most certainly be interrupted by:
a) a pint of beer being spilled into your lap
b) drinking games
c) soccer chants/singing
d) general yelling and hootenanny
TOUCHING ANECDOTE: I once lost my metropass three days into the month (I know) and when I retraced my steps I realized it may have been somewhere in the depths of Sneaky Dee's. Not exactly ideal. At 4am I called them and asked the server to take a look around for it and after putting me on hold for five minutes she came back to announce that she'd found it. She left it in an envelope with my name on it and I picked it up the next day. WHO DOES THAT?! Someone who kicks seven kinds of asses, that's who.
Bring ID, cause you'll be asked for it.
Listed in: List Of Things For New Yorkers…, Best Toronto Restaurants For…, The Most Sinfully Decadent…, Grill 'Em! Toronto's Best…, Cheap Toronto Eats
Whenever I'm wracking my brain for a "good Mexican-inspired eatery" in the city, I always come back… Read more »
I wish I could give this place 5 stars, but the vomit on the way down to the bathroom prevented me from doing so.
This is the KING of all dive bars, as far as I'm concerned. It goes against everything I know and claim to know, but I'm completely in love with this place and have been for years. The beer is cheap, the food is delicious, and the atmosphere is hilarious.
Wednesday ( I think ) is cheap domestic bottle day, and you owe it to yourself to check it out.
You should also be warned to NEVER drink beer on tap here.
Other points of interest: The King's Crown
Listed in: CHEAP
This review will focus on chicken wings (like many of my pub reviews).
Like Chirs P's burrito, the wings here were 3 stars but everything else was a solid 4 stars. We finished up the Yelp cupcake crawl here and it was amazing good times. The beer here is CHEAP. under 6$ a premium pint. Amazing. They made room at the back for our large crew and the waitress was amazingly patient and nice. It was a great place to wrap the day.
The washrooms are not clean, down some sketchy stairs, and the only way to distinguish the ladies from the gents is the presence of or lack of urinals. It was strange to me that they had updated sinks when everything else about them was so horrific.
On to the wings... They were unbreaded (good), crispy (good), saucy (good effort) and plentiful. I didn't like the sauce. It was ketckupy but still hot... which was not what I wanted. My real issue here was the dip with the veggies. It was avacado sour cream... and just not my thing. It was bland (probably a bonus if you got the hot wings) and not as good as dill or bleu cheese. I am willing to branch out and try new dips, but they have to be good. That's how dill found it's place in my heart.... sour cream avacado, never will.
Listed in: Chicken Wings... for better or…
Another mediocre burrito...sigh...
The burrito itself is 3 stars but everything else about Sneaky Dee's is 4 stars.
The burrito was very bland as it was just meat and refried beans with cheese melted on top (yeah I know that's the traditional Mexican way but I'm going to bitch about it anyways). The plate came with rice and a "salad" which was a great addition to give the meal some flavour.
The vegan pumpkin cupcakes were awesome (for a vegan cupcake). The service was pretty good but not anything worth cheering for. The beer specials were great also ($3.95 for a pint).
Listed in: Burritos: the good, the bad,…
A great dive-bar in the city! There's a reason why it's been around for 20+ years. There's always cheap beer and food specials each night of the week.
Over the past several years, the vegetarian menu has been growing to include several vegan items, including vegan cupcakes! One of the newest additions to the vegan menu items is the vegan burro favorito. The non-veg burro favorito is probably the best thing on the menu (It was my favorite when I wasn't veg).
I don't live in the city anymore, but this is the only place I miss in Toronto!
If you're visiting, go and experience what no other place in Toronto can offer!
Listed in: Burrito Feast, Toronto Eats, Vegan Dessert
It is cleaner than it looks. Cheap beers and cheap food. This is an excellent place to start, then end your binge.
I was recently in (what quickly turned into) a heated debate in defense of my beloved Dee's. My friend who once lived briefly in Toronto recalled in horror, referring to it as "disgusting" with "sticky-ass" floors which she was only willing to go to if she "really had to".
To each their own (I begrudgingly suppose), but if you were smart enough to ask me though, Sneaky Dee's, is a good bet for drinks and dinner on almost any night of the week and even some reckless dancing and live shows if you're in luck and the right mood. And if the floor has ever been sticky, I haven't noticed - especially after sharing a few too many $10 jugs of Cool beer that may or may not taste like warm pee. Yes, a few of you know what I'm talking about.
It was not until last night while sitting in front of the beer fridge pointing out all the local and national beers to my friend who's from out of town, did I realize that there were so many in stock. To think that I've been kept such a happy regular with just their draft offerings!
The food is Mexican enough if you're not a Mexican connoisseur. The vegetarian ($11) and crown ($13) nachos are more than satisfying and perfect for sharing. The wings can be a bit too vinegary, but are huge and a great deal when ordered with a pitcher of beer on Mondays. Daily specials like fajita night are a good reason for a casual weekday catch up with friends.
Come with unpretentious friends, share some good eats, drink some cheap beer, and take some advice from the graffiti on the bathroom walls.
I always describe Sneaky Dee's as the "punk rock bar of Toronto". In turn, whenever I am traveling somewhere new, it seems as though I always end up at somewhere in which I describe as "this is the Sneaky Dee's of _______!". Though similarities may occur, there's really no other place that is quite like this.
The skeleton painted booths covered in graffiti, and random shit decorating the walls gives it a dirty kind of grimy look - in the best possible way! In fact, I feel like every time I go there I notice something new "When did they get that velvet painting of Johnny Cash?"
Their Tex-Mex food isn't totally traditional, but who cares? They have amazing nachos - which are basically like devouring a brick of cheese (literally) but what does that matter when you're guzzling cheap beers ($2.75 for Steamwhistle) too? Have some fun! Live a little! They also have killer wings, that are MASSIVE! Definitely the best I've had, maybe anywhere!
Dee's is dirt cheap, cheerful, and like home to me.
The only downside about it is that I sort of hate that there isn't a day that a show or a dj night is happening upstairs. I remember when I had just turned 19, and we'd go to Dee's without fail every weekend. Because the upstairs had high bar tables, it was also used as a hangout space, so you'd need to ask whoever you're meeting "Will you be upstairs or downstairs?" - we would always be upstairs, because there was still the dance floor, and it wasn't as rammed as the tables below. Good old times!
This is by far my favorite place in all of Toronto. I have so many memories here (good and bad), so food, beer, service, and everything else aside, the place alone ranks high in my sentimental, comfortable places to be. I have had and attended countless birthdays, going away parties, and dance parties (upstairs) here, and it shows no sign in dropping in popularity any time soon...in fact, as days go by, there seems to be more of a wait for a table. It's completely worth it though.
OH!!!!!
One last thing to mention...
I would highly recommend ordering beer in bottles only. Their taps are kinds effed, and you sometimes risk getting the "sneaky d" the next day - if you get what I'm saying.
I love love love Sneaky Dee's.
The food is good, if not great. The guacamole is great, and I don't care how it is that they always have a never-ending supply of avocados. The king's crown are amazing nachos if you like a billion things on tortilla chips (I do). The fajita special (half price) on Tuesday is basically the cheapest thing ever but it does mean that it's hard to get fajitas on other days. The guacamole equisito somehow makes it appropriate to order a main dish of guacamole. These are the only things I ever eat there, but other people like other things, but I really can't imagine that anything is as good as a huge mound of guac, which is apparently vegan but I can't really believe this.
People go for the cheap beer, and then they are won over by the really really cheap Hemp or Cool beers. Don't get these. Only drink bottles at Sneaky Dee's, sorry. This is coming from someone who loves the place, but the taps will make you seriously sick.
In terms of atmosphere, it's big and they play pretty funny music. You can usually find a place to sit (my entire softball team can usually find a place to sit). This is one of the reasons why it makes a great brunch place, as I hate waiting for brunch (again, guacamole for brunch, yes please!). Also, I played Scrabble at Sneaky Dee's once a week for many years and they never made fun of us, bonus.
They re-did the washrooms a few years ago and it really shook my world. I'm fine with it now.
Also, they will card you. Even if you are an old. Don't be flattered, but don't be embarrassed by not having ID.
Why is there so much hate over this little gem?
I've heard time and time again to avoid it because it's beyond dirty and infested with nastiness. but at a recent party with my friend where I visited this place I had only good times and good memories
5 Reasons why this place is more than a-ok:
1) I came on tuesday, which is half price fajita night (half price!-it's already quite cheap!). I didn't get anything to eat at this place beause I was heeding the warning, but all the people at the table got something and it looked quite tasty indeed.
2) The servers. good loooooord the servers. My man-waiter was so incredibly nice and so incredibly friendly that, even if I didnt' need anything, I wanted to call him over and chat. He was one of the nicest servers I have met in a long time and damnit..it was damn pleasant.
3) The cupcakes. Now again, i didn't EAT here but the others on yelp have said the cupcakes are delish. and when I ordered one they were OUT. Now THAT is a good sign that they have good cupcakes- if they are sold out.
My amazing waiter told me they get them shipped in on thursdays so if I really want to catch it before it is sold out I need to start my cycles on the thursday
4) The washrooms are pleasantly clean. No really. I don't understand how people can say this is a disease-hole when the bathrooms are clean! Like, a clean bathroom gets good points for me. There are some five stars on king west that have disgusting bathrooms that I would never visit again.
and finally,
5) The graffitied walls makes you want to come back with a sharpie in hand so you TOO can mark your spot on the walls. It's like a yearbook gone WONDERFUL. Like even if you go into the bathrooms and read the graffitti-it's like, nice notes asking you how you are, NOT little notes saying, "call carla at 555...because she's a slut".
So will I go to sneaky dees again? yes.
And will I order something to eat this time?
you bet.
What took me so long to review you, my Mexican lover???
I am sorry I forgot about you, old friend. You are the most dependable nightspot near my apartment, where I don't feel guilty about spending because you provide food and drink at little cost. You also tempt my friends with these offerings so I often run into a couple other friends each time I am there.
Your music is sometimes too loud and you never have enough tables, but you know what, Dees? You introduced me to Billy Corgan once, sitting in that booth under the TV, and therefore I am forever grateful.
Long live the dirtiest Mexican bar in Toronto!
(Useful tip: NEVER order the draft)
I've been a big fan of Sneaky Dee's for going on more than 10 years now.
It's a great place for drinks and the Mexican is some of the best in the city. I've eaten many a breakfast and MANY a late night snack there. The nachos are legendary, the burritos are huge, and the quesadillas are amazing. If you like Mexican you really can't go wrong with Dee's.
Beyond pure Mexican, they also do a solid poutine and just recently they've added a really tasty tofu wrap. With Utopia upping the anty just a few blocks down the street it seems like Sneak's is playing a little catch up.
Yes it's rough around the edges, but that shouldn't scare you away. I've taken many a nervous newbie to have them leave with a huge smile and full belly. Sneak's really is a great place to hang out and goof off with your friends late into the night.
Thumbs up!
GENERAL NOTES
Angela's right, this is the punk rock bar of Toronto. Shows upstairs, crowded bar/restaurant downstairs, obligatorily graffiti-laden bathrooms downstairs. Cheap pitchers of slightly warm beer and a limited menu. Lots of black and pink but also plaid and denim. However, for such a "punk" bar there's no danger of you not fitting in. Unless you're wearing a sports coat.
MENU RECOMMENDATIONS
Nachos. Years ago I was told by a regular either "don't order anything that could be made bad by having the ingredients just sit out for hours" or "don't order anything you couldn't make drunk". Either way, I haven't yet ventured past the nachos yet (which are usually very good) but have recently heard good things about the food. I know I'm willing to take the chance, but are you?
SERVICE NOTES
This is one of the best things about Sneaky Dee's - I've always been able to get another pitcher very quickly. They seem to know their crowd (young, impatient drunks) and cater to them/us well.
LOCATION NOTES
SE corner of College and Bathurst. Street parking or green P on the SW corner.
HUMOUROUS STORY
I once wore a sports coat to Sneaky Dee's. I felt like a douche.
Love me some delicious Sneaky Dee's chicken wings. The one thing about these wings is that they are huge. No other place has chicken wings the size of these.
The other food is very good too. Potato skins are another great choice. The nachos are awesome with lots of toppings usually.
Definitely recommend to anyone that doesn't mind a more lived in restaurant look. You are not going to find beautiful table cloths and chandaliers here.
I've never been a bit Dee-ite; I never really lived close enough, so it was with almost fresh eyes that I dropped by last night. The decor is basic - bare wood booths and graffiti - but it's clean-ish and comfortable.
I had the chicken enchiladas, which were a bit bland but hearty, and the texture of the chicken was gorgeous! Very moist and tender. What seasoning I could detect was very tasty, and the 'hot sauce' added some zip. The enchiladas were warm, but the rice was tepid and the beans were barely room-temperature. We were in a rush so I didn't get it reheated, but the service was generally great, so I bet they would have done it without a fuss.
Also: cheap beer. The list isn't long, but at prices like these, why be picky? A pint of domestic is $4.25, and a pitcher is $11.25. A relaxing hangout, and a place I'd definitely go for pitchers and nachos with friends.
It's dark, cheap, and a little bit dirty. You know what I'm talkin' about. Hulking portions and really and truly the biggest chicken wings in Toronto...like sideshow big.....like don't ask questions big(shudder)...
And the servers are always friendly and hardworkin' so tip 'em good people.
A minus, upstairs layout is frustrating and not my favourite place for partaking in the rock n' roll....and sometimes the burley bouncer guys can take their jobs a little too seriously but they seem like generally reasonable people.
A plus, you can eat nachos while watching a band so it sort of makes up for it in my book. Why can't other venues in Toronto get this together?
I'm really bummed about the experience I had here, given all it's great reviews. My service was slow, the server was very absent and my water stayed empty through the whole meal. The prices were so extreme, the food was mediocre and made me and my boyfriend sick an hour after eating it, for the rest of the night. From my experience, I would not recommend going here. You can spend less money at somewhere tastier and friendlier.
i don't get the excitement of this place, really. the food is pretty much awful and i get sick from it every time i'm there. i would never use this place for a date, or even recommend it for a cheap, good meal. head across the street to nirvana. better atmosphere and food. but i digress, this is about the lack of charm sneaky dee's has.
i get it for a late night hang out when you're a hipster kid and want to scope out the goods of the annex area, but in the long run, i'd rather not. this used to be a place on hung over mornings to get a chocolate milkshake and french toast, but now that i'm living in the village, it's a rare occasion i will ever visit this place. unless for a show or a post-party gathering.
not impressed, sneaks.
Oh, Sneaky Dee's. I don't care that you've been infiltrated by U of T fraternities. I don't care that I've heard bad rumours about you. I don't care that I can't have my Wing Night (yes, it should be capitalized) without having it trashed by scantily clad seemingly 16-year-olds stumbling in drunk at all hours. I don't care that I can't step in there without seeing 15 people I know, 10 of whom I probably don't want to see.
I don't care because I will love you unconditionally no matter what. You have amazing cheap food, the best bar/restaurant atmosphere I've come across, and I have a memory at every booth. You have specials every night (my favourites are Monday's cheap wings + beer, and Wednesday's cheap beer), and you have cheap alcohol to drink all night long. And if you drink too much somewhere else, stop in and grab some legendary nachos (and poutine, if it was a really bad night) and they'll make everything awful disappear.
Best part is, you can spend the whole night there, and then come back for brunch. God, their brunch is good. I thought I would be grossed out by beans next to my eggs but I actually kind of loved it. And their eggs benedict is actually amazing. Who woulda thought.
I'm over your dance parties upstairs, but you do still have some awesome shows, which just means I'll get to eat more nachos. And because I love you so much, I'll probably keep coming back until I can't, and maybe I'll even end up being a parent who takes their kids there for dinner. THAT is how much I love you.
Listed in: I could eat here every day...
Best nachos. Hands down. I've tried to recreate at home to no avail. Clearly there's some sort of secret ingredient used in the mix.
Sneaky Dee's has become my local hangout, and it feels just right. Worn down eneough to not feel bad spilling a pitcher on the floor, or dropping nachos on yourself, servers are amazing, food is good eneough (kings crown nachos being top dog) Wednesday nights, 2 75 domestics, and a phenomenal dance party up stairs, always leaves me stunned. The bouncers can be the biggest pricks, but some of them are nice. Overall this is a must for any downtown party goers. If you get bored here, go to the dogs bollocks for some laid back cheap pitchers...but please god avoid bistro 422 across the street.
Sneaky Dee's is one of those really interesting places you just HAVE to check out. They have a really cool music selection as well as really awesome bands that come out on certain nights and I can't really sum this place up as "wierd" (more so unique) but it's something you just have to see and you'll definitely come back to.
It's definitely a great place to hang out with a bunch of friends, kick back a few beers (they actually have Hemp beer!) and have some of their must try Nacho platter (good for about 3-4 people). And if you stay long enough until breakfast, they have a super cheap basic breakfast that's yummy and easy on the wallet.
Nearly always packed at night, Sneaky Dee's is definitely an interesting place with a truly unique character that you must check out at least once.
Listed in: The UofT Student / Resident
Sneaky Dee's is good for 3 things: 1) late night nachos after a night out with friends. 2) Monthly rotating dance parties upstairs like FuckFaces and Shit Le Merde 3) Greasy brunch.
In the summer, they have a pathetic but essential sidewalk patio. The bathrooms are decent, all things considered and the door men are rough but well-mannered. This is the kind of spot where you go with friends for pitchers in the high-backed booths. It's got this weird Perry Ferrell like graffiti all over the walls and exterior, but it ads to the charm.
The portions of sides are terrible, and it's not exactly the real-deal when it comes to Mexican food, but the prices are worth it and sometimes you just want some greasy huervos rancheros on a Sunday after dancing your butt off the night before.
This is a Toronto staple, and worth checking out at least once.
Neighborhood: Dufferin Grove
Toronto, ON
Toronto, ON
Toronto, ON
Toronto, ON
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