Loons Restaurant & Pub

It’s possible this is a theme bar, and the theme is «Suburban Business Park».
We went here on a Saturday evening, when the Local down the street was too full. In here you won’t find the stylish 30 somethings that inhabit most of this part of the city. This seems to the natural habitat of the corporate-​branded windbreaker set. Even on a Saturday night there aren’t enough of them to make the place appear vibrant.
The walls play silent sports (to be ignored), in favour of a depressing sounding satellite radio station that switched between 80’s Pop and 90’s Rock. There’s shuffleboard.
The food was well below average. The menu is limited to only the items that you could also find in the zellers restaurant in 1992. It’s exclusively things that can be fried from frozen, and then dressed with something extracted from a tube. We ordered anyways, as it was cold outside and beginning to snow. Everyone regretted it. Chewy chicken, dry burger, cold soup. Everything was previously in a freezer or a can.
I went here. I went here so you won’t have to. There’s no reason anyone else should go here. Ever.
Surely it will close and in its place there will be a coffee shop. Everything around here turns into a coffee shop. We’re just batshit for coffee.

Great food. Get the pulled pork poutine! And comfortable, laid back atmosphere. I will be back for brunch (and the patio in the summer)!

Delicious food, very reasonably priced, and great service. Loved the pulled pork poutine and sriracha wings Can’t wait to go back again in the summer when the patio is open! Definitely worth the trip to Roncy.

Absolutely loved the patio. Probably one of the best «hidden» spots in Roncesvalles. Organic beer options on draft and a good crowd. Definitely more than what I expected and would definitely go back.

Slow service, bad food, and floaties in the drinks.
I came here to enjoy the back patio on a beautiful and sunny Sunday afternoon. My friend and I were greeted by the slow server about 15 minutes after we seated ourselves. We were parched so we asked for water (and beer). Unsurprisingly, only the beer arrived and there was no mention of our neglected water.
I ordered the poutine which was clearly described in the menu as containing «cheese curds». My pet peeve when it comes to poutine is when its made with shredded mozzarella, as it was here. News flash: that is NOT poutine! That is just an order of cheese fries. False advertising.
On top of that, both of our drinks had weird floaties in them but our server was far to absent for us to mention this to him. He finally came back around when we were ready to pay our bill but the credit card machine was broken so we were advised to go pay at the bar. No apologies for the inconvenience.
Customer service? Or self-​service? Not coming back here. A disappointing waste of a nice space.

Before Gord and I saw David Wilcox, we had supper a couple blocks south at Loons.
We split an order of pita bread and hummus. I could taste chilli powder in the hummus, which I found odd.
Gord ordered Fish & Chips. He wasn’t too crazy about it and wouldn’t order it again there. I tried a piece … though I liked the texture of the batter, all I could taste was oil.
I ordered medium wings … apparently they are $ 8 on Saturdays. They were okay, not great. They were overcooked and it seemed like they’d been sitting around for a while (they were warm, not hot).
So not a great meal and we won’t rushing back.
Justin was our server and he took good care of us.

Excellent food and service. Great place for a quick bite or date night. The sweet potato fries are kickass.

I went in when it was not busy, and was completely ignored. There were a few people at the bar getting attention, but the two staff people purposely did not acknowledge my presence. After about ten minutes I left. There are lots of good pubs out there. I will not be back.

The waitress was nice and kindly warned me that my burnt hamburger would not be replaced anytime soon, because the chef had disappeared. My fault really; I walk into this dank interior with a vague memory of a well — seasoned burger on an afternoon now long ago. That was then, this is now. The people around me seem to know that the mini pitcher happy hour is the reason to be here. You can huddle over your brew and relive the glory of 80s rock while trying to decipher the scrawls knifed into the table. I’m wondering; does that baby’s mother know the babysitter brings him here?
Hopefully just an off day.

— small and standard pub in roncy with a shuffleboard
— nothing special, but nothing terrible about it.
— didn’t try the food.

Ok, ok. Maybe dropping Loons to two stars was a little much. I was being pouty about Bleucheesegate… and while it’s still thin and not bleu cheese but sour cream mixed with milk… that still shouldn’t deter you from going here. Not that I ever intended that.
Because, seriously? Loons’ wings are among the best in the High Park/​Roncy strip, and maybe even among the best in the city. Large pieces, excellent sauces. Even their «mild» has a rich flavour that’s rarely found elsewhere, and I’m a suicide (or worse, «Loony», fan).
But the best addition to their menu has to be the pulled pork sandwiches. Nom nom nom…

the loons is like a typical pub. except it has a shuffleboard. and the regulars sit at the bar and watch curling. the drinks and food seem average… but they do have this great special: a mini-​pitcher for the price of a pint. i’m not sure when that special occurs but i was there on a holiday monday around 3pm. this is a fantastic deal. the mini-​pitcher is good for at least two pints (and maybe a little extra). i checked out the patio and it looks like it would be pretty sweet in the summer time. i would go back for their drink specials but it wouldn’t be the first place i’d choose on roncesvalles to meet for a drink, although i may reassess this in patio season.

The Loon has a shuffleboard! The great game of shuffle-​boarding brings me back to my youth where i spent hours on my grandparents board.
The Loon is like many pubs in the Polish hub… OK.
Now they have a great multi teared patio out back which is great for hanging out in the summer. The wait staff is not afraid to stir up it — as we once had a debate over how the Loon was our national animal. She claimed it was the Beaver?! But it’s nice to have a pub where the people have personality!
They have some good live music on some nights, and they always have beer. So its on my list of places to drink beer! Cheers!

Alas, something about Loons doesn’t quite click. I’ve been here both for an afternoon beer, and an evening, um, series of beers, and while it’s not a particularly bad bar, somehow it never stands out for me.
The food is fine, although they can’t compete with the prices of the ethnic eateries further down Roncesvalles; they also have standard bar deals like tall-​boy specials. The patio out back is quite spacious, so definitely head through the bar to there if the weather is nice, as the interior seems a bit gloomy even during the day.