Pinkerton's Snack Bar — Restaurant in Toronto

I started attending this bar because a younger, hipper friend of mine went there. She said it was hip and because I'm not hip, I said I'd take her word for it and off we went. That was about 2 years ago and since then I've been coming back at random intervals in the years because of the following:

OVERALL- This place is cozy, but a lot of plaid and its obvious that the more tattoos on the bartender, the better the service. I find this weirdly hipster.

It's not a large place, so there is only seemingly 3 or 4 staff at any one time. It's closer to the bar-side of things than restaurant-side of things.

BEER - it's my thing, and specifically sour beer is my thing. They have other beer, too, but I like sour beer and they've had a great selection of sour beer since 2017ish when I started going.

COCKTAILS - Those are good, too. One bartender in particular (with seemingly the most tattoos - even on the fingers) is obviously the better of the cocktail makers, but that's only important when my wife or cocktail enjoying friends are with me. I drink beer.

WASHROOM - Once you've consumed your beers and cocktails (and I'm sure they have wine but I've never ordered wine here), you can simply walk a short distance to the stairs leading down to washrooms. They are not large, but they never appear crowded, probably because the place can only handle a few dozen people at once.

ATMOSPHERE - There are a decent number of dates, as well as random mix of random people. The place is narrow, so there isn't much in the way of privacy.

VERY SAFE, and I'm guessing there is some sour grapes for one reason or another related to any bad reviews - probably people got a little too sloppy, kicked out, and sour grapes = sour reviews. Happens.

Aside from the obviously defamatory reviews (at the moment there are 278 and a couple are intended to defame) it seems people pick up on the fact that it is either "cozy" or "cramped". It's not for everyone - nor should it be.

FOOD - I eat the pork pancakes (that's not their real name, that's my name for it because I stopped looking at the menu). I order one if I want something tasty, two if I feel hungry, and three if I'm feeling sinful, then I feel shameful. I'm okay with this.

TLDR - I doubt you will have a bad time if you go, but I'd suggest going for the first time in the summer (winter clothes makes for just more crowdedness). If you like the place, you'll start thinking of the place as "cozy"...

Despite it’s British sounding name, Pinkerton's Snack Bar’s menu decidedly has an Asian influence. The kitchen and the bar seemed to have developed separately, as their drink menu leans towards classic cocktails like my favourite of the evening… the paloma ($16), adorned with a lovely pink peppercorn salt rim that adds a kick to the tequila, mezcal, and citrusy drink. Beautifully made but hardly seems like a drink that pairs with fried rice.

Still, I enjoyed it with a plate of duck fried rice ($18). It’s a good version of the dish, filled with flavours thanks to duck confit chunks mixed with micro chopped vegetables, egg, and hoisin that added a savoury richness. My only grumble is the rice was too fresh – every Asian knows that day old is best for frying – so the dish was too wet.

The crispy salt and pepper tofu ($13) arrived hot and crunchy and would have been delicious if it weren’t for the accompanying spicy tomato chutney. While I didn’t find it revolting, tofu and marinara isn’t really the greatest combination, especially when I was looking forward to the more traditional chopped bell pepper and onions relish version instead.

I enjoyed the soft buns used by Pinkerton’s for their bao buns ($15 for two), but they needed more filling. There was too much batter on the small pieces of Korean fried chicken, so the protein became dry and leaned towards a jerky consistency. The bulgogi sirloin was better, the beef more pronounced, and being marinated helps to keep things moist, especially when dressed with carrot slaw and spicy mayo.

Surprisingly there wasn’t a leaf of fermented cabbage in the kimchi fries ($12) - I then realized the menu description says it’s topped with kimchi mayo and pickled vegetables but not actual kimchi. The flavours came through in the mayo, but I found there were too many greens compared to the actual spuds, so the dish wasn’t hot enough.

Ultimately, Pinkerton is aptly named as a snack bar and not a restaurant. Their food will satisfy a boozy stomach but won’t wow the taste buds. Luckily, their cocktails do, such as the beautiful floral French 75 ($16). The cocktail’s lavender and jasmine elements weren’t too overwhelming, additives that can sometimes leave a drink tasting like dish detergent. Rather, it was refreshing, a lovely drink to sip...

A really nice place you would find downtown nestled into the little strip of Gerrard St between Jones and Pape. A wonderful gem that hopefully more people discover in Leslieville.

It’s a very non-rescript place when you walk buy it but when you walk in there is a lot discover here.

My friend and I have been to the sister restaurant, Poor Romeo, and enjoyed it very much so we also decided to come here for an evening to catch up.

The atmosphere in the snack bar is intimate and low-key. with candles adorned on the tables. This is a very relaxed and chill vibe that emanates through the bar.

The service staff are really nice and chill. They will definitely take care of you and make sure you have a good time.

We came here on a Tuesday and they had a deal which was three items for $33 dollars. We could choose any three dishes off the menu to snack on while we enjoy our drinks.

We decided on the following items:

ahi tuna tostada - nice fresh chunks of lean tuna with creamy avocado paste and crispy onto chips

Fausto’s chicken special - three pieces of crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. It came with a nice refreshing coleslaw salad to balance i tout.

Kung pow cauliflower - this was an off-menu item recommended by the server and it turned out pretty great. A lot of great Asian flavours and the cauliflower was still meaty.

Overall, a really nice neighbourhood bar with...