dakota tavern

there is no menu, and the food is all you can eat served ‘family-style’ ($14 for adults and $7 for kids, though our server didn’t charge for me). so the dakota cooks up scrambled eggs, sausage, pancakes and homefries, and slices up some fruit, and serves it up on a big platter in the middle of your table for everyone to serve themselves. for the price, the food isn’t spectacular (to be totally honest, i was too mesmerized by the band to eat much of anything) but it’s good solid fare and we all left suitably stuffed. my favourites were definitely the pancakes and the sausages; orange juice and coffee is included.

this place is one of my favourites! whether for a night out dancing, a muppet inspired halloween act, or sunday blue grass brunch with unlimited food for $17( which includes cover for the band)! this is the place to be. the staff are awesome, friendly and quick. the crowd here is always a mix of everyone and always fun! you're guaranteed to see good music here without a huge price tag or lines of people. definitely check out the blue grass brunch! you won't be sorry!

i was invited out to dakota for some drinks. when i googled where to find it, the photo of the entrance seemed kinda shady to be honest. i went anyway and was happily surprised. although looking grungy on the outside, the inside was kinda country chic. i loved the cheerful christmas lights all around and the bucket seats at the bar were extremely comfortable. the beer selection was also good. 

we were disappointed to find out that they weren’t serving any bar food. apparently they closed down their kitchen and have only a sad prepared/processed food menu which contains a few items, only two of which i could remember - tic tacs and, chips and dip. yep, tic tacs. $4 tic tacs. now i know many people love their brunches. i didn’t inquire to see if they still offer brunch but i don’t see how they could if their kitchen is closed down… the staff however were very friendly and the service was great. they even offered a nearby pizza joint that we could order food from and bring in.

other important things to note: my friday night cover was 10 and the music was hit or miss. 

although everything except the food (because there was none) was quite good, i have to give this place a 1/5 simply because zomato is about food!

dakota is one of the best places i’ve been to in toronto! if you’re into live music, then this is your go-to place! the place has a cad 10 entrance fee and it’s a basement pub. although the place isn’t very big, there is seating available, along with a bar and stools. we sat by the bar. you have an option of beers, spirits and cocktails. what was most amazing about this bar and what’s going to keep bringing me back to this place is the live music that they have! they have bands that keep coming in to play and the atmosphere of the place is electric. the crowd was enjoying the music and dancing late into the night and that’s what attracts you to dakota! this is your perfect friday night spot on the nights you don’t want to get out there and enjoy your typical bars but set the mood going for some good live rock n’ roll music!

from the outside, its a regular looking bar with a bouncer at the door. you walk in and go down a flight of stairs into a grungy looking den covered with christmas lights. a full bar and some seating facing the front of the room where live bands play rock music. this is a sensory overload experience and either you will love it or hate it. i love it and the mac and cheese is really good too.
the service is a hit or miss as they get very busy and the getting the bartenders attention is a struggle.

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good food, good crowd. went on the sunday night of thanksgiving, got there around 9:30pm, place was packed by 10:30pm.

they have veggie friendly options:
veggie burger - awesome but it was reallly big. the patty is vegan, sauce on it is not.
grilled cheese w/guacamole - this was pretty good but small
mac & cheese - with jalapeno havarti and pico de gallo - best mac & cheese i've ever had. i would come back just for this.

music was good for it's theme.

cons: music is excessively loud, much louder than a club. they have no energy drinks or bottled water. very poor ventilation, we had to keep stepping out every half hour because of how hot the place got. it's not very big so if you're not there early the line gets big. even at 1am there was still a line up even though the place wasn't very full anymore, but it was a good thing they held it because it would have gotten much hotter. bars and tables have no coasters or napkins or anyone cleaning them. lean on the bar, get soaked, lean on the table, get soaked.

they took away my side salad when i got up to digest my burger. i hadn't even touched the salad.

kitchen closed at midnight and it took quite some time to get the food (1/2 hour +) but it was well worth the wait, they made it perfectly.

new favorite music venue. this place came recommended by a couple of people my first night in toronto, so i thought it was worth a shot to check out. i got there a little too early and was worried about what i was in for since the crowd was really small. however, once the music started up the place filled up as well. it was a great venue for seeing a live show. small, intimate, and not over crowded like places back home. i hate to say as a ky native that my new favorite bluegrass/folk/americana bar is in toronto, but it is.

didn't try the food, but it sounded good. this place is cash only with an atm inside, so don't expect to start a tab. and if you're from the states, come with cash, b/c the atm may not accept your card.

sunday brunch fun but speedy. on sunday, you get your brunch immediately (fruit, pancakes, sausages, scrambled eggs). the speediness is great if you're hungry, but it means you don't get as long to enjoy the bluegrass. we left shortly after finishing our meal because we felt guilty about the huge line-up at the door.

it's one of those places i'd gladly go to again if asked by a friend... but for me, i think once is enough.