Imperial Pub

Okay, do I don't mind older places! I think some of Toronto's establishments are a 'magical' mix of clientele, from all walks of life, students and professionals, wealthy and the not-so-wealthy: so I found The Imperial is like that; I like the way tables surround the bar, and everyone can come and just relax and enjoy.

In all the bars of all the lands this screams "I am a cop bar! " It's not though it's a sick little student hideout with misplaced and mismatched chairs. They put my pickle back in one cup and if I was with two girls that's be wrong. It should be two cups one girl. That's how daddy likes his pickle backs. Monogamous.

Smells like cigarettes and old carpet. Do people smoke inside?

Service is great though, lovely ppl

Some of the worst customer service I've ever experienced, the staff were actively ignoring us and several other customers who came in after us. There were 3-4 people behind the bar counter and they refused to make eye contact, wouldn't acknowledge us, my partner had to go up to the bar to try and get someone's attention but the guy just ignored him. We had been there for 40 minutes before we finally saw a waitress who also ignored us and proceeded to ask a couple of ladies who had just sat down if they wanted menus. We never got menus, eventually my partner was able to get us a couple of beers though after about 25 minutes of standing at the bar and trying to get any of the staffs attention.

It was so bad we honestly thought we were getting punked or something.

I love this bar, it’s just a really reliable good place to go whenever and whoever im with, the food isn’t the best but the drinks are fairly priced and it has such a versatile atmosphere depending on which area of the bar you’re in! The vibes are always just right and it’s incredibly cozy, highly recommend for those looking for the kinda bar you can just chill tf out in!

Still love this place after all these years. The only thing in this immediate neighbourhood worth visiting.

Accommodating staff, best fried pickles I've had in a long time. Seated outside (in Nov), but when space opened, the offered to move us inside. Bathrooms need some maintenance, upstairs inside smells like college students.

The best place in the entire city. Doesn't compute that this is located at the hell that is Yonge Dundas

PLEASE READ

This is a 5 star review because the bar is fn great and it is what it is. It is not fancy. It doesn't have good cocktails. The food is pub fare. The place is weird.

Do not assume because of a high rating this is some must see spot in the city as a tourist in this terrible part of town (imo it is but not if you're a certain type).

I give this 5 stars for being Toronto as ever. Great cozy spot in the middle of it all. It's perfect and you shouldn't ever want anything more.

Amazing place! Good food! Dana the server was amazing because we loved everything she recommended!
Definitely be back next time I'm in Toronto!

Everything was great until I saw the receipt. They were charging me and my friends for extra drinks that we didn’t have and when I complained about it, they couldn’t explain the charges and avoided it. Be careful when you get drunk here as they will charge you extra without you even noticing.

Like mildly grungy but in a good way? Lounge vibe where you go for a good beer and can hang out with friends in a more private feeling low key setting. Wouldn't recommend if you're wanting to get fancy! But I enjoyed very much.

The food is delicious! And the staff is really amazing, funny and caring. An awesome place! To bad I live in Montreal I would be here a lot! Thank you all

My first time here. Very cosy spot. People of all ages are welcome! You could just curl up in the corner of the couch with a book or catch up with the gang over some beers!

Their roof top patio is super cute and cozy with the view of Dundas Square. Convenient location is absolutely one of their strengths

Stopped in for a few pints and had a fantastic time with Moe and Dana. Unreal food and a unique atmosphere. Strong covid 19 safety protocols as well

Love this place. Been there so many times and it's always great. Great food, great staff, great atmosphere. They have vegetarian options which is awesome and an overall super casual vibe. Would recommend.

Always loved this place good drink prices 2nd floor is always pumping jazz and a nice comfortable area to sit and if you want hot wings, this is the spot

I’ve been a fan of the imperial since I first started coming to bars in downtown Toronto. The ambiance is something you just do not see anymore in this city.

This place, like so many, is not for everyone, but it’s an interesting place for interesting people.

The musicians hangs on Tuesday’s pre-covid and now made me fall in love with it. That hang is really beautiful and special, and I don’t see a lot of places in Toronto that could make that happen the same way.

Love ya, sammy!

I miss visiting the place at covid time. I can't visit, but I will once this is over. Nice little corner. Love the place and the music.

We ordered FOUR different orders and the put everything in one plate. No hot sauce as requested, no cutlery, not individually pack as advertised. I called to complain and asked for an explanation but was placed on hold, having conservation in the background saying " they are trying to get more food but I am not giving them more food" can you imagine! The food we paid $65 for was not even enough for 4 people.no apologies, just talk in the background.terrible customer service! NEVER AGAIN!

Great staff and food. Phenomenal pricing consider it's location. The inside looks great too despite looking dumpy on the outside. A total suprise gem.

The rooftop patio is small but nice. It's also very windy and cold. But that also makes it safer than other patios downtown which are basically indoors.

What a spot! This will definitely be a good hit with locals. Good pricing, friendly staff and a great atmosphere. What else could you need?

Casual, relaxed, decent pub food, and attentive staff, although they are tough to spot since they dress in street clothes. Good beer selection for IPA lovers.

Great atmosphere especially the second floor. The food here is classic pub eating done right. The wings have a lot of meat, the sauce is tasty, the onion rings were served at the perfect heat and the staff were friendly and casual. Truly a gem in the heart of Toronto.

Wouldn't say the worst. But terrible at handling busy hours!
Select tables with fewer parties are preferred and larger tables are ignored, possibly because of lack of experience in the new staff.
Apart from LYING about the kitchen being closed despite people still getting food after 2 hours. I asked the waitress (do not want to disclose the name since I don't want anyone getting fired) whether they still serve food and she still said no and threatened to throw us out.
No respect to people around.

Fantastic poutine and wings! Definitely better than the view from the curb would imply. A hidden gem.

Decent food and service. Location isn’t great being so close to the Toronto public health building which attracts a lot of problems.

I've been to this pub plenty of times and I've almost never had a bad experience until today. The serving staff are all amazing except for this very rude older lady. We were greeted fine and led to a seat on the patio and waited for her to come to us. We watched as other customers got their tables cleaned, food served, and bills paid, all while we waited. After multiple times of being glanced off, I said "excuse me", and she brushed me off. I had to go inside to ask for two menus from the bartender because my friends and I hadn't received service in the half hour we were waiting. After she finally came to us, she was very harsh in tone and when we wanted water, she told us "if you want water, go inside and get it", while holding two pitchers of water for other customers. The service from everyone else I've had has always been nice and top notch, but this waitress has ruined my experience and I don't think I'll be there again if she's there working.

Amazing Brisket Poutine! Super delicious, supper friendly staff, great place to hang out and chill with friends

Really cool place to lounge with friends & chill over drinks. Watching the basketball game here last night however left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. After putting through a food order at the counter (and paying for it right away) I waited nearly 20 minutes with no food. I approached staff to enquire, they told me the kitchen was backed up and food would take a while, so we waited another 10 minutes. We noticed people who had come afterwards getting served, so we asked again, at which point they checked and said they did not see our food order on the list. The staff member was kind enough to offer a refund (since we couldn't wait another 20-30), however I was offered back less money than what I paid. When I told the staff member this, he said that the computer was showing him a specific amount and that was all he could give back. Im not sure where the discrepancy was, but the staff seemed rushed and out of patience and I didn't want to sit around arguing with him. Least to the say the whole experience of losing money and not getting any food through 3 quarters of the game (we were pretty hungry), made me not want to come here again. They should consider having more staff on hand for big events like this

Tip: the popcorn machine has been moved behind the bar. It's no longer self serve. Still has a great patio and overall atmosphere.

Decent, but service was a bit slow and the tap beer was meh. The library atmosphere is well done and the deck is nice

Total dive bar! I used to frequent this spot while studying. They have good food - especially burgers and they also have a private and gem in the rocks patio way upstairs- this place is super central and infront of the Bond Hotel. For me its a cook chill out space and the food being good is a bonus. The staff is good but service is slow as I said its a chill place lol.

Friendly staff, great food, 2 levels; downstairs features a pub with a wrap around bar in the center. Upstairs features an inside bar with pool table, as well as, an outside patio. Both levels offer beverages and pub food.

My boyfriend and I went here and I wasnt expecting much and was pleasantly surprised! While the cheesy garlic bread left something to be desired, the beef brisket sandwich was AMAZING! My boyfriend got the brisket, i debated between that and the chicken sandwich and ended up going with the chicken thinking i would steal some of my boyfriend's brisket, and while the chicken sandwich was also very good, I definitely wished I had gotten the brisket because it was amazing and of course he didn't give me much, keeping it all to himself LOL. The sweet potato fries and their chipotle aioli are also really great! Glad we stumbled on this place.

All staff are very hospitable and genuine. Food is made with skill and quality. 1 week of cool staff and food.

The most ghetto bar in toronto. The fact that he alcohol prices are premium priced is a joke. Save yourself the trouble and go anywhere else I promise you, you'll have a better time.

Long time established Toronto now going on the 3rd generation and they must be doing something right: going strong for over 70 years at the same location! Great pub food and great service.

It's a local hangout for the ryerson students upstairs in the cozy "library" downstairs is a mixed bag of regulars and walkins. Good for people watching.

Bit of a dive bar, but reasonable prices, lots of room and a great location just off the square. Its "charm" has grown on me.

Good place to catch up with old friends. Friendly staff and the veggie chilli was a delicious on a chilly spring night on the patio.

I've just been discriminated in this place. I'll will not fill in a complain against but I'd recommend to avoid going there. Waitress put my integrity in doubt by requesting my I. D in order to accept the payment for what I had consumed. Avoid this place. Go visit Rec Rom, Tenessee but not this place.

Amazing hole in the wall pub serving locals despite being just to the side of Dundas Square. This place brings people together from all walks of life. A total gem. Good food too.

This place used to be good, but the service has changed in the last one year. There are instances that I was over charged; twice before, server assuming that we were drunk.
Once I complained and the server was furious - mentioning that he won’t serve me.
The food is economical and tastes alright. The tables cleaning might take ten minutes, because the staff is less and, you might have to wait.
Overall - good location, cheap food, unacceptable server attitude.

Amazing authentic environment. The only problem is that there is a very rude waitress on the second floor. I’ve witnessed numerous times that many clients (including myself) have felt offended by her

Imperial pub is where its at! The family that own the place treat its staff like family. They treat my friends and I as family and that's the main reason why we go year after year despite having so many other really amazing spots across downtown Toronto. Its a safe place to drink and relax and enjoy the company of those you came with or those around. Never a dull moment busy or slow. Upstairs vs downstairs the crowd dynamic drastically changes where the more relaxed and mature folk stay at the lower levels and the younger and sometimes more boisterous crowd head upstairs, the stairs leading to it is a bit steep so that might be why lol. In downtown Toronto and want some nice couches to relax on? Imperial pub. Not a sports bar or cocktail lounge. Its a pub, remember that.

It's an old timey public house type setting that could do with a little updating, but overall the food was good service was friendly and beer cold. Sit upstairs and read a book in the library.