Magpie Taproom

Years ago, I went to a book launch here and had a great time. Lots on tap, nice staff, nice space. So, when it came to planning the launches for two Toronto authors, I immediately thought of the Magpie.
I contacted Chris Isherwood, who was more than happy to book the event a few months in advance. I confirmed with him maybe 7 times in these months. This event was really important to me! He assured me that I could hang signs with fishing wire by the stage, and that 60 – 80 people would be fine.
A week before the event, I attended another event at the Magpie and I was… slightly nervous. Apparently there is new ownership, and along with it… cash bar, one beer on tap, a dingy, dirty feel to the place, and a bartender who was usually outside smoking when there were lineups at the bar. There also wasn’t any space to hang the signs we talked about… not a deal breaker, but I thought that was strange that Chris would OK that. It was also WAY too small for 60 people.
There was no time to change it! The night of the event, we show up very early… and a band is setting up. The guy at the bar (Owner? Manager? Chris?) says «I screwed up, I double booked.» We tell him that two authors are launching their books, we’re expecting up to 80 people, including out-​of-​towners, and that we REALLY need the space. I reminded him that I confirmed with him 7 – 8 times.
His response? «If you’re going to be like that, you can leave.» It turns out that it’s his buddy’s band and he’s not even going to let us share the space.
I yelled a few choice words at him, and then praised the bar gods when I found out that The Press Club, across the street, could host us. BLESS the Press Club.
The staff at the Press Club crossed the street to buy fives from the Magpie later that night and they said «I don’t know, that lady was really mean to me.» The bartender at the Press Club bought me a drink for that one.
BOYCOTT! BOYCOTT!

If I could rate it zero stars I would. My brother (who is a trillium award winning author) was supposed to have his book launch at the Magpie tonight (which has no sign, how the hell are people supposed to find the place). We walked in only to find that the owner had double booked the place (idiot), and did not try and find a solution but asked us to leave. Horrible ownership, horrible organization. There were 80 people to come to this launch, and the person responsible for organizing the launch has 8 emails confirming the date and time. All I have to say is I hope no one ever goes there again (especially if you are thinking of using it as a venue). I was so upset after this occurrence I was shaking and almost in tears at how horrible the owner was. If I make it my mission in life I will make sure that no one ever visits this lame bar ever again, so that they go out of business. Beware of this bar, it will ruin your life!

Be aware that the info states this is wheelchair accessible — it is not. There are two big steps at the front door and no ramp, so it’s impossible for a wheelchair to get in.

We were here with a group of friends to celebrate a couple birthdays and had an amazing time. The staff where super friendly and extremely nice. They were even good enough to get us a round of shots for the group. The mix of late 90’s/early 2000’s hiphop and r’n’b jams were a perfect soundtrack to top off an amazing night for the group.
Living in the city, it’s status quo to have to deal with rude staff. Going to a place with good music and beers is kind of a dime a dozen. The reason I’m posting this review is because of how awesome the staff were to us. That can be rare.

I don’t know what to think of this place. I always go here for shows I want to see, but the music is always WAY TO LOUD. Do the sound guys think we are all deaf? For the size of the space, I would expect a lower volume — Call me crude, but I want to keep my hearing!
The place is usually too dark, It’s very uninviting, and the bartender is pretty slow most of the time.
The reason I give this place 3 stars is because they have a good selection of beer on tap, and I like beer.

I like the Magpie (and I hope that the Magpie likes me).
I first heard of the Magpie from a friend who thought I’d like their trivia nights. I started slow: I’d been burned by overly serious trivia nights before. Turns out, the Magpie was perfectly low key: unpretentious-​but-​big-​brained-​questions, great MCs, and with unifying categories that are heavy on the puns. Since I think that whoever said that puns are the lowest form of humour deserves a bop straight on the nose (what? They’re punny!) I felt immediately at home here. PUNS AND PINTS 4 EVA!
When I felt our relationship was getting a little more serious, and I wanted to see the Magpie more than once a month… I found myself popping by at the end of my nights out. «Oh hey, just happened to be on Dundas anyways, no biggie”-type stuff.
The beer selection is great.
There’s a good age-​spread to the regulars.
It’s not scene-​y, so one winter night I might have been wearing my pyjama top under my coat when I popped in *taking nightcap literally*.
Unilocal note: no food here, so grab a porchetta sandwich from a few doors down. Whether dancing or extracting trivia from the dark recesses of your brain: you need to keep that energy up.

How could you not love this place? It’s intimate and everything you want your local to be like.
And the prices are excellent. Love that i can get different kinds of bourbon and scotches for pretty much $ 6.50 a shot.

Magpie is exactly halfway between my place and my friend’s. The prices are decent and the staff is friendly. It’s far from swank, but it’s comfy and relaxed (college rec room?).
Tip: Avoid dubstep night… unless, you know, that’s your thing.

Came here somewhat accidentally as part of a pub crawl… but so glad we did. Comfy/​Cozy bar with relaxed servers and a chilled atmosphere.
Decent beer selection with a few interesting options.
Nothing fancy. but a good local. I’d go back there in a heart beat.

It’s weird that this place is so empty, because it’s a charmer – vintage chandeliers, dim lighting, plenty of seating without being overcrowded. The beer selection is good, mostly local microbrews, and the service is friendly. None of the stalls in the ladies room have working latches, though.

Just a decent place if you happen to be in the area and want a drink. Not too big, not too small, decent beer selection, friendly waitress. The interior is very simple, just a bunch of wooden tables and chairs with some dim lighting.
The place was cool and could have used more heating, but we just kept our jackets on for a while until we warmed the place up ourselves.
I think 3 stars is pretty good for a hipster pub.

This place is OK but pretty forgettable. Were it better located (rather than on a somewhat barren strip on Dundas West) I would probably go back, but it’s not really worth going out of your way for.
It’s a simple bar, plain, mismatched wooden chairs and tables. Friendly female bartender. Dark. 10pm on a Friday night and it wasn’t too busy. You could squeeze 50 people in this place at best, but would probably seat 30 – 40 comfortably.
The bartender did make some of us a nice peppermint tea, as we weren’t in a drink-​y mood, which was kind given it was a Friday night and we should have been ordering booz-​y things.

I had attempted going here many times but with each try my plans would derail and we would end up going somewhere else. I went to Magpie for the first time for one of my best friend’s birthday, indecently she is also one of the bartenders there.
All the beers are tap & bottle were local, organic and/​or specialty beers… so if you are looking for Coors Light or Molson Canadian, you may want to go elsewhere. Sadly they did not have any cider, but my frown quickly turned upside-​down when I saw that they had Strawberry Fruli in bottles at a reasonable $ 6.50 (Bier Markt sells it for 9 $).
My first thought was how this place was super cute, my second was how the hell a 5 piece band managed to play in here last time I attempted to go with my fellow Unilocalers. It was pretty busy at 11pm even though there were still a few seats available. The lack of ventilation quickly became troublesome; I can only imagine how gross it must be to drink here on a summer night when it’s packed! As the night progressed the music went from good, to bad, to worse. I felt like I was turning into my mother «that’s not music it’s noise!»
I would probably come back on a week day to grab a beer to early on a weekend to pre-​drink but I wouldn’t recommend this place as your «means to an end».
Rumour has it their monthly Trivia Tuesdays are super fun.

I think i got here a bit too early. It was practically empty. Kinda dumpy too. Looks like they had some water damage in there they either haven’t bothered or don’t plan to repair. Great beer selection? the token duvel in the fridge doesn’t make for great beer selection. I had some microbrew from ottawa that was pretty awful. They seem to have a lot of higher alcohol beers that are too overwhelming. That about did it for me.
It did start to pick up later in the night, but it was mostly dudes. Maybe it was an off night.

I came here last night for their monthly trivia night. I’m glad I came early to secure a table because the place was packed by the time everyone was ready to play. It turns out that they had the largest pot ever at $ 260.
On the trivia side of things, it was well run though the questions aren’t as wide spread as one whould hope. Having 4, 30ish year old straight white guys plan the questions leaves things a little biased.
For the bar itself it’s a really cool place. They have a great selection of specialty beers on tap and in the fridge but do have a slightly limited bar, but enough to serve what most people want. The staff were helpful when I was asking about the different beers. They were able to answer all of my questions and let me sample some brands before making my decision.

Located in the middle of a long, barren stretch of Dundas West, Magpie was literally like a safe house on a recent chilly winter weeknight. The short bar that greeted us was lined with a handful of chatty patrons perched upon stools and tended by a cheerful young lady.
Within seconds of considering the list of good options on draft, we happily agreed on two pints of the weissbier, which proved to be just lovely. The seating which consists entirely of neat rows of dark wood chairs and tiny rectangular tables conjures up images of an olde school house, if only all the chairs were facing the same direction. The large, open room is kept dim and the mood dictated by the musical selections of the bartender at the PC.
I hear that trivia night is a good reason to pay a visit, but I’d say that quieter nights when you want to savour a nice pint in relative peace is also worthy of your time.

There are times when you want to go to a pub that’s crowded and busy, and there are times when you want to go to somewhere quiet, with good, crafted small brews, with a bartender who can explain the beermaking process and give good recommendations because you know he’s a connoisseur. Magpie is the place for the latter.
I went there last night to find a quiet place to sit on my laptop (they do have wifi (locked with a password), but I ended up using my rocket stick) and have a good pint of nice beer. It was a satisfying experience. It’s a small enough place that it’s easy to end up talking to the people around you, and the staff are happy to create the community.
I’ve never had food here, and probably wouldn’t, but it’s a great atmosphere, an a good dundas hangout place. Wish it was a little closer to Ossington…

I think the Magpie is going to quickly become my new hangout of choice! I was recently there for a trivia night that was such a success it shut the place down. The service was really good, there are TONS of specialty beers in a premium fridge behind the bar, and they have a Jagermeister keg. It’s very dark inside and from the street you could easily pass by and not notice it.
The only drawback to the place is that there is no kitchen, so you can’t get snacks or finger foods, which are often integral to a long night of sitting around drinking and commiserating with your friends or coworkers.

A nice local bar with a fantastic beer selection and a wide assortment of good looking people.
No décor to speak of. Nothing shocking about the place.
But good friends, great beer and good times.
The perfect weeknight bar.

Maybe I should credit the band playing that night (Ancient Chinese Secret), but the Magpie certainly attracted a higher than normal ratio of good looking people, spanning the range from rocker/​rockabilly types to beardos to bed-​headed indie boys. The girls were all assortments of hot as well, sporting full dresses and a never-​say-​die confidence.
It was full and hopping that Saturday night; I definitely liked this place and would like to see if my feelings remain on slower nights. Whatever the case, it was a grand, grand introduction to this world of good music, cozy conversation, and a perfectly sized, decently stocked, quirky bar (they sell Monty Python’s Holy Grail Ale, for gad’s sakes).