The Friar: A Firkin Pub

The steak and ale pie was great, the beer was great, the service was good, but the music. Why is it so loud? I could bearly hear the person across the table from me and left with with my throat feeling raw from having to basically yell to be heard.

The worst part was going to the washroom where the volume was so loud my and my partner's ears began to ring. I would usually only knock off 1 star for this, but I've never experienced a bar this loud and I don't know how anyone could find it acceptable. If we wanted to stand next to a speaker at a night club, we would have gone elsewhere.

The Friar on John Street has a nice Pub atmosphere. The food was tasty, our server was fast & very friendly. We enjoyed their huge burger that was delicious and really filling along with a nice salad, poutine & kettle chips and some nice cold beers of course. We enjoyed the time that we spent there and with patio weather around the corner, we will be back more often.

Fish and chips were okay. Fries were soggy fish was over cooked. Bartender was friendly and service was very good. Will go back.

Never been, but will go back. Worth the visit to chat with the effervescent bartender Bradford!

Walked in and asked for a table outside. 3 staff members looked at me and said nothing and i waited 10 minutes after leaving. It was not busy at all.

Amazing vibe! Amazing songs! Amazing bang bang shrimp! Amazing Buffalo cauliflower
Exceptional service

Simon was an amazing bartender very friendly and patient. I appreciated his insight on what drinks to try

I used to come here often before. This place was my favorite place. I just haven't been to this place for 45 days. I was sick. I came back today.and a complete disappointment.employees are changed.previous employees were friendly and interested.the environment was perfect. I don't like the current new employees at all. And I will never come to this place again.

This is a good pub. I gave it 4 stars because they serve fries with their “fish and chips” at a British marketed pub. The Shepherds pie was also a small portion, pretty thin. Would not recommend for a healthy eating male. My dad totally loved their fish and fries however and the tartar sauce was his fave. My mom had French onion soup which she enjoyed and a beet salad which she never looked up from once while eating. I would go again, but would not choose the shepherds pie again.

Popped in for a beer and a bite before our show at the horseshoe. Great atmosphere, super friendly staff. Beer was cold, food was good. Prices were standard. Great place to stop off and fuel up before a show. We’ll be back.

I don't usually get salads but I got the Cob salad here. It was actually very good. Nicely decorative spot, as well.

It was ok. Luckily i came with some good people because the bartender was not very entertaining. I would probably not go back.

Zero service.had to seat ourselves.waited full 30 minutes.no wait staff.ignored. Then a table came in 15 minutes after we did and they get served. We just got up and left. No one cares here

The server was so unwelcoming. The food was sub-par. It was not even closing time or busy, but the server kept coming back to the table and it made us feel rushed. It's a shame cause the interior was quite nice. We are not going back. We wouldn't recommend anyone either.

It's nice if you want a really small place to sit down. June 2021, the outdoor seating is only three tables, 2 four-seaters and 1 two-seater. And its right next to a very busy street, which is fine. I didn't try the food. I went when there was no one around, but I can imagine the tables filling up quickly. But it is around the street with a lot of other bars. So it makes sense to check out.

Was out to meet a friend and just happened to notice this little place below street level on John St. Curiosity got the better of me, so I ventured down the 3 or 4 steps and went inside.

For a smallish bar, it was hopping! Found a spot at the bar and had a quick shot and 1/2 pint. Had I not had other plans, I would probably have stayed longer.

Friendly and quick bar staff, warm and welcoming atmosphere.

February 20/20
Popped in for a 1/2 pint of Coors Light and a shot of Crown - still a warm and friendly, busy little spot. Bitter cold outside. The gent beside me at the bar was having fish'n'mashed. John, Paul, George and Ringo kept a watchful eye over all!

The food is truly yummy here. The service is great too. Has a family friendly feel and is quieter than most other pubs around this area.

Tried the berry mojito, a fresh summer drink. Food was great, and the server was super friendly and funny. Great location for the patio as it's not super crowded as it would be if it were right on Queen Street (just slightly south on John).

Use to be 4. Once had the best burgers in the area but now thay use really cheap buns now. Burgers are still the same price but with low quality, dry, flavour less buns.

Foods good sadly the service and wait time is crazy, who knew water took 15 mins, on top of this we had to wait for ever for the staff to even notice we had finished and wanted to pay and leave, I legit almost walked out! It’s really sad I like this place but I don’t think I’ll be coming back.

There are a few vegan options which will suffice if you just need food and are not picky about the quality. The food I ordered did not seem fresh or appetizingly prepared - I got a burrito with very dry, bland fillings. However, the kettle chips and tater tots are decent.

The Friar on John street has a nice Pub atmosphere. The food was tasty, our server was fast & very friendly. We had the burger, poutine & kettle chips with some nice cold beers and we enjoyed the time that we spent there.

Usually really decent food and amazing service, but we sat down the waiter didnt inform us they were out of their daily special. Food took forever to get to the table, and so did the waiter no idea where he went. Had to wait even though we were done and everything was picked up he took forever to bring the bill.

A decent pub with a fun atmosphere and friendly service. It is a chain so certainly not fine dining but very good pub grub!

No garlic bread, no Kilkenny, flat bread was not good, no customizations on food, pricey -overall not a great place

Great atmosphere, great people working there. Almost nothing for vegans, little for vegetarians. And price to portion ratio is a little bit high. But still a good place.

EXCELLENT poutine. Great pub atmosphere and fun art. The service was also pretty good and fairly quick. Would go again.

Super nice Scottish pub. Very cozy place. Never tried the food so 4 stars till then. Difinatly will be back to try some meals.

It's my neighborhood pub. Good service and the usual Firkin menu. It's a good place to go and chat with friends over a beer or if you want to see a game.

Typical Firkin pub in terms of setup and drinks.but the food is good in terms of varieties and taste. The buffalo chicken bowl was great. Location is nice and accessible.

Food was good (got the burger). Sauce had good flavour. Service was alright, no complaints. Took a couple mins to get seated, but once there everything was alright.

Dont remember much of that night but our server was amazing and the place was so cute. Will be back if ever in the area

Smoked Trudeau herb with random compatriots from Pennsylvania (at least. I think they were from Pennsylvania.) and got them to buy me pints.and loved their stories.and they got me 'extra' drunk on top of being high.and I may or may not be having a flashback now from within the future.and happy Diwali.

The Buffalo chicken poutine was amazing but the nachos were average. Great service and we enjoyed ourselves

I got the hot wings at the firkin.it had so much salt in the hot wings my wife couldn't finish them and I barely keep them down.

Really amused by the place, nice and super friendly staff, cozy atmosphere, the music was loud enough to enjoy but not so much that you cant hear each other. The food was Ah-mazing. We only got nachos with beef patties sliders which was 3 finger food sized hamburger and it was the yummiest thing on earth. Totally recommend the place:)

The wings were cooked nicely. The sauce was hot. But so salty! I couldn't eat the wings because so salty! And strange for me because I love salt. Maybe bad luck. Or maybe always too salty. Oh well

My favorite pub in Toronto! The staff are amazing, especially Ricky! ITs in a great location, just a few steps away from Queen and John ; A perfect place to go before or after seeing a movie. It can be a bit loud for a intimate date, but a great place to hit up with the gang for a night of beer and food. The fish tacos are amazing, and the fish and chip special on Thursday is awesome, IT COMES WIHT A PINT OF CREEMORE IF IM RIGHT. Clean bathrooms, and I think there is a Beatles poster somewhere. A must, its relatively cheaper then anything else in the area, plus you don't sacrifice quality!

Loved it here. The staff was lovely and friendly, atmosphere was excellent and the food was great. Would not hesitate to come back again!

Was out to meet a friend and just happened to notice this little place below street level on John St. Curiosity got the better of me, so I ventured down the 3 or 4 steps and went inside.

For a smallish bar, it was hopping! Found a spot at the bar and had a quick shot and 1/2 pint. Had I not had other plans, I would probably have stayed longer.

Friendly and quick bar staff, warm and welcoming atmosphere.

The food is good and the drinks specials are always changing which is great for myself and friends. It would be nice to see a bit more initiative from the staff though to let you know that it’s a seat yourself, as other firkins have asked me to wait in the past.

This is a great pub, good food options staff are always helpful and kind, great experience consistently. I go regularly.

Walked in, said hello to the red headed bartender who just stared back at me. It was busy so myself and my party sat down to wait for service. After 20 minutes of waiting, the table of girls next to us who had only menus got up and left. 10 minutes after that, after being ignored by all servers including the red head I made eye contact and communication with, we chose to leave as well.

I might try it again if it's not busy as the food did look good.