Danforth Pintathlon

The Danforth is one of Toronto's most dining-intensive neighbourhoods, known well for its numerous Greek restaurants. Led by local resident and expert Mark, and under a glowing orange moon, Pintathlon took to the streets to seek out the best that Greektown has to offer. And The Danforth certainly offers some of the best! The Auld Spot takes top honours as the Jewel of the Danforth, with Allen's and the Dora Keogh close behind.

Black Swan

Date visited: March 28, 2005
Score: 45.14


Every neighbourhood has its beer hall, and the Black Swan is it for the Danforth. In fact, only the Midtown Tavern in Halifax tops the Swan in terms of classic beer hall character: lights fully on, no music, and a small lonely TV glowing in a corner. If those clues aren't strong enough clues, the "Hot Nuts" machine gives it away. Average service and rotten beer selection complete the picture. In an effort to be fair, Daryl noted that the Swan might fare better if we were in New Orleans, suggesting that context might be a factor. Perhaps so - but we weren't in Nawlins, so the rating stands!

Pintathletes	Dave	Daryl	Mark	Linda	Karen	Joc	Rui
* Quantity	2	3	3	1	3	2	3
* Quality	2	4	3	1	3	2	2
* Diversity	2	4	3	2	3	2	2
* Capability	2	5	5	4	6	5	6
* Timeliness	5	6	6	5	6	5	6
* Attitude	2	5	4	4	6	4	3
Atmosphere	25	20	30	18	32	20	20
Gut Feel	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	40	47	54	34	59	40	42

Brass Taps

Date visited: March 28, 2005
Score: 69.6


There are a few Brass Taps locations thoughout Toronto, and the Danforth edition is pretty much the same as its cousins elsewhere. Don't let the monicker "pizza pub" fool you - this is a regular pub with decent decor and standard taps. Where BT stood out for us was the prompt and friendly service, perhaps the best in all the Danforth.

Pintathletes	Dave	Daryl	Mark	Linda	Karen
* Quantity	7	6	6	6	7
* Quality	5	5	5	4	6
* Diversity	4	5	4	5	5
* Capability	5	6	6	6	6
* Timeliness	7	7	7	8	6
* Attitude	7	7	7	7	6
Atmosphere	38	32	38	35	40
Gut Feel	-8	-3	0	0	0
Total	65	65	70	72	76

Court Jester

Date visited: March 28, 2005
Score: 67.66



Daryl's first impression of CJ was favourable as he got his Kilkenny served in a Kilkenny glass. A small touch, but frequently overlooked. The Court Jester's strong suit is its numerous taps with decent selection. Beyond that, it's a fairly average location.

Pintathletes	Dave	Daryl	Mark
* Quantity	7	7	7
* Quality	6	6	5
* Diversity	6	6	6
* Capability	4	5	5
* Timeliness	6	6	6
* Attitude	3	5	6
Atmosphere	36	35	30
Gut Feel	0	0	0
Total	68	70	65

The Old Nick

Date visited: March 28, 2005
Score: 61.86


When visiting, you may feel like you've been to The Old Nick before, even if you haven't. That's because you've probably seen everything Nick has to offer a million times beofre. The pint selection is OK, the atmosphere (despite a beautiful curved bar) is typically pubby and is OK, and the service is fine. Despite offering live music (with no cover charge), our consensus was the Nick was a place you'd come to have a serious talk. Pay a visit and you'll see what we mean. And it is worth a visit - there was wide variation in scores among the Pintathletes showing that the Nick worked better for some than for others.

Pintathletes	Dave	Daryl	Mark	Linda	Karen	Joc	Rui
* Quantity	5	5	4	4	4	4	5
* Quality	3	5	4	4	4	4	4
* Diversity	3	5	3	5	4	3	3
* Capability	4	6	7	5	6	6	6
* Timeliness	4	6	6	6	6	6	7
* Attitude	4	5	6	5	6	6	6
Atmosphere	30	33	30	38	38	25	35
Gut Feel	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	53	65	60	67	68	54	66

Gabby's

Date visited: March 28, 2005
Score: 68.5


Another of the Danforth's chain pubs, Gabby's can't decide whether it's a pub or a sports bar. On one hand, there's a small library and dart boards on premises (pub). On the other hand, there are TV screens everywhere and a basketball net on the wall (sports bar). Even though Gabby's was very busy when we visited, the service was fast, attentive and friendly, which puts Gabby's on the upper end of average.

Pintathletes	Dave	Daryl
* Quantity	6	6
* Quality	5	5
* Diversity	4	4
* Capability	5	6
* Timeliness	7	7
* Attitude	8	7
Atmosphere	37	30
Gut Feel	0	0
Total	72	65

Fox and Fiddle

Date visited: March 28, 2005
Score: 61.25



Perhaps the best description of the Fox and Fiddle was Daryl's: "This is a nightclub disguised as a pub". At first glance, the dark rich wood and the sizeable square bar dominating the centre of the room give off pub vibes. But this place is huge - hardly a cosy spot for a pint. High ceilings, wide open space, a large dance floor and a disco mirror ball make F2 a better place for Saturday Night Fever than for your Saturday night pint. 

Pintathletes	Dave	Daryl	Mark	Linda
* Quantity	7	7	7	7
* Quality	5	6	5	5
* Diversity	4	6	5	4
* Capability	4	5	4	4
* Timeliness	7	6	6	7
* Attitude	5	5	4	5
Atmosphere	30	31	28	25
Gut Feel Factor	0	0	0	0
Total	62	67	59	57

Dora Keogh

Date visited: March 28, 2005
Score: 74.67


With a name like Dora Keogh, it's got to be Irish, right? Wooden floor, pannelled walls, Celtic music, even Tayto crisps - all the trappings of a true Irish pub. Yet the DK is far from a quiet watering hole with a couple of bearded guys arguing at the end of the bar. The DK is alive, crowded and energetic, as though the otherwise beautiful pub were overrun with club goers. And it seems to work, as evidenced by the relatively high atmosphere scores, although the lack of table service did it the scores somewhat. Still, a no-miss spot for a pint in the Danforth.

Pintathletes	Dave	Daryl	Mark	Linda	Joc	Rui
* Quantity	5	5	6	5	5	5
* Quality	6	6	7	5	6	5
* Diversity	7	5	6	5	6	5
* Capability	4	6	6	5	6	4
* Timeliness	4	5	6	5	6	6
* Attitude	4	5	5	5	6	4
Atmosphere	43	40	45	40	45	43
Gut Feel	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	73	72	81	70	80	72

The Auld Spot

Date Visited: March 28, 2005
Score: 78.33


The Auld Spot Pub was a surprise. The name suggests a more traditional, stodgy establishment, and the Danforth certainly has better renowned pubs. Still, the Spot was tops for everyone, drawing consistently solid scores across all Pintathletes. Beautiful wooden floors and doors, booths and bench seating, the Spot was as pleasant to look at as it was comfortable to be inside. It really is the atmosphere that makes you want to stay at the Spot, as evidenced by the unanimously 40+ Atmosphere scores. As a result, The Auld Spot is conferred Jewel Status in The Danforth.

Pintathletes	Dave	Daryl	Mark	Linda	Karen	Joc
* Quantity	5	5	5	5	4	6
* Quality	8	7	6	6	6	7
* Diversity	5	6	5	5	5	6
* Capability	5	5	7	5	6	6
* Timeliness	5	6	6	6	6	6
* Attitude	6	5	7	4	5	6
Atmosphere	40	45	42	46	45	48
Gut Feel	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	74	79	78	77	77	85