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The Beaconsfield
Categories: Nightlife Bars Pubs Restaurants Canadian (New) Pubs, Canadian (New) [Edit]
1154 Queen St WToronto, ON M6J 1J5
Neighbourhoods: West Queen West, Beaconsfield Village
(416) 516-2550
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 5 pm - 2 am
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Delivery:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Music:
- DJ, Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
29 reviews for The Beaconsfield
Review Highlights
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"This will be the best veggie burger ever." In 2 reviews -
"This place has great ambiance and a laid back crowd." In 2 reviews -
"...where you go when you get tired of the crowd at The Drake." In 7 reviews
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29 reviews in English
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Review from Chris P.
I was first introduced to The Beaconsfield by some coworkers who are regulars here and know a bunch of the staff. There were a large group of us on my first venture but I still felt right at home. The drinks were poured constantly and the food arrived promptly.
Since that first experience I've always had a good time here. It's a cozy place where you can find a dark corner if you wish or have a cheery round with a group of friends. The staff are always on their toes and will make sure you have exactly what you need. -
Review from Natalie T.
East York, ON
1/12/2012
VIBE
A classic Toronto bar right across the street from The Drake. Where Drake lineup spillover goes on the weekends. The best time to come here is mid-week when the "cool kids" hang. The owners also own Churchill so it's the same clientele. Sophisticated young professionals and chefs hang out but it's a relaxed albeit dark atmosphere.
I DRINK
If I'm going to a crowded bar I usually stick to my classic gin and tonic. But the bartenders are quick and I'm sure they'll make you anything. I've never eaten here.
OBLIGATORY CATCHY REMARK
A Beacon in the rough.Listed in: Libations, Hipster Havens, West Queen West
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Review from Tiffany G.
Toronto, ON
1/2/2012
I have been to The Beaconsfeild twice and twice I have ordered their delicious bowl of Southern Mac'n Cheese ($13). It is comfort food at its best. Topped with crunchy cornflakes, the creamy blend of cheese and macaroni with just a touch spice is both warming and welcoming, especially on a blistery winter night.
I love their neo-vintage style and the unpretentious attitude that fills the space. Great place for a date or gathering with friends for dinner.
They have 2 three course pre-fix menu items. The first one is $30 and the second one is $40. A great way to sample an appetizer, entree, and dessert without breaking the bank.
Otherwise entree's are between $13-24.
Highly recommend!! -
Review from Anni L.
11/16/2011
I was looking for a place to take a friend from out of town and we ended up at this place on a tuesday and a wednesday night after 11pm.
This place has great ambiance and a laid back crowd. The staff is personable and minus any attitude. The DJ plays a mix of old and new music from the 80s to current top 40s to house.
The place is very low key and the people are very chill and down to earth. Its located across from the Drake but there is way less attitude than people who go to the Drake. Its one of my new favorite hang outs. We ordered scotch and dirty martinis all night long.
My friend forgot his credit card there and the bar staff were friendly when we went to retrieve it the next day.
This is a great hang-out and great date place (if you ever need one). The music does get pretty loud later at night so you probably don't want to take a date there at that time if you are planning to have some conversation. -
Review from Jennifer K.
Markham, ON
11/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
I hate lines!!
Walking along Queen West of Ossington, seems like most of the bars/clubs have a line.. and Drake Hotel's line just looked unbearable.
Then we passed by The Beaconsfield with no line and the place seemed to be hopping!
The music here was loud... but just have this calming effect... like a background music.
We even able to get a table right by the bar, great place for people watching.
Usual beer selections, nothing too fancy here. Stella $7.50 tax in for a pint, that's what we settled on.
Crowd here seems to be friendly and a little older...and most people were coming in for a quick drink and then just moved on.
Great stop for our night of bar crawling! -
Review from Amy P.
Toronto, ON
Updated - 3/14/2012
I'm downgrading because their reservation rule of parties of 6 or more having to pre-order online from a prix-fixe menu is stupid. Maybe they are trying to dissuade larger groups because it is a pretty small space, but nevertheless, annoying and inconvenient.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/18/2011
The food here is so, so good and there is truly something for everyone, meat eaters and vegetarians… Read more »
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Review from Martin W.
9/6/2011
Pretty interesting vibe in here and the bartenders are really chill. What sucks is the music is cranked to the maximum, even when there isn't many people around. Who is listening to this music and why do they like it so loud? This, I'll never know. Also, they don't serve beer by the pitcher. Balls, I tell you.
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Review from Imran N.
5/8/2011
This place was amazing when no one knew about it. Now the popularity of the drake has forced it to be something it was once not.
You can tell because other bars further down queen don't get as packed or even have a line up on the weekends.
Music is always good (though i always feel sorry for the DJ's lack of space). Space is nice. The patio is a good size so in the summers, it's nice to just be there and get drinks from inside (the patio is not licensed). -
Review from Purple B.
Toronto, ON
3/10/2012
The people that work at this restaurant are extremely rude!!!Especially the blonde waitress... When I approached her for the poor service she proceeded to engage in an aggressive argument with me. I will never go back again!!! P.s. the braised beef has no salt whatsoever.
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Review from Tee Jay R.
Toronto, ON
5/15/2011
The gorgeous exterior and refined décor created high expectations, which the overall experience didn't quite live up to.
I was hoping for a quiet-ish drink in this attractive building, but instead had to wait for a spot at the bar, and had trouble carrying on a conversation over the throbbing music. It was entirely my bad for not anticipating that this place would be so clubby on a Saturday night -- I'm leaving that out of the equation. The drinks were expensive and weak and the service was slow and not particularly friendly. It wasn't rammed with people so there was no real excuse. Not a very good selection of beers on tap. -
Review from Noel D.
7/28/2010 1 Check-in Here
I like this place. It's pretty much impossible to get in during certain hours and best avoided during the weekends -- now more than ever with Queen West being completely out of control -- but if you can hit this place up during earlier hours or during the weekday you won't be disappointed.
There's not really much of a patio happening here. One of those cobblestone outdoor sections with a fence, but the location is quite nice. The food is always bang on when I eat here: the burger is something else and leaves me feeling full and satisfied, and I'm a pretty big lad. The service is usually pretty good pending on who you get. There have definitely been times where I have gone here at night just for drinks and the waitress takes forever to even notice me.
One story I should share happened a couple of years ago. During a Friday or Saturday party some girl smashed a pint glass into another girl's face. Right in front of me. I don't even see that sort of thing happen at dive bars... It was pretty surreal, security moved in, lights came on and everyone was kicked out. Having said that I can honestly say I have never encountered something like this happening again at Beaconsfield. I just thought this was the best forum to share that tale.
Oh, I have also had a lot of meetings at this place. It's small enough that even when it's busy you can still pretty much carry on an important conversation with clients, etc. -
Review from Adina G.
Toronto, ON
5/11/2009
This is the place to go for the perfect, high-class burger. Tender, high-quality thick patty topped with melty onions, oven-roasted tomatoes, and melted aged cheddar. I love how the bun does not overpower the burger, and the fries - served in one of those chinese takeaway containers - are the perfect amount to eat without feeling bloated. Side salad of obligatory "spring mix" is what it is: There to negate the guilt of eating a burger and fries.
The veggie burger is also pretty deece.
None of their stuff is cheap, btw, but if you are looking for the ideal burger, this is a good start. -
Review from Jenni B.
5/16/2009
Call me a yuppie, but I like the Beaconsfield. Located in the old Molson's Bank it has a trendy bar kind of feel to it.
I only went for drinks so I cannot judge the food - but I can say the beverages were great and the service was fantastic. Ordering up Jameson and Coke the prices were cheap (I'm from Vancouver and used to paying more than I need to I think!).
I loved the atmosphere best. Arriving at 10pm for my starter drink of the night, it has a dark and intimate ambiance. My friend and I giggled over it being romatical. They were playing great music load enough to drown out the chatter, but not so loud you cannot carry on a conversation - for once a bar with good balance on the volume!
In sum it's a good place to go with a group of friends or for a date. -
Review from yyz a.
Toronto, ON
10/19/2010
The decor is awesome.
But the bar is too packed and loud to hang out with friends. It's a good place to meet people if you're single though. -
Review from Kat F.
2/18/2009
The Beaconsfield is essentially where you go when the lineup to The Drake is too long and you're fed up of waiting. Or where you go when you get tired of the crowd at The Drake.
Having said that, I don't see what there is to like about this place. It has NONE of my four required criteria for a decent bar:
1. Ample seating (there are a few stools and tables I suppose)
2. Reasonable volume (ie you don't have to SHOUT at the person you're talking to)
3. Decent layout (it's terrible here - you are literally ALWAYS in someone's way and are either being tapped on the shoulder to move or shoved out of the way)
4. Appropriate lighting (it's essentially pitch black inside). -
Review from Sara T.
Toronto, ON
8/19/2009
Went on a Friday night around 10-ish to have a few bevies before putting on some dancing shoes.
It was great! Here's the low down..
- fantastic patio! FYI it closes at 10:30 as it is in the corner of a residential street
- it is very small so don't bring every single one if your friends. It's part of the charm! There were three of us and that was just right! More and I would've felt like we were taking over the place!
- they pour a lot of pints.. A LOT of pints! But the cosmo's were great and not over priced.
- the time we went was perfect so it wasn't super packed, just full.. So I pay that forward. 10 pm folks.
- the volume on the music (I think this was said before) was absolutely perfect! Well done Beacs!
-....And the music was great! I don't remember the last time I heard A Tribe Called Quest's Benita Applebaum in a bar!!
- sure there were a few pretentious people there, but I find that hard to avoid in a post 25yr old crowd! It's also hard to find a fun vibe where there aren't swarms of "barely legals"!
- you'll have fun with the laid back atmosphere it represents here, just dont expect a vibe that it doesn't have and you'll enjoy!
Have fun, it's a great bar!
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Review from Yoony P.
4/30/2010
Did I honestly think a bar/restaurant would be this bumping on a Monday night?!
No.
Did I think the fruits of our 'adventures' in finding a place to have a drink on Queen West would result in such a gem of a find?
No.
Did The Beaconsfield blow my socks off?
YES!
So the night started off with wanting to have a drink someplace new. My gf and I didn't want the same ol' same ol' so we went on an 'adventure' looking for a place to go.
We've both been to The Drake next door so that was out of the question, but somehow the little Beaconsfield next door seemed to be glowing on an otherwise gloomy street.
The place was packed! The random smoker outside told us we were like two people looking for where's waldo trying to find the entrance which is actually on Beaconsfield and not Queen.
Once inside we managed to score two bar seats as every other seat was taken or reserved. We ordered two glasses of Rioja and chatted the night away. The crowd was mixed (my fav kind of crowd) with people on first dates, groups of friends, random old men alone pounding down their stellas at a table for one. Oh, and did I mention a live DJ in the corner cranking out beats? oooh yah..
Though we ate dinner before we arrived (3 cheers for all day dimsum!) I was enticed by the menu and want to return to try out some of the food and more of the drinks!
(**The lack of one star is because I haven't tried the food yet!) -
Review from Melissa J.
Toronto, ON
12/3/2008
Not my kinda place. I've never been to the Beaconsfield for food, only for nights out, and every time I just haven't felt right being there. Maybe it's the phrase "upscale pub". You know, the oxymoron. Either it's a pub, or it's an upscale bar. You can't have both.
Anyway, the Beaconsfield just doesn't have that welcoming attitude that most establishments have when you're spending money to drink alcohol. It's super tiny, so you can't even get inside half the time, plus it's usually filled with self-proclaimed artsy types who get wasted and compare who has less degrees of separation between them and Broken Social Scene members. Sometimes business types will come here straight from work, which also makes me think that I just don't belong here.
I guess if you're into the term "upscale pub", you'll like this place. And if you don't want to go to the Drake and pay $10 to get into a crappy DJ night, this place is a good alternative. But if you're anything like me, make sure you're nice and sloshed so you don't notice all the cool people around you. -
Review from Sandy L.
Toronto, ON
6/11/2011
Their website is really really good. So good, that I thought this was an upscale foodie spot. To my disappointment, this was just a pub. I ordered the lasagna, which was good for a restaurant lasagna and very meaty, but not as good as I can make it.
Overall the food and service were good, but I had high expectations from online reviews and their website and it didn't quite measure up. -
Review from Todd V.
Toronto, ON
9/14/2008 1 photo
Parkdale never fails to impress. Its good-gone-bad-gone-kind-of-both-ways-now neighbourhood runs halfway between seedy bordering on felonious and upscale Yuppie haven. Tucked in at Queen and Beaconsfield, is the aptly named Beaconsfield that tends towards the latter.
My first run into Beaconsfield was on the promise of a calamari special. Every week night, the Beaconsfield runs a special. $8.00 will get you a pint of 50 and calamari, macaroni and cheese, chilli fries, Asian dumplings, or fish and chips depending upon the night. We showed up on the wrong night and at the wrong time. It was in fact chilli fries night and we arrived at 7:45pm, 45 minutes after the drink special ends. Blast.
Undeterred, we took to the menu and came up with burger the burger and fries combo. Sounds simple but the burgers are truly excellent made up of some combination of meat that I can't make out, unless there's a specific breed of cow out there known as the 'Succulent Angus'. The fries are of the real potato kind, shoe-stringed and plated in a little Chinese food take-away box. Cute.
You can also upgrade your fries to poutine if you like, made the traditional real way with actual curd. Off the food menu, the drinks are not that expensive considering. Pints of 50 are $5.00 and you can get a $4.50 pint of local-hero Amsterdam Blonde (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...). Where their scotch list small-to-medium sized, their array of premium tequilas I've not seen matched outside of Mexican restaurants that typically have a handle on things. If only I could find a client with a penchant for good food, drink, and an expense account. Oh, dear. -
Review from Tara Z.
11/2/2010
This place is always busy, no matter when you decide to hit the bar. Partial credit for the early-evening bustle has to go to their awesome happy-hour menu: a meal and a pint of beer for $9? YES, PLEASE. The food is so very good (oh, the mac and cheese!), and it's easy to strike up conversations with strangers at the bar. I'm a fan!
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Review from Kat T.
6/18/2009
Have a really big beer here on a cold winter evening or a cold beer after a hot summer day at work. Then, order up a burger (veggie in my case) and split a box of fries with your friend. This will be the best veggie burger ever. Though, I think it might have more to do with the late night and the beer. The Beaconsfield has become a little too mucky-muck (Bay street folks) and a little less relaxed than a few years ago. Sitting at the bar is a fun experience, as people tend to be pretty friendly. Not too expensive, either.
Listed in: Killing me softly...
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Review from Jennifer L.
Toronto, ON
7/29/2009
I love this place. Highly recommended for a nice and intimate dining/bar atmosphere. Although it gets really packed on those party nights, the food is fuggen great, service is impeccable ... and they have a lot of bathrooms! Make note of the Mon-Fri 5pm-7pm dinner specials....a plate of something with a pint of 50 for 8 bones! PRETTY DAMN GOOD
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Review from Ramanan S.
Toronto, ON
5/6/2009
I've been to the Beaconsfield several times. As pubs go it's alright. There isn't a lot of space to sit, it's a small venue. Because of the position of the bar, there isn't much they can really do about that. The upside is there is a quasi-dance-floor of sorts. Mind you, I've never actually seen anyone dance on it. They usually play the music a bit too loud, so it's hard to have a conversation while you're there. Again, they seem confused about what they are trying to do with the space. All of that said, what makes the Beaconsfield stand out is its food. In particular, its burger. The place could do nothing but sell that burger, and they'd be A-OK in my books. Truly, it is superlative. I don't think i've been disappointed with any of the food i've had there, it's usually all stand out good.
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Review from Eric Y.
Toronto, ON
11/5/2009 1 photo
I love this place. Who ever opened this place is a genius and has really great taste.
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Review from Danny P.
8/12/2010
I really like this bar, the vibe is cool and at times too kool for skool. They pour good drinks here, strong enough for Toronto, and the glassware elevates it above divedom. It's got enough glass/chandelier to offset an otherwise dark cave. Okay the food, the $12 burger was well worth it. Mac and Cheese was incredible...prolly the 2nd best I've ever tried. The best being at Tillman's Roadhouse in Dallas. The burger from what I remember was juicy enough without being too soggy. If you want a burger and wanna spend a little more for quality, this is a good place for it without wiping out your budget. If the US Dollar was stronger, I would say this was well worth it...but we are getting our as#es handed to us in the currency market.
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Review from Anna V.
Toronto, ON
11/4/2008
Oh Man, The Beaconsfield, where do I start. As with most things, there are two sides to the Beaconsfield, and I appreciate them both. On the one hand, it started as the answer to the Drake once it became far too mainstream and suburban, a place for locals. And to that end, it's great. There's no cover, it's a real upscale pub and restaurant. You can get a decent streak or Mac and Cheese at the Beacs, they also have rotating DJs like Justin Peroff from Broken Social Scene and other locals on decks. The bartenders and waitresses are one of the crowd, so they often hang out at the bar when they're not working. On the other hand it's totally a west-end pretentious art joint where you feel silently judged with every look if you're not part of what's considered the in-crowd there. Best nights to go are during the week when the tourists are low.
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Review from Sarah T.
Toronto, ON
7/20/2009
It was good.. it is sliding down hill. The burger that was once juicey and great is now overdone. The service is like waiting in a hot desert for a cold beer. Painful. Come Back Beaconsfield.. you were great once.
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Review from Sarah O.
Toronto, ON
2/18/2009
if you own a westside loft, this is the place for you but BUT the staff is amazing! they've always treated me with the utmost respect, even if i was dressed in rags. the staff is attentive and very charming! as much as i hate yuppies, i still have a blast here getting drunk and the music is upbeat and saucy.
