Mezzrow’s

There are two ways to go to Mezzrow’s on Queen St. West in Parkdale: inside, and outside. Both offer drastic differences.
The back patio in Mezzrow’s is a little piece of heavenly nature in the concrete jungle that is Parkdale. It has a plethora of picnic tables, a canopy of trees that cover just enough sun, and a back gate allowing for a quick getaway (if one would require such a thing). In the summertime it is a fabulous getaway for a pint, to read a book, to hang with friends or for a nightcap after a long concert.
The back alley is a constant source of entertainment with randoms and crack heads wandering past. It is reminiscent of the being inside the prison walls in The Walking Dead (I would imagine).
I have spent many a day on that patio, and currently am longing for it with –30 (with the wind-​chill) degree weather. The beer is dirt cheap, and the times spent with friends are invaluable.
Then, there is the inside experience.
To put it simply, it smells like old pee. Sorry, it does. You know it. You need to be at least 2.5 pitchers in before you can escape the smell.
The fish tank does need cleaning, or just a hazmat unit. It reminds me of the swamp that Dexter dumps his bodies in. The bathroom is smaller than my closet, and you need to be a Cirque de Soleil performer if you are unfortunate enough to need to sit down on the toilet. The pin ball machine and the ancient literature not quality enough for The Sally Ann are redeeming qualities, but, it still smells like pee. The floor is carpeted for f’s sakes.
I have spent many a night inside that bar, and well its f’in freezing so the patio is out of the question. The beer is dirt cheap inside too, and the times spent with friends are still invaluable. Pee smell or not.

Half the times I go there this same guy is raging about how much he hates Bob Rae and calling Bob Rae a «slug» and spitting about Rae Days. His name is… me! This is a very fun bar to yell about Ontario politics and where you can pretend to be a dad and forget that nobody will ever love you.

I feel like I have to correct a few points made by some other reviewers about Mezzrows: The fish tank is actually very clean. It gets serviced by a pro every week. Also, it’s not «the usual» food. The food is far above what you’ll get at an ordinary bar. Fresh and delicious, and you can’t ever EVER go wrong with the daily specials. The menu isn’t vast, but considering the quality you get from what is there, there is something for everyone. And I can’t stress this enough — Mezz is not a hipster bar. Sure, late on a Saturday or Friday night the hipsters flow through the doors when they tire of the «actual» hipster bars on that strip, but these folks are not «locals» to Mezzrows. Mezzrows is a cool local bar with a genuine local scene. The service is great, the patio is great, the music is great… It’s just great!

A bar is a bar is a bar…
Please clean your fish tank. The poor guy looks like he is swimming in filth.

I’m kicking myself that I’ve only just discovered this place. Perhaps it’s the subdued signage, but no matter. Really nice staff (a strange rarity in bars in this area), decent sized space, and an overall feel of good cheer, which are to me the most important qualities in any drinking hole. My new after work spot, no doubt about it.

Ahhh Mezrows. I love this place. I live right around the corner and absolutely love stopping in for a drink, any day, any time.
The bartenders are just awesome, and so fun to chat with. It’s a real ‘locals’ pub with the usual food.
I stumbled upon their annual customer appreciation night by accident once and had such a blast.
They often have live music inside, so stop by for their awesome patio and awesome local company. You won’t regret it.
Oh the fish tank is pretty rad too :) It is not a hipster bar as one person wrote, maybe on some live music nights. but any other night it’s just the usual locals who are probably more hippie than hipster lol

I used to live in this ‘hood & loved this place. I still really miss it!
A real ‘local’s’ pub with standard bar food. Go here for the awesome patio & the great company. Oh — their annual «customer appreciation» day is HIGHLY recommended.