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And, yes, there is a menu. It's all elevated bar food that's so-so, and reasonably priced. Classic Americana like grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup, fried clams and deviled eggs go perfectly with a roster of old-fashioned cocktails like sidecars, stingers and draught beer.
But the best the Sunday brunch, when, believe it or not, it's fairly good, solid food. Eggs Benedict, (6.50) Country Style Breakfast ($7.75) and a variety of omelets, like the big, bad Western (5.25) are all great competitors. In the land of bright shiny hip spots, here's one alternative to let yourself come undone.
upshot: If you don't feel at home at The Rhino, you're obviously an asshole. -- Shawn Willis
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 AT A GLANCE
Rhino
1249 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON
416-535-8089
West Queen West
Venue:
Pub
Hours:
weekdays 11:00am - 2:00am. Sat & Sun 10:30 - 2:00am
Price Range:
$ (budget)
Payment:
Master Card, Visa, American Express
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THE BUZZ
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IN THE AREA
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15 Reader Reviews | I've been going to the Rhino for a pretty long time, mostly b/c its right down the street from me and the beer/food is cheap! I love the patio, especially in the summer...its always buzzing. HOWEVER since this place has become MUCH more popular the last year or 2, I can't stand it. On weekends its rammed, to the point of super annoying...it takes FOREVER to get a drink, and service (food/bar) takes way too long...if I'm done my drink its like a half hour before the waitress's come with the next drink...and they usually look annoyed/pissed that you've asked them to get you another drink! I miss the good 'ol days when it was a relatively unknown bar, when you were served right away and waitresses weren't quite as pissy!
1. Sarah B's Review :: February 03, 2010 Sarah B's Rating: 2 Stars |
Possibly the worst bar I've been to in Toronto. A pathetic group of people running a bar that feels like a frat house. Poorly managed and a disgrace to Parkdale. Be prepared to wait up to an hour for a drink on a busy night.
Just awful.
2. Jake's Review :: November 19, 2009 Jake's Rating: Stars |
Horrible. We had a bad exprience. We were sitting at the same table as people we did not know. They skipped out on their bill and the waitress told us we had to pay it. We said no. They told us they would call the police and in the end we did. They didn't care. We ended up paying the strangers bill and the waitress continued to be rude to us. We will never return to the bar. We had to pay for the waitresses mistake of not charging her customers AND she was rude. I don't recommend this place to anyone.
3. Deb's Review :: November 29, 2008 Deb's Rating: 1 Stars |
by far the worst place i have been to. the watress was rude and forgot that we had ordered food and demanded to see the bill she had given us 10 minutes prior because she forgot we had ordered food as well as our beverages. the bartender told one of our party that she didnt want o serve us because she didnt like us. we asked to speak to the manager which told us that because one person of our 6 person party didnt tip that it was the reason the bartenders didnt want to serve us. and on top of it all as we were outside complaining about our service another group of people joined us and told us how their service was also awful and that they were rushed out of the place and had no intentions of returning. bad service is one thing, but rude service is another. i dont suggest this place for anyone.
4. James's Review :: November 08, 2008 James's Rating: 1 Stars |
mars is beautiful...but she never phoned...maybe too busy making sure customers are well looked after..place should get juke box...and add some spice to fries...and removeable roof over patio for rainy summer afternoons and night...is live music a possibility?...good space...good hood...say hi to mars for me when you make it there...good times...good place.
5. Kyle's Review :: September 22, 2008 Kyle's Rating: Stars |
Having been a regular at the Rhino for about 15 years now, I can say with great confidence that the "review" above is a completely and utterly inaccurate description of the place.
From the fact that they've never had a pinball machine or booths, to the description of it looking like "a clubhouse with really high ceilings", to the descriptions of the clientele - it's all completely off base. I think the "reviewer" went into Club OV's, the boozehall that used to be across the street from Rhino, rather than Rhino itself.
6. Rhino Regular's Review :: April 20, 2008 Rhino Regular's Rating: 3 Stars |
Well I can see that some of the reviews for Rhino are fairly old, so I'll give a bit of an update as I just moved into the area and found Rhino to be one of the coolest locals around.
I've already been 5 times in the last month and every evening (no matter what day of the week) the place is buzzing by 8-9pm, yet I can always get a table. It seems to be divided into three distinct areas now; the Pub in the front, the Sports Bar in the back, and the restaurant to the left. All three areas have a cozy feel to them, despite the high ceilings (although the restaurant portion looks like it gets most of its workout during brunch). In the pub there is a mixed crowd of young and old, chatting away over pints, chowing on the creative menu, or surfing casually on their laptops using the free Wi-Fi.
I haven't ventured too far down the menu so far because I get sucked in by the mouthwatering specials board at the front. I have never been disappointed by the food and neither have any of my friends that I drag out there. The presentation and esthetics of the food are surprising considering the decor, and the creative use of different, yet complementary flavours are worthy of the finer dining establishments in the city. The prices however do not reflect the quality of the food $10-14 for a dinner that you'd pay $20-30 for on College Street or The Esplanade.
The beer selection (over 280 bottles) is impressive, but not as impressive as the fact that most bottles cost between $3.50 and $5.50... rare considering how difficult some of the foreign beers are to come by. There is a list of about 12 draught beers as well each with their own description and suggested food pairings.
Service tends to be a little slow since they always seem to be about one waitress short for the number of tables, but sometimes the owner will come over and serve you which I always take as a good sign.
Rhino has apparently been there for over 30 years, which is probably why they can offer such low prices on Queen West. I am really looking forward to the large adjacent patio this summer.
7. Big B's Review :: December 16, 2007 Big B's Rating: 4 Stars |
real nice place, good selection of beer and pretty juicy wings
8. Mirage's Review :: July 11, 2007 Mirage's Rating: 4 Stars |
We (my husband and toddler) love this pub and have always been welcomed by the family staff members who run the place! I completely disagree with the review that says you feel like you could get your ass kicked. That review sounds like it's just regurgitating old Parkdale myths. We wouldn't bring our kid into a place with that sort of atmosphere.
The Rhino is relaxed, eclectic, and a mixture of artsy types, young couples, business types, and the very occasional slightly unbalanced type.
It's a large space, the food is well-priced for what you're getting and consistently good (great steaks, hamburgers, usually higher-end specials each day). The variety of beer is impressive.
9. Anonymous's Review :: February 16, 2007 |
We (my husband and toddler) love this pub and have always been welcomed by the family staff members who run the place! I completely disagree with the review that says you feel like you could get your ass kicked. That review sounds like it's just regurgitating old Parkdale myths. We wouldn't bring our kid into a place with that sort of atmosphere.
The Rhino is relaxed, eclectic, and a mixture of artsy types, young couples, business types, and the very occasional slightly unbalanced type.
It's a large space, the food is well-priced for what you're getting and consistently good (great steaks, hamburgers, usually higher-end specials each day). The variety of beer is impressive.
10. Amanda D's Review :: February 16, 2007 Amanda D's Rating: 3 Stars |
Love, love, love the Rhino! Finally a place void of scenesters of any sort - suits, hipsters, sorority princess types, etc... Just real people in Parkdale. Great nachos, cheap beer and good music. I consider myself lucky to have found such a place!
Who IS Samantha Bobcock?
11. Caroline's Review :: December 29, 2006 Caroline's Rating: 4 Stars |
The Rhino may not be all vibe and gourmet, but it's a big, friendly, unassuming place with what have to be the lowest drink priced in town. Seriously - microbrew pints for under 5$. Mixed drinks for about the same. Packed some nights, a ghost town others, it's Parkdale's best all-round venue.
12. Malcolm's Review :: May 17, 2006 Malcolm's Rating: 3 Stars |
I have been going to Rhino for a very long time and have always enjoyed the cheap eats and casual atmosphere. On this visit I was unpleasantly surprised by a bitchy waitress who was increadibly rude to my table and those around us. I thought wait staff were in the business of earning tips not pissing off usually generous customers.
13. BL's Review :: January 28, 2006 BL's Rating: 1 Stars |
February 16, 2005
The Rhino is comfy...homey and a decent place to hang. The food is good...for bar food, the service is better than many similar places and no regular Joe would feel out of place. Often the crowd is a bit quirky usually artists or theatre geeks. But they're the hard working indy types not the "bohemian" put-ons you might see at The Drake...just real creative folk. The always-changing art installation on the walls is a highlight.
14. KB's Review :: February 16, 2005 KB's Rating: 1 Stars |
The Rhino is comfy...homey and a decent place to hang. The food is good...for bar food, the service is better than many similar places and no regular Joe would feel out of place. Often the crowd is a bit quirky usually artists or theatre geeks. But they're the hard working indy types not the "bohemian" put-ons you might see at The Drake...just real creative folk. The always-changing art installation on the walls is a highlight.
15. KB's Review :: , KB's Rating: 3 Stars |
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1249 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON |
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