Fish & Chips
Beer-battered to order. The order everyone at the bar has made.
Pub · Bloor West Village
Bryden’s
The Village local — dark wood, real pints, and a kitchen better than it needs to be
PubBloor West Village, Toronto$$Details being confirmed
The review
Every neighbourhood needs one of these and most of them have lost theirs. Bryden's is Bloor West Village's — dark wood, a fireplace, a draught list chosen by someone who drinks, and a kitchen that stays open long after the Village has otherwise gone to bed.
The food is pub food and does not pretend otherwise, but it is cooked rather than assembled. Fish and chips are battered to order and arrive crisp. The burger is ground in-house and will be cooked to temperature if you ask, which is more than most pubs will do. Wings are correct.
Honest notes: nothing on the menu is going to surprise you, and it gets loud when there is a game on. If you want a quiet dinner, the Village has better options. If you want a pint at eleven on a Tuesday and something decent to eat with it, there is nothing else out here.
What to order
Bryden’s Burger
Ground in-house, cooked to temperature if you ask. Most pubs will not.
Wings
Dry-rubbed or sauced. Correct either way with a pint.
What works
- Kitchen open late, which almost nothing else in the Village is
- Draught list is longer and better chosen than the room implies
- Staff are the reason it has regulars rather than customers
What doesn’t
- It is a pub — the menu holds no surprises
- Fills up on game nights and gets loud
- Not a room for a quiet dinner
Verdict
A pint, the fish and chips, and the only kitchen in the Village still open at midnight.