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Stratengers Bar & Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Canadian (New) Nightlife Bars Dive Bars Canadian (New), Dive Bars [Edit]
1130 Queen St EToronto, ON M4M 1L1
Neighbourhood: Leslieville
(416) 466-8934
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11 am - 3 am
Sat-Sun 9 am - 3 am
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Music:
- Background
- Best Nights:
- Wed, Sun, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
24 reviews for Stratengers Bar & Restaurant
Review Highlights
"Strats is a good old haunt that you can't go wrong with."
(in 4 reviews)
"...fajitas (2 can share) or any of their stone-oven pizzas."
(in 3 reviews)
"The butter chicken is rich and creamy and comes with a side..."
(in 4 reviews)
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24 reviews in English
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Review from neesa r.
8/28/2011
this place bears a strange name and a strange combination of a sports bar+pub that carries indian food.
the place inside is massive, has TV screens, bar, pool tables, outdoor patio and an open patio on the 2nd floor.
on a sunday afternoon the place was empty.
the food is good - we only ate the indian selection. and the prices are pretty cheap.
naan with curry sauce was delicious.
the server seemed to be bored but the service in general was good. -
Review from Parker S.
Toronto, ON
2/8/2012
In my books, Strats is as good as it gets. Cheap drinks, good times and great oldies.
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Review from Stephanie M.
East York, ON
7/20/2011
I organized a brunch there. They have Murphy's Stout which is hard to find according to my Irish friend who nearly died when I text him that they have it on their menu.
I ordered the Caesar salad with chicken. It was a large portion, good, fresh but I hate getting fake bacon bits!! The orange juice is fresh squeezed from somewhere but sadly it had turned so I got a cranberry juice instead.
The prices are reasonable.. the staff are nice.. I have been there before and I will return again. Great patio space, clean washrooms, nice interior. -
Review from Emily V.
Toronto, ON
8/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
I like it here. I like when a bar is just a bar. oh, and maker's mark is $4.75. good pizza, too.
my friend described this place to me as 'of the people' and as classist as that sounds -- it's true. which is great. i'm from a small town and sometimes i just wanna drink a cheap whiskey with no pretence. no annoying hipsters, just people who want a beer. I was just here for my birthday and the bartender bought me a shot. now that's quality customer service! they also have two patios, one at the side of the building and one upstairs. -
Review from Rachel F.
Toronto, ON
8/9/2011
Great food, dirt cheap, service is either fantastic or just ok.
Where else can you go for dinner as a couple, 2 entrees, a glass of wine and a pint of lager for less than $40, even with a 20% tip????
I love this place. -
Review from Chris E.
Toronto, ON
5/4/2011
I guess one person's "dive" is another person's "charming, eclectic, homey party-space".
I went on election night 2011 with a handful of Twitter friends to watch the results come in. TVs were kindly switched to results coverage and the place filled up rapidly. Sadly only one server was on duty, despite us advising in advance there'd be at least 10 of us showing up. So service was a tad slow, but the waiter worked his butt off and deserved every bit of the tip we left.
The pizzas were delectable. There was one - either curried or tandoori - chicken pizza that was devine. Interesting menu...a little Mexican, Indian, and expected pub fare. The aroma of the wood oven is heady when you enter the place.
I loved the layout. Tables for between 2 and 10. A good-sized bar in a sort of sunken living-room. An upstairs is more like a loft ie: you can look down on the patrons below. Washrooms are upstairs, not down.
Bonus? Free WiFi! Once connected, the password is "Stratengers333".
I wish I lived in the neighbourhood because this would be my frequent hangout.Listed in: Restaurants
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Review from Tara Z.
6/14/2011
Ugh, this review has been a draft for weeks. Like I-went-here-to-watch-the-federal-election weeks. I thought I'd go back and try the place again, because checking out a place when it's slammed isn't fair, but honestly, I know I'm not going to go back: on a night when they should have known they'd be busy (we were one of two large parties that had made reservations, plus all the people who ended up dropping by to watch election results on the TVs over the bar), they only had one guy working. Bartending, busing tables, taking orders.
Needless to say, service was terrible and I didn't get my beer. SADFACE -
Review from Josh A.
Toronto, ON
Updated - 3/25/2011 4 Check-ins Here
Wow. I actually ventured into the place for my first time as the patio isn't ready fo us quite just yet.. I was surprised. Its a really cool little spot (looks like a dive from outside). My friend and celebrity yelper Stephen B. informed me that the place was originally a movie theatre. Took in some delicious curry fries and another tasty pizza. Lots of big screens to watch the game. My first thoughts were this place would make a cool concert hall or nightclub. A nice surprise.
My previous 4 star review of the patio:
Nice Patio and if it weren't for the patio I'd probably be scared to enter this place. Tasty Food. I had a Italian Sausage, Onions, and Olives pizza that is supposedly made in a stone oven. They also serve a nice selection of indian food but I didn't try it. The super Nachos were tasty as an appetizer. Iconic type of Place. Service was good.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/7/2010
Nice Patio and if it weren't for the patio I'd probably be scared to enter this place. Tasty Food. I… Read more »
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Review from Jamie B.
Toronto, ON
8/31/2011
Stratengers has become my local, now that I moved into the neighbourhood. Cheap, delicious apps and pizza and great patios (one upstairs and one on the side). Not the biggest beer selection, but we usually stick to the "Leslieville Lager" which is basically Big Wheel.
Service has always been friendly and attentive and I believe I have gone every night of the week and on a Saturday afternoon. -
Review from Laura M.
Toronto, ON
7/15/2010
Despite years of pestering from the big wigs at Restaurant Makeover, longtime owner and super duper swell guy, Dharam, remains adamant: Long live Stratengers!
"Why fix it if ain't broken" is Dharam's response to the gentrify or die crowd. "If I let them come in they'll change my menu and increase the prices and I'll loose my customers."
Above all, it's his customers that Dharam cares about. Take it from me who begged him two years ago to put in WIFI so I could work and eat, which he happily obliged to do and now sees me at least once a week.
Yes the interior is gaudy and some of his older customers give me the heebie jeebies. But the food is excellent for the price.
Be sure to try their creamy butter chicken and garlic naan, their sizzling fajitas (2 can share) or any of their stone-oven pizzas.
And now that it's summertime, they've rolled out a sweet selection of cocktails, including a yummy strawberry daiquiri.
All in all I love this place. It's my haunt, my dive-bar. Long live Stratengers! -
Review from Michael M.
Toronto, ON
6/27/2011
I first experienced Stratengers in 2004 when I moved into the area. From what I know, it was a big biker bar long before it was bought by Dharam.
For the first year or so after the indoor smoking ban came into play, one was able to purchase a "membership" to Strats that would allow them to smoke inside the bar area. I had one, it was great and a big hit amongst my smoker friends to say the least. I believe the front room was always non-smoking and my guess is that is the main reason the divided dining room with the oven still exists. I also remember the washrooms being where the upper outdoor patio now is.
The staff are always pleasant and it's true that sometimes there aren't enough of them working.
Stats gets quite the diverse clientele but that's all part of the charm about the place.
As far as food goes:
I've always been a fan of the Indian menu. Sure, it's not as great as some places you will find in Little India; but it's a great bar with a great patio (West facing so you get sun into the evening).
I generally default to the butter chicken and a side of channa masala or a chicken tandoori pizza (I ate one earlier this evening, it has not changed one bit over the years). The beer has always been cheap and comes in a nice 22oz chilled/frosted glass. I do however miss the $4.2X Red Cap they used to have on tap.
I've had some of the other pizzas and they are all pretty well done. I can't speak much on behalf of the bar food. The salads are ok, as are the wings, nothing to write home about though.
I moved to the other side of the city about a year and a half later in 2005 and still try to visit as often as I can. It's a 20+km round trip on the bike and it is totally worth it.
I'm glad it hasn't changed that much with time. It's remains a nice, cozy, unpretenious, friendly bar. Who cares if it doesn't look trendy or associate itself with a particular popular theme? -
Review from Stephen B.
Toronto, ON
7/18/2010 8 Check-ins Here
5 stars for the patio
4 stars for the food (Mediterranean pizza is great)
3 stars because the bathrooms are sketch -
Review from Graeham M.
Toronto, ON
6/2/2010
Stratengers is a fantastic departure from the newly chic "gastro Pubs" as they have been dubbed. An unpretentious local favourite, Strats offers a wide array of standard brewpub items, but also provides exceptional wood burned pizza's and a surprisingly strong sampling of Indian staples. The butter chicken is rich and creamy and comes with a side of naan bread for convenient dipping.
The patio is stellar, as is the service, Strats will not steer you wrong.Listed in: My Fav All-Time
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Review from Kat F.
11/4/2009 6 Check-ins Here
This place is so enigmatic -- I don't quite know what to make of it. It's at once the most bizarre and inexplicable venue/restaurant/dive bar I've been to. When you walk in, you're punched in the face by the aroma of mushrooms and woodchips. There are weird upholstered booths, tapestries and ceiling fans from the 80s. They serve Indian food but the decor is pure Motel 6. I'm certain that the film director Davids (Lynch and Cronenberg) come here to brainstorm character ideas.
We arrived at 1am on a Friday for food but the kitchen had just closed. Our server, a modern day Pauly Shore (where's that guy been, anyway?), was a hoot. Greg C had promised a menu with flowery and hilarious descriptions but Stratengers had since upgraded.
KAT: Hey bromigo, where are the old menus?
SERVER: I dunno man. I just got back from LA.
KAT: Oh yeah. What were you doing in LA?
SERVER: Oh just whoring around.
KAT: Did you just say whoring around?!
SERVER: Yep.
I'll be back to try the food.Listed in: The Best Places To Eat, Shop &…
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Review from Todd V.
Toronto, ON
I will be honest, I truly do not know what to make of Stratengers. It's a dive bar, but has a good run of beers on tap. You'd worry about eating there, but they have a fantastic wood-burning stove out front. I'm lost.
When I first hit Stratengers, it was to interview a friend of mine for my podcast. When we were looking for a place in Leslieville that would be quiet, he suggested a place he'd been to before, Stratengers. Having never been and truly just looking for a quiet place to record, I accepted the invite. As soon as I walked in, I found myself surrounded by original 80s-style furnishings, some fairly run-down fixtures, and staff so friendly and helpful, it became confusing. We found the upstairs patio and set up there for the next two hours to the sideways looks of the locals in for their daily post-work (or mid-afternoon as the case may be) pint.
My friend ordered food and as we mocked him for ordering anything from here for fear that you'd collapse from something, up came a fantastically prepared calzone that silenced our ridicule. When we left the place it was then that we noticed the wood burning oven where pizzas and calzones are prepared. Truly a shock to the system.
So, yes, it's a dive bar but with some polished elements to it. I'd wonder what the place was like in the 80s when assumedly the upstairs dining area and table space below would be packed with people waiting for a slice. Stratengers Trivia Tidbit: It is the local of Canadian music icon Nash the Slash. Check out the display on the way to the washroom. -
Review from Greg C.
Toronto, ON
11/8/2009
You know that excited feeling you get just before going on a road trip to some cool place with a bunch of people that seem really cool? You let them choose the music for the trip and it's all like Creed this and Nickelback that? THAT, my friends, is what they call a buzz kill and "Strat's" has it in spades.
For some reason we ended up here at the end of the night with the superstars Kat F, Susan C and Dale Medeiros as well as my pal, Matthew. The goodwill vibe dissipated alarmingly fast and the ennui set in.
Seriously, what's up with this place? The partitioned rooms and the harsh fluorescent lighting (see profile pic) just make me want to run the other way.
But we did meet the infamous server "Tommy" who really was wonderful. He has the amazing talent of displaying the cool feigned indifference but incredible customer service most people never reach. Dale walked in the door and arrived to a huge pint before he even sat down. That was awesome.
I didn't try the food this time either but I feel obligated to because of the actual wood burning oven sitting in the front.
The extra star is for Tommy and the original menus which have been discarded, save for this flickr search:
http://www.flickr.com/... -
Review from Jane T.
Toronto, ON
6/2/2010
Remember the old days when a bar is just a bar?
Well Stratenger's is such a bar. A place to go to drink. Funny that people seem so concerned with defining exactly what kind of bar it is.
For me, and the others in my neighborhood it is our local. A big ol' bar where the beer is always cold and house wine is about five bucks. A place where you can walk in wearing your Crocs and not worry if anyone sees you ( I personally would worry. Crocs are gross). A place with a big friendly patio where you can seat yourself and servers aren't crabby if a single person is sitting at a table for four. And yes the food really is good, and the decor really is bad.
They don't use the word 'gastro' , they haven't heard of 'fusion', and it's still affordable to get good and hammered during the week, and perfectly acceptable to go back and do it all over again the next day.
It's exactly how a bar should be. -
Review from Mark S.
Toronto, ON
4/28/2009
I've been going to Strat's regularily since I moved to Lesliville last year. I agree with the previous review. A total dive bar, but with surprisingly great food. The pizza is outstanding thanks to the proper stone pizza oven, and the pints are nice and frosty.
Their Indian menu is also great although a little salty at times.
The occasional 'character' adds to the ambiance, but so do the quiet nights where you can dine next to local film producers reviewing dailies on their MacBook Pro's.
As much as I would love to see them renovate, it's nice to have a local place like this in Leslieville where you can grab a pint and dinner without having to brave crowds. -
Review from Phil M.
EAST YORK, ON
8/26/2010
Pizza is excellent. Curries are ... ok, but don't compete with Little India not too far away. The beer is usually out, frozen, or oxidized. The clientelle are questionable, and can get outright scary at times. The decor definitely needs work.
I say sell it to someone who knows what to do with it. Shame about the pizza though. Better than Lady Margherita though. It's an establishment, but so is the Duke and Jillies, so that says a lot about heritage. -
Review from Trevor T.
Toronto, ON
1/20/2010
I've been going to Strats since... well before I should have been allowed in bars. They have gone through of alot of renovations and many staff turnovers but still is a decent place to grab a drink and a bite to eat but not pay out the ass or end up in the local dregs.
To call Strats a divebar makes you either a prude, hipster or a person who grew up way too privileged. The staff is for the most part friendly and there are locals that you can always count on for a decent chat. People from the local carpenter, famous writers, obscure music legends and even a teachers party or 2 from local schools.
The butter chicken is quite good and their wood fired pizzas and calzones are out this world.
Strats is a good old haunt that you can't go wrong with.... would you rather be at the duke? -
Review from Hanna B.
Toronto, ON
4/1/2011
Seriously. SERIOUSLY. Do not eat here!
My boyfriend worked in the kitchen at Stratengers recently and witnessed grotesque things. The head cook did not wash his hands once in a 5 hour shift. He dropped his knife on the floor several times and wiped it off on a dirty rag. I can't believe this place hasn't been shut down yet. -
Review from Leeanne L.
Toronto, ON
8/4/2011
I had walked by this place many times over with my dog and never looked twice at it until I wanted a low key, under the radar spot in the neighbourhood to catch a hockey game during playoffs. I decided to check out some yelp reviews and was surprised to see how much positive feedback there was. Rounded up a group of about 8 and went there for some drinks and food. We walked in and easily got a table in front of the big projector screen. Staff were down to earth, food was great! I tried the pizza and its definitely the best pizza I've had at a pub - thin crust and done just right. The only thing holding it back is the sauce (probably canned), but certainly exceeded my expectations. Diverse menu with Indian flair and all your typical pub fare (nachos, wings, etc). And cheap cheap cheap. I look forward to trying it again. Oh, and good sized patio that is full of people on any given day during the summer.
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Review from Nolin L.
Toronto, ON
9/5/2010 3 Check-ins Here
Some of the menu items at Stratengers are pretty decent. Unfortunately for me, neither the wings nor the Village Salad are on that list.
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Review from brett m.
Toronto, ON
9/10/2009
I've been going to Strats for 20 years. If you think its a "dive bar" you should have seen it back then. And frankly I think "dive bar" is going a bit far. The place has been renovated in the late-90's and since has remained fairly stable. Its not a cloth-on-tables type place but its also not as grungy as the Cadillac or Lee's Palace. I don't think "dive bar" is a fair representation. The food is generally good. Its good value for the money in terms of quality and quantity. Usually a relaxed and quiet atmosphere and a nice outdoor patio. There is an outdoor patio upstairs too that is heated in the winter for smokers. Stats has gone through many reno's and changes over the years to remain consistent with the needs of the neighbourhood. Back in the early '90s I used to play gigs at Strats when it was a "rock n roll bar" and later when they tried jazz. Later they got rid of the live music and focused on food. Regular bar food, mexican, italian and indian food - all decent. Great meeting place too.
