The Contender

Great place to enjoy drinks and watch sports! Love the wings and the bartenders.
Would have liked a better selection of non beer drinks but all in all, there is nothing to really complain about.

Lot’s of TVs. That’s about all this bar has to offer. Service is awful. Used to come here often but I think the ownership changed. Went recently and received terrible service. The waitress didn’t know anything about beer and couldn’t make any recommendations. She forgot drinks and then took drinks from the table before we were finished with them. Eventually the owner had to serve our table because she just stopped coming over. Had to ask for the bill several times. Menu is weak, nothing sounded at all appealing. Used to be a fun bar where they had great giveaways during Raptors games, friendly staff and good beer… too bad. We won’t be back.

If you want somewhere to have a beer and watch sports, it works. If you want that place to have the beers you asked for and any food, you’re out of luck. The «menu» is a few random items that they have rushed over from the Lakeview in a styrofoam container. They have beer but they often run out. The service isn’t great. I don’t know how this place will last.

Unless you want to watch an important game, do not got here. Food is terrible and hardly worth the price.

Non fancy, non jockey, super friendly sports bar with loads of TVs and multiple channel feeds.

A hipster sports bar? Well smack me silly and call me sally.
I thought the hipsters just liked wearing the retro sports teams cap for fashion sake, and weren’t actually interested in sports.
There’s beer here, and tvs.
The menu though is a bit skimpy at best. This place doesn’t seem like it has a deep fryer. So, no fries or rings. What sports bar doesn’t offer fries?!?
Meh

Staff were nice and there are lots of TVs to watch, but only go if you’re simply watching the game and are a fan of mediocre beers. Eat before hand…

Before I dive in here, I’m going to say that I think this place will grow on me. It’s always exciting to see somewhere this large open up in my hood, where small and dark seems to be the only option for a late night drink. I can see how this place is ideal for watching sports, lots of TVs. I also really enjoy the old athletic paraphernalia lining the walls.
But let’s get into what wasn’t so hot…
I came in around 12:00 on a Friday night with some friends. This is a pretty standard thing to do at a bar. They were nearly empty and really weren’t pleased to see us. They didn’t come to our table even though there were multiple bartenders, so we went to the bar to grab drinks. They just seemed to hate that we were there, and no one likes to feel like a burden. It was especially bad because we weren’t even rowdy, just a group of folks trying to give a new place business. You’re at Oz and Dundas, you’re going to be open until 2am, might as well be nice.
Prices are decent, and I’ll give it another try.

This is a new sports bar in the area, a very welcome addition to an up and coming location. Has a great neighborhood atmosphere, not a chain formula feel. TV’s are wall to wall to watch whatever you want. Good selection of craft brew. Service is friendly and good. Lots of seating. On the Dundas streetcar line which is great if you want to toss the brewskis back.

I’m kind of surprised no one has reviewed this place yet.
Contender focuses on being an absolutely great spot to watch a Raptors game and one of the few that will play Raptors game audio over leafs. Not that I’m not a leaf fan, I’m just more of a basketball fan. They have a ton of TVs and that’s what puts it above their competition on the Dundas west strip. If I’m going to watch a game, I’ll go to the Contender because I’ll have a good view on a big screen from wherever I sit.
Plenty of beer options, but where I find they kind of fall off is the menu. The menu is brief, which is not a bad thing but it lacks depth. You pretty much have a choice of a sub style sandwich, nachos, or wings. They need to add more options that will pull people in for dinner. For now, if you want to catch the game and nibble on an appetizer this should be your pick!