Legendary downtown Toronto bar closes permanently after almost 30 years
A bar that's been a cornerstone of one Toronto neighbourhood for more than 20 years has closed permanently.
Toronto, like any major city, exists in shades of flux. Each season brings with it a seemingly infinite number of shiny new businesses while, necessarily, an equal number of longstanding favourites close their doors.
Most recently, it's been the likes of U of T favourite Prenup Pub, the Mandarin location at Yonge and Eglinton, the Imperial Pub, and Filmores.
A lover of all things longstanding in the city (except, perhaps, the still-unfinished Eglinton LRT), it pains me to be the bearer of bad news, but another local institution was just added to the list.
As of Jan. 19, 2026, Toronto's last remaining Bier Markt location, the chain's flagship on The Esplanade, is closed permanently. Well, it was a chain. Now all that remains is a sole location in Ottawa.
The bar opened its original Toronto location for business in 1999, a hop and skip from the buzzy St. Lawrence Market area and a few blocks from Union Station, making it an ideal haunt for pre-game drinks or get-togethers.
In 2017, the bar closed for a short period of time to undergo a revamp, at which point Chicago-based brewery Goose Island took over part of the beer house's footprint to open its first Canadian brewpub.
In late December 2025, Goose Island announced it would be closing its Toronto location; not a month later, Bier Markt followed suit.
"To our loyal Bier Markt Esplanade guests," an Instagram post shared by the bar's Instagram account on Monday, Jan. 19 reads, "we have officially closed our doors at 58 The Esplanade."
The post offers no explanation as to why the bar decided to halt operations after nearly three decades, opting instead to thank the scores of patrons who made Bier Markt a destination in the city for so long.
"It has been an honour to be part of this community," the post reads. "Thank you for everything. Prost!"
Bier Markt was formerly located at 58 The Esplanade.
Bier Markt
