Longstanding Toronto brewery opens second location a block away from the first
One of Toronto's original craft breweries just expanded its footprint in the city with a new location, but it's only a 2-minute walk away from the original.
Front Street East brewpub C'est What? is situated so close to St. Lawrence Market that it's nearly impossible to visit the market without walking by it. If someone were to ask what neighbourhood it's in, it makes more sense just to reference the market than its nearest cross street.
It's a location that evidently works: the brewery has been a downtown fixture for nearly 40 years, opening in 1988.
It's no small feat to keep a business alive for one decade in this city, let alone four, so it only makes sense that C'est What? would, eventually, try its luck with expansion, and, in early April 2026, that's exactly what it did, finally opening its second location in the city.
That said, we're all familiar with the saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," and that must also be true for the team at C'est What? as, instead of branching out to new neighbourhoods in the city, they instead opted to open the new space just steps away from the first.
This time, though, it's actually located inside St. Lawrence Market, rather than steps away from it.
The new location isn't a carbon copy of the original, however. In addition to C'est What Brewing at the Market's new taproom, retail space and patio on Market Street, it also welcomes shoppers to bring the food they purchased upstairs into the taproom and let its staff suggest beer pairings.
A local pilsner with a chicken parm sandwich? Dreams really do come true!
Over at the original location, the brewpub serves its own menu of pub staples, from calamari to club sandwiches, so proximal though they may be, each location has its own unique identity.
Though the proximity is truly staggering, when you're packed with pasteis de nata and peameal bacon sandwiches, I suppose saving on those few extra steps for a pint to wash it all down really would make all the difference.
You can visit C'est What?'s original location at 67 Front St. E., or find the new taproom in the basement level of St. Lawrence Market.
Hector Vasquez
