The Only Backpacker's Inn

It is a very good Hostel. The bar and cafeteria are very good.
The common areas are spacious, the place is very well heated. I love this place.

Awesome place, good prices, cozy environment, breakfast included, staff is sweet, in a great location!

Excellent hostel! I needed a room in a hurry, and I could only book different rooms for each night. However, they managed to keep me in the same room for the whole stay! Room was very clean, quiet and didn't smell. They have a smart policy for keeping the shoes outside the room. Every hostel should be like that! The café/bar downstairs was excellent too. Together, it was all I needed for a delightful stay. Definitely the best bang for your buck!

After staying in this hostel I can say that it is uncomfortable, the beds are dangerous because you can fall during the night. There are 2 toilets for the entire floor and 3 showers. No possibility of sitting in the room.the kitchen is very small. There is not seat for everyone at breakfast. Lack of electrical outlet or otherwise very far from the bed. Tiny locker suitable for children perhaps but we are travelers! With bags.

My husband and I stayed over in August, as I had heart surgery at the Michael Garron hospital. Liz, was not only welcoming, but Liz let us park behind her place vs down the street, as we had to leave at 5: 00 am. Our room, a well as the little apartment, was cozy, clean and safe! Liz gave us a lock for our room and didnt charge her fee for same, as we were leaving so early, she let us leave it under the pillow. The cafe and bar have such a laid back atmosphere, we were blown away. Being under the stress that I was, Liz gave me a big hug and wished me luck. Seriously, where else would you find that in Toronto! I wouldn't hesitate for a minute to stay there again and I would and will, recommend this place to anyone. Thanks Liz again for making our stay so relaxing, all is well here and please don't ever change!

W Newell

Great place, definitely recommend. Awesome stuff, lots of public space to hang out. It also has a cafe and bar with live music. Plenty of bathrooms available. Everyone is following the ground rules, which makes sharing living space very comfortable. In general there is this pretty cool vibe, check it out for yourself.

Love the local mixed with traveler vibe. The coffee shop is fantastic and I love that the bar is directly connected. Fantastic location with lots of great food options. Solo traveler and I booked the private room which only had one neighbor and included the shower in the room. Big kitchen area and chill backside facing balcony

Location: too far from the city center
must to take the subway to go
room: too small
bathroom: only 2 bathroom for 25 people + 3 washrooms
positive pint: service all day long

An old place but very cozy, comfortable and ideal to relax in its spaces and common areas! Quiet clean rooms, cool and comfortable when traveling alone.

Room was not so quiet at night because there is a bar downstairs. People talk until 3 am. Better to have ear plugs. I was satisfied with cleanliness and other facilities.

The location is nice and the room is quite comfortable, but for breakfast they only have toast, peanut butter, jam and chocolate. All the staff are very friendly and helpful.

Very nice stuff and service who are almost all the time there for you. They clean every day.
Breakfast is good with some options to choose.
Good contaction to the city and some superstores to buy everything you need are just 5min walk.
Very good hostel and totally worth for the price! Would come here back if I come to Toronto again!

I stayed here for one night as a solo traveller. I rented the private room and it was totally worth the $$. The room was so clean, the a/c was beautiful after walking around danforth and it has a private deck! + the sweet host delivered a hair dryer for me!

I did some laundry last night and had a drink at the bar while I waited. I met Brandon and Blue, they were such a big help and made me feel so comfortable

This place is a major safe space and I can’t recommend it enough! I love a free breakfast too:)

Great place to stay, clean safe and friendly. Linens provided along with towels for showers. Coffee shop and bar onsite. Only complaint is the morning guy in the coffeeshop was pretty aloof/rude. Talking to you guy with the blue fauxhawk.

Pretty bad experience overall. Please note that the rooms are over a bar, which means we hear loud music up until about 2: 30 AM and the smell is awful. The room smelled like a bar, the old alcohol smell that you probably know. I felt very claustrophobic as ventilation was basically nonexistent, our room had no windows that could be opened (which is also dangerous in case of fire, if not absolutely illegal), it was hot and constently humid.

The beds and common areas were clean, you can tell the employees do their job, but the sheet set was two small blankets and that's it. I had much trouble falling asleep and started to have asthma because of the conditions. I ended up going to the movies very late to avoid going back to the inn too early even if I could've fallen asleep right then and there.

The layout makes also no sense, you need to go out to get back in to the kitchen and there is one toilet for 3 to 4 rooms of 4 to 6 beds.
Lastly, the "amazing breakfast" advertised was only cereals and grapefruit. Will not go back.

Staff was nice and helpful, that's why I gave two stars instead of one.

Great location, great service, great hostel. The overall was really great. If you need a place to stay at Toronto for a night (for exemple you have long layover), it's a great place to stay, most hotels are super pricy in Toronto so it's less expensice there. The only bad thing I'd say is that I couldn't sleep at all during the night, because of people snoring, but it's a common hostel risk so I don't blame the Only Backpacker's Inn for that. Also the free breakfast was great:)

Awesome staff!
Everything is ok, recommend for travelers who love the hostel lifestyle, 100% hostel vibes here

For the price, it packs a punch! The staff is warm and kind and help you find your way through a maze-like layout of the place. Breakfast is included and consists of cereals, fruits and some bakeries (if you're early enough!). The matress is depressed in the middle and the rooms are a bit squeezed. I recommend you bring ear plugs and a night mask. The street nearby also has a lot a different cultural restaurants you can try (hindi, greek, ethiopian, pakistani) and the subway station is just around the corner.

Bad experience in the bar area because of a rude bartender. I went into the Cafe area where I usually sit, and of course the service was good, and my beer poured how I like it. Been going there for decades, and 1st time I had an issue at the bar, because I want my poured how I it. Nasty short balding bartender.

The Only Backpacker’s Inn is one of the best hostels I have ever stayed. The room rates contain a free breakfast every morning from 8am to 10am in the hostel kitchen. There are pastries, toasts, spreads, fruits, cereals, milk, coffee and tea. It’s also a good time to meet with other hostel guests during breakfast. There is a huge cafe and a bar downstairs (as the rooms are upstairs) where you can meet local people or just chill and have a drink/read/relax. There are many people coming here with a laptop and just sit in the cafe the whole day. It’s a very popular place for the locals. I really enjoyed my stays here and I will definitely stay here again whenever I am in Toronto!

I have not been a guest. But I am glad to see a hostel in Toronto east side. I can't think of any of the older ones are open anymore.

J’ai séjourné 4 nuits dans cette auberge. Mon avis est très mitigé malheureusement.

Points positifs:
- excentré, mais à 50m d’une station de métro, il suffit de 20 minutes de métro pour se rendre à la gare par exemple.
- un coffee shop est attenant à l’auberge, très bon et abordable
- prix de la nuit raisonnable

Points négatifs:
- propreté douteuse + la chambre sentait fort l’humidité
- uniquement DEUX toilettes pour tout le monde, et ce sont en plus dans les 2 douches sur 3 donc elles sont rarement disponibles. Et en plus c’est mixte.
- staff pas très accueillants. On sent vite qu’on dérange. Lors de mon check in, une personne m’a accompagné jusqu’à ma chambre, ce qui est super mais ça s’arrête là.
- pas trop d’ambiance entre guests, le bar attenant a l’auberge est un bar de quartier et ne facilite pas la rencontre avec les autres personnes de l’auberge, vu que tout le monde est mélangé. Il n’y a pas d’activités organisées dédiées à l’auberge par exemple.
- les espaces sont bizarrement agencés, par exemple il faut sortir dehors pour se rendre à la cuisine. L’hiver ou lorsqu’il pleut, cela peut être un peu pénible.