Auld Spot Pub

Discovered this place on a wayward quest to find cheap haggis for a Scottish friend on Robbie Burns night. Just reading that sentence back aloud makes me shudder with thoughts of the most likely results of THAT quest might have been… but no! This is one nice little gastropub. Great beer, highly above average food (for a pub) and really spectacular service. Went back for a second visit — just in case it was a Robbie Burns love-​haze and the review stands! So — great spot in general and one of the only ones of this type in this neighborhood.

What a cute little pub! Very casual, but in that funky style that only a select few pubs in Toronto seem to pull off well. I’d equate it something you would find near Ossington and Dundas.
The interior was low lit, with this very cool, branched out tree around their ceiling/​walls. The place was ~half filled. I had the cajun Tilapia with side Caesar. The caesar itself was delish, with nice sized chunks of bacon. I ended being pretty full after just the salad! The Tilapia was served with a spicy cajun sauce. It had great flavour without being too creamy or spicy. For someone who prefers her meals on the lighter side (vs. fried f
I would definitely return here for a casual meal and/​or drinks. I liked the relaxed atmosphere, I felt like I could chill there all night :)

My wife and I stumbled in the other day for a few brews and a meal… we were enamoured by the beautiful blonde waitress with the lovely chin dimple and we also loved the food and the beer. Good spot folks. Come on in.

Not a cheap place to tip a few pints, but if it’s one of those nights when you can’t choose between Stout Braised Lamb Shank (or Salmon Niçoise) and a robust pint of IPA, this is the way forward.
A gastropub that tilts more heavily to the «pub» side, Auld Spot nevertheless served up one of the best burgers I’ve tasted in this city in recent memory. Brioche bun, good bit of fat in the perfectly medium rare and nicely seasoned patty, good fixins. It seems a little out of place on this trattoria-​and-​gelateria-​strewn stretch of College Street, but I think it’s worth the trip.

I had been searching for a great pulled pork sandwich for quite some time. Like, not all morning — I’m talking about all year.
Auld Spot had topped a handful of lists for great grub, but due to serendipitous circumstances I had never managed to be hungry and in the neighborhood at the right time. Finally, after a long, long wait the stars aligned and in I went. I was not disappointed.
First of all, great atmosphere. A beautiful branch and light décor on the ceiling along with vintage signs and trinkets littering the walls makes for a homey, pub-​style joint. But the open kitchen at the back is what lets you know you’re in a real BBQ joint. A great bar list ensures that any whiskey or beer you’re looking for is there. In particular, Magner’s cider is a real treat to find. A pint of that on ice? Heaven. Finally, great friendly staff. We went twice this weekend; once on Friday evening at dinner time when the place was busy and again on Sunday night at around 10 PM when it was dead and the waitress wanted to close down. Both times the staff was super friendly, attentive and stoked on the food — really keen to chat about cooking techniques, their fav dishes, etc.
Which brings me to the food. No small issue at a place like this. After all, we’re not talking $ 5 hamburgers like at Toby’s down the street. You should be prepared to drop closer to $ 15 on your dinner. But let me tell you, it’s worth it. After all that jonesing for pulled pork, when I rolled in I couldn’t resist the brisket, which the waitress informed me was a rare treat there (and there were only a few dishes left so act fast!) I was happy I took her advice. Full of flavor and super tender, it was a great dish. Not since Billy Ray’s Bar-​B-​Q & Catfish off the 244 in Tulsa OK have I had brisket so good. My GF had the burger with roasted garlic and brie and applauded it as easily in the top 5 in the city. I would recommend ordering the cajun fries, which are truly delicious, but the mashed looked fine as well. I’ll also note that the SPECIALS chalk board was season-​based, so lots of delicious Ontario greens beans etc. All fresh and all delicious.
All in all I’m a huge fan. It’s a bit steep to go to every night (hence lacking that coveted 5^th star), but lordy day would I ever be happy to cram my craw here every day of my life if I made big enough money to. Go now, go often.

Just a typical pub.
Nothing wrong with it, but nothing outstanding either. We went there for a pint to escape the rain on a Tuesday, 8 PM. The place was slightly packed, probably because of the people escaping the rain as we were.
The service was respectable, our waitress was very cheerful and quick on her feet to take our orders and bring us our drinks.
We ordered a basket of fries. They were pretty good. The key was they had clean oil in their fryers, judging by their nice golden color.
Every place out there can’t be a 5 star place, but having these 3 star ok places around the city makes me happy when I need to escape the rain!

Great food, location, atmosphere and the best staff. Add cold beer, great wine and nothing else matters.

We went into the pub looking at the reviews here on Unilocal.I have to say I was I initially underwhelmed by the relative lack of food choices and the somewhat steep prices. I also expected to see more beers on tap than the Millstreet brands.
The food we ordered was surprisingly tasty. My S.O. and I both ordered salads and we both liked our choices.
I still found the place over priced. Over $ 15 for a Burger with a few toppings is way too much.
To sum it up: The food is good but priced too high, and the beer selection is lacking. However if you are happy with what they have, it’s an OK place to go.

We had a late supper at the Auld Spot Pub tonight.
I really enjoyed the Chicken Drummies with honey-​ginger sauce I’d had in November at the Danforth location so I ordered them as an appetizer.
Gord had the Shrimp and Cod Cakes (he’d had them at the Danforth location) and liked them.
Then I had the halibut and fries. The fish was good but I was pretty full from the wings (my eyes were bigger than my belly!).
Gord ordered the duck breast special with truffle au jus with root veggies. He’s not a fan of root veggies so I shared my fish and fries with him.
It’s fancier than the Danforth location. We stopped in this location last year and had a couple drinks at the bar. The bartender was very friendly.

This place is fantastic! We had the mac & cheese and southern fried chicken and both were delicious — down to the salad dressing on my greens. Everything is fresh and the quality excellent. Most of all I loved the friendly staff and our server who gave me a taste of cider to try before committing to the whole pint (Magner’s Irish Cider by the way — so good). Love the food and ambience — this will definitely become our local.

I hate to use the buzz-​word, but Auld Spot is a gastro-​pub done right. Almost invariably, the specials and more adventurous entrees are excellent to mind-​blowing, the service is friendly and jovial; they all seem to enjoy working there and work well together. Beer selection is solid, wine selection similarly so, whiskeys are a careful mix of familiars and off-​the-​path treasures.
It’s clear the kitchen staff are held to a high standard, and most importantly by themselves. Execution has been top-​notch every time I’ve been there, from the lesser-​known ingredients (honestly, who has heard of pickled ramp? It was delicious, by the way) to the perfectly-​done meats to the playful sauces and unique combinations of flavours. If I’m waxing a bit too poetic, it’s because the kitchen always makes me want to do so. It’s very hard to wow me with a burger, but theirs does. It’s probably the best I’ve had that I didn’t make myself; well grilled and oozing with juice, folded in with an unexpected but not overwhelming pepper kick; next time I’ll get an extra slice of cheese, as the meat itself is so immensely flavourful as to overwhelm it. This is not a bad thing.
Again, I can’t say enough about the service; always smiling and friendly, respectful but casual enough to make it feel very welcoming. I find it stifling when your server is afraid to joke with you, as if they’d be fired or would wreck the experience; clearly this staff knows how to read when and what their guests are ok with. Even when busy, they never seem hurried and are constantly checking with tables (even those which are not their own), and each other; Auld Spot takes doing it right seriously. Also, this comfort from both the service staff and kitchen staff shows a confidence that they know what they’re doing and what they’re plating and serving is top-​quality; this kind of bold but unassuming attitude is a mark of a great restaurant.
I won’t even talk about the semantic debate the owner/​bartender and I had about heavy handed pours being a very good thing.
The prices CAN sneak up on you, but not outrageously so and you never feel like you’re getting less than you paid for. Simply a great place to dine; among the best the casual high-​end pub scene has to offer.

I was on my way to another restaurant with some of my cousins last night, and saw the huge OYSTER sign! Exciting! Some of my cousins has never had oysters before so we though this would be a nice place to try.
Our first waitress was horrible, thank goodness her shift must have been over, because we got a new waiter, who I think was also the bartender, he was great very attentive and had a great personality.
We tried everything, the mac and cheese was good but it tastes a lot like elbow pasta and alfredo sauce? The topping was so good, but there wasn’t enough of it.
The burger was excellent, very flavorful and very thick. So good! I would recommended getting the cajon fries they were good.
However I did not enjoy the poutine, I think I have become a poutine snob, the gravy was super light and flavorless.
I really enjoyed the pulled pork sandwich it was just sweet enough without being overly sweet.
The oysters, the whole reason we went… huge let down… not only were they super small (PEI oysters are usually larger) but there was absolutely no sauces that came with them. There was lemon horseradish and tabasco. I get it if they are a special once and a while and you don’t have sauces, but your sign advertises oysters… you would think more effort would be put into the 2.50 oysters.
So everyone enjoyed what they ate, I wouldn’t go back for oysters, but I hear they have really good daily specials, they should tweet them or put them on there website, because I would love to go back and try
some of them!
So so experience.

Good food, surprising menu — I was expecting generic pub-​fare and was pleasantly greeted with a little gastro-​pub yum!

Well the Auld Spot popped up in my hood quite awhile ago and frankly I wasn’t sure how well it would do knowing that we already had South Side Louie’s and Cornerstone close by.
But after having my first meal there, meeting the owners and staff, and enjoying the atmosphere, I quickly realized it was a winner. And now it is standing room only sometimes on a Tuesday night!
The onion rings are fresh made… one at a time… spectacular!
Specials off the board have never been anything but mouthwatering.
Flat iron steak with Spinach salad and toasted Brie… MWAH!!! I love you!
It is now my local SPOT and I hang out there more than any other place on our strip. By myself or with friends… it is a home away from home :)

I walked by this place last weekend and noticed the cute signage (especially the one noting «Fresh oysters shucked here»), checked the Unilocal reviews (positive) and decided to try it for dinner.
I was very impressed. It’s popular, but tables are available. The service was friendly and attentive; we never had to really wait too long for anything. The beer list is very good with a nice mix of microbrews on tap, and the menu is great. We ordered a bunch of food to share, both from the specials list and the regular card. Poutine (HUGE portion), oysters (fresh and tasty), ribs (good portion for an appetizer) and the ploughman’s plate with chicken confit were all above expectations for pub food.
I would say Auld Spot is a gastro pub, with good food at good prices. I would definitely return.

The Auld Spot Pub might be the only pub within the Little Italy strip (other than South Side Louie’s) that isn’t a run-​of-​the-​mill, standard and pseudo Italian restaurant or a martini bar where the perfume culture flock and stumble around. I’m a pub type of gal who likes a good old fashion pint, with a side slab pickle and a drippy pub sammich. That being said, the Auld Spot is a classy joint, with a more upscale menu (read Melanie H’s review) and a wide selection of wine and beer. I myself scarfed down a pulled pork sandwich and seasoned fries. The interior is large, with ample seating and standing room. There are tall booths to cozy up in, giving you that feeling of privacy and feeling tall.
I’m pretty sure I’ll revisit this place after this one visit. Also, «AULD» is actually pronounced «OLD». I didn’t know that. Sheesh.

Finally a pub with real food on College. Its like your standard pub menu, only you want to eat the food BEFORE you get drunk.

I popped my head into The Auld Spot a couple of days ago to take a look at their menu .The signage outside had caught my eye. Especially the sign boasting freshly shucked oysters. I’m an East Coast boy and a huge lover of seafood so naturally I had to investigate.
The interior is very nice. I’m guessing the place is brand new because there is still a lingering smell of fresh carpentry. They have a nice selection of beers on tap. It is a nice cozy pub atmosphere. The menu has some very staple pub fare items and some items that speak very definitively of gastro-​pub aspirations. I decided I would return with my panel of judges (aka. The flatmates) who are some pretty tough critics.
Service was pretty good. We were approached several times before we were ready to order.
We ordered the following:
4 Beau Soleil oysters
Mussels in white wine
Hickory smoked ribs
Macaroni and cheese (with double smoked bacon which was forgotten)
Poutine
Ploughman’s chicken liver paté with pickled vegetables
Chicken drummies with scotch-​bonnet bbq sauce
Veal sweatbread nuggets with port-​cassis jus
This was plenty of food for four people. The portion sizes were good for the price. Everyone got to taste everything. The failure was in the execution.
–The oysters were fresh and simply done.
–The mussels were poorly cooked and of low quality. Flavour was seriously lacking in this dish.
–The smoke on the ribs was nice but they needed more cooking. A stint on the grill would have been nice. They looked like they had been steamed and then soaked in the bbq sauce then slapped on a plate. Grilling would have made the ribs more tender and would have caramelized the sauce nicely. As it was the bbq sauce would have been pretty bland without the smoke from the ribs holding it up.
–The macaroni and cheese is delicious. Hands down it was one of the best things we tasted. the rich cheese sauce with gruyère and a nice crispy top made this dish perfect. It was a very hefty portion. The accompanying greens had a nice onion vinaigrette as well.
–The poutine sucked. If the gravy didn’t come from a can then the boys in the kitchen need to learn to make one that doesn’t taste like it came from a can. I’m quite sure it came from a can. If you want to be a respected gastro-​pub you can’t cheat something this basic. Add a menu item that you can make a proper gravy with. The curds (yes, at least there were curds) were bland and the fries didn’t hold their crunch for more than a minute.
–The ploughman’s chicken liver paté was decadent and buttery. It was delicious on the toasted baguette and the pickled onions and beans were fantastic. The gherkins were very generic. I hoped the pickled veg were done in house. If not, they’ve got a good source for the onions and beans but might look at a different type of gherkin. This was the other star dish of the evening.
–The chicken drummies were in a crispy breading (like you’d get from the deep fryer at Pizza Pizza) which was unexpected but I enjoyed the crunch and the bland bbq sauce that we had on the ribs was given an amazing kick in the pants with the addition of scotch bonnet heat. It was a hit all around though not everyone could stand the heat. A good portion for the price.
–The veal sweetbread nuggets with port-​cassis jus. This is not likely a menu item that everyone is going to go for. Most people might eye it with trepidation to say the least. I love sweetbreads so I knew right off the bat I’d have to try them. They arrived crispy and golden and tender. There was nothing fancy about the flavour until you dipped them in the port cassis jus. The sweetness was a nice compliment to the fried crunch and tender chewy centres of these nuggets. I would like to see a sauce that was closer to a syrup consistency but that’s just me. The dish was nice. I would order it again sometime.
Overall we weren’t blown away by our experience but I think we will all revisit The Auld Spot occasionally. I hope that the food execution improves as the place matures.

I LOVE this place.
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee for your incredible beer and scotch selection
For the St. Ambroise Oatmeal stout on draught
I love thee for your fabulous menu that puts all other pubs to shame!
I love thee freely, as you play a wonderful selection of music, reflective of fond remembrances.
I love thee purely, when you bring me free Jägermeister shots for me and my party of five simply because I asked if the kitchen was still open, and it was not.
I love with a passion put to use, as I devour your amazing macaroni and cheese.
**************************
One of the top places in the city for incredible service/​waitstaff and amazing food pairings and innovations. I’m constantly thanked for introducing this place to friends.
Go take a look at their menu! And don’t forget some of the amazing food specials either.
Man, I should work here.

Under the recommendation of a good friend, we decided to head to The Auld Spot’s new location on College street for the BF’s birthday. It was a brilliant suggestion. We had friends coming and going all night and were able to set up shop in an area of the bar easy.
The food was fabulous. Everyone chowed down on the pulled pork sandwich, onion rings (unbelievable) and the beer they had on tap was a pretty good selection.
the atmosphere is quite similar to the Auld Spot on the Danforth and its definitely a place to check out if you want a pint or a good pub meal.