The Bull: A Firkin Pub — Restaurant in Toronto

A local for my group friends, I've been here a dozen times over the past few years. Overwhelmingly positive experiences. The staff and security are friendly and attentive. The decor is a little over the top for a "UK/British" themed pub but it's easily ignored. There's a darts board and two pay-per-play 8-ball pool tables in the games area above (somewhat proportionally small for the overall size of the establishment, particularly compared to other Firkins). The board games chests only contain one complete chess set (all the other games have long since lost pieces).

The food is good and they have a good selection of libations, particularly beers. Their main kitchen menu is well rounded, their late-night menu is limited and kicks in relatively early. Nachos in their various forms are always a staple.

My favourite thing about this particular venue is that it's never too busy or too loud. I've yet to feel like our server was spread too thin over too large a section. As a result it's relatively 'quiet' for when you want to hear the conversation. Conversely, there's always a game on a television in any direction to allow you to ignore one.

The clientele is as varied as any local pub but generally it's late twenties up. From time to time the weekend will bring a group of millennials who pour out of the nearby condos. Unlike a few other establishments in the area this place sticks to its hours of operation and doesn't kick you out just because the night's running slow.

The only notable negative experience was when I was double charged for a few rounds of drinks. I do believe it was an honest mistake. No matter though: the server, as nice as they were, no longer...

My wife and I used to come here regularly but last night marks the end of that. I can forgive that it was a but busier because of a very large party (80 + people we were told) but there should have been servers scheduled/ assigned specifically to them and not forced to also juggle the patio. The result was the requested modification to my order not being addressed but since we didn’t see her from the time we ordered, there was no way to address it so I had to either let it get cold or eat it as is. The food itself was the standout disappointment as it seems as though this chain has recently adopted the “frozen is faster” philosophy, delivering fish and chips and chicken fingers comparable to what you’d find at the grocery store. This was not the crispy, flavourful hand-battered fish they served previously but a uniform, crumbly batter on something that was in a cardboard box 10 minutes before it was on my plate. The fries reminded me of something I’d get from a lesser fast food restaurant. If you’re going to cut costs, then the price should reflect that but clearly the focus is now on maximizing profit margins at any cost, and at the patrons’ expense. Going forward, we’ll take our business to one of the countless other neighbourhood pubs but hopefully the owners/company reads this and realize that most people aren’t going to take the time to tell you what they think. They just stop...

I went here recently with my wife after an appointment. We spent our time on the deck so I can't attest to the interior atmosphere too much. The food and service were both excellent. We spent a fair amount of time figuring what we wanted and we never felt rushed. The gal who served us (whose name I can't remember) was pleasant throughout.

We had the poutine to start then I had the pork schnitzel and my wife had the steak and mushroom pie and we fully enjoyed all of it. The cheesecake we shared for dessert was great too. There was plenty of time to kill before our ride arrived so we spent our time talking and drinking on the deck. Through that time, we were checked on but never pushed for anything.

They have a decent selection of beers, and even have a tasting course (4 different beers of your choice for only slightly more than a pint of one type). Not much selection in cider, unfortunately. Additionally, I should note that they are not wheelchair accessible. I use a walker and I had to have my wife's help or I couldn't have gotten in.

Their online menu comes complete with a calorie count for every meal, which was very helpful in making a selection. If you’re in the area I’d suggest...