Monarch Tavern

What is Monarch Tavern? Presiding over 12 Clinton Street just south of College Street in Little Italy since 1910, the Monarch Tavern is one of Toronto's most storied and enduring historic taverns. The two-story heritage watering hole features original dark wood paneling, vintage booth seating, and a vintage pool table on the ground floor, while the intimate upstairs space hosts live indie music, stand-up comedy, and private gatherings. It remains an authentic sanctuary of neighborhood bar culture that has gracefully resisted fleeting trends for well over a century.

Monarch Tavern Menu & What to Order Food operations are powered by resident kitchen pop-up Bindi's Burgers, serving elevated pub fare designed to match the bar's rotating local craft draft list. The Double Smash Cheeseburger is a standout, boasting two lacy-edged, deeply seared beef patties draped in molten American cheese, house special sauce, and dill pickles on a squishy toasted potato roll. Fried chicken lovers celebrate the buttermilk chicken sandwich, while tables frequently share baskets of jumbo dry-rubbed wings and truffle parmesan hand-cut fries. Pair your meal with an Ontario microbrew or a classic bourbon cocktail poured by veteran barkeeps.

Know Before You Go The Monarch opens at 2:00 p.m. daily and keeps last call going until 2:00 a.m. every night of the week. Weekday happy hour runs until 6:00 p.m. with exceptional specials on house drafts and rail spirits. The 506 Carlton streetcar drops riders off at Clinton Street right at the corner of College, placing you steps from the tavern's brass-trimmed entryway.