The Monk's Table

The Monk's TableThe Monk's Table
The Monk's TableThe Monk's Table
Bar, Eatery

1276 Yonge St
Toronto, Ontario, M4T 1W5
Canada

// CLOSED //

Formerly The Abbot On The Hill.
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.84
Reviews:
7
Ratings:
7
pDev:
8.07%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews.
Photo of eberesford
Reviewed by eberesford from Canada (ON)

3.79/5  rDev -1.3%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 3.75 | food: 3.5
New management: Beer still good, food selection more limited...

My daughter introduced me to this place a few months ago. It offers a good and varied range of European and craft beers on tap. Excellent food with creative takes on some pub favourites, and good service. Have been back twice since.
Sep 27, 2017
Photo of cratez
Reviewed by cratez from Canada (ON)

4.13/5  rDev +7.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
EDIT - Feb 2012: had the pleasure of being served by owner Adam Grant and what a difference it made. This guy really cares about providing his patrons with a quality experience. Was glad to try two beers that I hadn’t sampled before and the lady and I were very satisfied with our meals. Food prices were better than before. Recommended.

2010 Review: The Monk’s Table is a cozy two-floor pub and restaurant located near the Summerhill LCBO and not too far from Granite Brewery on Eglinton.

When my girlfriend and I came here on a Sunday evening, the atmosphere was dimly lit with lots of people chatting it up by the bar. As soon as we walked through the door we were greeted by a friendly bartender, who informed us that a quieter setting was available upstairs. We took him up on his offer and were not disappointed. The second floor is much more spacious than downstairs and our window-side table had a nice view overlooking Yonge Street.

For appetizers we went with the melted cheese and dark beer dip, as well as some chicken drumsticks that were glazed in a spicy marinade. Both dishes were tasty and well presented, though perhaps a bit pricey (over $25) for the small portions.

The beer selection falls short of what you can find at the city’s top beer bars - barVolo, beerbistro, and C’est What? - but is very impressive in comparison to most other pubs in Ontario. I noticed La Trappe Quadrupel, Urthel Hop-It, Erdinger Weissbier, and Fuller’s London Porter on tap, with Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor and Noel, Adnams Bitter, and De Struise Pannepot in bottles. I ordered a pint of Fuller’s Chiswick Bitter while my girl had a glass of sauvignon blanc.

Unfortunately our waitress was a bit withdrawn. As we came up the stairs the two servers realized they would have to end their discussion, if only briefly, and they didn’t seem too happy about it. However, everything arrived at the table in reasonable time and the girl did a commendable job of leaving us alone while we ate.

In sum, this place is a great spot if you’re in the mood for European craft beer and above average pub grub. Also, several of the Monk’s taps and bottles are not sold in packaged format at the LCBO or TBS, so it gets extra points for pushing a limited range of rare premium stuff.
Dec 06, 2010
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Reviewed by Tut from New York

3.2/5  rDev -16.7%
vibe: 5 | quality: 1 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
I've stopped by this place whenever I've been in the area since it was the Abbott On The Hill. I like the atmosphere and the emphasis on European beers and I've had some good meals there as well. I do have one MAJOR problem with it though. The previous reviewer mentioned their having cask Fullers London Porter. Not so - it's a FAKE handpump serving the keg version under low gas pressure. It's a complete SCAM! I was there last October and questioned one of the owners about it. He claimed it wasn't deceptive because they didn't call it cask on the menu or chalkboard. When asked why he's using a fake pump, he said it was to have something that "looked different". That's absolute bullshit! The only purpose of a fake handpump is to fool people into thinking they serve cask ale. The owners know full well what they're doing. Fake handpumps, always serving Fullers beers, have appeared in other Toronto pubs as well. See my thread on The Bartowel website re: the fake pump at the Twisted Kilt. I would have rated the quality much higher without the fake pump. I won't spend my money in a pub that intentionally deceives it's customers.
Jan 18, 2010
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Reviewed by CAMRAhardliner from Canada (ON)

4.15/5  rDev +8.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
The Monk's Table is an intimate, cozy gastro pub located in central downtown Toronto. Dimly lit, with low volume blues and jazz music reverberating off the wood panelled walls and bevy of small tables, the atmosphere is very relaxing and low key.

The owners are dedicated to good beer. There are many European taps including Weihanstephaner Hefe, Urthel Hop It, Belhaven Best Bitter and Fullers ESB. Fuller's Porter was on cask when I was there (very lovely!). A select, high quality list of Belgian and English bottles includes several of the Gouden Carolus range. The food is high quality pub fare. I had fish and chips and the Halibut was very thick cut and expertly fried with a light batter. My friend had what looked like fantastic Beef Vindaloo. There's a 5 course beer and food pairing weekly, further demonstrating the owner's interest in fine beer.

The service is good, not rushed and friendly enough. One waiter was very knowledgeable of the beer selection. The quality of which was very good in my experience, fresh and served in proper glassware.

Overall, I recommend this place. Tastey food and a very nice beer list. Could have a bit more of a North American presence IMO. Also the place could be more well lit.
Jan 18, 2010
Photo of mrmanning
Reviewed by mrmanning from Canada (ON)

3.88/5  rDev +1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
At the recommendation of Dougshoemaker, our group had dinner here. A nice selection of bottles and draught accompanied a comfy atmosphere. Service was very good. I ordered a Chiswick Bitter and then a Hop It. Both in proper glassware with accompanying knowledge from the staff. These guys are serious about their beer.I ordered a burger for dinner and it was a fresh patty with a delicious slaw and tasty frites. The specials looked great too. I'll come back to spend some more time next time I am in town.
Nov 14, 2009
Photo of bobsy
Reviewed by bobsy from Canada (ON)

4.05/5  rDev +5.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5
Re-review: I've been down to the Abbot a bunch of times now, and I've concluded this is a pretty damn good bar, with enthusiastic and dedicated management. The lineup is still all imports, which is their niche, but since my first visit they've got in some very interesting bottles. They're also planning on doing weekly tasting events, which will be a welcome addition to the scene, and help to educate people in good beer.

Old review: I have to agree that this bar shows a lot of promise. I've eaten there with my wife a couple of times, and we've both been impressed with the quality. The curry, in particular was outstanding, and this joint is definitely a cut above regular pub fair. The beer selection is geared towards the European scene, and word is they are expanding their bottle selection to bring in a number of Het Anker beers. The atmosphere is quite nice, and has a slightly upmarket feel to it, which isn't surprising considering the neighbourhood. Lots of aged wood, and an olde worlde feeling.
Jul 07, 2009
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Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

3.7/5  rDev -3.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
This relatively new place has only European taps,the only bar doing this in Toronto, and in which are a couple of German and a Koningshaven quad, and about four UK, plus two hand-pumps. Adam says there are 17 taps altogether.
Their bottle selection of 15 at any time is noteable for Toronto, however almost all are LCBO-available. To their credit, they have been plugging in to the beer scene and offering something unusual in December in an entire Het Anker lineup,w hich will be released in stages. So there will be a return trip.
There are two levels of small bar and some tables, so it is comfortable likely until supper time and not on he weekends. Staff is service-oriented and the place has potential. Near the Summerhill LCBO, one of the province's flagships for beer and hard liquor. Very good location for most of the city that ios not or does not want to go downtown on nights and weekends.
Dec 08, 2007
The Monk's Table in Toronto, ON, Canada
Place rating: 3.84 out of 5 with 7 ratings