The Twisted Kilt (Yonge & Davisville)

The Twisted Kilt is a rather welcoming-looking pub just north of Yonge & Davisville. Inside, we found a fairly standard and slightly dated, although quite warm pub set-up. We entered the pub at about 3 in the afternoon on Saturday, finding it fairly quiet. The pub boasts a fairly solid selection of 22 beers on tap, which include some interesting cask ales as well as a good mix of Canadian and European b%ers. Mo3t importantly, they have Guinness. Unfortunately, there's no Kilkenny or Boddington's on tap, but no matter. There is Old Speckled Hen, which seems to be becoming rarer as a draught beer these days.

Another minus, beer-wise, was the fairly average Guinness. Not terrible, but not great either. Service was friendly, although understandably slowed down a bit when a large group of pub-hoppers popped in. Overall, not a bad pub, but also not a great one.

Score:

Guinness (/10): 6
Atmosphere (/5): 3
Service (/5): 4
Base Score: 13



Bonus:
Ale selection: 1
Bonus Score: 0

Final Score: 13/20 + 1 Bonus

Bier Markt, Shops at Don Mills

We frequent this venue quite often. I must admit, this is a love-dislove relationship here. At times, getting a quick pint or two here is great. At others, not so much. I guess it's our neighbourhood default place, but sometimes we wish it was a bit more accommodating.

I cannot count how many pints of Guinness we have enjoyed at the Bier Markt at the Shops at Don Mills. Overall, the Guinness lands a solid average 6. If you come at a time when the crowd is smaller and the place is quieter, you get the benefits of decent service. Although we've had some pretty horrible service here as well. So if you're looking for a quick pint off-peak times, and are in the area, do come by. And besides, there's no real competition (arguable, but I would say honest).

Score:

Guinness (/10): 6
Atmosphere (/5): 4
Service (/5): 3 
Base Score: 13

Bonus Score: 0

Final Score: 13/20 + 0 Bonus

Sir John's Public House, Kingston

Located in the heart of downtown Kingston, Sir John's has gotten some pretty positive reviews on the web. Walking in, it's not hard to see why. The pub is on the small side, but makes the most of itself with a cozy atmosphere, clean pillows and nice benches and tables. Named after Canada's first Prime Minister, the pub has a Scottish theme and serves a selection of Scottish, Canadian, and Scottish-Canadian cuisine.

The Guinness was fairly mediocre. Not bad at  the start, but very bitter at the end. A solid 5, really. This is a Scottish pub, though, not an Irish one, so perhaps slightly sub-par Guinness is to be expected. The pub does boast Kingston's "finest selection of Scotch whisky", but the list itself is pretty uninspired. It does deviate from purely standard pub fare by offering some 15 year-old expressions from Macallan and Glenlivet, but the selection of distilleries is pretty bland. Not having tried the food, I won't comment on the kitchen, but, despite the atmosphere and friendly staff, there wasn't much to recommend this pub, beverage-wise.

Score:

Guinness (/10): 5
Atmosphere (/5): 4
Service (/5): 4

Base Score: 13

Bonus: 0 

Final Score: 13/20 

The Duke of Kent, Yonge/Eglinton

The Duke of Kent is a pretty standard Duke pub. We were there on a busy Friday evening, but the pub was spacious enough to afford us some seats at the upstairs bar despite our arrival in the middle of a busy night. Unfortunately, the positives more or less ran out at that point. The Guinness was below average and generally not very enjoyable.

The atmosphere was fairly decent, and the volume level wasn't terrible given the number of people in the pub, but again, nothing exceptional. Service was friendly, but somehow rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe I was still jet-lagged from my recent flight. About a quarter of the way through my Guinness, my eye caught the bartender pouring a black-and-tan for some other patron. I understand the concept of 'to each their own' and all that, but I couldn't help feeling that it was a waste of Guinness! Maybe someone thought that the mixture of below-average Guinness and average Heineken would somehow be better than the sum of their parts. Whether or not this was the case, I fear I can't say. I followed up my Guinness with a Glenkinchie 12-year single malt, which I was surprised to find standing on the bar shelf, as it was filled with otherwise pretty unremarkable whisky. So, a bonus point for that. But a negative bonus for the black-and-tan. I guess it all balances out in the end?

Score:

Guinness (/10): 5
Atmosphere (/5): 3
Service (/5): 3

Base Score:11

Bonus:
Glenkinchie: 1
Black-and-Tan: -1

Bonus Score: 0

 

Final Score: 11/20 + 0 Bonus

The Town Crier, John/Adelaide

We found out about this completely by accident (gasp!) and immediately decided to check this out. Doing some wine deliveries up in Brampton, we were recommended to check this place out for a great pint of Belgian beers on tap (at a very reasonable $5.95/pint mind you). Brampton to downtown in 45 minutes? Check. The place is located within an old townhouse, with some interesting floor configurations, but a smart atmosphere attracting an intellectual crowd. Pleasant for an after-work drink if you're in the area.

They have a lot of beers on tap, I didn't count, but 50 sounds right.  All the proper beers from the proper beer countries are available.  Great selection of British, including an extremely rare Fuller's Honey Dew (not bad at all!) and Boddington's, a bunch of German beers, and of course Belgian as well.  We also tried their Moules Frites and German Meatballs. Great stuff there.  Of course, no Guinness Quest could be complete without a taste of the proper stuff. All beers were fresh and quite good, although a tiny bit of bitterness was detected on the Guinness finish. However, I would say this is a reliable 7 on the Guinness scale.

Score:

Guinness (/10): 7
Atmosphere (/5): 5
Service (/5): 4

Base Score: 16

Bonus:
Boddington's (/2): 2 - great stuff here, definitely recommended!
Food (/2): 1
Fuller's selection: 1

Bonus Score: 4

 

Final Score: 16/20 + 4 Bonus

The Crooked Cue, Etobicoke

We've been going to the Crooked Cue for sometime now as a hangout for billiards. It's one of the better billiards places in Toronto, with decent food and an interesting selection of beers. We decided to do a Guinness Quest review of the venue today, but were unable to give it above an average.

They serve Guinness and Boddington's on tap, and they get a bonus point for that. The Guinness was just below average, landing the venue a solid 5. Otherwise, service is good and atmosphere is... well... pool tables and all. We always get 2lb. of hot wings after a few rounds, and this time we weren't disappointed. An extra bonus point on the standard pub fare as well.

Score:

Guinness (/10): 5
Atmosphere (/5): 4
Service (/5): 4

Base Score: 13

Bonus:
Boddington's (/2): 1 - good, but a bit bitter towards the end
Food (/2): 1 
Billiards (/2): 1

Bonus Score: 3

 

Final Score: 13/20 + 3 Bonus

The Feathers, The Beaches

How to best describe the Feathers but to say it's an institution. A true Beaches community center. The locals here fall into two age groups: over 35 and under 10, with practically no one in-between. We had one of the oddest experiences as 20-somethings over a liquid lunch here.

Very unfortunately, the Guinness here was just average. We had to break a cardinal rule and only down one pint. (Of course, the second pint rule is only a verification for those truly amazing pints, but we digress.) An average 6. Service was a decent 3, not too bad, but we kinda felt out of place and as such perhaps the service reflected that. Cannot comment further. Atmosphere was also a solid 3, true pub fare, but maybe a slight update is in order. Granted, this place has been around since 1981. Quick word of advice: avoid the poutine.

One thing must be said though, and this place earns it's bonus points for sheer selection of Single Malts alone:

Ain't that a beaut?


Score:

Guinness (/10): 6
Atmosphere (/5): 3
Service (/5): 3

Base Score: 12

Bonus:
Kilkenny (/4): 2 - better than the Guinness, but not best
Single Malts (/2): 1 - didn't try any this time, definitely in order for a second visit

Bonus Score: 3

 

Final Score: 12/20 + 3 Bonus

The Goose: Newly Renovated

The Goose is a recently renovated Firkin pub in Don Mills. Not exactly the hotspot for pubs, but with a Keg next door, the Goose isn't exactly in poor company. The new interior is pretty swanky, slightly reminiscent of other public house-style pubs like the Queen and Beaver and The Oxley. Lots of nice British pub touches, like the Union Jack couch, which manage to avoid seeming tacky. Overall, a great improvement to the atmosphere. If only the beer had improved as well.

I started out with a Kilkenny, which was pretty disappointing. Fortunately, the Irish nachos soon arrived to help save the afternoon. The nachos were enjoyable deep-fried pub fare. They weren't why I was there, though. Having finished my mediocre Kilkenny, I ordered a pint of Guinness. It was surprisingly better than the Kilkenny, but not by much. Overall, a nice place with good service and poor beer. Unfortunate, especially since it's so close to home.

Score:

Guinness (/10): 5
Atmosphere (/5): 4
Service (/5): .4 

Base Score: 13

Bonus:
Kilkenny (/4): 2
Food (/2): 1 

Bonus Score: 3

Final Score: 13/20 + 3 Bonus

The Solas, Boston

We love Boston. It's got a charm of its own, not like any other city in North America. We've been lucky to be there several times, and were extremely lucky to have discovered this proper Irish pub right in the middle of the city at the Lenox Hotel. What do they do well? Well, definitely the Guinness.

We started with several pints of Guinness accompanied by traditional Boston fare: the Clam Chowder. Nice and creamy, albeit perhaps a little too much cream. Then we sampled the Fish and Chips (OK), and their Cubano sandwich (not bad). But at the end, the Guinness was what made this whole trip worthwhile (driving down, that was the main goal).

Score

Guinness (/10): 8
Atmosphere (/5): 4
Service (/5): 4
Base Score: 16

Bonus:
Food (/2): 1
Bonus Score: 2

Final Score: 16/20 + 1 Bonus

Guinness Tavern, Paris

I discovered this place almost by accident one day years back while I was living in Paris. It was one of those completely unexpected discoveries, especially since we had already come to the conclusion that a good Guinness is tough in London. And Paris? One word: the Guinness was unexpectedly amazing.

I've been to the Tavern on multiple occasions. There was a darker period over the years when the Guinness wasn't so good, but my last visit proved this is definitely the place to go for a proper pint (or two, or...). Service is very friendly, and they have live music in the evenings. Inside, a real tavern experience, which spills out way into the street in the summer. Even at 6 Euro a pint, it is well worth it.

Score:

Guinness (/10): 9
Atmosphere (/5): 5
Service (/5): 5

Base Score: 19

Bonus:
Kilkenny (/4): 2 - good, but not as great

Bonus Score:3

Final Score: 19/20 + 2 Bonus

The Rating System

We've thought long and hard about the rating system to use. We went through a number of iterations, many of them ruled out for either being too complicated or not being representative of our goal. We though of giving points for supplementary things, such as a good Kilkenny (which we find easier to find vs. a good Guinness). However, what if a pub doesn't have a Kilkenny on tap?

As such, we split the rating system into two parts: the base and the bonus. The base is the same for all places: up to 10 points for a Guinness (to date, no pub gathered a full 10); up to 5 for service; and up to 5 for atmosphere (which encompasses decor, mood, and the visitors, amongst other things). We've discovered getting above 15 points is quite hard, mostly due to it being so hard to arrive at more than 5-6 points on the Guinness scale. Any pub that can do that will land in the Top Pubs tag. Most can't.

The bonus is more of a guideline rather than a rule. We give up to 4 points for a Kilkenny, if present, and then between up to 1 and 3 points for other items, such as food (if really worth it), billiards (if good), Boddington's, or a great whiskey selection. The bonus points are more made to support places that have something there but don't quite make it on the Guinness scale. A good bonus score is meant to showcase a place is worthwhile, but mileage may vary depending on what you're looking for.

We may continue to adjust the system to better reflect the goal of this blog: to find the best Guinness in Toronto (though we've already branched out to other cities). Any comments or suggestions are always welcome!

Welcome!

Welcome to the Guinness Quest. Having traveled a bit, and tasted some great Guinness, and some not so great, we searched high and low for a great Guinness in Toronto. In the beginning, we had no idea it would be such a challenge. It’s one of those drinks that doesn’t take well to transportation, and it’s not the most popular stuff here.

The idea to create a blog came about somewhere unexpectedly, some time ago. We toyed with it a little bit, and then went about to create a rating. It’s all still in a state of flux. But we’ve agreed to a bare minimum, that in order to pass the test, at least two pints need to be consumed.

We also reluctantly agreed to let in other beers as raters: Kilkenny tends to be a safer back-up option, so it’s also given some weight. We also permit “other beers”, and look at atmosphere and service. But the ratings are weighted.

As we go along, we’ll post places we visit and our notes. And we welcome your comments, hints and suggestions. As it’s hard to find a good bar review out there (yes, there are a bunch of sites reviewing restaurants, bars, etc, but none of them really give an easy way to find the best drink), we wanted to make it easier for all locals and visitors to find a great place to get a great drink.

Cheers!