The Pilot — Restaurant in Toronto

Update 2025:

Not sure what's happened to this place, but as someone that has been coming here for over 7 years I am incredibly disappointed with my experience today.

Showed up on Saturday, March 1, 2025. Was greeted within the next 10 minutes and asked what I want to drink. I said Rye and Ginger. They asked if I wanted a food menu. I said yes, please. Was given the food menu. Looked over it for 5 mins. Put it down directly in front of me. It wasn't until a different bartender flagged me over an hour later asking "if I want another" (20 minutes after my drink sat empty on the bar). This was AN hour after I had gotten the food menu.

The guy who cashed me out was super sweet when I called out the shitty service, as someone who has loved this place for years. The service was not on point tonight.

Several years ago:

I could write forever about The Pilot, but I'll try to keep it short.

I adore this place wholeheartedly!

I've never had an intense issue with cleanliness, from the floors, railings, bars, to the glasses, plates and cutlery, things are usually kept in pretty good condition...but I mean it is a bar, so just keep that in mind!

I've been going here for almost two years, and other than ONE sort of terrible service experience (on a horribly busy night when they were clearly short-staffed), all my experiences have been excellent.

Their menu is perfect, I'm still working through it, but I definitely recommend the Chorizo Flatbread, and their Chicken Fingers w/ Fries. The onion rings are delicious as well!

From the staff, to the beers and the food, I can't recommend this place enough.

The perfect place to grab a couple pitchers, a few plates of food, and watch sports with...

Michelle and the team at the Pilot went above and beyond our expectations for our staff holiday party, coming into work through a snowstorm, setting up the 2nd Floor Stealth Lounge in record time and then providing the most lovely, personable and experienced customer service for all our guests! They were incredible about checking in with us regarding the timing of our evening (since many of our guests were delayed by the snow) and ensured that hot food buffet came out at the perfect time to feed our hungry, snowy crowd! The bartenders were on the ball for every drink, and the bussers kept the buffet replenished and the room bussed and clear of dirty dishes/glassware, all with flair and a smile. The team even went so far as to double as our part-time AV team, turning down the music and turning up the mics for our staff raffle, and seamlessly jumping onto turn up (and then turn off) the stage lights when we needed to make announcements/engage with our guests.

The hard work didn't stop there - in planning our event, Michelle was a REAL asset - ensuring every detail was covered and no stone was left unturned. She went above and beyond by printing and posting our signage in the Stealth to ensure the space looked pristine and our guests knew they were at the right event, The best part? Michelle and the team ensured our guests got the star treatment from start to finish and they STILL managed to bring us in under our budget for this party - just PHENOMENAL!!! We are absolutely over...

The central location was ideal. The covered patio was appreciated & ideal due to rain. Made reservations, the table was available when we arrived, table location worked out well. The server & service were great. They even had gluten free beer (I hadn't noticed it on the menu online in advance & hadn't thought they would have it) & tasted good. Food was good, and they accommodated a substitution. The online menu was helpful to be able to review in advance & decide what to order, saving time & decision making at the restaurant. The place seemed to be busy and yet it didn't seem to impact service level or ability to talk easily at table. Washroom seemed clean & to have enough number of stalls. The 3 flights of stairs to the rooftop patio aren't ideal (due to some accessibility challenges) but we knew about it when we made the reservation, so it was an informed decision. The stairs seemed to be wide enough and deep enough to be more manageable than most stairs elsewhere - and sturdy. The table was a decent size. Chairs were okay, could be a bit more comfortable. On the (ideal) wishlist of something that could be added to the menu: a side fruit salad that could be ordered as a small appetizer, maybe with hemp seeds and/or almond butter or something dairy free. We talked so much, and food was filling enough, that we didn't manage to finish it all. Thank you for being there, open, and contributing to a...