Granite Brewery & Restaurant

cratez

Ontario (Canada)

3.4/5  rDev -3.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 3 | $$

EDIT - Feb. 2012: on my latest visit the food was underwhelming (lukewarm crab cakes), the service a little bristly, and my growler of Hopping Mad tasted like a mild English pale ale (not the US IPA that it claims to be). I’ve lowered my score as a result.

2009 Review - My girl and I had a lovely time here while visiting Toronto. The free underground parking is a nice bonus, particularly in a city where you can't park anywhere without paying $35.

Old fashioned, rustic decor with a Cheers-style bar and quiet, relaxing ambiance. Admittedly a bit drab, but I like it. Our server, Kevin, was quiet but competent. He explained that Granite's been operating in T.O. for 18 years and told us about the recent relocation of the Halifax brewery.

Beer selection is all of Granite's offerings, about 12 brands in total, with the Best Bitter Special on cask. I grabbed one growler each of the Keefe's Irish Stout, Gin Lane Ale, and Hoppin' Mad, as the beer store fridge is located right beside the bar. The food is a real treat. I had the Stout Drunken Burger and veggie soup; my girlfriend enjoyed her chicken souvlaki and Lemon Lust cake. Everything was well presented and affordable.

If you can make the trip just north of downtown Toronto, Granite is worth a visit. High quality food and beer, great service, inviting atmosphere. I would love to come here for an event, or in the evening, when there's more patrons.

12-31-2009 19:23:20 | More by cratez

trxxpaxxs

New York

3.8/5  rDev +7.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | $$

I stopped into this brewery/restaurant on a recent visit to Toronto.The atmosphere seemed decent (it's basically you're typical Irish style pub). They had about 10 different beers on draft and/or cask. Again, I really appreciate the cask considering I don;t find cask beers all to often in Buffalo.

I opted to try the standard IPA, on cask, and the Hopping Mad IPA. Both offerings were very enjoyable. There is also an attached area to purchase beer-to-go. The prices seemed a bit steep for one liter fills, but I seriously considered buying some bottles to bring back to the US.

I would recommend this bar to anyone who happens to be visiting the area.

02-20-2012 13:59:13 | More by trxxpaxxs

Matt1516

Quebec (Canada)

3.28/5  rDev -7.1%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | food: 2.5 | $$

Another example of an excellent brewery paired with an average restaurant. The beer is fresh and tasty and they have an on-site store selling growlers. The underground parking is free. But it's definitely not somewhere you would want to bring a date. The food is unimaginative, the decor is tired and faded, it even smells a bit musty. The bar in front is passable for watching a game. There is a outdoor streetside patio in front at a busy intersection & a quieter back patio. I have fond memories of coming here with my single buddies but now it's impossible to convince my non-beer loving wife to make this restaurant a destination.

12-27-2010 03:37:09 | More by Matt1516

kwjd

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +6.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 2 | $$

The front section feels like a bar, where in the back it feels more like a restaurant. Really nice back patio when it is warm out. Not really a night life place (at least on weekdays) as it seems they are closing up by 11 or something like that. It may be better on weekends, but I usually stay downtown then. Food is just typical pub food, which isn't vey good.

For the beer... I really enjoy several of their beers. I usually shift up what I drink, but don't touch the Summer or Ringwood (or their Ringberry). Others are all good. I don't get the growlers because I live closer to Duggan's and Mill Street, but they do sell them there as well.

08-26-2010 13:43:02 | More by kwjd

Tut

New York

4.35/5  rDev +23.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3 | $$

Several friends and I have been visiting Toronto regularly for over ten years. We have long considered The Granite one of the best pubs in Toronto and love their real ales in particular. As for the several complaints in previous reviews that their beers are weak and watery, and lacking hoppiness -- The Granite brews English style beers that adhere closely to that tradition. As a CAMRA member who has spent many months in Great Britain, I can assure you that Granite's real ales could hold their own at the Great British Beer Festival as well as in any good pub. I suspect those who make these complaints are hopheads who's taste in beer has been shaped by overhopped American versions of classic English styles and other extreme types of ales common in the US. If that's your taste, fine, but don't condemn beers that don't conform to it. A British IPA will seem a little weak compared to an American version, but that doesn't mean it's a lousy beer. If you're not experienced with real ale that might be another factor. Cask ales offer subtle nuances that don't overpower your sense of taste like some of our beers do.
Ron Keefe takes great care to brew quality beers and those considering a first visit to the Granite Brewery should trust the many positive reviews here and enjoy their beers.

12-18-2008 14:24:45 | More by Tut

bobsy

Ontario (Canada)

4.28/5  rDev +21.2%
vibe: 2 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5 | $

The Granite Brewery has great beer, with almost unparalleled freshness. I would recommend the Best Bitter Special and the Peculiar in particular. Several of these offerings are on cask. The food here is consistently good (they mean it when they say the hot wings are hot), and extremely filling. There aren't many meals I can't finish, but some of them have been here.

Unfortunately, I find the ambiance leans towards the sterile side. Part of the bar feels like a stuffy restaurant and the other half feels like a newly constructed attempt at an old looking bar. Still highly recommended for the beer though.

01-16-2008 19:28:59 | More by bobsy

allergictomacros

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -0.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

Visited this place for dinner, and partook of a few of the beers. There's a bar area up front, and the back is a more restauranty sort of place. We had a spot next to the fireplace, which was nice. Pricing is reasonable, and the food appears pretty good, though not remarkable. I had the burger which was quite tasty, but a touch too tall. Seemed to be a touch classier of a joint than your average pub, but was still relaxed. Service was decent. My impression was that the restaurant portion at least wasn't particularly beer oriented. Lots of wine drinkers around and I even saw a bottle of Molson Canadian (not to bash macros or anything, but serving Canadian in a brewpub strikes me as odd)

I had 4 of the beers, 2 of which were cask conditioned. Overall impression was that they were well crafted, but the cask ales were a little too clean I think. Both were poured crystal clear, and the yeastiness was a little muted.

01-15-2008 23:49:40 | More by allergictomacros

BrewSomerville

Ontario (Canada)

3.45/5  rDev -2.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3 | $

This was my first time visiting the place; I have had the Beers before but never visited the brewery/restaurant.

The atmosphere was nice and cozy. It was smaller than what I thought it would be. There's a bunch of old books on the shelves that give the place a "homey" feel. One bad thing I noticed was that the carpets were dirty and needed shampooing.

Some of the Beers were good and some were just OK. I would suggest the Best Bitter Special (dry hopped) on cask if you are going there.
The food was alright. I had the jerk chicken and mango wrap with a salad and a half pint of the IPA (cask conditioned). The wrap and the Beer were good, but the salad looked and tasted like they were using old veggies.

They had about 10 of their own Beers available plus they had a bunch of other beverages to offer, but I didn't even bother to check what else they had... why would you? The (food) menu had a little something for everyone.
Good value.

They sell growlers too.

07-23-2007 02:01:12 | More by BrewSomerville

nekronos

Mexico

3.98/5  rDev +12.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5 | food: 3.5 | $$

VEry reasonable in price, a little boring in ambience, maybe because it was quite early, but they have a pair of dolls of Hardy and Stanley playing chess in the hall. THe beers they have are good, not the same all of them to their brother in Halifax. The food is good, and the owner is friend of the ONtario's beer community, I met him and was very friendly, a friend took me there and explained me a lot of thins about the place. They give you samplers with all their beers at the moment, but it is a little far form downtown.

10-15-2006 18:47:47 | More by nekronos

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev +7.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Nice decor, and in a relatively easy to reach part of town. First area is the bar, which has an old english style pub type of vibe, and there are quite a few different rooms with different feels. In the spring and summer its very nice to sit outside. Very cozy. The Granite beers aren't my favourite but they are mostly solid, with some tasty examples on the menu such as the stout and Old Peculiar. I find the food is very good and at a reasonable price, I never have a problem going to Granite. They also have a license to sell growlers, and I believe they are the only place in Toronto with such a license. Good place to stop.

04-19-2006 01:41:35 | More by Viggo