The Rhino

Stopped by for Sunday lunch and a couple of beers. Non pretentious bar with large front and back rooms and an outside patio. I wouldn’t say this place is easy on the eyes as it’s pretty run-down and no frills. The beer selection was surprisingly good but for locals it may not be so exciting. The friendly chap working the bar was actually awesome and gave excellent service. Check out the bathrooms down in the basement for some cheap thrills. I took advantage of the free Wi-Fi to get some work done aka uploading my place rates into RateBeer.

The Rhino is a bit of mystery in many ways. They have dramatically improved from previous years where >80% of the pre-printed bottle menu was not actually available. Consistency is still an issue at times unfortunately. Staff ranges from awful to awesome, typically friendly but occasionally glacially slow, asking what’s on cask still sometimes gets a response that mixes the names of beers from two different breweries. The tap list is generally but not always up to date, but is generally a pretty good selection of Ontario craft beers and occasionally includes one offs not available elsewhere. The food also ranges from pretty mediocre to excellent. So why do people still go? It is damn cheap compared to most of the local beer destinations, full pints are often comparable in price to 300ml or half pint pours elsewhere, and faults aside its usually a pretty fun spot. It is often a big hangout for supporters of the local TFC soccer club before games. The events that they have done recently are generally pretty solid, aided in part by the larger size here compared to many other places. They are generally pretty supportive of the craft beer scene in Toronto. Overall it’s worth a visit, and a bit of a guilty pleasure for locals sometimes. For out of town beer geeks it is not a must visit, but it is right on the streetcar line and walking distance from Bellwoods so gauge for yourself if it is worth incorporating into your trip.

An old school tavern on Queen St. West with a bric a brac ambiance but with a certain charm, friendly staff. decent selection of beer, a nice little place out of the beaten path.

Tops the value-and-selection criteria for Toronto. Not exactly a beautiful bar and not exactly the most helpful information for ordering a beer (like they won’t list what’s on tap, or have updated bottle lists.). Hellish bathrooms right out of SAW. For all its quirks a huge dive bar worth getting to know and love. Notable - food can vary from great to sometimes borderline ’meh’. Hit or miss to eat there, although very cheap so explore the better menu items or check the specials. Excellent, almost too-big patio with some street exposure. Free parking. Casual as hell and I like it.

I really like that place. It has rustic feel to it with bit of funk. They do have solid tap list, good bottle list. Service was always friendly and knowledgeable. The Rhino supports local BJCP program.

There is a great list here, even if a lot of the titles aren’t always updated. Servers dont know a lot about beer here and some give attitude avout going into the cellar. The older woman usually knows what’s going on - try to deal with her. Prices are the best thing about this place other than the selection.

EDIT - APRIL 2012: Went to The Rhino while waiting for a table at Grand Electric across the street. It took 15 minutes to get a menu and another 15 to receive our drinks. I actually went to cancel the order but she had already poured the beers when I got to the bar. I used to think this place was underrated but I now see it for the shithole that it is. 2011 Review - Visited with Baird and Farmer after the Session 99 Craft Beer Festival. Large open bar and dining area greets you at the door with the patio off to the right. Crowd is diverse in age. We grabbed three pints of Black Oak 10 Bitter Years and I noticed Amsterdam Boneshaker IPA and Great Lakes Lackey’s Cask on tap. Bottle list is massive with stuff from Brooklyn, Thomas Hardy’s, Southern Tier, Les Brasseurs de Gayant, and Rogue, among countless other breweries. Many craft offerings. Service was a bit grisly, but we got our drinks and take out in reasonable time, and the waitresses are quite attractive. The food was surprisingly good - I enjoyed my Thai chicken pizza and the beef nachos were tasty as well (thanks Nick!). Overall, this place is highly underrated IMO, and if the service was slightly better, I would’ve rated it even more favourably. The Rhino has a very respectable tap lineup, a huge bottle menu, solid pub grub, an eclectic crowd, and a fun, welcoming atmosphere. For a so-called "dive bar," you could do ALOT worse.

Grungy but cheap. Check it out earlier in the day if (like me) you have a low frat-boy threshold. Easily the cheapest place I’ve been to in the city. I like that they have full pints and multiple casks. Ambience and service are spotty, but you can certainly have a good time here.

Hmmm, I have a very much love hate relationship with this place.. love - the price, the selection. Hate - the state of the washrooms, the slow/spotty service, the game of ’tap roulette’ when you order a beer... numerous times I’ve ordered one thing and got another and the staff haven’t a clue for the most part what’s on cask..... we’ve had staff pluck fictitious names of beers out of their heads when we’ve asked.... all in all it’s a good place but needs a major shake up. The beer prices are EXCELLENT by Toronto standards and is what makes me return again and again. Oh, the food is okay too, cheap and cheerful pub grub.

This place accommodative to many crowds, and it tries to balance them all. Which is why everyone’es experience at the Rhino is different everytime! When I first went here, it was slammed packed! It took us a good 20 minutes to get drinks, but that didn’t really bother us because we bought 3 Southern Tier Pumpkins for $18 dollars! Retarded cheap. The second time wasn’t as good as the first, the server didn’t know much of antyhing... food and beer? I asked her what was on cask and she replied ’ What’s Cask?’ I laughed, and ordered Black Oak’s Ten Bitter Years which eventually shut me up. Overall, this place is cheap, but go in with no expectations.