The Court Jester Pub

We came in for a team outing and made reservation for 830pm. We got there for 815 and waited 20 minutes to be seated with an empty restaurant. Granted we added 4 more people from the initial 8 people however it we sat there for 1.5 hours waiting for our food. The waitress apologized for only one person in the kitchen yet he bartender and the waitress is standing at the bar. How about you go help your one person in the kitchen. What pub also says they don’t sell pitchers of beer yet brings out pitcher of water?! Our experience was horrendous. Never coming back to this place again.
Also got a message from our lovely waitress:
I am messaging you because I’ve read your review of your experience at my pub the court jester. I was your waitress. The review is unfair. First of all you express anger because me and the bartender did not go into the kitchen to help. This may come as a shock to you but just because I work in a resteraunt does not mean I am a cook. I would’ve loved to help and in fact told him if he needed anything (now that, at the last inure your party of 8 was a party of 12 {actualy 15} and he is training)…we accommodated by going behind our bosses back and providing free chips and salsa… which…actualy gain, surprise, me and the bartender found and got ourselves just to make you happy. FYI. .chips and salsa sell for $ 5 each on the menu… we didn’t charge you. But I did not expect a thankyou or for an acknowledgement in your review. It’s OK. If me and Josh, the bartender had… as you would’ve liked… chosen to ignore our other customers and gone into the bar to accommodate you, we would have only been in the way of the cook who got your food out in 45 minutes. .not am hour and a half. Also… check your watch… you did not wait 29 minutes out front… you did not specify a section in your reservation… we could have easily stuck you up front… but, our customers were nice enough to accommodate your party of…15 now… early and over tables. We handled your party very well. I suspect nothing would’ve made you happy. I’m sure you know nothing of how a resteraunt works… but when 15 people order 1 or 2 pounds of wings at the same time… and there is only 2 fryers, like most resteraunts… it takes a minute. I told you of this and gave you free food… we do not sell pitchers of beer… most of you drank pop anyhow… we have pitchers of water…2 of to the resteraunt. You’re welcome for your prompt service with 15 waters and drinks and food order almost simultaneously. Everyone paying at once… shouting orders at me. Split bills of course. It’s fine. …this is our job and we did an amazing job. If you feel tull get better anywhere else, by all means… but I’m sure you will be dissapointed. Happy holidays

As place to eat you would get a 2, as bar may a 3.5. I won’t come back for the food but they have decent beer deals 5 buck for domestic and 5.5 for import pints
My wings were lacking favour while they were cooked but I was disappointed

Over priced for what you get — liked the ambiance of the old location better. Staff are friendly. Been going to The Jester for years, but will not make an effort to go there again — only if in in the area and probably just for a beer.

Love this pub! Great food & friendly Danforth folks hang out here! Bonus they have a deli & smoke their own meats… ribs!!! Dig the new location… always feels like home when I’m able to chill at Cj’s! New location is awesome too! East of Pape south side! Tell them Mr. February sent you! Awesome Greek salad & even better then old Greek restaurants!

Got the runs after eating here for brunch. Salad and sandwich were soggy. Service was good though.

Stopped by randomly today after a long weekend of camping. The GF and I shared the potato skins: they were good. She had chicken fingers which were good and I had the pork ribs, which were very tasty: I’ll be back for the ribs again. They had Bolts and Hops on tap so that helped too. Any pub/​bar in Ontario without at least a few Ontarian craft brews on tap instantly loses credibility in my books!

Thoroughly enjoyed the chipotle bbq wings, corned beef sandwich and potato salad! My friend ordered the brisket wrap with fries… said the wrap was delicious but the fries were wimpy. My boyfriend ordered the brisket dinner and wasn’t the biggest fan of thr salty mushroom gravy on top.
This joint does not serve pitchers but pints were about 7 bucks. I would come back to try the other deli meats and for the wings special.

We got a table for 20 people for a birthday, not only did they not have enough seats for our 20 people but the server who was serving our table was all over the place. She didn’t do a very good job and kept forgetting to get us what we were ordering. And for pub food, everything sucked. The bruschetta had pizza sauce on it and the calamari was rubbery. The food came out pretty cold. When we told the server that we didnt like something she proceeded to laugh about it and didn’t offer to remedy the situation. All in all I would never go back here, and I know alot of my party felt the same way

I was here Saturday for lunch. 1^st time I’ve been here since they moved east of Pape on danforth. They used to have great food! But sadly, I believe the quality has slipped on some some things. We ordered wings. My friend had lemon and black pepper (these were great!). I had medium spice. It tasted like super sweet cheap BBQ sauce. No spice, no heat, no kick. The wings were not breaded which normally I love but the bbq sauce cheapened the taste of the entire entrée. I was disappointed. It didn’t help that they re-​decorated the bar to feel like a last resort truck dump stop. The bar seating does not flow well at all! You walk in and meet a deli counter. Then booths and mini pool hall style table tops lining the front walks way (super bright bad lighting)…sitting there feels like a mistake or forgotten no mans land. Then the pub opens up to reveal the bar on the left and crappy placing holding seating area to the right. Feels like a stand-​in bingo hall. The place was know for good tunes, great food. They did everything well! And a cool relaxed vibe. Everything about this new setup felt thrown together and decrepit. Hopefully the rest of the menu has maintained the quality of flavour Thai neighbourhood has to come to know and love. But the mild med and prob hot sauce for wings needs to be changed. It’s terrible! Fries are still great! But A lot of «care» and «love» needs to be put back in this place for it to turn around.

Friendly staff. Good wings, in fact, the smoked wings were the best I have ever had!
The Court Jester has moved locations. It is now a bit further east just past Pape. The new location and renos are great. They have a new beer selection including «Pompous Ass» which suits me well ;-)

The food used to be great, but in the last couple of years it has taken a serious turn. Food aside, however, the Jester has always been a great local watering hole with superb service and a good roster of beers. It’s a little on the seedy side – but it’s cynical, out-​of-​work journalist seedy; not tweaker seedy.
Looking forward to the new location.

Expensive beer considering the location

I only sampled two chicken wings here, so I can’t really say too much about the food. As a local, this place is pretty good. I had three pints of Strongbow and my bill was only $ 22. That’s hard to argue with. I really liked our servers too; they were personable and attentive. There’s nothing really stand out about this place, but for a group of people to congregate, relax, chat, have some drinks, and celebrate a friend’s birthday, it was a decent venue.

Gord and I had supper this evening at the Court Jester.
We got a table by the window. It was fairly jammed when we got there and had a good vibe.
We both ordered the Rib & Wings Combo … on Saturdays after 5pm it’s $ 11.25. It seemed like a good deal! I got garlic buffalo sauce on my wings and chipotle honey BBQ sauce on the ribs. The wings were really good and I’d get them again … the ribs weren’t so great and I wouldn’t get them again. The fries were yummy and crispy.
Laura was our server and she took good care of us.

My boyfriend loves this place, but I’m not a fan. Fine for a pint of beer while you watch the game, but I do not recommend coming here to eat. Even the most basic meals are always a bit off and my stomach has hurt a few times after eating here.
That being said, servers are always fast, friendly and competent, so that’s a plus.

Very dark place. Food was good, dill sauce and cheddar balls were yummy!
Good place to hang out if you can at least get close to a window since they have little to no lighting.

Without doubt the worst food I’ve had in Toronto. My girlfriend and I went in for food as we had been walking along the Danforth and were hungry.
I ordered a jerk chicken burger and she a beef dip sandwich. I was given a beef burger which had been smothered in far too much jerk powder. I was dubious so took one bite. Definitely beef, not chicken, and still pink in the middle. I complained to the waitress who took it back to the chef, then returned it to me insisting it was chicken. I refused to take it and declined to order anything else.
The fries that came with the burger were nasty cheap tasting crud. Not the fresh, hand-​cut fries listed.
My girlfriend’s sandwich was cold, but at least edible. Not what we were expecting.
The beer was warm and flat.

There are certain foods I used to think are impossible to fuck up and quesadilla are on that list… well ladies and gentlemen I present to you fucked up quesadillas!
It sounded like a typical chicken quesadilla so I took the bait.
What the menu failed to mention is that they use ground chicken which is both disgusting and completely ruins the texture.
I ate three bites and decided to steal my friend’s chicken fingers when he wasn’t looking.
Never again will I order food there!
On a positive note the waitress was very friendly.

** 3.5 stars **
I used to frequent The Court Jester quite a bit when I was younger. But as I got older, I roamed farther west, and for a while, I forgot my old friend.
But that’s okay. The Jester understands. It’s that kind of place.
Two Fridays ago, I paid a long-​overdue visit and hung out with some long-​time pals to hang out and catch up.
As Connie T. says, it’s free of fancy-​schmancy pretense and is pretty low-​key — precisely why people like it so much.
The service was decent. The food’s not upscale, which is fine — that’s what pub fare is supposed to be. But they do give you the option of adding a bit of flare to your meal. Example: I had a burger, which could have been your run-​of-​the-​mill pub ‘wich. But it was the strong, stinky Stilton that made my tastebuds sing. And washed down with some Strongbow, I couldn’t be happier with my food.
The only thing that surprised me was how the place — which was bustling when I got there — seemed to clear out by 11:30. I don’t remember that happening any of the other times I’ve visited. (I guess it was because the Jays game had ended?)
Friends, if a shi-​shi, scenester gastropub is what you crave, then go west and don’t bother the locals. This place is for them.

Am I a snob? I don’t understand how this place is reviewed as having good food.
Nachos with Chicken:
A plate of nachos, an ounce of cheese, a half cup of canned sauce, chicken bits from a bulk bag and 2 pastic containers of sour cream.
Battered veggies:
Half a bag of mixed frozen veggies covered in tasteless batter and deep fried. Not once morsel being larger than a quarter. These are not the kind of veggies you batter and fry. Imagine getting a plate of peanut sized tempura? You wouldn’t stand for it. Especially if it were served on rusty lettuce.
Battered Shrimp:
From freezer to fryer.