Fionn MacCool’s

Went on a Saturday night around 8pm with some girl friends to start the night. I had a few bottles of Muskoka Detour, but my friends had some cocktails and Caesars which they said were pretty good.
I had the pouting which was just okay. It was a pretty but serving, but didn’t have enough cheese curds or gravy so the bottom half of the fries were dry.
There was a band that was pretty good, but the music was wayyy too loud. Too loud to have a conversation over and we left shortly after they started.
There are better bars in the area, I probably wouldn’t return given the choice.

I really have to hand it to the staff at this location. The service was pretty good for St Patrick’s Day 2016 and the place was packed! There is even a «dance floor» in front of the stage for their band performers.

Gord and I met my pal, Liz, and her husband, Jamie, for lunch today at Fionn MacCool’s on the Esplanade.
I ordered Chicken Tikka Masala Curry. It’s usually $ 15 but was $ 9.99 as a special. I know the sauce is already mix up but asked if they could go easy on the onions (a lot upsets my stomach which I explained to our server). The opposite seemed to happen in that there were a lot of onions and not a lot of chicken. Plus there were onions in the rice. I wouldn’t order this again.
Gord ordered the Morning Burger with a side salad instead of fries. He said it was good and he’d order it again.
Liz and Jamie shared a Spinach & Arugula Salad and a Flying Pig Sandwich and Fries. It’s usually $ 15.50 but was $ 13 as a special. They said both were good. I had considered getting this sandwich and I should have gone with my first instinct.

You’ve probably seen these pubs dotting their way across Toronto. This one is a probably one of their best. The food is good, with a wide range of options, the patio is big, and there’s usually a band on Friday/​Saturday nights.
My favorites are their curries and the various pie options. For those looking at salads, the farmers salad is great.
One cool thing of note, if you’re looking to have a round of boilermakers, then the shots come suspended in a neat holder above the beer glasses. Entertaining way of getting drunk after a long week! Especially with a live band playing.

The pies here are amazing and while a little pricey for the portion size, they have me coming back for more.
They do have an interesting menu and I have noticed that things are are smaller portioned and slightly more pricey. The food is good here but does not fully justify the costs.
Come here if you’ve got a craving for meat pies though!

Standard big pub full of blohards with very slow service.

The pros of this place is that it is large and has some private rooms if you want to have a party with your friends. They have bands/​singers on the weekend (not sure about the weekdays). That’s where the pros stop. I’ve been here a few times and so I know that the food is meh at best. I had the mini Sheppard’s pies (you get 4). But they forgot one important thing… salt! There was no seasoning on it whatsoever. Would it have killed them to sprinkle some salt on… throw on some thyme or oregano? Anything?! Actually that isn’t the only thing they forgot… the server was nice enough to bring some small plates/​napkins and cutlery… however she only brought knives?!
Since it was my friend’s birthday, they decided to put a candle in her meal (chicken and mashed potatoes). I guess no one in the kitchen would think the candle wax would melt all over the mashed potatoes. Because it did. Mmmm… waxy potatoes coming right up! Perhaps the wax would give it some taste… LOL
Good for drinks and chilling with friends, but don’t expect much otherwise

I work across Church St. and have been to this place a few times, I like their burgers, however I’m not planning to go there anymore after a waitress made a mistake today and then a girl who claimed she was the manager of the restaurant, with the most disgusting attitude, made me pay 5 dollars for something I hadn’t order. I obviously didn’t pay a tip so ended up paying even less than usual, and they ended up losing a regular customer. Nice job, Manager!

I can see why my friend picked this place to celebrate one last reunion with friends before he leaves the country for 2 years. It’s a big pub and has a private section that can be reserved. It also looks like it also sometimes has live bands, which is a cool idea.
There were a lot of reasons why it didn’t work out well. The place was clubbing loud, which is acceptable for a club but not a bar. I like a good chat with my beer, thank you very much. It also took over 1 hour for me to get my food, and then I had to chase the waitress down for some cutlery. I asked for a discount, she wasn’t apologetic. Then about half an hour later, a man in a cheap suit comes up to me and asks about me… I was a little confused about who he was and whether he was hitting on me. I almost introduce myself thinking he was another guest at the party, but realized that he was the manager.
The manager kindly offered me free dessert or 5%? off my bill? I wasn’t sure because it was so damn loud! I accepted the discount. He said, «sure, the free dessert then?». I rolled my eyes.
Here’s some business tips for Fionn MacCool’s:
— Unless there’s a live band playing, the music shouldn’t be clubbing loud! A good conversation with beer is a good combo.
— Don’t take 1.5 hours to bring out pub food, there’s nothing gourmet about it, it shouldn’t take that long
— Give your waiters and waitresses enough say to give a customer a discount, especially when they mess up
— By the time the manager has to come out to deal with the issue, just waive the whole bill, come’on guys… and what kind of discount is 5%? That’s just embarassing.

Brand new menu was recently launched. Most of the same items from previous but no turkey pot pie. Ordered the turkey bacon club with fries and a glass of red sangria. Club was tasty although more turkey and bacon meat could have made it that much more tasty. Red sangria was refreshing and easy on the palate.
Our starter – the calamari was excellent – it was served with a pepper jelly that complimented it very well. My partner ordered the corned beef and cabbage – the portion size was very generous.
We sat outside on the patio – it wasn’t too busy for a Monday night. Our waitress was bubbly and provided excellent service.

Wish I could leave a review about the food, but we waited for over 40 minutes for our orders and they never came… not even the side salad (and we were only 2 people, not a huge party). People who came after us had already been served and finished their dinner well before we decided to finally get up and leave. We were offered a gift certificate or something, but refused since I will never come here again. Especially with the competition right next door.

Came here for St. Paddy’s and enjoyed the bar for what it is. Nothing special though; it’s just your regular bar.

The Esplanade is a great place if you like al fresco dining in the warmer months. There a few large patios to choose from.
Fionn MacCool’s and their brand of pubs, like the Firkin brands are all trying to rejuvenate and up the ante on their food. I had dined here previously as part of a media preview for the launch of their new summer menu and then had the occasion to eat there for lunch.
Tip: Do not come here on Thursdays around lunch time as every Thursday they cater to a bus tour. It means slower service.
The food is actually quite decent. ²⁄₃ of us ordered the club sandwich with cranberry mayo (you can actually get them in half portions, which is plenty for lunch) and it comes with your choice of soup or salad. For $ 7 you can’t really go wrong.
As I still was nearing the end of a flu, I opted for the cup of seafood chowder with pretzel roll and salad for $ 8. The soup was quite chunky and hearty though it literally was a cup of soup. The pretzel roll was huge (could only finish half of it) but very tasty. The salad was dressed with vinaigrette and topped with some diced pear.
The executive chef here is great, and from the UK. The overall atmosphere is pretty authentic to what a traditional pub is.

Service was good, drinks were ok and food was quite average. We had a few appetizers. Nothing great, nothing terrible.
Patio was good and we had a good time in general. Good casual place to go for just drinks with friends.

Restaurant: Fionn MacCool’s
Cuisine: Pub
Location: St Lawrence
Address: 70 The Esplanade
Price Range: $ 5~
Extra information:
* Couple locations in GTA
* Live music
* Patio during summer
I was lucky to preview new summer menu from Fionn MacCool.
Fionn MacCool is your friendly neighborhood pub that serves your usual wings and beer where you can just chill with your friends on a nice summer day.
We got to try 7 new items from the menu but in smaller portion so do keep in mind that when you order these off menu, they will be bigger in portion.
I tried: Pear & Vanilla spiced lemonade
* Captain Morgan Spiced rum, sage simple syrup, mint, pear juice, ginger soda and fresh lemonade
* Sweet, light and refreshing for a hot summer day
I tried: Irish Chip Nachos
* layers of Irish chips, tossed in Celtic sea salt and vinegar with aged white cheddar, hot peppers, tomatoes, green onions and topped with chipotle mayo
* This would be a good dish to order if you just need something to munch on
* It is not heavy as your usual nachos
I tried: Grilled Bacon Sarnies
* Mini sandwich made U.K. style– grilled back bacon and sliced bacon, avocado purée, spicy onion salsa with a grilled lime wedge
* You can’t go wrong with bacon
I tried: Lamb Burger
* Chargrilled ground lamb, Indian spiced braised onions and Stilton cheese– served on Ace bakery bun
* Usually I don’t like blue cheese but in this case everything worked well together and the cheese wasn’t over-​whelming
I tried: Dublin Street Sandwich
* Grilled flat iron steak in spicy sauce with roasted red peppers, citrus yogurt, cucumber and pickled onion wrapped in warm naan bread– served with tomato mint salad
* My least favorite item from the menu, steak pieces were good but I didn’t really like the bread and found it a little dry
I tried: Pear and Pomegranate Salad
* Blend of spinach and frisee tossed in honey citrus vinaigrette topped with slices of red pear, pomegranate seeds, pecans, shaved parmesan and drizzle of honey
* Drizzle of honey on top really brings the salad together
I tried: Steak & Shrimp
* Tender bavette steak grilled to order and sliced with chimichurri sauce, jumbo grilled shrimp and charred corn
* Steak was very tender and the shrimp was cooked to perfection
I tried: Red velvet doughnuts
* served with icing sugar and white chocolate sauce on top
Their new summer menu is not available so make sure to check out one of their many locations and try it out!

I try to visit Fionn’s almost every time I make a trip to Toronto. My first visit was probably in 2001 or 2002 and it’s been consistently great every time.
Everything I’ve eaten has been tasty (mostly from the late night menu) and the bartenders are always super friendly. I don’t usually find myself here when it’s super busy on the Esplanade, but when I have I’ve been equally pleased.
The drinks are expensive for my tastes, but all the drinks in Toronto are to me so it isn’t anything surprising.
A cool place with a good vibe on a weeknight and a really great interior. I’ll continue to visit Fionn’s when I’m in Toronto!

I like the interior of this pub, it actually looks somewhat close to a traditional Irish pub, but it’s a bit cleaner and shiny!
I’ve been here a few times but haven’t ever tried the food (I don’t normally «do» pub food). However, the staff is attentive and are fairly quick for table service so long as the place isn’t too busy.
It does get ridiculously busy in the summer when the patio is open and people are drunk and disorderly all over the Esplanade. In the winter months it’s still busy nonetheless, but always less busy than Bier Market next door, so they catch a lot of the overflow from there.
The Tuesday night trivia is quite good and they occasionally have live trad bands playing. Good craic!

I absolutely love The Esplanade. that whole strip is always pumping with people.
* On a side note — I always try to get into Bier Market but the line is crazy!
Anyways back to Fionnn.
I’ve never eaten here, I usually end up in here for drinks.
I LOVE the life music the only think I don’t like it that they start SO late.
I don’t think the bands start until 10ish which drags into the wee hours of the morning (which isn’t good for us TTC folk when the TTC ends at 1ish argh).
The place gets really packed, and by 11 they are at full capacity.
It really makes you feel like you’re in Dublin because everyone is just stands, dances, and sings along.
It’s St Patrick’s Day in this place every weekend lol

Yum!
Came to Toronto for a show and stayed at the nearby Novotel. A few of my friends had been here before (when they came to Toronto for another show) and said it was good enough to revisit. We had to hustle from the hotel to the restaurant though because it was blustery cold!
We ordered a few dishes to share — cheese dip, french onion soup, and poutine. I thought the cheese dip and the soup were both excellent. The dip comes with pieces of apple and bread to dip and is actually served in a hollowed out bread bowl. The bread bowl ended up being made of REALLY stale bread though, so it was difficult to eat. I can’t remember if we ended up complaining about it and whether or not we were compensated but the stale-​bread-​experience didn’t affect me too negatively. The poutine wasn’t as good as the poutine I’ve eaten in Montréal, but it was decent and got the job done.
We got a few drinks to wash down our meal and relax. The atmosphere is v. casual and quaint and the wait staff was friendly.

Stayed at the nearby Novotel (New Yorker visiting Toronto) on 2 separate occasions. We came here for some grub and beer and we definitely got both.
The staff is super friendly and helpful. I’ve tried the stilton cheese dip, Guinness poutine and french onion soup. The French onion soup was reallyyy good. Actually all the food was. And I had my first poutine ever here. It was good, but don’t really have any others to compare to. The place is pretty big and gets packed. It’s a friendly, jovial atmosphere and I love it.
Whenever I visit Toronto and stay at our favorite hotel, I will definitely be coming back for some good poutine and French onion soup.