The Toucan in Kingston
76 Princess St, Kingston, ON K7L 5R2, Canada
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Classic Irish pub with stone walls offering pub fare, draught beers, sports on TV & live bands.
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The bartender at the time was the experience. I walked in not knowing what I wanted. He looked at myself and my date and predicted exactly what we would want and what would hit the spot. The wings were flavourful and his recommendation on the blue cheese was spot on. And she could barely finish her sweet potato fries. Would come back for his positive personality alone.
Breakfast is a staple everyday Saturday morning! Love the staff - Bri is our highlight of our week! 10/10 would recommend!
I visited this bar last night with a friend, and unfortunately, our experience was far from pleasant. Upon arriving, we were greeted by a blonde woman (who we later found out was a manager) in a way that felt cold and unwelcoming. After seeing us exit my car, her first question to my friend was: "Do you intend to drink and drive?" She then asked me the same. I responded that I'm planning to have a single glass of beer. Once inside, we noticed that she was talking to all the staff around us where we sat, pointing at us, which made us feel uncomfortable and singled out for reasons we didn’t understand. When we tried to order a pitcher of beer, the bartender informed us that we weren’t allowed to order it, and that the manager had set limits on what both of us could drink, which is one glass of beer each. While I don't blame the bartender, as he was simply following instructions, the entire situation felt insulting to my intelligence and disrespectful. My friend and I couldn't help but feel discriminated against. Even if the manager had concerns about drinking and driving, her actions were heavy-handed and illogical. She didn't take into account that one of us would not be driving OR that we could leave the car overnight OR we could arrange with someone else for bringing the car back home or whatever other scenario as adults who can handle such situations (I'm 45 actually). Her approach felt more like an assumption of irresponsibility rather than reasonable management, and it left us feeling insulted. The situation could have been handled with more professionalism, and I believe an apology is in order.
We visited this restaurant recently with a group of friends. While the poutine was too salty for me, other members of our group enjoyed their meal. The service was decent, but the excessive saltiness affected my overall experience.
While I hate doing this as I've loved the toucan since I was 20... my home away from home. I understand times have changed but I cant tolerate the lack of sensitivity towards people with mobility issues. The toucan has always been my safe place since my strokes...the Only venue I can come in to without my cane and feel safe. Maddy....Bruce....its time for sensitivity training for your staff. Jumping to conclusions that someone is drunk when they walk with little balance is Disgusting. And now I'll spread the word. Your hostess..so unwelcoming and rude. I'm shocked...embarrassed and humiliated and now have to start walking with a cane in public again. Maddy....you should have said something. If you have mobility issues...Don't ever go to the toucan..... they'll toss you out because you're different!!!!!
Excellent food & service!! We were greeted with a smile by the owner after asking if we can eat on the patio with 3 dogs. Since the front patio was closed he happily let us in to the back sheltered patio. The waitress was super nice and helpful and gave our dogs water. The food was very very good. Great pub. Great atmosphere very friendly owner and staff. Great prices.
Had a wonderful experience. Shane really took care of us and made sure we had everything we needed. The French onion soup was the best I've ever had. The steak and mushroom pie was way too salty, but the mashed potatoes and peas made up for it! Will be back for sure!
We attended on Christmas day. It's a small hole in the wall of a pub however it has a great atmosphere and friendly staff. The food we ordered was delicious. Of particular note the fries and gravy weren't overly salty which was awesome. Everything was well cooked and portions were very nice. The alcohol is pricey however Pricing on food is decent and would recommend for a quick bite. Will come back for sure.
I had a very disappointing experience here on Dec 21st midnight just before Christmas, especially since I brought friends who had traveled from far away to enjoy a nice evening together. At first, another friend reconnected but unfortunately, the rude embarrassed service from the male bartender on the basement floor completely ruined the night. From the start, the bartender was dismissive, barely acknowledged us, and acted as though serving customers was beneath them. When I asked for a drink recommendation, they were visibly annoyed and made us feel unwelcome. When my drink came out wrong and I politely asked for a fix, they rolled their eyes and gave a sarcastic response. So my friend only offered a little tip. When I tried order another round,he fiiped his eyes threatening that u guys have wait for a loooong time for our generous tip for no reason . It s embarrassing to bring guests to a place like this, only to be treated so poorly. We had hoped for a festive, welcoming environment for the Christmas vibes, but instead, we left early, frustrated and disappointed. Management should seriously address this kind of behavior it s unacceptable. Won t be returning, and wouldn t recommend this place to anyone looking for any goodness in the city of Kingston.
Toucans are birds I think
The bartenders here are incredibly rude and unprofessional. They lack basic manners and courtesy. When I asked the bartender for a menu, he refused to provide it to me. I explained that I couldn t order without a menu, but he simply shut his shoulders and walked away. I hope the management takes action against this bartender (the tall, grisly-looking one) to prevent him from tarnishing the reputation of the bar.
Average pub, food is ok
Amazing selection of drinks and food. Love their nachos platter. Highly recommended.
Great local pub hangout.
My wife and I love this place. The Toucan is one of those great places that are steeped in atmosphere. We will be back.
One of the worst bars with the rudest staff I ve ever met in my life. Thank god we are from Toronto but if I was subjected to living in this awful city and having this bar as one of the only 2 other options, I would lose my mind. Never coming back again.
Awesome show! What was the name of the band 22 November?
We entered a little by chance, and we were not disappointed. It was cold, needed a break, we went through the doors. We were very well received, the waiter made the effort to speak French with us, which made us very happy. The atmosphere is cool and relaxed, the local beer is good... Im much less cold! Thanks to the Toucan Irish Pub.
One of our favourite pubs in Kingston. Excellent pint of Guinness and uber friendly bar staff.
Another timeless traditiona in the city. Consistent food and service with excellent selection.
Very busy pub!
Felt transported to Ireland it s an experience
Great spot!
a nice place, food as good as the service
Stopped by for beer and wings at happy hour. Great local IPA! Ask for more napkins if youre having wings. Yummy, but messy.
Best pub in Kingston!!!!
Maybe my favourite music venue in Kingston, my second home since 1991
31 august 24. We arrived a group of 5 including 2 kids of 8 and 11 ( nothing crazy....) we called before to make sure the chidren were aloud and they said yes until 11pm we showed up at 9h and the women there received us with the worst attitude i ever experienced and she also said kids are alound until 10h not 11h. ( clearly she didnt want to serve us ) We asked to be outside only 2 table was taken and she said there was no room for us. I was waiting my husband outside and when she showed up outside she was rolling her eyes like she was pist off. We just left. They lost good customer its sad. We went there in the past and was a very good experience but with this one now we will never go back there and we tell other people to dont waist their time to go there.
Great Irish pub
Although this is a great venue to see live music, I highly advise not eating here. The place is just filthy, starting with the bar! Uhg! I only give it three stars for the live music and serving staff. Dont eat here. I am a certified food handler as well, so I have experience in these matters.
Fun spot to spend if you like live music on a Friday night in Kingston. Patio was great too. Cheers!
Amazing food and drinks. Cute patio.
Restaurant is filthy. Very small wings & they were cold. Disgusting.. Do not recommend.. Only thing that was somewhat decent were the fries. Never going back.
To visit without fail
The servers were really friendly. They served food all night, we asked for something to eat at 11pm and that was quite ok. Great crowd, the karaoke singers of the bar were amazing. All together a great experience.
Been a regular here for 25 years. Kingston staple. Great pub.
Great old school pub
The toucan is really cool. The bartenders always seem pretty chill and friendly. Love the old man vibes, reminds me of my cold grandpa who only talked about golf and war. Cool place for a second date too if you want to try to decide on an appetizer you wouldn t expect to get at a little Irish? Pub. Like spring rolls, did not expect that. Also wouldn t recommend them if they re still being sold here but other than that cool cool place. Seen a couple local bands play here as well, always a good time.
The Toucan is a well established bar in downtown Kingston that hosts live music on almost every day of the week! This humble yet satisfying bar is welcoming and warm. It is a great place to have fun with friends, or also a nice place to have dinner with mom.
- Best Guinness Ive ever had - Staff is friendly and hilarious - Much more fun than the student bars - Live music every night Ive been there, but it can start pretty late
Vibes were had this Thursday night. Fun busy Irish pub
Service and drinks are always great here. The wings were good too!
Amazing atmosphere and service and food. No matter what time you come in
Great area. To have a cold beverage ! In town Kingston!
Julia was our server, she is friendly, fast and helpful
Had a good time with a few friends just chilling and doing karaoke
had a very bad experience here. Way too many people. Very crowded. No extra room for anyone. Every time I went to move in my seat. I would either bump into a guest walking by or a waiter/waitress. Had people at my table consistently telling me to watch my back when anyone would walk behind me just so I didnt bump into them. The service was crappy. Waited way too long for our food and once we got our food it wasnt good.
We had so much fun watching live music, as always.
A good bar if you want to watch a Champions League match is here
Great pub for a pleasant chat with locals. Perfect Guinness pints, friendly barmaid and weird gravy on the bangers.
Just for drinks. Friendly atmosphere.
best bar in Kingston for sure
Too many people, service was horrible and food was not good.
Amazing spot! Excellent food and cool atmosphere. I highly recommend the chicken pot pie!
At the top
Iconic Kingston watering hole. You never know who you ll bump into. Saturdays and Sundays, premier league. Nights, bands, darts, music and whatever!
Irish food and drinks feel like comfort food 2service was friendly and quick 3 atmosphere very pub like (friends enjoying themselves ). But loud as people. Trying to talk over each other. The more alcohol consumed the louder. Vegetarian options: You have to be careful if you have food allergies even food sensitiveitys
The breakfast of the two can has been the same for the last 25 years and it continues to be if not the same but even better. Especially when upgraded to the sweet potato fries. As well my waiter was phenomenal. He took my order and came back one time within 2 minutes just to verify and make sure that he had it correct and I hadnt changed my mind about anything. And then the service throughout was amazingly friendly, and attentive, while not being too much. Great waiter. Unfortunately I dont remember his name to give him kudos
Great place for a drink with a bit of life!
A Kingston institution. Many great beers on tap.
Amazing food, beverages and service! We love date nights at Toucan
Still one of the best true pubs around
The burger was burnt on the outside and pink on the inside On one bite, it tasted literally like charcoal. The poutine I had with it was decent though Food
Regardless of being super busy a server found us and got our drink order in relatively quick. Unfortunately we also got food and the wings were inedible, should have saved my money
My favourite pub in Kingston. Affordable drinks and food, friendly staff, great music and atmosphere.
Very well received, kindness, smile, a good meal, a beer in front of the Hochey match. Complement immersed in the traditional. With a warm welcome! Perfect.
Great pub in Kingston....has that old beer smell but hey... its a pub
Amazing service. Food was delicious. Server was extremely friendly.
Had a beer with my girl there. Great pub, reasonable prices. Had the Leafs game playing on the TV
Classic old school bar with live music in one section and bar in another. Hope this place never changes.
A kingston institution. This place has the Irish pub atmosphere down to a science. It hosts excellent music most nights.
Took the BF, was nice. Enjoyed the burger, not fond of children (not their fault tho).
Nice irish pub, reasonable food, good atmosphere, Guinness not great.
What a blast. Met lots cool peaple. And the band rocked . Definitely going to go back. Ps the fish and chips. Soo good
Proper pub with pub atmosphere. Food was pub fayre but very tasty and great service.
Standard pub fare. Great selection of beer on tap.
AND Kingston
Hot sauce is the best
Shane was top notch once again.
Best pub in town.Staff is outstanding show respect and you get respect in return...they always watch your back..
Always a good time!
Went for a Saturday brunch meal. Good food and very friendly service from all the staff. Try it out if you havent been here before. Always lots of live music and a great selection of beers on tap.
Great night out there for live music.
Its all about the service!!!
Great atmosphere. Always run into someone u know here
Was only in town for 1 night, googled best wings and this place was close. Fries were great but the wings were re-heated and smothered in sauce to cover it up. Service was so so not impressed wont be back.
Spent my 26th bday here nice beer n sides
Historic and rustic feel. Great bar and service too.
Very dark. But very cool layout. The history
Great place! Nice atmosphere even if there werent many people. Unlike the rest of the restaurants in the area, the prices are reasonable, for generous and very good dishes! Kind staff on top of that!
The patio is located in a small lane accessible by the side of the bar, and its awesome. Inside, theres an old smell of cigar that seems coming from the carpet.
Ive been searching for this bar all my life!
Great covered patio overlooking the courtyard. Nice hidden spot. We had the personal nachos and a lemon chicken wrap for lunch. Nachos were cheesy and crispy. Wrap was tasty with a side salad. House vinegrette was light and flavourful. Our server was pleasant and had a great smile. Would recommend and visit again! Parking: Street parking is limited but there are several lots in the area.
Great pub if you feel like being ignored by the service staff because you arent a regular or in their circle of friends.
Located right in the heart of downtown Kingston, this is a great pub that caters to all ages. Nice to be in a university town at 30 and not feel geriatric going out for a beer. Live music and patio were the highlights for me!
Beautiful place with a cute interior courtyard and passages on several streets. Fast service, good beers and very friendly waitress.
We spent time in the pub (below) and their outside dining, both offering delightful atmosphere. The draft beer is served in huge glasses & the food is great!
Front bar bartender provided awful service. On our way out called my partner a bitch . Lower bar has better atmosphere.
Food was really good! Loved the chipotle Mac and cheese. Great variety of beers for my boyfriend, and fun cocktail menu for me. The live music was really nice as well to listen to while we ate. We will be back when around the area!
Toucan was my go to place and I ve always recommended it to many of my friends as well. Unfortunately my last two visits have been very poor and the service quality has dropped to zero. We were seated for more than 15 minutes and not a single server had even come to attend us. I believe it was extremely racist of them and I didn t expect this from them. Very disappointed.
Great food and friendly staff. Dog friendly on the patio
Amazing venue - back alley of early ninteenth century limestone Kingston!! The outdoor patio is even a wonderful vantage point for taking photos. However if you are going for good food and friendly service, forget it. The staff that served us were arrogant and had a careless attitude about serving us. After 15 minutes no one even acknowleded our presence. Several walked by, looked at us sitting at an empty table and ignored us. We had to get our server to track our server who after making us wait was actually annoyed with us. To get our second drink is another story that i dont want to waste my time on but it was worse. Bad attitude is bad for business. Kingston has done a lot to promote itself - shame to waste on this type of staff. Compare this to the young ladies working at the ice cream store around the corner; crazy hard working and very cheerful. It ruined our afternoon.
My favorite place in Kingston to go to. Always a good time there. Friendly comfortable atmosphere...
Myself and two friends arrived around 10:30pm. We were seated at a table close to the bar by the front door and were constantly ignored by the wait staff. At 11:01pm the waiter finally came over to take our order. We tried to order a couple of appetizers and we were told we couldnt because the kitchen closed at 11:00. Needless to say, wont be going back any time soon.
Tall red headed kid. Unfortunate and unnecessary negative interaction. Incredibly disappointing as I ve been a fan of the Toucan for over 20 years.
I had the best experience here I ve had in a while. Server jolie helped me with every need and question I had, she made the experience top notch and I recommend this bar to everyone I know! Kid-friendliness: I love jolie!
As cool an atmosphere as it is. The bartender we had was incredibly rude and got our order wrong twice.
Nice bar with a relatively late closing time for the area. Drinks didnt seem too expensive. Will be visiting again in the near future, no doubt.
Nice place for a fresh draft Guiness beer
We ordered the vegetarian quesadillas and nachos and they were both delicious! The staff were delightful and the atmosphere was cozy as well. Would definitely come again! Vegetarian options: Sufficient veg options.
Great spot for some comfort food! Pub vibes.
Food is tasty, service is nice. For families and groups I recommend the patio. It is really cool when there is live music.
Great vibe! Excellent service! Amazing food! Highly recommend Food : 5/5
Toucan is a classic Irish pub that offers a good selection of drinks. The service is usually pretty quick and the food is usually solid. Nothing much to complain about but pretty standard pub so nothing stands out.
Great atmosphere, great food, great staff.
Dropped in yesterday prior to departing for Ottawa, and had an amazing experience. It was a privilege to meet Bartender/server/ supervisor extraordinaire Brie and the cast of colourful patrons who filed in to watch Baseball, NFL and Rugby World Cup. Food was pretty good, but the atmosphere was better. More than enough draft selections. Highly recommend stopping, and would return again in a heartbeat. Brie you re a rockstar keep it up. Wish you the staff and your patrons all the best things in life. Slainte Mhath
Bad experience ever. The girl at the door was a racist and disrespectful. Won.t recommend
Very crowded and full of flies. Other than that had a good time and listened to the band playing at night Parking: Free on weekends. Pay on weekdays
Best ambiance with good bands. I went in after a recommendation and didnt have regrets! I took a great blue burger with a glass of aged spirit liquor. The waiter was very courteous and funny. He became very friendly after noticing we were speaking french.
Always good vibes & good drinks!
Very nice place to chill..
Its a pub. Very pubby.
Friendly staff and good food
Top boozer
Was ok. Good service. Typical bar food. Noisy
Very good atmosphere, friendly bar staff and great selection of drinks.
Always a favourite stop when visiting Kingston
Always a great time at the old Kingston stand by. Amazing band last night!
This is our 2nd time here. The service, atmosphere and food has always been good. Prices and portions are fair. Its a great place to sit back and relax.
There was a lovely bartender i forget her name who let me charge my phone (I had come from hours away for a concert that evening ) great service and was just an overall great meet up spot before a concert. Loved the service, I will be back again next time Im in Kingston.
Wheelchair accessibility: Not an option Food
Exceptional! Loved the live music, great vibe
Great place to hear live music in Kingston. The room is long and narrow but it is cozy and acoustics are good.
This is definitely an interesting place to go. I dont know what to make of it. Its a pub that gets blasted and leaves a pretty dark note, and the locals are interesting.
Fish and chips were awesome
Food is disappointing -can make the same at home. service is basic. Place is dirty, sat at a table which was sticky and gross.place is grimy on Saturday November 25 around 2pm. Hostess was leaning up against the wall when we walked in so not busy. Place should be clean at that time.can find better.
Maybe good for music but not much else. Smells weird.
Honestly this place smells funny. Years and years of old spilled beers. The food was atrocious. Nachoes burnt and looked like processed cheese on them. Nasty. Grilled chicken Ceasar salad .... the chicken was so bland and chewy. Pretty sure it came frozen with fake grill marks and they just pop it in the microwave. The walls downstairs are exposed slate I guess. Super dusty with gaping cracks. Seriously unappealing. Really disappointing experience.
There for a birthday party: staff was great and called patrons by their name, which was nice.