C'est What

George Milbrandt opened C’est What back in 1988, long before every corner in the city had a craft tap list. Tucked into a subterranean space on Front Street, the original location leans into its history with exposed brick, fireplaces, and pool tables. It’s a reliable spot for live acoustic sets and trivia nights that doesn't try too hard to be anything other than a solid local pub. The brand recently expanded into the St. Lawrence Market itself, where the new brewing outpost offers a more open-air experience with a patio and retail space, designed specifically to let you grab a pint alongside whatever food you’ve picked up from the market vendors upstairs.

Stick to the cellar location if you’re after the classic, dimly lit pub experience. The menu is heavy on comfort food, with the butter chicken poutine being the obvious, albeit heavy, choice if you’re settling in for a few rounds. The tap list remains strictly Canadian, and they keep a decent selection of Ontario VQA wines on hand if you’re not feeling beer. It’s the kind of place that feels exactly the same whether you’re ducking in to escape the winter chill or killing time before a show, provided you don't mind the lack of cell service in the basement.