Sports bars: Where to watch the game in Toronto's east end

Photo: Rally Sports Bar

Whether you want to watch the Jays with a PBR or the Leafs with some bbq, it’s important to locking down a solid venue for settling in and watching the game.

Check out our quick guide on where to score viewing essentials — a table, TV and cold beer — for all your game-watching, beer-drinking, wing-eating needs. Here are the best sports bars Toronto fans can go to and root for their teams in the east end.

LITTLE AAA & AAA PUBLIC HOUSE

Little AAA on Queen East and AAA Public House in East Chinatown are good bets for watching Toronto sports. The bars have plenty of flat screens — often with sound on during games — and kitchens turning out plates of Austin, Texas-style barbecue like smoked beef brisket, dry rub ribs and chicken and waffles. Come for the sad Leafs, stay for the $5 house pints and $3 tequila specials.

1276 Queen St. E; 598 Gerrard St. E
tripleabar.ca

PROHIBITION GASTROHOUSE

With 16 HD screens, daily food specials and more than a dozen beers on tap, Prohibition is an easy choice for sporting it up. The local hot spot has everyday — including game day — shots of Jagermeister and Jack Daniels Honey for $2.43. Hooch Hour runs 5 to 7 p.m. and 10 to 11 p.m. when all draught, bottled beer, house wine and premium rail is $5.09. 

696 Queen St. E.
myprohibition.com

QUEEN'S HEAD PUB

A curious mix of sports bar meets ye olde English pub, Queen's Head is a Leslieville go-to for a casual beer and game-watching. Exposed brick and old-timey knick-knacks share wall space with multiple high-def, flat screen TVs and projectors that bring in a full house on game nights. The wings are the jewel of the menu, and the bar often has tap features. Shots of Jameson, Jim Beam, El Jimador, Jagermeister are $4 everyday.

1214 Queen St. E
queensheadpub.ca

BRASS TAPS

What you see is what you get with Brass Taps. Full of regular faces on any given night, it's a classic Danforth spot to saddle up to the bar for a game. There have a menu of decent pub grub — with their pizza being a fan favourite — and offer daily food specials. Brass Taps also has a pinball machine, Golden Tee and pool tables at the back if you need to stretch it out at the seventh inning. 

493 Danforth Ave.

RALLY SPORTS BAR & SMOKEHOUSE

One of the east end’s only real-deal sports bars, this 7,000-square-foot venue is equipped with over 40 big screen TVs to take in the athleticism at its finest. Watching the game is better when there’s slow cooked wood burning BBQ to go along with it. Open for lunch, dinner and brunch, dig into smoked chicken wings, smoked ribs and pulled pork and brisket sandwiches. A mix of imported and domestic premium beers water things down.

1660 O’Connor Dr.
rallysportsbar.com

BROOKLYN TAVERN

While it's not a sports bar in the true sense, Brooklyn Tavern has always been a big supporter of Toronto's teams. Come here if you want to tuck into an above-par meal and drinks and then slide onto a seat at the bar for the game on two large screens. Bonus: Brooklyn Tavern does a Sunday night roast that pairs well with sports watching. 

1097 Queen St. E
brooklyntavern.ca

MURPHY'S LAW

Murphy’s Law is a solid option for Beachers to settle into the game. The bar pulls 24 taps of craft beer and has over 20 bottles in the fridge, plus a daily $4.50 pour. All the pub classics — and then some — are on the menu here including fish n’ chips, tacos and house-made chicken pot pie.

1702 Queen St. E
fabrestaurants.ca

GABBY'S ON DANFORTH

The Danforth outpost of this Toronto chain has 12 flat screen HD TVs with a full sport package for all of your game-watching pleasures. There's seating for 90 with a separate dining and bar area. The menu has everything from sandwiches to burgers, pizza to wings, with a 12-tap draught selection that doesn't veer to far off the mainstream. Gabby's also has a special deal every night of the week — score!

729 Danforth Ave.

THE DUKE

The Duke doesn't mess around when it comes to big-ticket sports events. The bar has a theatre-size screen for optimal viewing plus lots of TVs around the bar. Duke Stout Duke Pilsner and Budweiser pints just $5, and the bar often has other drink specials on the go. 

1225 Queen St. E
thedukelive.ca

Did we miss your local spot for watching sports? Let us know about it in the comments section below.