Horseshoe Tavern image

Horseshoe Tavern

Bar Night club Live music venue Live music bar

One of the Most Reviewed Night clubs in Old Toronto


Address

370 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M5V 2A2, Canada

Website

www.horseshoetavern.com

Contact

+1 416-598-4226

Price rating

$ $$$

Rating on Google Maps

4.50 (2.5K reviews)

Open on Google Maps

Working Hours

  • Monday: 12 pm to 2 am
  • Tuesday: 12 pm to 2 am
  • Wednesday: 12 pm to 2 am
  • Thursday: 12 pm to 2 am
  • Friday: 12 pm to 2 am
  • Saturday: 12 pm to 2 am
  • Sunday: 12 pm to 2 am

Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: music (25) live (19) great (18) time (16) venue (14) good (14) Toronto (13) front (12) band (12) Tavern (11)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 3/5 Keith S. 1 year ago on Google
    Went here for a concert for the first time last night. It is a cool place with an interesting and historic atmosphere. But as a concert venue I didn’t like it at all. There is limited seating towards the back with narrow tables for drinks etc and then a dance floor type area between that and the stage. Lazy people like me want to sit and enjoy some good music. But the ambitious people want to stand in front of the stage which almost totally blocks the view of those seated.
    9 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Jordan Kevin M. 8 months ago on Google • 579 reviews
    There was no concert when we went to the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto but we thought the atmosphere was just as good. It’s a pretty good venue and considering there’s a lot of competition in the area, the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto really stands out as a unique bar. I highly recommend them!

  • 5/5 Carol F. 1 year ago on Google
    As a concert-goer, the legendary Horseshoe Tavern has been a significant part of Canadian musical lore. You have to go to one of the famous venues with the checkerboard floors! Opened in 1947, it has gone through various changes and had tons of influential acts played here. Lots of bands started here first and became pretty big like The Tragically Hip, Our Lady Peace and Blue Rodeo. This venue has been captured in a few songs (like Bobcaygeon - The Tragically Hip) and books as well. It is a very intimate venue with the front bar open 7 days a week and live music and events in the back bar. You do have to walk through the front of the Tavern and pay the entrance fee/concert price to get to the back and watch the band. There is a little bit of seating and standing room in the front that houses a capacity of 400 people. Do expect blocked views if you're seated. However, you can still hear the band up at the front of the bar. Lots of great concert vibes!
    4 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Pete M. 6 months ago on Google • 123 reviews
    An absolute staple of a Dive-bar. I'm a newly-minted Tragically Hip fan, and had to visit this place when I was in Toronto. Staff was friendly as hell; drinks were priced kindly; the place was oozing with rich history. Tons of memorabilia on the walls! Only bummer was that I didn't get to see a live show, but it was my fault for not staying in town longer than a day or 2. Can't wait to go back to Toronto, just to visit this place!
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Morris Z. 8 months ago on Google • 156 reviews
    The legendary Horseshoe Tavern!!! G. Love and Special Sauce!!!! + The Shook Boys opening up!!!!! What a great show, can't say enough good things. I'll be the first to admit that my wife and I don't get out as much as we should but we had a great time! Friendly crowd, reasonable prices on drinks. Good time had by all!!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Mike L. 2 years ago on Google
    When I was a teenager, they used to let me in here for free...until the Strokes played their first (free) Toronto show. The lineup out front was massive, so my friends and I just headed to the alley where we immediately met an extremely inebriated J. Casablancas right before they were going on. The band tried to get us in the back door, but since the place was so astronomically oversold, Craig Laskey shooed me back out after the band took stage and said, “not tonight, Mike.” Here’s a couple bad pics of Harlan Pepper. The bar staff here are tops.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Sharry B. 1 year ago on Google
    Just the feel you get when you walk in the door is exlerating. So many big names have walked the same floor you have. The history on the walls and in the green room tells all.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Orange B. 1 year ago on Google
    Chill bar during the day with an extension and live events in evenings. Free pool during the daytime most days i think? 1 Pool table in Fantastic condition. Fair drink selection with fair prices. Bathrooms are well used but hey, it's on Queens. Highly recommended.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Gal About T. 10 months ago on Google • 103 reviews
    Live Music. Great drinks. Extensive and magical musical history woven into every single inch. Retro, cool, old school tavern that highlights incredible, up and coming, and already there, musicians. NOTE: No food. Drinks and music only. Eat first and head in for top notch entertainment.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 World C. 4 months ago on Google • 54 reviews
    Great vibes here. Get a few beers and enjoy some solid live music 🔥 🎸 🥁 Shout out Ruthless for bringing me here and big up the Jail Birds ⛓️ 🐦 🐦‍⬛ ⛓️
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Collin Richard Y. 3 years ago on Google
    At 75 years old this place hasn't changed. And that's exactly what I love about a Tavern with the history of music it has brought to Toronto. With a larger patio due to COVID, people watching has become even more enjoyable! Staff is always fun, and the patrons are from absolutely every walk of life. What an amazing "Sunday" pub! Thanks
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 D W. 6 months ago on Google
    A very lovely intimate venue with two bars and a prime location on queen street. Buy a corona and get a lime wedge it will change your perspective on beer, it actually tasted pretty good it wasn’t a rum & Diet Coke but it got the job done. The washrooms are cool no one gets mad if you pretend to be a washroom butler, made the cover back by selling gum and mints in the men’s room. Sorry sweetheart but in this economy if you don’t have a hustle you ain’t got no muscle haaaan. xoxox
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Brandon Summers (Beacon S. 11 months ago on Google
    Great place to see live local music. We came to see "The Way Out" with a big group from out of town. We appreciated the hospitality and cleanliness of the venue. The staff are super friendly and the drinks are nice and cold. Nice premium sound system. Great seating. 10/10 Toronto venue. Don't miss your chance to watch live music here. Nothing beats the shoe!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Wegdan R. 2 years ago on Google
    Went here to watch live music! Very comfortable place and great sound system :)
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 Kathy S. 2 years ago on Google
    Half the staff was very accommodating, the other half , was not. He thought he was saving the world of people who may have had a drink of alcohol prior to. Not all people are accustomed to technology and to show proof of vaccination and ticket on our i Phones are overwhelming and to be insulted and accused of being intoxicated without reason is unacceptable. Perhaps your bar is only for the young that is accustomed to the new way of life. We personally enjoy good bands and good service. Shame on you. Older people enjoy bands too !! We have never been so insulted in my life by anyone We will never ever return to the Horseshoe tavern no matter who plays there. There are Many other venues we can go to!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Andrea L. 2 years ago on Google
    Lively bar in the heart of Toronto’s Queen West neighbourhood. Bar in the front, live music in the back with the historical checkerboard floors. Intimate convert venue where many well known bands got their start, it remains a significant part of the Canadian music scene.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 MarshChick 4 months ago on Google • 66 reviews
    Emerse yourself in a piece of Canadian Musical History as you walk thru the doors to the Historic Horseshoe Tavern. Walls dripping with newspaper clippings and set lists of bands we love ❤️ Front end serves food and the establishment is licensed.

  • 5/5 Eric G. 1 year ago on Google • 57 reviews
    This place has an amazing vibe. Definitely the best place to go to watch and support local aspiring artists! I'm pretty sure they have live music every Friday for sure. Excellent atmosphere with adequate sitting and standing space for however you enjoy your music. Alcohol prices are typical. I've never ordered food so not sure but it's probably decent.

  • 5/5 Brenda M. 6 months ago on Google • 43 reviews
    Iconic YYZ Bar...Staff are wonderful...especially MC at the ticket gate...took care of our sister...thank you MC

  • 5/5 Shawn C. 5 months ago on Google • 25 reviews
    Such an intimate little place to listen to a band and have a beer or two. Lol. Sounds great! The staff were great. Just an overall great place to go see a band. Glad I did

  • 5/5 Tonya U. 7 months ago on Google
    Such a unique place with much character. Have been coming here for over 20 years and always had a great time. A&W next door is a great combo if you want a quick bite with your drink. Please never change Horseshoe Tavern!

  • 1/5 Sid 2 years ago on Google
    Horrendously terrible service. This bar or at least the bartender has some wild double standards. I didn’t have my mask on as I was trying to drink my beer, just like all the other patrons inside the bar. The bartender decided to single me out and yell at me to put on a mask, meanwhile not wearing one of his own as he stands a foot away from my face.

  • 5/5 Blair C. 2 years ago on Google
    No live music, yet, but they still have a great selection of beverages and merch.

  • 5/5 Ned M. 3 years ago on Google
    The Tavern has a bunch of old music memorabilia on the walls so you see the soundboard tape strip from the Stones playing there in 1997.. For this music fan boy, that's pretty fun! The bartender was great. The music room looks amazing. And the bar has enough character to last another lifetime in my book!

  • 3/5 Harry J. 8 months ago on Google
    I went to see The Bad Plus as part of the Toronto Jazz Festival. I hadn't been there since 1986 but it all seemed the same. I even think I recognized the old guy sitting at the end of the bar. It's an old time bar that doesn't seem to have been gentrified or even well maintained. Still we enjoyed ourselves. The band and beer were good

  • 5/5 Harley C. 8 months ago on Google
    One of the best venues in Toronto. Small, intimate, amazing bartenders, never any issues with security and has the perfect dive bar aesthetic. Can get a little crowded so get there early for a good spot. Washrooms and merch are in a kinda bad spot but what can you do. Attached to an A&W and they will let you bring your water bottle in. TIP: if the bar near the stage is full just go into the non ticketed area and use that bar. Any show here by an artist you enjoy should be a must see.

  • 5/5 Hugo S. 2 years ago on Google
    the greatest bar in toronto. when it closes. if ever. that will be it. toronto will be dead as we knew it. the history, the ambiance. the noise, the grit, the people. this is what human interaction was all about. room full of strangers sharing experiences. and somehow, feeling something. pool, music, legends. grumpy bartenders. (who cares !) they have it all. step inside and see what life was all about. unpolished and real. long live the Horseshoe Tavern, for all our sake.

  • 5/5 J M. 9 months ago on Google
    Only been there a handful of times as a customer but have done a few security gigs there for events. It is one of the most famous taverns and band venues for everyone to enjoy. Some of the greatest artists in all of music have either gotten their start there or continue to make guest appearances. And even if it's not a well-known artist, it's usually well worth seeing a newer band there anyway.

  • 5/5 Andy S. 8 months ago on Google
    This place is legendary. An institution of the Toronto music scene. A dive bar with a small concert venue in the back. Small enough to be in a crazy close intimate setting with the performing artist. They have clearly had a long time to work on the acoustics because I was surprised by how crisp and well the sound carried in there. Great experience. Prepare to stand the entire time but there are seats and tables which fill up very fast. Went there to see Ondara live and I will be going back again and again.

  • 3/5 Kristopher K. 6 months ago on Google
    I've been here once before. I came back for another rock show. The bar staff was nice. It's a very weird set up for concerts. Seating in front of the stage and standing off to the side. The sound was not very good for most of the show. Seems like a cool bar and obviously historic. As a venue, I would go elsewhere.

  • 1/5 H V. 2 years ago on Google
    Been a looooooong time customer of this establishment unfortunately my child needed a restroom and was turned down. The customer service, the atmosphere & everything has definitely changed. Not impressed. Will definitely not recommend.

  • 5/5 Joe R. 2 years ago on Google
    Always pleased at the vibe and atmosphere at the historical landmark

  • 5/5 Ryan&Lyndsie G. 4 months ago on Google • 8 reviews
    Great place! First time there for Brent Cobb, and had an absolute blast. Bartenders fast and friendly, music hall was great, everything was awesome!

  • 5/5 eugene t. 2 years ago on Google
    Since my last visit here Everything was what I was expecting A Kool joint to grab a beer I was long time regular here on Thursday nights It felt good to hang at the bar again Always love this place Great atmosphere to have a grand time

  • 5/5 Lidia 1 year ago on Google
    Haven't been here in many years - still the same as I remember! Fabulous place to see live music.

  • 5/5 candie i. 2 years ago on Google
    Oh.. that was nice.. with the live band... I like the flamingo pink though.. it's lively and got your feet hit the dance floor...

  • 5/5 Ruhan R. 2 years ago on Google
    This place bears a lot of Toronto history, particularly in Rock n Roll. Have had multiple friends' bands play here over the years. Jake the bartender will take good care of you.

  • 5/5 Scott B. 2 years ago on Google
    The Horseshoe is crowded, loud, cramped, and full of locals. And if you know what you're looking for, is maybe the best venue in the city to see your favourite band. Get sweaty and drink a pint or three here to your favourite tunes.

  • 5/5 Desmond H. 2 years ago on Google
    I love the intimate atmosphere of the venue. I have always had a good time every time I've gone there. I've always had great service in getting my drinks. There's a coat check for winter months. I've seen some excellent shows there.

  • 5/5 Jason F. 2 years ago on Google
    Great place for live music, and glad to be back watching shows!

  • 5/5 Jessica P. 1 year ago on Google
    Went to see Lucero live. Surprisingly this was the first time i'd ever been to Horseshoe Tavern. I enjoyed it- Great acoustics for live artists. I wish the beer selection was better...Like add Miller High Life to the list PLEASE!! . I'm sure I will return.

  • 5/5 Ashley-Dante S. 1 year ago on Google
    First time going here for my first concert ever with my best friend, the drinks were amazing and so were the band. I would recommend this place to everyone and anyone. This place has that "everyone knows everyone" kind of vibe ^^ and it is just amazing

  • 5/5 Ok S. 1 year ago on Google
    THE place to be if you want to have an intimate experience with live music at a small venue. They have a bunch of sitting area with tables right behind a standing area in front of the stage. Saw many bands here and many more to see in the future. $7.50 for a pint of Shocktop ( front bar with super professional veteran bartender ) $10.50 for a tall can of Woodhoue IPA THE place to be if you want to have an intimate experience a live music at a small venue. Like that they have a bunch of sitting area with tables right behind a standing area in front of the stage. Saw many bands here and many more to see in the future. $7.50 for a pint of Shocktop ( front bar with super professional veteran bartender ) $10.50 for a tall can of Woodhoue IPA No debit.

  • 5/5 nicole p. 2 years ago on Google
    Best place - great prices, great staff, local no bs vibes. Love it!

  • 2/5 Alulim 1 year ago on Google
    Very rough place. Only one bartender serving everyone was hard to get service. Poor guy needs a raise or a barback. Was ID'd with a full head of grey hair. Hesitant to revisit.

  • 5/5 Spatula 0. 2 years ago on Google
    The horseshoe tavern is a Toronto staple with great historic significance in the local music scene that continues to this day. If you can make it past their knuckle-headed bouncers who may shake you down to buy a hot dog before entering you will enjoy your stay. Pro tip: there is a small window in the horseshoe connecting to the A&W next door where you can order burgers without leaving the bar!

  • 5/5 Karl B. 2 years ago on Google
    Bartender made my T.O trip worthwhile

  • 5/5 Hans E. 1 year ago on Google
    This is a cozy little bar with great service. The bartender was amazing and super friendly. A number of local beers on draft. Pool table in the back and the bathrooms were clean. There used to be food service through the wall to the A&W next door, but they're not supporting that at the moment. There's also outdoor patio seating.

  • 5/5 Fernando Moya R. 1 year ago on Google
    We entered by chance and we were really impressed by it. The place has a history with different known rock bands playing there for many years. Beer was delicious too. Totally recommended.

  • 5/5 AnthonyGL 1 year ago on Google
    Legendary bar. Been around forever. Seen a few great shows around, and it's always a good time. I don't have any bad memories from this bar! LOL I'm glad COVID didn't take you guys out. Waiting for the next show. THANKS!

  • 5/5 Sean M. 1 year ago on Google
    Great place with a lot of history. Awesome to see all the big name bands that have come through over the years. Had the back stage area blocked but would have been cool to go back there. Good prices.


Call +1 416-598-4226 Open on Google Maps

Amenities


  • Payments
    • ✓️ Debit cards
    • ✓️ Credit cards
    • ✓️ NFC mobile payments
  • Accessibility
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible seating
    • ✗ Wheelchair-accessible car park
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible entrance

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