Village Genius Pub

Cosy atmosphere but for a European the selection is poor with common beers from UK (Fullers), Belgium and Germany. And more expensive. The Canadian beers (4) are nothing special at all, and common as well. Did not try the food. But, nice atmosphere and good service.

Decent cozy little pub. Nice atmosphere that fills with arts students from OCAD next door. Mostly pints of your average German, British and Belgian on tap. Good place to drink if in area with decent selection, if nothing too exciting.

The Idiot is tucked into a street corner across from the Ontario Art Gallery. In summer, with the windows "rolled up", a nice breeze floats through the tiny room. It’s always crowded here, and seating is very tight, but there is lots to look at in the room (the taps seem to cover most of its length!) and the Dundas streetscape is near enough that it almost has the feeling of an indoor patio. We’re next door to Sin & Redemption (same owner) which is larger and stresses Belgian products, both food and beer. The Village Idiot is more Pub Grub, and I count over 35 taps. My request for a Paulaner Lager on this July 27, 2012 visit was a no-go - out of stock - but I enjoyed my Hacker Pschorr dunkel, Stiegl and King Pilsener (one of only two Ontario "craft" beers I spotted in-house). Most of the choices are from Germany, the UK and Belgium, with a lot of wheat beers on hand. This is not the place to visit if you’re after Ontario Craft brewing options, but they do have Labatts 50 and Bud Light if you want no part of foreign beer! Pints are about $6.60 Canadian, or down to $5.60 for the Belgian goblets such as Delerium Tremens, De Koninck and Affligem Blond. I balanced all my liquids with a plaste of very cheesy nachos, and waddled out the door very happy and satisfied. Recommended for tourists and Art Gallery visitors.

Broad selection and not one bitter beer, not even IPA, in the house. Mostly overpriced run of the mill Belgian and English stuff. Lacklustre staff being preoccupied with friends and greasy food. Only nice thing is that the windows open.

Nice bar with good selection of local and European draft beers. Food is typical pub fare. Not a plaace to go out of your way to go to, but not a bad plaace at all. Close to downtown financial district.

One of three bars owned by the same group, the cornerstone being Sina and Redemption next year. Not so impressed, a little bit of a Cockney bar image, with tshirted staff instead of more elegant dress of S&R, many similar taps, a few more macros. Still not a focus on Canadian craft, a couple of taps that’s all. Longer bar area. Sewer backup smell and yet the windows all open.

Small spot on the corner right next door to Sin and Redemption. Like there, there appears to be way too many table in here for the amount of space. Sort of a nice, chill pubby vibe in the space. A well-chosen selection of beers though. There seems to be quite a few spots within a short walking distance, so it’s worth making this a part of your pub crawl tradition.

Visited in June 2008 during a pub/beer oriented vacation in Toronto. Street corner pub with a traditional woodpanelled interior. Some interesting decorative features within, friendly staff and a fairly mainstream beer range. Outside seating is available and food is served most sessions. Open late (up to 2am), fills up Fri/Sat eves and worthy of a visit, even if only for the atmosphere - attracts passing and local trade. Was my last watering hole in Toronto before catching my flight back to London.