Yes, we talk a lot about downtown kid things, but the parents of downtown Toronto kids need some tasty beverages — namely: craft beer. Now that Ontario’s alcohol laws have changed, your ability to buy take out craft beer in downtown Toronto has very much changed. Sure, the LCBO stocks a decent selection of Ontario craft beers (and The Beer Store – and some grocery stores – will have some as well), but there are many breweries (in Ontario and beyond) that simply don’t have the ability (or the desire) to get listed in the LCBO. To find such beers, you can usually get them from the breweries themselves (walk-in or have them delivered) but many of such breweries aren’t downtown for easy take-out. So, where can you buy craft beer downtown aside from the LCBO?
The list below (a combination of bars/restaurants/bodegas and breweries) will be updated on an ongoing basis (and, yes, feel free to comment below to have your say).
A few things to note:
- Unless buying directly from the brewery, there is likely a markup of some sort (as restaurants and bars pay LCBO prices for beers they get from there) – but that’s the price you pay for the convenience of having craft beer in your ‘hood. Of course, some restaurants/bars crank up that markup far greater than others (noted below, as much as possible).
- A lot of the options below will allow you to order online for pickup – and when doing so, you may see a markup in price again so that the app/service fees are covered — again, you pay for convenience
- Many of the options listed below also offer delivery, either through their delivery service – or third party services. Check their websites for details.
- Restaurants and bars require you (by law) to order a food item along with your beer order — this can be a super small purchase – not a full meal or anything like that (think a bag of chips)
- Most of this list contains places walkable from Old Town Toronto (so, yes, the definition of ‘downtown’ is a bit stretched)
- Yes, there are more places to put on this list — We’ll update over time.
Take-out craft beer options in downtown Toronto
On mobile? Scroll left/right to view full table.
| Venue | Location | Beer list link |
Comments |
| Bar Volo | Yonge/Wellesley (Bay Cloverhill) |
Beer list | Large selection; Many ‘hard-to-get’ beers |
| BarHop | King/Spadina (Entertainment District) |
Beer list | Large selection; Many ‘hard-to-get’ beers |
| BarHop Peter | Queen/Peter (Entertainment District) |
Beer list | Large selection; Many ‘hard-to-get’ beers |
| Henrietta Lane | King/Parliament (Corktown) |
Beer list | Large selection |
| C’est What? | Front/Church (St. Lawrence) |
Beer list | Mostly C’est What? beers |
| Collective Arts | Dundas/Bathurst (Trinity-Bellwoods) |
Beer list | Large selection including special releases |
| Dark Horse Espresso Bar: Canary District | Front/Cherry (Canary District) |
Beer list | Decent selection |
| Dark Horse Espresso Bar: Queen East |
Queen/Broadview (Riverside) |
Beer list | Decent selection |
| Beer Bistro | Yonge/King (St. Lawrence) |
Beer list | Decent mix of bottles and cans, but heavily marked up prices (almost double LCBO/brewery prices) |
| Craft Beer Market | Yonge/Adelaide (St. Lawrence) |
Beer list | Cans, growlers and a reserve beer list – heavily marked up over LCBO/brewery prices |
| Bier Markt | Esplanade/Church (St. Lawrence) |
Beer list | Take-out 6 packs (choose from theirs, or build your own) |
| Kensington Brewing Co. | College/Spadina (Kensington Market) |
Beer list | Decent selection |
| Eastbound Brewing Co. | Queen/Broadview (Riverside) |
Beer list | Large selection – including large mixer packs |
| Mill Street Brewery | Parliament/Mill (Distillery District) |
Beer list | Large selection |
| Mascot Brewery – King | King/University (Entertainment District) |
Beer list | Decent selection |
| Longslice Brewery | Front/Bayview (Canary District) |
Beer list | Large selection |
| Amsterdam BrewHouse | Queens Quay/Spadina (Harbourfront) |
Beer list | Decent selection – including in larger formats (6 packs, 25 packs) |
| Goose Island Beer Co. | Esplanade/Church (St. Lawrence) |
Beer list | Cans and growlers of Goose Island beers |
Of course, there are a lot of other craft breweries (and beer take-out joints) in Toronto, that aren’t “downtown.” Most of them offer delivery as well:
Missing something good? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks!