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Stratengers Bar & Restaurant
Rating Details »
Categories: American (New), Dive Bars [Edit]
Neighbourhood: Leslieville1130 Queen Street E
Toronto, ON M4M 1L1
(416) 466-8934
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Happy Hour:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Coat Check:
- No
5 reviews for Stratengers Bar & Restaurant
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.
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. 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/...
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.
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.
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.