Boots & Bourbon Saloon

Never eaten here but go here often for drinks and dancing.
Great atmosphere. Slow service unless you get the right spot at the bar.
And when are they going to turn that mechanical bull on again???

My friends and i just left this bar 5 minutes ago and I couldn’t resist writing about how bad our experience was.
First off there were couple of drunks walking around the bar yelling, and the bouncer didn’t do anything about it.
We walked in and sat down while the band was playing. The music was so loud that we couldn’t hear each other talk across the table. No one served us until we flagged a waitress that told us to go to the bar. There was no menu, no prices given at all.
To our surprise, $ 22 for a pitcher. The bartender, like the waitress, was not friendly at all. The beer was warm. Never coming back to this place, would not recommend to anyone.

I believe Toby Keith said it first, but oh my god do I love this bar. Great crowd, super friendly staff (Vince is the best!), live bands and country music. Not to be confused with the country theme party vibe of Rock n Horse… This is the real deal!

It’s not like I go here regularly. But between then and then and now, seems like a lot has changed at Boots, and in a negative kind of way.
The beers on offer seems to have shrunken down to mainly the big brand stuff being emphasised as what’s available. The food menu has undergone a great diet, in both the quantity of items served and the quality thereof, likely to make the kitchen more efficient. Only three burgers listed, and that’s including the daily chef’s special; maybe that is the only bit of culinary imagination left in this establishment. Not sure I want to care about how good they are anymore. Because, the only thing that’s «Cajun» about their soggy and limp $ 8 Cajun fries was the dip that came with it. Why a small handful of typical vat fries take forever to make and deliver is probably worthy of a Murdoch Mysteries episode.
The staff are still generally friendly and prompt for your food and drink needs. However, how long does it take for some dirty dishes on your table to be cleared? By the time I left (which had more to do with the Blue Jays losing miserably than anything else), fruit flies were beginning to colonize the patches of ketchup still lingering.
If drinking and driving don’t mix, well, live sports broadcasts and live band music don’t mix either. With its gentrified prices this place is losing its appeal as a sports bar. And I still have never seen that mechanical bull in operation.
(Also, this is the first time my score actually meant to be a two-​and-​a-​half star.)

Awful. Came here on a Thursday night. It was a pretty happening place, they have swing dance lessons and a bunch of guys & girls were having a good time on the stage. I ordered baja fish tacos and they were utterly disgusting. Couldn’t finish them. The fish tasted rotten. When the bill came, the manager waived the cost of the fish because «the chef forgot a key ingredient.» I don’t know why they served the tacos to us then…

Went here on a Friday night after checking out the neighbouring bars, which were all packed. We were seated quickly, which was nice, but there is definitely a reason why the place was half empty. The food was just not edible, at least the ones I ordered. I ordered the BBQ Braised Ribs and the B&B poutine to share. My companion ordered the smoked chicken and grilled cheese sandwich. I was so excited as the menu described the ribs as «ribs» and the poutine as cheese curds on yukon fries with house made gravy and horseradish mayo.
Let me tell you, do not be fooled by the menu description. The ribs were not edible! I tried cutting it, then I tried holding it in my fingers and biting down on it, and I just could not get a piece of meat from these «ribs». It was like tire rubber with no give. I had to complain to the waitress and had to have it sent back to the kitchen. That’s how bad it was. I’ve only sent food back once before this (a situation where I asked for medium rare at a steakhouse and received a well-​done steak). Anyway, the waitress said that the ribs were not really ribs but rib tips, that’s why they’re not the typical ribs you would expect… o₀. Well, why was this not described accurately on the menu? Call it «rib tips» rather than «ribs» please!!! Furthermore, even if the menu stated that they were rib tips, it was still inedible. Now the fries were just tasteless, the gravy was watery, nothing special and I definitely did not taste any horseradish mayo.
To make matters worse, I was STARVING and the waitress didn’t even advise me that the kitchen was closing. I called the waitress over to order a burger (because who can muck up a simple burger), well, that’s when she told me the kitchen was closed. No forewarning whatsoever.
And to make matters even more horrible, the waitress advised that her shift was ending, so would we mind settling the bill. No problem, I noticed wait staff do this often, although not classy, but hey, this is not a classy place, so I let it go. Anyway, after we paid, fifteen minutes later, in her usual waitress garb, I see her dancing by the bar and no new waitress was to be seen. Ridiculous. They should have a policy where, if the wait staff is off and they want to remain in the establishment, they should change and become regular patrons. I have no idea if she was still on the clock, dancing and chilling for thirty minutes or so before her shift ended, or if her shift really ended. Ugh… this place sucks.
The interior, decoration and seating time is fine, but the rest is just super sub-​par.

If you like $ 8+ pints of Molson/​Labatt beer, 905ers wearing cowboy hats, and (understandably) angry bartenders, this place is for you. I don’t think I’ve been to a bar with a more inbred clientele. The only good thing about this place is that you will likely see two 19 year old kids who can’t handle their booze, punch each others faces in. I honestly can’t count how many times I’ve seen police cruisers in front of this joint. Boots n Bourbon is where the theme bar went to die.

First off the line outside was a little off putting. Thanks to my liquid courage I nipped that in the bud by sweet talking the big ass bouncer and in went my 5 gf’s.
Shock when I realized I just entered the only all white zone in T. O, complete with country music.
The one female bartender didn’t fail to ignore me or all the other girls waiting patiently. As per the usual bitchy holier than thou attitude she helped every guy before remotely glancing our way, but no matter, the Good looking bar-​back was happy to pour a couple of drinks for my $ 5 tip. The .25 cent tip the dude beside me left for her royal highness was worth it, non?
I have to say the crowd was in good spirits and even though the music wasn’t my taste the vibe was very friendly.
I won’t be returning, my sweet cash has better purposes in life.

Five of us went for some food and drinks this past Friday night. The food was sub-​par at best. There are so many better restaurants in the neighbourhood so you’re better off to check those out first. The service was pretty horrible. Our waitress was pretty much non existent, and the odd time that she did appear made us feel like we were a complete inconvenience to her. (the place was still relatively empty, for the record). We would wait 20 minutes for a drink. It became that kind of experience where you order 3 drinks at once because you know you’ll be through them before she decides to pass by again.
However, sub-​par food and lousy service aside, the focus of this review is really on the drinks. Between 5 of us (women) — all of which are pretty light drinkers — we drank 37 drinks over the course of just under 3 hours.
That’s 30 vodkas, 5 gins, and 2 of their General Lees. And not a single one of us was drunk. In fact, when I left, I spoke with a couple of police officers down the street and asked them to check my alcohol level. Guess what? Nothing. Nada. I drank 7 drinks and had 0% alcohol registering. Our bill was $ 375 of which $ 245 was alcohol.
So here’s my recommendation — avoid this place at all cost. It’s pretty clear they are watering down their alcohol. So, don’t walk — run. If you’re after drinks — cross the street for The Comrade, or walk 30 seconds east to Hi-​Lo. If you’re after food, you’re better off digging through the garbage can out front… scraping gum off the bottom of your shoe, or hell — eat your hand. Just don’t bother wasting any time in this dump.

Went here for a girls night out and was hoping for some good food and drinks and fun. The food was sub par at best. The ribs were bland and tasted like chicken. They were also rubbery and overcooked. The server was terrible and had a real bad attitude. When we asked questions about the menu she got the answers wrong. For instance I asked if the fish tacos were deep fried and she said yes and they were breaded as well. Someone at my table ordered them and they were healthy and pan seared without any batter. Which annoyed me more because I would have ordered those rather than the rubbery sauce less ribs.
The drinks tasted like there was no alcohol in them! We drank a fair amount and no one at our table felt anything.
Band was good and place was lively so go for drinks and good music but not the food or table service!!!

This review is for the brunch, though I’d definitely like to come here at night.
My friend and I both wanted to try this place since hearing about the awesome brunch and country fun times advertised (ahem, mechanical bull), so we finally made it down a few weeks ago for a catch up during tasty mid-​morning eats. The place was surprisingly empty. Do people not know about their AMAZING fried green tomato eggs Benny?! Well if they don’t, they do now! Unbelievably amazing. I’ve had a bit of a taste for fried green tomatoes since visiting South Carolina a few years ago and gorging on the southern delicacy (in my humble opinion), and this fried green tomato did not disappoint. Topped with some yummy hollandaise, this was so tasty I can’t wait to head back for another round.

My only experience here was for the Gold medal game at 7am. Mind you we drank beer and rocked shots like it was 11pm.
The Caesar had a smoky flavour and for how busy that place was the servers were on point.
I’ve walked by at night to a huge line numerous times, must mean it’s good right? lol
Keep killing it Matt!

This place just opened in the new year and was formerly The Riverside House. I am glad that they made way for this Western themed bar to open up in the Riverside neighbourhood. Although I am not sure when they actually use the mechanical bull since it was just sitting in a sad little corner collecting dust. They probably have a special weeknight to try to draw more business during slow times of the week.
Staff are friendly and attentive even though this place tends to fill up quickly for the post-​dinner activities. Best bet is to stay for dinner which is just as enjoyable so you don’t have to wait in the line outside to get in later in the night.
Tried a whole slew of their cocktails and would highly recommend The General Lee and the Red Flip Cup Punch. All very tasty and that hint of smokiness from the shot of mesquite. Would not recommend Smokey and the Bandit as I did not enjoy the egg whites.
We accompanied all the drinks with buffalo shrimps in a can (crispy and meaty), bacon bombs (self-​explanatory), and boots & bourbon poutine (everything on it was awesome). Everything came out fresh and the flavours were very good for pub food. Would want to come back next time and try their signature redneck beer can chicken for a proper dinner.

Came here for dinner with my best friend on a Friday night. A healthy crowd but not packed as this joint livens up later in the evenings. The live band was setting up.
If you’re looking for a place to get nightlife and drinks — this place is perfect. If you’re looking to eat — run, don’t walk away from this place. The food was terrible and the service was despicable.
The restaurant had plenty of tables available, but for some reason the hostess decided to sit us at the bar. This would come back later to bite us in the a$$ as we ran out of space to put food (and we only ordered a grand total of 3 dishes).
The drinks are reasonably priced, ~ $ 10 for a cocktail, $ 7 for draught beer.
We ate:
Pork Cracklin’,$ 5. Doesn’t taste any better than the stuff you buy in the grocery store that comes out of a bag. The buttermilk-​lime sauce was WAY too salty.
Boots & Bourbon Poutine, $ 9. Don’t let the cast-​iron skillet in which the poutine comes served on fool you — the fries came lukewarm. The pork was not flavorful in a good way — just drowned in BBQ sauce.
Rich ‘Boy Spicy Lobster, $ 16. We opted for a side of coleslaw. They aren’t joking about the spicy part, this lobster po’boy was SPICY! To the point where I started sucking air to cool it down. The bun was buttery and toasted and there were substantial chunks of lobster in the sandwich. Probably the best thing we ate all night. The coleslaw was disappointing. Bland and unsatisfying.
At the end of the day, the damage was around $ 86. For that price I could’ve gone to the Big Crow, or Buster Rhino’s and gotten real Southern-​style food, heck even Carbon Bar and left satisfied. This place was a complete waste of money. Our server was unattentive and was chatting to a guy who hung out at the bar all night. It shouldn’t take 20 minutes for me to get my beer off the tap, or 20 minutes to get her attention to grab my bill.
Next time I’ll take my money over to Leslieville Pumps — yeah, that’s right — a gas station is serving better food than this place.

Food:
Deep fried pickles — decent appetizer
Burgers — thumbs up! Can’t go wrong with blue cheese and bacon jam.
Booze: Rusty Albertan was light and refreshing and not as sweet as the other cocktails. Smokey and the bandit was beautiful and smokey like drinking whiskey and a campfire at the same time. Both must tries!
Service:
Katie was our A+ server. She was super nice and checked on us throughout the meal. All of the staff seemed like they had it together.
Ambience:
Dinner ambience was full of energy and fun. The entire bar filled up by 9:30pm and the party started.
This place is definitely worth a visit as there’s nowhere like it this side of Yonge Street.

When I first heard there was a country bar opening down the street, I was excited. A county-​inspired bar a block from my house seemed like a good idea. But after having to constantly walk through the groups of plaid shirt and cowboy boots wearing smokers blocking the sidewalk, I kind of swore off ever stepping foot in the place. So when my friend decided to host her birthday dinner at Boots n’ Bourbon I took this as a fabulous opportunity to check out a place that I had not been motivated to venture into on my own.
The birthday dinner took place on a Wednesday. There were some other patrons in the bar but for the most part the place was pretty desolate. Upon ordering a glass of red wine I’m told this is the last glass of red in the entire restaurant. We were all kind of shocked, I get it, it’s not a wine bar but surely a quality restaurant will stay stocked up on some sort of red wine acknowledging that not all of their patrons are interested in mixed drinks out of frat boy solo cups or $ 7 draught beers. So we all kind of laugh it off and someone makes a joke along the lines of «oh well at least they have white.» Oh no, that’s not the case, in fact, they were all out of white wine too. So there’s a table of ten 20-​something ladies out for a birthday dinner and there’s no wine in the house? While not impressed we ordered some mixed drinks, I reluctantly opt for beer.
At first glance at the menu I was not overly impressed seemed like the ratio of fried food to not fried was about 100:1. We proceed to order some fried appetizers, the cheese balls and the fried pickles. They were okay… they were fried pickles and fried cheese — nothing special.
At this point we order mains, the waitress SWEARS by the burger claiming it’s the best thing on the menu. Well I hope that’s not actually the case. The burger was beyond dry. Even though I was still hungry I opted to only eat half because it was really just dry, bland, and flavorless. Even with the maple bacon jam it was disappointing at best. The spicy coleslaw as the side was tasty but was overly drenched in dressing. Some of the other girls enjoyed their meals no one absolutely raved about the food. In a neighbourhood known for great restaurants (Table 17, Ruby Watch Co, Aft) I would go to almost any other place on the block before having dinner at this place again.
As far as the atmosphere of the place goes: it was pretty empty on the Wednesday, the back part of the bar was closed, the mechanical bull was broken so I can’t really say much about the atmosphere. There wasn’t much to differentiate it from a regular restaurant. As far as the music goes: in the two and half hours we were there the same loop of songs played three times, surely there are more country songs in the world that could be added to the list so that we wouldn’t have to be subjected to the same Alan Jackson THAT many times. Or perhaps they could expand their very narrow definition of country music from strictly CMT to include that includes some bluegrass, americana or other country sub genres.
The real kicker of the whole experience was when we received our bill and saw that they had added a 20% mandatory tip for the group. The service was fine, nothing spectacular at all and definitely not spectacular enough to justify a mandatory 20% tip. Try something a bit more practical next time like 18%, Boot N’ Bourbon, and don’t leave such a bad taste in the mouths of your patrons, ohhh wait that might just be the burger.

As Toronto’s nightlife and food scene continues its evolution, there are gaps that are revealed and will need to be filled. Gaps like the token Mexican spot, the Gastro-​pub, the 100% sustainable seafood sushi spot, etc. One by one these gaps are filled OR, as is the case with Boots & Bourbon, the gap is identified by a local visionary long before it’s realized, by locals that they’re missing something.
Having been a fan of the food concepts created by Chef/​Owner Matt Petit since the days of his Rock Lobster food truck, his first Ossington location of Rock Lobster AND his Queen West location which opened earlier this year, I was more than intrigued to see his take on a traditional American-​style Country bar.
Only opening within the past two weeks, I wanted to wait before paying them a visit (sometimes new spots have some kinks that need working out), but as you’ll soon see from this review, that over cautiousness on my part was unnecessary as kinks there were none.
Unsure how the crowd would be, I made reservations for 8:30PM and upon arrival I was greeted by the loud happy sounds of country music and laughter long before I opened the wooden doors. Upon entering you’re immediately thrust into the party, as the bar is merely a few feet from the door. But the party isn’t just about the blaring country music and the cool décor, its about how every patron surrenders to the theme of the place by donning their ‘best’ plaid/​denim and/​or cowboy hat and everyone is laughing and smiling (which for a Toronto resto/​bar is odd — people not taking themselves seriously?!? What gives! This is awesome).
Perhaps it’s the décor? Which the designers in charge have done an incredible job of re-​creating a vintage country bar feel even though it’s only a few weeks old. Wooden planks adorn the walls, booths of dark leather done in classic style, barrels on the floor, longhorn skulls on the wall, and a jukebox that’s only pumping out country music. What’s more, the gorgeous bar running end to end of the front portion of the space which looks like it’s taken straight out of Deadwood, or The Quick And The Dead. Howdy Co-​poke, I’ll have 3 fingers of WHISKEY! AND they’ve also got some great murals on the walls that I find really give the place an authentic look and feel.
**N.B: BnB also has a mechanical bull ride for the adventurous AND a live music stage for true country music fans. My only regret the entire time I was there was some technical issues with the stage set up inhibited us from being able to see the live band that was attempting to play, **
If not for the décor, perhaps it was the food? Ah yes, the food. What an amazing treat that was. Knowing Chef Matts style from Rock Lobster, I knew he’d find delicious ways of making simple recipes amazing, and I was right. What was interesting is the menu was cut right down with only 6 – 8 appetizers and 4 – 5 mains on the menu. My DC and I opted to share the following menu items:
**Fried Beer Cheese $ 8**
Goat Cheese + Cheddar Cheese + Sam Adams Boston lager + Button Mushrooms + Panko Bread Crumbs + Shaved Grana Padano + Zesty Tomato Sauce
— Dish was like eating cheese filled arinccini and was amazing!
**The Screaming Crab $ 14**
Canadian Atlantic Snow Crab + Tiger Shrimp + Butter + Jerk Seasoning + Cilantro + Lime
— So much buttery jerk sauce running down my hands. This is a SPICY dish, so be warned, but it is also super tasty. I did find it a touch salty at times but nothing a water couldn’t help. I’m still salivating while thinking about it.
**Finger Licking Good Fried Chicken $ 16**
Mini Bucket 4x pieces
— Huge pieces of chicken, battered and fried perfectly. The buttermilk and (dill?) dipping sauce was to die for.
What about the drinks? Taking from the direction of Rock Lobster (and their lobster caesar), as much thought and effort has been put into the craft cocktails as is put into developing the food menu. With eight (8) diverse cocktail options on the menu, there is something for every persons taste, each delicious in their own unique way. I tried the following:
**Smokey & The Bandit $ 10**
Crown Royal Black + Smoked Lemon Juice + Peppercorn Cedar Syrup + Aromatic Bitters + Egg White
**The Rusty Albertan $ 10**
Sailor Jerry + Lemon Juice + Maple Syrup + Ginger Beer + Root Beer Bitters
What I think makes this place great in addition to a well laid out design, amazing food and spectacular sips is the versatility of BnB. If you’re looking for a lively fun place in the city to have dinner with friends, it’s the place. If you’re looking for a fun date spot, it’s the place. Or if you’re looking for a place to just have some drinks and watch the game or have some fun, Boots & Bourbon is the place! Other than missing out on the live music, I award this place near full marks (4.5÷5) and I’ll gladly add that last ½ star once I get to experience some live music here!
EC Out!

Went on a Friday night– the place got packed by 8:30, but the flow of people in and out and how big the venue is made it manageable. Excellent vibe– fun/​country/​casual. A very interesting mix of clientele made for some great people watching.
We sat at the bar to begin with a few drinks (the Texas lemonade– very sugary but that was expected) and the fried pickles (delicious). Once our table was ready we were seated at a huge comfy booth near the back.
Live music started at 10 and the band was pretty good (mostly country cover songs).
Got the lobster po’ boy– the bun was just way too huge and there was barely any lobster, but tasty otherwise. Their southern/​Canadian themed cocktails were all good.
I’d say my only problem with this place was that the music was beyond loud (maybe they just have to figure out their audio settings… at points you couldn’t even here the person next to you if they were shouting in your ear) and the service was super frazzled, but I’d say that comes with any new place, especially for as crowded as it was.

It’s a nice addition to the Leslieville strip. The place has a mechanical bull… it’s very big actually. Deceiving from the street. The décor is exactly what you’d expect from a bourbon country western bar and the music was in line with expectations. I’m not a fan of country western music but it’s tolerable in an environment like this.
Staff all seemed friendly. They looked a little awkward in their cowboy hats.
Drinks are a little on the pricier end for Leslieville… Beers are more than other bars in the area.
The booths at the back are perfect for hanging out and watching the bull riding!
I will be back and would recommend this to anybody looking for a good time in a casual environment where attitudes are checked in at the door!

I was pretty excited to hear that Toronto was getting TWO Country themed bars opening on the same week.
I made a trek out to Boots N Bourbon on a Monday night. Probably the worst night to go. I need to return on a weekend or another night to get the full experience. I was hoping for COUNTRY MUSIC.
When we arrived, there were some cool tunes kicking, Johnny Cash and mostly old country with a splash of new. Unfortunately, 1 hour after arriving, they decided to turn the music off and blast really, really loud NFL (which was playing on lots of flatscreens). I was really disappointed. I realize Monday if football night, but if I wanted to watch football I would have gone to a sports pub. I traveled a ways to check out a country bar and was really hoping for country.
They did, however, have $ 4 wing night on Mondays. Incredible deal and the wings were pretty tasty. We also tried a crab and shrimp dish ($ 14). They had an interesting menu of both big and small plates, similar to Rock Lobster (which has the same owner).
The décor was cool and western but not over the top. The large bar area in the middle takes up most of the space, there are a few booths and a small stage in the back, and a few more tables at the front.
We did try some interesting cocktails. The Stampede came served in a giant boot, was a beer cocktail mixed with gingerale, a shot of crown royal and some maple of some sort.
Overall cool place and hopefully I just hit it on the wrong night, I will return but only when I am guaranteed good country tunes.