Stonehooker Brewing Company — Restaurant in Mississauga

The Wyck Recommendation: Stonehooker Brewing Company Rating: 3.8/5

Just Off the Dock and Into the Weeds

Intro Scene There’s a disco ball above my head, a schooner above the taps, and a guy in cargo shorts pouring a flight like it’s his third job. We pulled into Stonehooker on a live music night, lured by fairy lights, nautical puns, and the promise of decent beer in what looked like a converted shipyard office. The vibes were weirdly sincere — and honestly, kind of great.

What Was Ordered Two flights — and every glass told a different story. The dark porter had gravitas, the sour was a beach day gone rogue, and even the lighter ales were crisp and clean. The flights came with a parchment-style scoring sheet like a treasure map. Didn’t order food, but there was a food truck outside, and staff literally told us to grab anything and bring it in. Bonus: Miss Vickie’s chips casually chilling by a rotary phone near a lace-trimmed lamp.

Service Commentary You’re greeted with a nod and maybe a pun. Bartenders are laid-back but know their taps. No one’s rushing, but no one’s slacking either. They’ll guide you through the beer board if you need help, and they won’t judge you for just pointing at a funny name.

Vibe Check Live music played softly in the background while groups huddled over flights like scholars of foam. The crowd was a mix: couples, locals, birthday crews, and two guys who looked like they’ve never left. Everyone's friendly. Nobody’s trying too hard. At sunset, the whole place started to glow — like a budget beer commercial, but in the best way.

The Space Itself Inside is tiny — a few wooden tables, warm yellow lighting, and nautical everything: rope, anchors, portholes, a model ship perched above 20 taps. The ceiling is curved like a barrel, and every inch of wood feels like it has a backstory. There’s even a “Free Beer Tomorrow” sign, because of course there is. A small window nook gives you a front-row view of the brewing tanks, which feels oddly intimate. But the real crown jewel? That massive patio with picnic tables, Adirondack chairs, a gazebo, rope lights, and a firepit vibe without the fire. As the sun sets, it gets weirdly magical.

About the Neighborhood This isn’t a walk-up. It’s Mississauga’s industrial underbelly — flat lots, auto garages, and the occasional semi truck. But there’s plenty of parking and zero pretension. You’re not here for the scenery until you look out the brewery window and realize the sunset just made power lines look poetic.

Hits & Misses ✓ Flights were excellent across the board ✓ Nautical chaos that somehow works ✓ Staff are chill, food policy is generous ✓ Patio is massive, relaxed, and sunset-worthy ✗ Interior space is cramped, especially when busy ✗ Theme might be overkill if you’re allergic to charm ✗ Location feels more warehouse than waterfront

Final Verdict Stonehooker feels like a shipwreck-themed fever dream curated by people who really, really love beer. And it works. You’ll come for the flights, stay for the vibe, and maybe leave with a coaster, a snack bag, and a newfound respect for Mississauga’s weirdest brewery. It’s cozy chaos with a solid pour.

Rating: 3.8/5

Perfect For

Sunset drinks with craft beer snobs who wear boat shoes ironically

Dates where you bond over nautical trivia and...

Been here quite a few times over the last couple of years during the warmer months and came today (one of the first warm enough days for a drink on the patio) with my partner and dog. The patio was open and am very aware of their usual slower service and didn’t expect much when they let me know that they had a wait list (with a couple of tables visibly open and clean though they could have been under staffed) so I provided my name and phone number. There were a few couples come in after us who seemed to stand near the front door to wait for a table but my partner and I decided to wait on a hill near their parking lot to not cause crowding for the workers. After about 30 minutes of waiting, I noticed the couples that had come after us had been seated and proceeded to wait just in case of any circumstances. After another 5-10 minutes, a car with the Stonehooker branding all over, slowed down next to us and a man slowly rolled down the window and stared at us through the window for a good minute (like extremely creepy). He proceeds to come closer to us and continues to stare and (in the sassiest and rudest way possible) “Do you work here?” Both of us very confused we say “No?”, clearly considering this was an empty building (It was also a Saturday) and we were waiting patiently to go into your establishment. He then says “do you then not know how to read?” And points at the tiny print on a nearby parking sign that says “No trespassing”. I would like to note that there have been people sitting on this bench right beside their establishment EVERY single time we have been there (including servers in their uniforms and smokers). We were sitting with our leashed dog alone and I let him know we did not see the sign and was waiting to sit at the restaurant he fully works for. He proceeds to get uncomfortably close to the point where we have to move along towards our car to leave. He looks us dead in the eyes and says “I don’t care, we will have to hear about it from them”. First of all, the building was literally desolate and the only place to wait that wasn’t literally in front of the entrance to the brewery (and we also were not instructed by anyone where we could wait, nor did he kindly suggest another spot to wait). He genuinely scared us with his threatening tone and we felt so offended that we decided to leave. I have also noticed this lack of service and bad treatment is quite clearly amongst minorities here within the reviews. It is quite clear this man didn’t enjoy that there were queer visible minorities trying to be patrons at his establishment. With some research, I found out this gentleman was clearly the owner/“CEO”. What a disappointment. Learn how to speak to people, we kindly could have moved. We also were never called...

As per multiple recent reviews, they have Service quality issues thay they appear to be choosing to NOT address.

The beer is good, the selection/ variety is great, and the physical location is pretty cool (ie- very solid patio outside, and very solid bar inside)!

However, it falls down very hard with the unnecessarily bad service. One of those (thankfully) rare places where the customer experience is overtly treated as a just-barely-tolerated "necessary inconvenience" by the staff.

Staff cluster inside at the corner of the bar chatting away. If you want something you better go to them - as they are certainly not coming to you (....but are definitely still going to want a double digit tip from you later of course).

Interactions, or requests for, you know, things like another round of beers etc are accepted.....but just barely. Prepare to be outrightly ignored and/or treated with palatable indifference if your one of the lucky ones.

Staff were eager to exit, and really do not want to be there. The one and only time they appeared at our table proactively all night, was to ask if we (and all other patrons, including a group who had just arrived and were just wrapping up their first round), would be ok cashing out early as they wanted to close everyone's tab.....45 mins before the posted closing time.

Sure. I mean, the last thing we all want to do is inconvenience them with our collective existence further. The do a really poor job of masking that they don't want to be there, and most definitely don't really want you there either.

I live 5 mins away and I cant see myself taking friends, or anyone else, there ever again. This place is clearly well thought out. If they only the same level of thought was put into training, watching, and managing the staff (tip: shooting for the absolute bare minimum would be a huge step up from current state).

Final verdict - systematic poor service obliterates the vibe, making it a huge let down that could and should be SOOOOO much better than it actually is. No point ever going back as far as...