Best of Toronto
The Best Cheap Drinks in Toronto
The best cheap drinks in Toronto are perfect for those nights when you just want to get... a few decent drinks in you without breaking the bank. What? What did you think I was going to say? The places offering the cheapest drinks in the city don't rival the Ritz in terms of sophistication, that's for sure, but they do usually come with a charming atmosphere all their own. Nevermind drinks you can pay for with loose change — that's the real plus. While some spots on this list offer certain specials on particular days, you can count on any of the bars or restaurants on this list to leave you with a little extra cash in your pockets at the end of the night. Unless you just down twice as many drinks. Here is the list of the best cheap drinks in Toronto.
See also:
The Best Cocktails in Toronto
The Best Beer Selection in Toronto
The best pubs in Toronto
The Best Places to Drink a Pitcher of Beer in Toronto
The best new bars in Toronto 2011
The Rhino
So, the service isn’t quite up to Four Seasons standards. Whatever. With bottles starting at $3.80, I’ll shine my own shoes, thank you very much. The Rhino is an old faithful on the Parkdale cheap drinks (and food) scene, with an incredible selection of bottled beers and pints priced at $4.75. You’ll have enough left over for that famed Rhino burger, I’m sure. Pitchers push $13. More »
Wide Open
Wide Open is cheap drink heaven depending on the day. It offers 2-for-1 $10 pitchers on Mondays, $3.00 rail drinks and domestic bottles on Sundays, $4.50 pints on Wednesdays and much, much more. But the pièce de résistance for this downtown cheap-drink-gem is definitely its Happy Hour Thursdays (from 5p.m. to 8p.m.) when all drinks are priced at $2.50. Yes, EVERYTHING. Best to mark it in your calendar right now. More »
Java House
Score one for the great side patio, and two for ridiculously good prices. I’m not sure exactly how Java House manages to turn a decent profit with bottles starting at $3.20 and pints at $4.40, but I’m happy to hand over the loose change I find in my pockets in any case. Summertime, of course, means a pitcher split between friends, which will set you back all of $11.50. More »
Einstein’s
Einstein’s is a student favourite, so naturally the prices are budget-friendly. The pitchers are the cheapest around at $10 on any given day, along with bottles starting at $4.00 and pints and rail drinks at $4.25. That’s pretty good, but the smartest of Einstein’s customers (the Einsteins, if you will) show up on Thursday between 3p.m. and 9p.m. for the $1.00 off Litresteins. More »
Sneaky Dee’s
You’ll need more than a single beer to wash down a huge Sneaky Dee’s plate of nachos, and its bottles and pints are priced with that fact in mind. A pint will cost you $4.50 any day of the week, plus bottles starting at $3.50 except on Wednesday when they’re a cool three bucks. And though you typically don’t think of cocktails when you think of Sneaky Dee’s, you might start to if you know you can get them for $3.75 each. More »
The Green Room
While it has had a bit of a murky past, The Green Room is one of those places you can count on for super-cheap drinks. Uh, when it's open, that is. Can't beat bar rail drinks for $3.25, as well as martinis for an unheard of $3.50. Pints start at $4.25, bottles at $3.50, and pitchers at $11.95, though The Green Room experience is one that's truly priceless. Right, Toronto Public Health? More »
Labyrinth Lounge
Three is the magic number at Labyrinth, a number that will bring you all sorts of alcoholic joy depending on the day. Friday it’s Jameson whiskey shots or mixed drinks for $3.00, followed by Absolut shots and mixed drinks on Saturday, and $3.00 draught on Sunday. Plus rail Thursdays and Amsterdam pints and shots of Wiser’s throughout the week. So, pretty much, there’s no reason to leave. More »
Cloak and Dagger
Cloak and Dagger has over 20 beers on tap, but the one you really want is the one priced at $4.00 a pint. Am I right, university students? A watering hole in every essence of the name, you can sit in the dark and share a beer with friends for just $12 for a pitcher. Or $5.50 for a mixed drink, just to stray from the crowd. More »
Nirvana
Mmm, mimosa. Brunch at Nirvana is not complete without a $4.75 mimosa to go with that eggs Benny. But it gets even cheaper the later you come, with bottles of beer starting at $3.95 every day except Wednesdays, when domestic bottles are priced at $3.25. Count on $3.50 rail drinks on Thursdays, too, with shooters at the same price on Fridays and Saturdays. Plus $6.25 martini Mondays, if you’re classy like that. More »
Pour Boy
Excuse the pun, in this case. Despite its Koreatown location, students have discovered and adopted Pour Boy as their own. Cheap eats can be paired with even cheaper drinks here, with bottles and pints both starting at $4.80, and pitchers going for $14. Mixed drinks at Pour Boy are (a seemingly pricey?) $6.25. More »
The Madison
Known as “The Maddy” to those who know and love its Thursday drink specials (meaning mainly upper-year undergrads, but I digress). Domestic bottles and rail drinks are $3.50 on Thursdays, with bottles starting at $4.00 every other day, and pints starting at $4.75. With prices like these it’s no wonder it gets so rowdy in the Piano Room when the fratboys are in attendance. More »
Bistro 422
While it has raised its prices slightly over the past couple of years, Bistro 422’s $11 pitchers are still among the cheapest on this list (and dirt-cheap by any other standards). It’s a bit of a dive, yes, but that’s all part of Bistro 422’s irresistible charm. Or maybe that’s just from the $11 pitchers, too. If you choose to go it alone, bottles start at $4.50 and pints at $5.00. More »
Duffy’s Tavern
Can’t get enough of that wonderful Duff-y’s Tavern. Duffy’s sets the bar high (or should that be, “low?”) with its $3.50 bottles every day, but the real deals are the daily specials. Monday are for beer-lovers with $10 pitchers, followed by $4.00 tequila Tuesdays, Wellington pints for $4.75 on Wednesdays and so forth. And for the Caesar-fiends (guilty), Sundays are your days with $4.00 for the drink. More »
The Lakeview
Another mimosa haven! Your mother’s favourite drink is $3.00 all the time, which definitely makes up for the lack of pitchers of beer at the restaurant. Other stellar all-the-time deals include Caesars, mixed soda drinks, and Jameson’s for $4.00, as well as a rotating roster of draught beers, also priced at $4.00 a pint. Pft. Who needs pitchers? More »
Dog’s Bollocks
The pub with, perhaps, the least enticing name happens to offer some of the best prices on booze. Worth it? Certainly. Domestic bottles start at just $3.00 with pitchers priced at $11 and up, and mixed drinks from the rail at $4.00. With the window open in the summertime and a evening lost in terrible karaoke, Dog’s Bollocks offers an easy budget-friendly choice. More »
Crooked Star
Crooked Star is pretty consistent with its $6.00 pints and $5.25 mixed drinks, but the best deals to be had are on specific days of the week. Mondays are for Rolling Rock tallboys priced at $4.00, followed by $4.50 rail drinks Tuesdays, $5.00 draught Wednesdays, and bottles of Labatt 50 for $3.50 on Thursdays. Have a few of those, and that star will suddenly staighten out. More »
Margret Bar
If you’re in the Junction and feel like a trip down broke-student-lane (or else, you’re a broke student), Margret offers Old Mill tallboys and whiskey sours for just $3.50 during Happy Hour from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Just like the dorm, minus the bad house music. At all other times, it’s tallboys ($5.75), bottles ($4.75) and retro furniture all the way. More »
Linsmore Tavern
Dollar draught! Well, to be precise, Linsmore offers a seven-ounce glass of Labatt 50 for $1.15. So not exactly a dollar or a standard pint, but it has a nice ring to it, no? This bar is certainly a haunt for the locals, but it welcomes anyone who is keen on $5.25 draught, $3.50 bottles, or else, anyone who can properly work the touch screen jukebox. While not a place for pitchers, you can opt for a mixed drink for $4.50. More »
Done Right Inn
A stronghold for Trinity Bellwoods locals, Done Right Inn is the perfect spot to bask in a pint on the patio. In the summer, that is. Damn Canadian winters. Anyway, pints here start at $5.50, with bottles at $4.00 and mixed drinks at $4.25. Best of all, if you’re short on change, you can legit pay with Canadian Tire money. Better start saving those $0.05 bills. More »
The Gem
Never modest, The Gem has been around for over 25 years and counting, and it has let its drink prices lag in terms of catching up. The great atmosphere and super service is only enhanced by the reasonable prices, which include pitchers for $13 and change, and bottles starting at $4.25. And while you never quite know what you’ll find on tap, you can rely on the bill of $6.00 a pint. More »
The Henhouse
What better to pair with those beans n’ wieners or grilled cheese and tomato soup than a $3.50 Labatt 50 on special? (I know what you’re thinking, but c’mon, we’re talking comfort food.) Alright, if Labatt’s not your taste you can take your pick of pints or bottles starting at $6.00 and $4.50 respectively, or opt for whatever is draught is on special for $5.00 for a pint. More »
Discussion
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When I click on Duffy's Tavern, it displays a french bakery.
And a pizza and 4 beers for 20 on thurs. crazy. I don't go there but that a good predrink ya smell me?
My suggestion: there are some great Ethiopian restaurants along that part of Danforth that serve bottled domestic for $4 which is pretty cheap. For about $12 more, you can get a huge plate of food enough for two. What's not to love about that?
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