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Village Idiot Pub & Grill
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11 am - 2 am
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Music:
- Background
- Best Nights:
- Tue, Fri, Thu
- Happy Hour:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
35 reviews for Village Idiot Pub & Grill
Review Highlights
"They have a great beer selection (including many I can't..."
(in 2 reviews)
"The garage door windows open onto the street when the..."
(in 3 reviews)
"GREAT people watching place."
(in 3 reviews)
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35 reviews in English
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Review from Daniel C.
Toronto, ON
6/2/2011
Great beer. Great staff. Tiny bathrooms. This is MY local place. Tons of beer, the food aint bad. I most look forward to when they open up the windows in the summer, which turns it into one of the best shaded patios
in town.
No tv's though, so I have to stay home to watch the Mavs or Cowboys games. -
Review from Marie F.
1/2/2012 1 Check-in Here
This place has sentimental value to me but I still have to give it 3 stars. The beer selection here is excellent, the food is pretty average pub fair, the decor tacky as hell and the service is prompt. Their floor area is small so expect a lot of zig zagging and chair hustles to get to the washroom. And speaking of...
Their bathroom is probably their their biggest downfall! Yesterday was new years eve so I get that the place is gonna look a bit more torn down than other days but the bathrooms are where I draw the line. I went to the Idiot Jan 1st and the smell coming from the washroom was horrifying. I have never experienced this here before so it's probably a one-time thing but it totally turned my stomach. -
Review from Antonia W.
Toronto, ON
10/23/2011
Came here for a friday night of drinks and food. we got here at 6 and just managed to get one of the few empty tables left. the place was packed!
The Good : Their beer menu actually is pretty good! onion ring basket was generous and good. Wings were alright too and I like that they let us have the sauce on the side.
The Bad : Cold plain pita served with the hummous was bleh... better versions can be found. Nachos and poutine weren't so good. While they have a great cocktail menu, the actual cocktails I had (I ordered two) weren't great.
Stick with beer and wings here and you should be fine :) -
Review from Daniel H.
Mississauga, ON
1/2/2012 1 Check-in Here
I like this place for stopping by for a great beer in the afternoon (amazing selection). However, I probably wouldn't spend an evening here though.
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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 best thing about the Village Idiot is its location. It seems to be walking distance from everywhere. It's close enough to Toronto West, it's close enough to Yonge/Dundas, and it's close enough to Queen West. It's also spitting distance from the AGO, OCAD, and the University of Toronto.
So why isn't it packed all the time? Because it's lame. It's essentially a room with tables, chairs, and a bar. Great name, great location, and fine for a few pints with good people, but this place offers nothing special. The last time I was there it smelled of 1970s hotel carpet, so I'm hoping they've updated that.
2 stars -
Review from Susan G.
5/10/2011
VIP is probably one of my all time favorite pubs because:
1. It is close to where I live (a BIG plus considering how often I frequent it!)
2. They have a great beer selection (including many I can't pronounce but love to drink!) which are the right price and are always served in their proper pint glass (why can't all bars do this?) I also believe you can buy the glass with your pint, if you so desire!
3. Their food is delicious. The "Idiot Burger" with bacon and cheese is delicious, they have great nachos, and awesome appetizers! Also at a decent price (though sometimes around 7pm it takes some time to get your food)
While there are tons of positives, there are a few negatives which keep this from being a 5-star EVEN though it's my favorite! The staff are really friendly, but sometimes in the "why-are-you-contributing-to-my-private-conversati on" way - I had a friend tell me that when she was there once, one of the people she was with was upset and in tears, and the server came over and asked what was going on... a little out of place. They always hop into my conversations but I've learned to deal with it. Also, in the summer there is the intense garbage smell on Monday evenings, which isn't VIPs fault but is totally unappetizing!
Everything considered, I love VIP and everyone I've recommended it to, has as well! I don't know if I'll ever love it enough to buy a VIP t-shirt though...(does anyone?) -
Review from C S.
Toronto, ON
8/14/2011
I really wanted to love this place since its just down the street from my school.
The beer selection is great and I love the for real pub feel inside but the food wasn't very good. Especially the fries. And while we were there on a busy night the service was ridiculously slow. We had a table right in the middle of everything but it was like we were getting ignored.
I may try it again as just a place to get a beer with friends when its not so packed but it doesn't seem likely. -
Review from Raj B.
Toronto, ON
2/16/2011
This is my local. It's the closest thing you can find to a cozy English pub in the area, and it fills that role well.
This is a place where you can can rub shoulders with rowdy students, unwinding professionals, artsy types, tourists, old folks, possibly underage neighbourhood kids....
There's always a comforting "bar buzz" here, with suitably depresssing lighting, lots of eye candy to keep you occupied if eavesdropping doesn't, and best of all, NO TVs!
The food is unspectacular sub-par pub fare, although I've actually had decent brunches here. Also munch-worthy is the poutine (not on the menu).
Contrary to some reviews, the beer is surprisingly cheap, if you resist the import-urge and stick with the house domestics on draft.
The only downside is that high staff turnover means the service is spotty (so you'll never get that "Cheers" vibe here). Personally, I think that just adds to the charm and hilarity (let's not forget this is a place called the "The Village Idiot - L'Idiot du Village") -
Review from Amelia B.
Toronto, ON
3/9/2011
A sister to "sin and redemption", this pub has a strong presence in the area. Reasons to go include:
1. A great beer selection.
2. Great wait staff - our guy was awesome!
3. Great ambience - it felt like I was in England again.
I think what the pub is missing is great food to match the great beer selection. The food was boring and the menu had too many items. I think they should keep it simple and try to suggest beers that go along with a specific meal.
Hence, I only gave this place 3 stars.Listed in: Restaurants
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Review from Alfred K.
Richmond Hill, ON
5/20/2011 9 Check-ins Here
The VIP has one of the best chicken wings in town. If you like your wings dry and not grisley while still nice and moist this is the place to be. No gimick of thousands of sauces, why drown them when they are even good just on their own.
They have a great selection of beers on tap which is important for a pub. This is not a sports bar so there are no TVs. Instead they provide a nice intimate environment for conversation along with those brews. The burgers and fries are a great choice as well. -
Review from John C.
Mississauga, ON
9/28/2010 1 photo
Great place to have a beer. But my beer was not that cold.
For $6.95 for a draft it should be ice cold.
I will not visit again. -
Review from Dishan W.
It was a battle between 3 and 4 stars here, 4 won by a margin!
I frequented "V.I.P" for drinks this summer and I have always been a fan of their diverse and not too pricey beer selection I'm also a fan of the fact that all the beer come in their own glass no matter what you order. I've always found the servers to be overly friendly (you know the type that always tries having conversations with you each time they come over) which I find annoying some(if not most)times.
I like that it's a small pub and I've never found myself having to wait for a seat, and I really enjoy the coziness and the feeling that almost any seat found here is good for people viewing as well!
I have been very unfortunate in coming here on Monday nights when it's garbage night and this results in the place having a good ol stink, but I give full credit to the staff here that try their level best to keep the atmosphere light while going the extra step in washing out out the street with soap water (It did help a little).
It's at a highly convenient location for me, and I appreciate it even more as it's 1/2 pubs in the Baldwin Village area which I frequent.
I've only had the appetizers here so I can't really comment too much on the food, but the appetizer (bruchcetta I believe?) was satisfactory.
One thing that always confuses me was the question of there being big enough fans of this place to actually spend money on their tshirts and other merchandise hanging by the bar!? -
Review from Marcus D.
2/23/2011
This place wasn't bad to have "one and done." Though I think we stayed for about three beers. It was a bit intellectual in here; people from the art gallery across the street, psuedo-intellectuals sitting at the bar reading books. Odd, very odd.
Other than that, it served its purpose. -
Review from Chantal S.
10/17/2010
Pretty decent beer selection here and the cozy pub atmosphere is great. I also had one of their burgers which was actually pretty good. What bothered me that for how small the place was, the server wasn't really paying attention.
I would recommend going during a quiet time. -
Review from neesa r.
5/8/2011
ohhh so many types of beer! and each comes in a different glass (check the "bucket" sized glass of Hoegaarden=))
the music is not loud so talking to friends is easy and comfortable. no need to shout as in some other places.
the menu is not very rich in terms of veg options but they have a good ver burger and pizza.
the staff is friendly and funny.
the place gets very packed after 9pm (at least on a saturday night). but they don't take reservations so come earlier to save a spot. -
Review from Christian P.
Toronto, ON
3/1/2011
Food is correct although one would love some more "typical" food from the village...
Best part is clearly the extent of beer choice!! It reminded me of my good olllld beer pubs from UK, Belgium or France... so really great; prices are just like any pub.
I found the place cozy also, and good to have a good chat with friend or girlfriend!! I would just perhaps also add some "village" Irish type music (not too loud, but something - maybe there was some music... I did just not noticed it...) or some bands occasionnally to add good reasons to come back on a loose bluesy night.
Waitress was gorgeous, but as said already below by others, not really into smile... well, that is not Hooter's!!! -
Review from Sonja Z.
Toronto, ON
6/2/2011
Moving 2 minutes away from this place last summer, I hoped that my local bar would turn out to be a good one. Thank god it is! I can't count how many times I've been here to start off the night, or end it off. They serve regular pub food, but it's always good. Great beer menu - so many good selections, and all so reasonably priced. There's always a good amount of people here, but I've still always been able to get a table. There's a nice people-watching view right in front of the AGO. Sometimes the service is fast, sometime's it slow, but that's part of the charm. (My boyfriend and I have gone here so much, that we're friends with some of the servers now) Whenever people come and visit me, I really can't think of anywhere else I'd rather take them!
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Review from Elaine K.
6/25/2011
Not a bad place for a late-night drink. It gets very busy, and the table service was almost non-existant, but the price of beer was okay and it was quick enough if you were willing to walk to the bar.
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Review from Kat T.
11/20/2009
I quite like the Village Idiot Pub, (L'idiot du village). The food has always been far above pub food from what I've had. A list of rotating specialty items of the day is usually decent and has included an decadent Linguini with cream sauce and salmon. The burgers are supposedly OK, but the fries are big chunky ones.
Tons of beers to choose from. The Hoegarten is served in the appropriate bucket-shaped glass. With a orange wedge- Classy!
During World Cup or Euro cup games, they bring in a TV for the games. The garage door windows open onto the street when the weather is nice, but the interior is very cozy in the winter. An all-seasons bar and pub. A nice place to go after an afternoon at the AGO, but somewhat contrasting to the calmness of the museum. -
Review from Annie C.
Kingston, ON
1/6/2011
Stopped in for a few pints with a friend last week. The name itself was enough to lure me in.
They have a pretty awesome variety of European/British imports on tap that you don't normally find out there. That and as a wee bit of a beer snob and budding brewer their menu was cool in that not only was it double sided (lots on tap!) but also had nice little descriptions. Neat!
Can't speak to the food, but our neighbors' food smelt amazing. Price wise, the pints were pretty standard 6.25-7 dollars with good old Labatt 50 bringing up the rear at 5.25. Went on an off night (Tuesday), but I can imagine that it gets a bit crowded in there at times. Fun decor inside. Felt like I was in an eccentric uncle's study or den (think dark wood, burgundy accents, dead deer on the wall, cool fan).
Overall, I'd go again! (Right by the AGO is a plus too. Art + Beer = perfect) -
Review from Vivek S.
Being my local bar, I've logged a lot of hours at the V.I.P. They offer a plethora of beer and their food is top-drawer. In the summer, they can open the place up (huge windows slide up into the ceiling) giving you the experience of the outdoors, indoors. Staff turnover is fairly high, so no one really realizes I'm a regular.
Obligatory Title Pun: Only an IDIOT would avoid this Village Pub.
Menu Readability: Very good. Laminated, good subdivisions and well spaced.
Need to Mention: It's hard to predict when this place will be busy.
What this place teaches me about myself: No one should ever "log hours" at a bar. -
Review from Anupa M.
Toronto, ON
9/6/2010
Living right around the corner, The Idiot has been my local pub for the past two years. Sure I could've gone to Sin & Redemption (and have, once) but The Village Idiot has-along with an awesome beer selection-a cozier feel. I love coming here in the winter when the lights are dim and its crowded and warm.
While it's not necessarily a place I'd recommend to someone looking for an "experience," I still bring pretty much everyone to The Idiot at some point--out of town friends, my parents, a date, my roommate even brought her thesis advisor for a drink!
The service isn't remarkable, sometimes you can get a slow server, other times one of the more personable and charismatic types. Since I'm familiar with most of those who've been there a while I think I get stuck on "regular" detail anyway!
I've had pretty much everything on the menu, but I tend to stick with the Village Idiot burger, the fish and chips or something from the specials menu. I recently got the veggie burger, just to try it out, and found it a bit dry. My friend got the Shepherd's Pie and loved it. The one good thing? The specials are pretty much always fresh and great. It's not a fine dining experience but if you're not too into pub grub, that's an option.
Since I've been loyal to the place for the past couple of years I'm vouching for it and I'll miss it terribly when I move out of the neighbourhood soon. -
Review from Lexi S.
Toronto, ON
10/22/2010
Completely average place except for the service - which was terrible.
Our server shoved menus in our faces before prematurely removing them, told our DD that she would "have to order something or leave", was unnecessarily rude, and, for lack of a better phrase, seemed to keep trying to trip us out because he thought we were high (which he admitted at the end of the night).
Long story short, he insulted us (even telling one of our friends he was a "weirdo" and asked why he "couldn't just act normal") when we had done nothing, and then got mad and tried to argue with us when some of us didn't tip...could you blame us?
This wasn't a young server, either...I'd put him at 35ish, and I'm pretty sure he even mentioned he was the manager. Ridiculous. Definitely never going back, theres too many great bars around to have to put up with that nonsense.
Good food/drinks can't make up for bad service- and the food and drinks aren't even great. -
Review from Nick B.
Halifax, NS
1/4/2010
Stopped in at the Village Idiot after getting tickets to the AGO to see King Tut. It was quite packed, nice to see on a Monday after the lunch rush. The menu was fairly straightforward and had a lot of variety. My wife settled on their bacon cheeseburger, I think it might actually have been called an Idiot Burger, I had the linguine alla vongola.
In all, it was a decent experience, my wife's burger was great, she even made a point of saying how good the bun was which for her is a little odd - usually they get discarded. The huge cut fries were also excellent. My linguine, on the other hand, was awful. Too thin a sauce overpowered by oregano to the point of having no other flavour, and the pasta had sort of a sticky, reheated consistency to it. I was not particularly impressed.
That said, prices were reasonable, an excellent selection of draught beer not overpriced (a rarity in Toronto!), and the kind of inviting feel that would bring people back saved the day. I'd give it another try, just skip the linguine! -
Review from Christopher P.
Victoria, BC
12/16/2009
I took my mom for lunch before headig to the Art Gallery of Ontario for the Tut exhibit and thought that the Idiot would be as good of place as any to grab a bite. What can I say? I feel like an idiot for bringing her here.
Let's start with the service. We were seated in the back corner of the restaurant, and seemingly forgotten. A couple of women were seated after us, and not only were they regularly visited by our shared server (on average 2-3 visits for every 1 time we were checked up on) but their (more complicated) food was provided more quickly, drinks were topped up regularly, and orders weren't constantly messed up.
To begin, I really don't think that an order of a glass of diet pop and coffee is a challenging order to fill. I really, really don't. That said, it took 3 trips to get the pop, and we never got the milk for our coffee despite repeatedly asking for it. The meal itself (a pollo penne) was sub-par; no bread with the pasta, over charred chicken that wasn't well cut, and mediocre sauce.
Putting risk to one side, we decided to share a piece of carrot cake for desert. Our server first brought pecan pie instead (God forbid even one moment of the service could be classified as competent!), though once the cake arrived it was acceptable. It was suitably moist, though almost to the point where you would call it 'wet' (NOT a good descriptor for cake...) and the icing was acceptable (on par with what you'd get in a supermarket brand icing).
While the food wasn't particularly expensive, the incredibly poor service, sad state of the food, and apparent failure to meet even basic customer expectations means that I will NEVER return to the Idiot. There are far better places around the AGO that you can go to; don't waste your time with this sad excuse of a pub. -
Review from Kat F.
3/5/2009 1 Check-in Here
Until last night, I had never set foot inside The Village Idiot Pub, but every time I walked by it in the summer it was absolutely TEEMING with people, many of them spilling outside onto the sidewalk across from the AGO.
I met up with a friend around 8pm and the place was absolutely rammed with people. We were added to another group of two strangers who not only made room for us but even welcomed us to join in their conversation. This never happens in Toronto!! What a wonderful surprise.
Our server was incredibly charming and polite, not to mention attentive. The iced tea (freshly brewed, not from a fountain) was one of the best, most fresh-tasting I've ever had (and I've had a LOT of iced tea in my day).
Also be sure to try the Idiot Fries, which are smothered in some sort of unique szechuan sweet/sour sauce that's the consistency of BBQ sauce and are incredibly addictive. -
Review from Melissa F.
Toronto, ON
6/13/2009
Kind of a weird pub that you feel uncomfortable walking past if you have never been inside.
Once inside you get a weird mix of people- but in a good way. It truly is difficult to describe. Not the most picturesque corner but somehow it feels like a great spot. I sort of think this place is a paradox- everything I shouldn't think is great, but I somehow think it is here.
The walls are garage type windows that open up which makes the seats by the window sort of blend with the street. GREAT people watching place.
For some reason when I went a guy tried to adjust the window himself and the ower REALLY didnt' like it and adjusted it back. then when I said I was cold, the owner closed it for me and was as jolly/nice as ever. I dunno what was goin on there- but just don't adjust it yourself!
Try it..i might even go as far to say it was a gem in the middle of kinda nowhere. -
Review from Dan P.
Toronto, ON
11/20/2009
I've only been to this place a few of times, however, each time I've thoroughly enjoyed it even with different groups and types of friends.
It's cozy, it's quiet, and in the summer, with the windows open, it's a great place to people watch near the AGO. There is also a very solid beer selection. Great for quiet dates, or one on one conversations with friends.
I wasn't particularly impressed with the food (I've eaten there only twice) and in either case, it was adequate, but uninspired. -
Review from Jason E.
2/25/2010
A Canadian interpretation of an English pub really. They have a bunch of draught domestic beers plus Marstons Pedigree and London Pride but not off a hand pump which is wrong.
The food is standard Toronto pub fare..... wings, burgers, a few salads some vaguely Brit dishes and those peculiarly Canadian blackened home fries which no-one outside Canada prefers to proper twice fried chips.
The staff are professionally friendly but it's all a bit Brit theme pub really, not a particularly bad place, not a particularly good place, just a place. If this pub was bread, it would be a supermarket purchased, white sliced loaf. -
Review from Lindsay N.
9/26/2008
- shotty service
+ giant hoegaardens
+ great name (mom approved)
+ giant hoegaarden glasses easily stolen
+ huge open windows
+ burgers
the pluses outweigh the minuses -
Review from RJ S.
Mississauga, ON
4/16/2010
The Village Idiot, how fitting considering my waiter was an idiot.
The moment I went inside the first thing I thought of was, wow this place is HELLA tiny. Luckily though there were seats available for my crew, I know that everytime I've passed by this place its been packed full of people so we came at the right time.
The place has a very old skool pub look from the furniture to the paintings on the wall, to the decor, which was nice for a change.
From the moment we got there it took our waiter at least 10 minutes to realize that we were sitting there. Then it took another ten minutes to get us our drinks, then another 10 minutes to take our orders. Right then and there I had a feeling that this wasn't going to be the greatest experience. When he took our orders he kept asking and repeating our orders to make sure he got it. However he was already messing up the orders. Lastly he lived up to the restaurants name by asking us how was school today? For one, myself and my friends have all graduated so don't asume I'm still a student, although I'll take it as a complement that you think I still look young. :-) But who goes to school on a Sunday? Really? Our orders finally arrived and guess what he messed them up. It just wasn't our orders too the table beside us and behind us also got the wrong order thanks to our waiter. I understand that it might be a long day and all but grab a pen and paper and write down our orders please, instead of trying to remember orders especially custom orders.
On to the food. I had a lil bit of everything only b/c I got to eat from everyone elses plate. However I wasn't too impressed, the idiot burger was very juicy and delicious however the bun on the burger was way too much, even my friend was complaining about the bun. The idiot salad was very well done, the mixture of the shrimp and tuna with all the greens and the dressing blended very well together, although is not worth the price considering how small of a portion you get. The wings were very huge but I have had better "pub" wings than that. Lastly the fries are more like potatoe wedges, which I'm not against, however they weren't wedges where you wanted more, it was more like I'll finish it b/c I'm hungry or I don't want to waste food.
Items to definetly get
-The Village Idiot Salad
-The Village Idion Burger (just ask if they have a smaller bun, if not I guess you're stuck) -
Review from Dave B.
4/29/2009
Good little spot on the corner of Dundas & McCaul with a better than average beer selection, though not as good as it's sister pub, Sin & Redemption. The view is slightly better though, being directly on Dundas, across from the AGO. Open windows and English-pub feel are major win. Still, I prefer Sin & Redemption for it's beer list, great food, and very friendly staff.
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Review from Ailin K.
Toronto, ON
8/3/2010 1 photo
This is one of my favorite hang out spot for me and my dad..hehe. My dad lives around this area and whenever we crave for good beer, fish and chips...this is the place to go. The location is covenient and great for people watching, chilling on a hot summer afternoon and sipping on beer. The selection of beer is endless and never flat....if you ask for a recommendation, always get a good honest feedback. The staff knows their beer, which is a big plus.
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Review from Mireille M.
7/17/2009
Solid fare offered. Fries were excellent. Service fast and friendly... Even in midst of the lunch rush. Recommended.
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Review from Nota R.
6/16/2010
Run-of-the-mill food. ASTONISHINGLY poor service. Like, comically inept. You will eat, you will drink. Just don't expect anything interesting, professional, or noteworthy.
