The Best Breweries, Brew Pubs and Craft Beer Bars in Toronto (Updated 2025)
Welcome to the Toronto Booze Hound list of the best craft beer bars and breweries in the city. You’ll notice there isn’t a date for this as we will continually update it as we go. If we find an awesome new place it’ll definitely be on here.
We have visited every location on this list and can vouch how awesome each one is. We will not add a place unless we have personally visited it and had a great time.
This list is currently organized by area (West End, Central, East End.) If you only want bars in a specific area just click the link below!
(Want places all over Ontario? Check out the map and data set by Jordan St. John here!)
Choose Your Area
West End
Started by our friend Jordan in 2015, Rainhard Brewery has an awesome tasting room. So awesome in fact that RBC used it as a backdrop for their ‘Not Business as Usual’ campaign. Click here to see the ad.
Located in the Junction it can be a bit of a trip to get to, but it’s really worth it. The beer is some of the best in the city and all made on site.
They are pretty regularly used as a host for various concerts and parties.
Bellwoods Brewery
At this point Bellwoods has become iconic in the craft beer scene. They make a huge variety of beers from great single hop IPA’s to weird barrel aged sours. My only complaint is that it can be hard to get into Bellwoods. There are lineups almost every night. The curse of being successful I guess.
Indie Ale House
When you first sit down at Indie Ale House they will hand you a menu. While this will be a great resource for their food, the first step is to ignore that and look at the walls. You’ll notice large wooden paddles with names like ‘Cockpuncher’ and ‘Broken Hipster’.
Get a flight of 5 and start a journey into some of the best and strangest beers Toronto has to offer. All made in house of course.
After that you need to order the fried chicken. It is some of the best in the city.
Halo Brewery
Halo, Started by two home brewers, always has a beer you’ll find interesting. The only issue is their tap room is quite small.
The space has a very laid back vibe and the staff are awesome.
Burdock Brewery
Burdock is a favourite of ours for both the beer AND the food. One half of their establishment is focused on music while the other is very much beer and food based.
Their food is generally lighter fair, so don’t go looking for a full dinner. They do have some amazing beer (house made, as always!)
Blood Brothers
The guys at Blood Brothers started in an absolutely tiny space that had no tap room and maybe enough space for about 5 people to stand in.
Luckily they have moved into Indie Ale House’s barrel room. It is now a wonderful (though still small) tasting room that includes a huge list of their hand made beers.
Make sure to check out the food offerings as well, they have grown out a full featured kitchen now!
More to be added!
This is just the beginning. Each section is going to have far more added. Keep coming back for more suggestions!
Central
Bar Hop (both the original and Bar Hop Brewco)
Bar Hop is know to have one of the best curated craft beer lists in the city. We always make sure to stop when nearby just to see what they are serving and use it as a barometer for the Toronto beer scene in general.
While they may not have the largest number of taps in the city, they are easily the best curated list of craft beers.
Combine that with amazing bar food taken to another level, and you have a place we visit constantly.
WVRST
WVRST does not have a huge tap last like some of the other on this list. What it does have is an amazing atmosphere, great food (I bet you can guess what the focus is!) and a curated beer list that will keep you happy every time you go.
Every time we visit we find something new to try. They also host a lot of different events including beer releases so keep an eye on their news page.
Beer Bistro
While many of the places on this list are new, Beer Bistro has been on the scene for a very long time. With a focus on craft beer and great food it’s one of our favourites. This place is on King St and isn’t as laid back as some of the other bars we’ve listed but it’s worth putting pants on for.
Make sure to check out their bottle list. They have some super rare and interesting bottles in their cellar just waiting to be discovered.
C’est What?
C’est What? is another classic in the world of Toronto craft beer. They have over 40 rotating taps along with 21 casks on the go at any one time.
Combine that with the awesome basement of a castle type of atmosphere and you have two beer writers that are in love with a place.
They also have a great food list, so go for dinner and a drink!
More to be added!
This is just the beginning. Each section is going to have far more added. Keep coming back for more suggestions!
East End
Left Field Brewing
We have had many a great night over at Left Field Brewery, and I am sure we will have many to come. They started as a contractor and have gone on to create a wonderful taproom and brewery, complete with great tours you can take.
We recommend heading there for a Blue Jays game to feel what the energy of the place can be like.
Godspeed Brewery
Started by Bim Lafontaine, former head brewer of Dieu Du Ciel in Montreal, Godspeed is a place you’ll find well-balanced brews and Japanese minimalist style. Their food is now run by WVRST, so expect a great selection of sausages.
Black Lab Brewing
If you have a dog or just love them Black Lab has become one of the best breweries in the city to visit. They have fantastic beer and friendly staff that are happy to help anyone from beginners to the most advanced beer snobs. It’s part of what’s making the East End more and more appealing for beer drinkers.
The Only Cafe
Sorry for the bad photo, that was a bit of a crazy night. The Only Cafe is an icon in the craft beer scene in the East End. They are small, a bit strange and you are guaranteed to have fun any time you go there. The beer selection is always amazing and the crowd is a ton of fun.
I recommend heading their during patio season to hang out with the raccoons in the back.
More to be added!
This is just the beginning. Each section is going to have far more added. Keep coming back for more suggestions!