Village Idiot Pub & Grill

This pub has a great location opposite the AGO facing south. In the summer the windows are rolled up and the dining experience is very European. Today, in late January, the pub has a snug ambiance with a curtain protecting diners from the potential draught as the door is opened.
We visited for lunch, dining on burger and fries, as well as bangers and mash. The sausages were superb, meaty and tasty and the gravy was dark and rich. The mashed potato was creamy and soft. The burger and fries were fresh and well prepared and served.
The menu is thoughtful and a wide range of local and foreign beers and wines are well presented.
My only criticism is the amount of tables squeezed in to a modest area. Wait staff and diners have to navigate very tight aisles.
The loos are adequate and the tiling in the washroom is very colourful.

The Village Idiot is my new local, having moved to the are a few months go. The beer selection here is extensive and reasonably priced, and the service is pretty prompt. I love how every beer is served in its own glass, which is rare these days.
In terms of the space and décor, it’s a bit on the dark and dingy side but gets the job done. It can get very cold if you’re sitting by the window during winter, so be warned. There is lots of seating though, so no worries there.
One thing that didn’t impress me was the quality of the food. We stopped by for dinner and a beer and both ordered pasta, one with chicken and one linguini special. Both were very salty and the meat had a processed taste and was pretty dry and bland.
Overall, The Village Idiot is a decent bet for a few drinks but I won’t be ordering food again any time soon. Head to Chinatown or Kensington Market for better food at lower prices. There are also plenty of pubs near John & Queen that do pub food much better.

This place is awful. Do not go!!! I went for dinner because I was at the AGO. The water glasses were filthy, with lip marks around the rim. I ordered an Irish coffee and there was something strange, like a piece of plastic in the whipped cream so I sent it back and cancelled the order. Then I ordered a cheese pizza for my kids and it looked and tasted identical to the McCain’s frozen pizza I give them when we are in a hurry to go somewhere. I had the seafood linguine and it too tasted like sauce from a jar. Our server was okay, but I will never, ever go back. Felt like I needed a shower and a good scrub with antibacterial soap when I left the place.

4 stars because this place is cozy.
Food: Below average. Beer selection: Vast. Service: Great.

The waiters and waitress were all sitting at the back ignoring customers. Only one waiter wasn’t ignoring the customers and it was not ours. I had to look back and try to catch their eyes, but it’s like they are purposely not trying to catch your eye. The owner really and truly needs to hire new staff and managers. The workers were all flirting with each other, one waiter playfully gave a waitress a punch… such blatant flirting and avoidance of customers.
Furthermore, upon ordering, the waitress said that the 2lb wings can have two sauces. Only after she brought the food out did she advise that the cook refused to give two sauces, so she had to split the order to two one pound orders, costing just $ 1.50 extra, she says! I was like, well, it would have been nice if you told us earlier. Plus, most places charge 50 cents for the extra sauce. I don’t mind paying for extra sauce, but hello??? split order??? Also, it would have been proper and polite to advise the customer that cook refused to give two sauces prior to the food being served.
Is this place that down under that it NEEDS $ 1.50?
Moreover, the beer was room temperature.
The only saving grace is that the location is good and the windows are nice and big.
This place has a fitting name, Village Idiot.

Fairly lively Pub with typical small tables. The wait staff was very friendly albeit a bit corky. It is very dim inside and also quite loud since the tables are spaced close together. Great selection if beer. Prices are reasonable and service was reasonably fast. I got a Greek salad with fish and it was pretty good but nothing mind blowing.

If you’re looking for something expensive and poor service you’ve found the place. Do yourself a favour and walk a few extra minutes to somewhere in Kensington for a much better experience.

Awesome beer selection at the right price! One of my fav drop ins for a draft. Food I would call good

A friend of mine wanted to go the The Village Idiot pub. I am celiac, and it’s awkward sometimes for me to eat out at pubs. I usually will call or email in advance as to not make anyone feel awkward once at the restaurant, so I can find out what I can order in advance.
I did just this, and this was the short, kurt, and rude response I received…
‘Hi Eric
To be honest If I was you I would not eat out too.
Atef’
He couldn’t even both to spell my name correctly.
I didn’t choose to be celiac, if I could eat gluten, believe me, I would — I wish I could!!! It’s terrible having to be celiac, but it’s not something I can change. I was doing my due-​dillagance to keep myself safe, and to give the restaurant a chance to give great customer service — they failed miserably!!!

I love it here because it’s just a normal pub but the crowd is a good mix of professionals coming for a pint after work, and some art students. The service is pretty quick, it always seems to be busy. There is no patio and it’s quite dark and small. The food is pretty good, too! Don’t go expecting to have a totally different or unique experience — you most likely won’t, it’s pretty average, but the food is pretty good, the area is central and prices are average. Good central place to meet people. They have a huge selection of European beers, so if that’s your thing, it’s a good place to go, if you want to stick to mixed drinks or Canadian brews, it’s nothing out of the ordinary.

I have been here several times, and I’ve always enjoyed the extensive beer list. The food is generally not bad (not the greatest, but not the worst either). This visit, however, the service was appalling!!! I went with some friends for lunch, and our server was incredibly rude. First, when he asked about drinks, I ordered a water, to which he rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath. He continued to give attitude throughout the meal. My salad was super over-​dressed but I didn’t dare say anything for fear of being yelled at. Later, when we asked for our bills, he went on about how much he loves small change. I had to pay with credit card, and as I’m paying he starts going on about how it’s people like me who are going to shut down the restaurant.
It honestly made for a really unenjoyable, awkward, dining experience. I certainly will not be going back.

We really liked this place: it is located in the heart of downtown but still has nice atmosphere. Amazing variety of beers, tasty English cuisine. They opennwindown in summer so it feels like you are sitting on summer terrace. Service was good.

Jumbo Meatballs Special ($ 11.95) great portion, unreal tomorrow a know melt-​in –your-​mouth taste. Perfect sauce to meat ratio. A little fresh black pepper to each dish but spot on! Same with Shrimp Luinguine too ($ 13.95) — divine. Shook a lot of Parmesan but great consistency. Had two pints of King pilsner ($ 13) and bill came up to. Servers were busy, wait an extra 5 here and still having a swinging ol’ delicious time. Total $ 50 with tip, nice pasta dinner downtown!

Good food, so many beers, friendly staff. Just loses a star because it’s always so busy and there’s hardly any space.

After a trip to the Art Gallery (free on Wednesday nights!) we decided to head here for some food and drinks. A close enough walk, we arrived around 8pm and didn’t have to wait at all for a table for two.
One strange thing — we were asked if we were having dinner or drinks. When we said dinner, I assumed we would be seated at one of the dining tables (or at least offered one if they were all full — they weren’t), but the hostess brought us to one of the high top tables beside the bar (?!). Not a big deal, but I would have assumed that dining patrons would be seated at a regular table. The high top was alright, but really really tiny: o No way that we could have fit two full meals on it. Good thing we only got apps!
The plus — the server in that section was amazing. Really quirky, super friendly, and incredibly attentive. He was able to recommend beers to our liking and was always nearby to clear plates and bring out another round without being annoying. And threw in a few good jokes along the way! Dim lighting, typical pub atmosphere, and noisy, but not to the point where we had to yell to hear each other.
Food was decent (we just ordered some bar snacks — fries and rings). Nothing to rave about, but it all came out hot and fresh. Drinks were great (they have a pretty extensive beer menu there if that’s your thing). Good vibe and decent prices.
Would definitely return if I was in the area. Great place to go if you are looking for good beer and a good atmosphere. And next time I plan to try an actual meal from the menu :)

Visiting toronto’s AGO across the street and wanted something heartier than museum café snacks. Food was good, I had shepherds pie and my wife had a great cheese omelette.
Good beer selection keeping mostly in vain with the British theme, but a good sampling from all over.
Like many British pubs the Idiot sports a dark and slightly grim interior but the big windows open up to the sidewalk for a little light.

I’m not sure why I keep giving this place a chance. Perhaps that it’s a good spot to go after events at the AGO. I don’t know. It’s a university hangout and it’s always busy. Perhaps that’s why they don’t have to try too hard? Not cool in my books, students pay money too. (That used to piss me off then I was a student)
I think that we were served by the dude that Jo M mentioned. We had a table of folks and the guy was super sarcastic, I think that he was trying to be funny but came off as a dick. When he left after our order, we were all silent, looked at each other and started laughing in disbelief.
The washroom was gross.
**It’s up to you if you want to check it out, you’ve been warned**

This is your standard pub! Just that it sports an awesome name. I stopped by here during the afternoon while browsing Toronto with a friend during the week. It was already quite busy inside.
The food was okay, service was friendly albeit a bit slow and forgetting things here and there. Can’t go wrong with the drinks. Prices were alright.
There wasn’t anything about this location that really stood out – nice and fun crowd though!

Dropped by Village Idiot Pub & Grill for a quick drink before my long bus trip to Montréal on a Saturday night.
Bartender here is really friendly and great in helping anyone to pick something they enjoy from their great selection of 23 beers on tap! A lot of German and Belgium imports with a few of my favourite and most of them at $ 7 range!
Great casual pub for a drink or 2 with friends or even alone!

This place is cozy and intimate. Amazing beer selection and a satisfying menu. The pub is a bit kitschy in a charming British appeal. Everything on the menu is good plus they serve all their beers in appropriate glassware which adds a nice touch. The place is centrally located and easy accessible plus super cosy. Perfect for a small group of friends or a quiet date.
I can’t wait to go back and try more beers and items off of the menu! Mmmmmmm!