Crooked Star

Fun crowd generally frequented, decent prices. one of the better bars in the area, and worth a visit.

Accidentally stumbled upon this place and I have to say, I’m a fan! We were walking up and down Ossington to find a bar however, a lot of the bars were full until we stopped at this one. It looked pretty sketchy from the outside and we were kind of intimidated. Once we got inside, we waited to be seated but, it didn’t seem like that was the procedure here so, we decided to make ourselves at home.
We felt like we didn’t belong here because it crowd was quite mature and everyone was seated at the bar. However, once we seated ourselves, we felt more comfortable. It was very homey inside and very dark inside. The only light source came from the sunlight shining through the windows and the lit candles on the table. It created a very intimate ambience and I really enjoyed that. They have a small patio outside, but not the best one… Once we seated ourselves, a server came up to us to take our order. He was very knowledgeable of each and every item on the menu; very helpful! Just a heads up, they do not have a paper-​copy of their menu. Their menu is written on chalkboards that can be found on the walls near the bar area. You might have to strain your eyes a bit to read it since it was hung pretty high up AND it was dark inside, haha.
We ordered the Hawaiian Nachos and a few drinks on the side. The drinks were market price and the Hawaiian Nachos was fair, like $ 10? It was a good size for the 3 of us. It came with 4 condiments: pesto, guacamole, sour cream and salsa. The nachos were BOMB!!!
As for the service, they’re not really attentive once more people came in. Maybe because there was only two people working and they were catering to a large crowd. I’ll definitely drop by if I’m in this area again. It’s a nice bar to hang with friends.

Had a terrible experience last night at the crooked star. The bartenders were rude, impatient and condescending. I highly recommend going elsewhere and not wasting your time at a place that places zero emphasis on customer service.

A comfortable dive bar that is a great place for a few beer. Not very keen on their cocktails but the atmosphere is casual and it is a good place for conversation.

Crooked Star has really great bartenders, tasty and reasonably priced drinks, but is usually way too crowded. It’s a sit down kind of bar, yet it’s usually quite hard, unless you come on off nights and off hours, to find a seat. Regardless I do like this place quite a bit and will continue to frequent it.

I love the idea of this place. It really feels like an English bar when you walk in and see Coronation Street playing on the TV.
They get 2 stars because I am still fuming over the price of our mediocre drinks. A bloody caesar and bloody mary set us back a little under $ 20 (with tip). Both drinks were relatively small and were pretty darn awful. We didn’t even finish the bloody mary.
I was further inflamed when we walked out and saw a bar next door offering bloody casars for only $ 4. I wish we had seen that before going into Crooked Star.

Dark, Divey and Lovely. Not much more I can say about this place that hasn’t been said already. The hour was late and the day was off peak when I found myself strolling in to meet a couple of CM pals who were already well into their first (or second) round of drinks.
Frequented by an eclectic mix of in the know hipsters and older locals, the crowd appeared to be unified by their liquor lust and for a Sunday evening the conversations seemed to be lively.
Bar staff were attentive and made their way around for drink orders «in time» however there were a couple of times where I felt ignored while they chatted amongst themselves.
Those who follow my reviewing ways know that my benchmark for a cocktail bar is how they perform on their preparation of an Old Fashioned. The Old Fashioned here was less on the alcohol side and more on the sweet side (but not an unpleasant level of sweet).
The standard maraschino cherry and orange zest were added, however towards the end of the drink I soon discovered a little secret that sets apart this Old Fashioneds from others — a wedge of citrus. I can’t be sure whether it was grapefruit or orange (I’ll be sure to inspect next time) but it was either presoaked in bourbon/​bitters, due to it’s dark brown colour and heavy alcoholic taste and aroma OR it had absorbed the contents of the drink during preparation.
Interesting…
Verdict. A fair/​good OF, not the best and far better than the worst — certainly one that leaves me curious and intrigued enough to venture back for another go!
It’s cash only, so stock your bill fold before you get there, or be ready to pay the ATM piper a hefty fee.

The Crooked Star does well in the draft beer and atmosphere department. It really is a great watering hole, and has a nice non-​pretentious feel with a decent selection of good beers on tap. We considered this our local for quite awhile, as we live about a 30 second walk from the front door. Unfortunately they have an attitude about who they deem to be ‘worthy’ of frequenting their establishment. Let me explain…
It became a bit of a joke about whether or not the Crooked Star would actually cook you food. You see, they have a menu, but they will only serve the food when they feel like it. We’ve gone in several times when there was a different (obviously fake) excuse for why they weren’t serving food. On one occasion, we asked for a menu and one of the bartenders said ‘oh, our sink is clogged, so we’re not serving food for health reasons’. Just as an experiment, we asked the other bartender a few minutes later for a menu, and she said, ‘we’re not serving food because our dishwasher is broken’. Way to coordinate your excuses guys.
Another time we went in, were given some random excuse as to why they weren’t cooking, but we could have the nachos. 20 minutes later, the table next to us (who were locals and are in their all the time, so probably ‘favorite regulars’) were served the pulled pork burrito, which we were told we could not order. And the server actually tried to hide it from us! So… unless you are a cherished regular, you will get shitty service at this place. It really is ridiculous. But can be fun to hear the silly excuses that they give when they don’t feel like cooking.
Sadly, despite the things that we like about this place, we have been made to feel un– welcome, and have decided not to give them our business anymore. Try the Painted Lady up the street. The owners and bartenders there are really friendly, so you feel good about giving them your money.

It’s just not my «thing». If you like dive bars, this one is fine. I found the drink was weak (vodka/​soda), everything was a little grimy. I mean, that’s the point of a dive bar. I just didn’t find anything else overly exceptional enough to want to go back. Bathrooms: be drunk enough to enter them.

Had no probs snagging a table on their sidewalk patio at 2pm on a ridiculously beautiful Sunday afternoon… so that’s automatically three stars right there :)
The bloody caesar that I read about in the Grid (they claimed it was exceptional or something) was indeed tasty as heck but not exactly mind-​blowing.
We asked the British waiter if they were serving brunch and he said ‘we only serve a full English breakfast’. Having a vague idea of what that meant (definitely involves bangers and beans, we figured) we said sure, bring two! So buddy disappears to place our order but never returns to refill our beverages, which sit empty and dejected for far too long in the blazing sun :(Service: shytty. No more stars for you.
The English breakfasts (2 over-​easy eggs, 2 sausages, plenty of toast with butter and jam, and small servings of baked beans, mushrooms, 3 home fries and a grilled tomato) hit the spizz-​ot. Quite satisfying.
During the brunching hour, you could do worse than Crooked Star. (Bonus points for cheap drafts)

This is one of those places where if you’re wired a certain way (damaged maybe? ;) you will always feel at home. Even if you’re from out of town, even if it’s early afternoon and your friend is in her pjs, even if you still have a hangover from the night before and the night before that… You will find a spot in the sun on the narrow patio. You and the dry, tatoo’d, handsome bartender will share a laugh. You will drink a can of Rolling Rock or a shot of Jameson or something equally highfalutin. You will feel like you have possibly lived past lives here, grew up here, fell in love, lived whole karmic circles here.
You will go to other places on Ossington, and have hip meals on raw wood tables where you wait in lines to drink small cocktails, but you’ll always come back to places that feel like a dim and gritty unpretentious kind of home, like the Crooked Star.

3.5 stars.
This place should change it’s name to ‘purgatory,’ because on any given Friday or Saturday night, the place is full of people who have been wait listed by their respective Ossignton strip easting establishments.
While I’m not sure the Crooked Star is a destination in and of itself, there is something very comforting about the vibe, and it is a rather enjoyable place to have a drink and pass the time or knock back a few after dinner drinks.

Just another hipstery dive bar (but not too divey).
Came here on a Friday evening. At 8pm, it was quiet/​rather empty. Grabbed a nifty booth type table at the back behind the bar.
Drinks were cheap. Service was okay. Everything else was pretty forgettable, but no complaints here.

Our party of 4 came here on a Saturday night. Unpretentious, kooky décor (toys, antiques, British knic knacks and signage etc.).
No one gave us rude looks as we weren’t dressed to the nines.
Casual joint with hipster vibe. Everyone ordered something on tap, no one had any complaints.

The Crooked Star is a beacon of light amidst the pretension that can be found on the Ossington strip these days. I love the strip, but sometimes I don’t want to wait for a table for an hour at a place that doesn’t take reservations*.
The Star serves up the usual beer suspects and decent cocktails at below-​average prices. They have an small, often smokey, side patio that’s great for people watching. Inside, is a mish mash of older tables and chairs, with a semi-​circle bar in the middle. All of the bar tenders are really quick — both efficient and sassy… I’m especially partial to Barb. (Hay grrrl!)
I’ve never eaten here. There are definitely times where food probably would have helped with my drunkenness, but yeah, can’t speak to the food.
PEPPER POINTS: For the amusing bathroom graffiti that shows up on the stall doors in their main floor bathroom. Main floor? Yep. No slinking down winding stairs past kitchens to tinkle. Amen to that.
*I am seriously losing my patience with the whole «No Reservations» thing. I get it. You’re popular. It’s less annoying at places like Libretto where they call you when your table is ready, but Bellwoods makes you stand in line and wait. Get a grip, BB, I may never eat at your establishment.

Still my favourite place on the strip. I’m not quite sure why–
Perhaps it’s the unpretentious feel, of just nice people– not overrepresented by any certain group
Or maybe it is that they are one of the few places that offer a cask option.
Affordable drinks?
Good music with sporadic dance numbers?
Or the large bar where I have never sat at without making a new friend.
Yeah.maybe it’s for those reasons.
A fairly unspectacular looking place that is just a place you love to go to «just because»

The inside of Crooked Star is kind of dark, so dark I cannot even see the menu! Of course, none of my photographs turn out upload worthy! :(
Nice bartender suggested for me some cider that cost $ 5 which was A-​OK?
Small patio on the side, tables and chairs packed really tight together. A smoking patio, so if you don’t smoke… you might not like that!
A hipster bar with a nice friendly vibe… I feel totally comfortable having a drink here all by myself.

This was my first trip to the happening Ossignton area. Met up with Unilocal drinking buddy (YDB) and hit this spot first. The place is small but has cozy feel. Seemed like a lot of regular folks hangout here as most of them knew each other. Very laid back as we saw a couple indulging in the friendly game of scrabble!
Beers on draft was interesting mix though limited. I hadn’t even heard of the names that were mentioned so at the recommendation of the bartender I went with something hoppy (should have asked for sample first) YDB had a lighter beer.
The service was relaxed and laid back never intruding but caring. Didn’t try any food here. Not bad for a neighborhood bar. Reasonably priced drinks mostly in $ range but there is a caveat its cash only!!!
I might drop by to try the food.

Tiny dive bar, packed to the gills on a Sunday night.
Good prices, funky beats.
I’d go again.

Fun!