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Swan & Firkin
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11 am - 3 am
Sat-Sun 10 am - 3 am
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Music:
- Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
16 reviews for Swan & Firkin
16 reviews in English
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Review from Toronto L.
Toronto, ON
7/26/2011
The Toronto Lover system:
5 stars = Must visit!
4 stars = Really good. I take my friends here.
3 stars = Somewhat worth it... if you have nowhere better to go.
2 stars = Below average. Attend only when necessary.
1 star = Do not visit!
The Firkin pubs are pretty impressive. They offer exactly what most people want: seats, beer, fatty foods, and just enough tv and music.
The Swan & Firkin sits on a very interesting part of Bloor West. There are many pubs and restaurants, and they're all catering to the same people. What makes this place stand out? The upstairs patio! If you're not on their lovely deck of an upstairs patio, then you're not really making the most of this place.
Outside of the upstairs, there's nothing outstanding to speak of. The beers you expect, the grill and deep fry foods you expect, the prices you expect: pints are about $6, food ranges from $10 to $15 per plate.
3 stars -
Review from Chris P.
10/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
Let me begin this on a postive note--the best part about Swan & Firkin is the upstairs patio area. Its spacious and also heated in the winter, and you get a fun view of all the comings and goings all along Bloor Street, I always like to watch people go running into traffic in attempts to cross the street even though there is a crosswalk literally steps away. Generally I'm not really a patio type person as I prefer to eat inside however as this patio is mostly covered you are protected more so from the elements then you would be on the standard street-level patios.
So thats where the positives end. The service here is terrible. It is actually even more than terrible, it is in fact non-exsistent. On my most recent visit here my companion and I ordered simply 2 glasses of water and 2 glasses of house red. These took 30 minutes to arrive at our table. I've racked my brain and can't come up with any sort of plausible explanation as to why this happened. And if you''re ordering anything to eat expect to wait even longer for anything to arrive at your table. On a plus note though, the eats here are pretty decent.
I wouldn't come here as often as I have if it weren't for my best friend always insisting upon coming here since he likes the fact that he can smoke on the upstairs patio.Listed in: 1 Review A Day For Every Day…, Bestie and Me
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Review from Fabio N.
Toronto, ON
12/28/2010 1 Check-in Here
Reading the reviews of this place, I think I was lucky. The service wasn't nearly as bad as reported here. Actually I was pleasantly surprised, considering the pub was absolutely packed.
I had a few beers and a fish'n'chips that was as good as it can be. I mean, who can screw up fish'n'chips? Probably me. But only the first time. I'm a fast learner.
Anyway, I don't work at a pub and, specifically, not at this pub. Good for them! And for me, since I had some pretty decent fish'n'chips.
Moving on.
This place is very close to my house and is open until relatively late, so I can see myself going back. Anyway, I can't really say this is my first option in the neighbourhood. -
Review from D B.
Toronto, ON
5/15/2011
Good atmosphere.
Good food. Prices were fair, cheap draughts on a Sunday.
Had the spicy Italian pasta, the chicken burger and the a salad with chicken. Everything was as good as can be expected at a pub.
I liked it! -
Review from Alex M.
Etobicoke, ON
3/19/2011
Been coming here for awhile and its basically basic pub fare. On friday and saturday nights its pretty busy but i chock that up to the fact that there isn't anywhere else in Bloor West that doesn't close at 10. Had a terrible experience there today for brunch. I went there with my mother and upon being seated our waitress said" I think I remember you, you were in here a few months ago and you didn't leave enough money for your bill." My mother and I have been going here for brunch for months and she's never been there alone as the waitress said she had been. I just can't beleive that his impertanent waiteress accused my mom of essentially dining and dashing without any proof and before we had even placed a drink order. She did apologize later, but still...
Sawn & Firkin isn't terrible but this last experience will definitely make me think twice about recommending it to anyone. -
Review from Keidi K.
1/8/2011 4 Check-ins Here
For me this is the sort of place that reminds me of a good time, I don't think it has much to do with the actual place it self but its the closest pub for us west-enders.
The service here is okay, the food is okay, the drinks are good except when you order a mixed drink which is always a hit or miss depending on who is making it.
I do think it is overpriced for pub food, but perhaps Bloor West has expensive rent?
The best part of this place is their second floor patio which has heaters in the winter as well. -
Review from Brenna K.
Toronto, ON
6/15/2009
I only give this one 3 stars due to probably the worst service I have ever had. Now please note this was on the upstairs patio. I have received fine service downstairs. I won't go back due to almost dying of thirst for 20 minutes with an empty pint glass. Then waiting 20 minutes for my bill on 2 separate occasions.
They may have had a couple off days/nights when I was there last so this is not meant to discourage. What discourages is the standard firkin pub food but at least your know what you are getting.
I would give them 2 stars but since they actually have a good size patio they deserve an extra one. -
Review from Todd V.
Toronto, ON
9/18/2008
This is where I put on my "It's not like it used to be" pants. There used to be a pub called Bert and Ernie's in Bloor West Village that I used to go to. I've had many a pint before and after concerts there. I watched the Gold Medal game in Salt Lake against the US there. I partook in many of their "Double your wings/chicken fingers for a penny" weekly specials. I sat on the upstairs patio on many a hot summer day. But now we can forget all that because a Firkin pub is there now.
Like most of the other Firkin's it has the polite charm, the British-y feel, the standard menu, the list of drafts, all of it. It also still has the patio upstairs, which is one of the best in the city. But I still find it to be just a Firkin. I think part of the reason is that this is my first-hand view of what these types of pubs do, I guess. Gone is the friendly quirkiness of the old and in with the standardized format of the Firkin. It's not bad, I'm just disappointed. -
Review from Stefan A.
Toronto, ON
2/25/2010
I had a Reuben sandwich for lunch at the Swan & Firkin. It was not a good experience. The meat was tough and not very tasty. Not very juicy. There was way too much sauerkraut on the sandwich. I also found a piece of plastic in my sandwich.
I find the quality of the food in general very lacking. This place is good for a beer and wings but not for a tasty lunch. Coming back here for lunch was a mistake. -
Review from Nick P.
Toronto, ON
12/28/2010
The largest pub in the High Park/Bloor West Village west of Keele/Parkside. Their second storey patio is large, fun and an excellent place to park yourself in the warmer months. Food and Service are adequate. Unfortunately, the menu does not waiver from the really standard items you have seen a million times before. Nevertheless, a comfortable, friendly and spacious pub to watch a game or pound some cold beers.
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Review from Kim B.
ON
12/16/2008 4 photos
This place reminds me of summer, mostly because of its two outdoor patios which are currently snow covered and depressed.
One patio is down at street level, which is great when the sidewalk radiates heat in July and all you want to do is find an umbrella and a beer.
Upstairs is a fantastic open ceiling patio that overlooks Bloor, so if you see your friend passing by on the ground below, you can yell from above and laugh as they struggle for a moment to figure out where you are and watch them contemplate if they're going crazy.
Ahhh summer. I miss you. -
Review from Luke A.
Toronto, ON
8/27/2008 1 photo
This is a chain pub that's kin to the other "[Insert Animal Name Here] and Firkin" establishments around town. It feels a bit phony to me on that account, and it doesn't have any strikingly good deals or food to compensate for that. (Unlike the Earl's chain out west, for instance.)
On the other hand, the Swan and Firkin does have a huge rooftop patio, which has now been enclosed so that it's all-season, with a commanding view of Bloor West from the front. -
Review from Briana M.
Toronto, ON
12/2/2010 1 Check-in Here
Went here for lunch today with my boyfriend and the service was terrible. We finished our drinks before the food arrived and the waitress did not check on us until we finished our food (brought out by a bus boy). After waiting a little while longer, we gave up and just had to ask the busboy for refills as he walked by. During our entire meal we could hear our waitress talking very loudly to a coworker, complaining about someone not showing up for a shift, and then talking to someone else at the bar. So unprofessional and annoying. The food was ok - the same menu as all the other Firkins. I do really like their veggie burgers and boyfriend had butternut squash soup which he liked, too - so a couple of stars for reliable food only.
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Review from Andre D.
Edmonton, AB
4/27/2010
After finding out that Sharkey's was closed for reservations which wasn't mentioned on their website, we decided to come here. It's an OK place. All the Firkin pubs have the same menu. Very limited in scope. I wasn't really feeling anything there.
I had the onion soup which was very dark and seemed like there was a lot of Worcestershire sauce in it. I finished it because I was told to finish my food. LOL Then I had a pulled pork sandwich. Very dry to say the least. The pulled pork sandwiches I've had were much more "wet" and drenched with BBQ sauce. There was a certain spice to it that made me wonder why it was in there in the first place. I was so turned off, I didn't end up finishing my fries.
This was the second time I was here. I think I'd only visit any of these establishments for drinks and that's it! -
Review from M S.
Toronto, ON
7/4/2011
Went here on a Friday night. Surprisingly it wasn't busy. Stayed here for a couple of hours, then we bounced. Ordered some pub food, but they tasted ok, nothing wowed me. Their price is quite decent. Service was bad. Our server was kind of rude from the time we first sat down there and didn't even smile. At the end she made some weird comments to us too. Too bad, their balcony patio got some potential to be a nice place to chill at.
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Review from Juergen S.
Toronto, ON
2/19/2011
like that place. great in summer if u like sitting on a patio.... try the Irish Nachos.
