This is a cozy bar with a few tables, great staff and awesome beer. When we were there they had live music. I would totally recommend it. read more

Castro's Lounge - In to chill - Pubs Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Great spot in the Beaches for late night drinks, consistently open late 7 days a week. Friendly bartenders that will remember your name. There's a reason it's stood the test of time in a challenging neighbourhood. read more

Hot Summer Night+Beers+Live Jazz Music+Friends = A Winner at Castro's Lounge After walking for hours in the hot summer sun, I am so ready to chill, and I decided to leave my friends at the beach and come to Castro's for some beer! Great Selections of Beer both in bottles, drafts and casks I ended up trying: Maredsous 10 ($9.35) - winner Mort Sub Gueuze ($9.35) - meh Piraat ($7.50) - winner Lindemans Framboise ($16) - overpriced, only if you really like beer extra fruity and ultra carbonated! The Jazz Band Mediterranean Star is lively and entertaining, everyone really enjoys their performances. Love the coziness of Castro's Lounge. The crowds are laidback and friendly. I can stay here and drink beers the whole night Burp! Where are my friends? read more

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If you like HUGE beer selections, hot bartenders and.... Anthony... Check out Castro's! Dope vibes, great tunes and tasty dranks! catch me there when I'm not supporting my soccer star son. kisses, soccermom55 read more

Castro's Lounge - Pubs Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

It would seem a little over zealous to grade a place 5 out of 5 but I think Castro's warrants it. Even on the holiday evening it wasn't that busy, which makes think why I'm even bothering drafting a review, lets keep it all mine! Its a Mecca for beer snobs, they have a wonderful selection of brew and casks, and make a beer lover of anybody as they don't really carry anything that's familiar in the suds department. The atmosphere is so genuinely cool, the name spells it all out with dictators all over the walls. There's a live band that plays often and they're very good, the crowds are mature and know what they're in for at Castro's. You'd think their food would be typical pub dare but it isn't, its a tad Cuban. Wide selection of burritos (vegan and veggie options available) with rice bowls and a nacho platter for all you nacho-holics. Seriously, their nachos are worth a try.... Mmmmmm. read more

Castro's Lounge - Typical view from inside - Pubs Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Some bars just have that "It" factor. You can feel it when you walk in. When I come to Castros, first thing I do is make a beeline to the beer fridge. They've always got a wonderful, vast selection of local and imported beers, to suit whatever mood you're in. The walls are covered with photos of famous musicians, activists and iconoclasts throughout time. Makes for good conversation starters. Clientele is a nice mix of different demographics. Young and hip, old and wise. There is an air of inclusion here, as if everyone from all walks of life are welcome. There's also an air of timelessness. I don't think this place would look terrible different thirty years ago. Service is super nice, and they always have AMAZING live music. No dickin' around. read more

This place has potential (cool live music!) but my visit here was ruined by b1tchy waitress #1. She was super rude to begin with. My friend's coke had no syrup (tasted like carbonated water) and when I politely went up to the bar to have it switched, she said "well if I pour him another one, it will be the exact same." No offer to do anything about it or to give some other kind of drink. Major scowl on her face despite me trying to be friendly and polite. Annoying. Anyway, crappy waitstaff aside, this is a little hole in the wall with lots of pics of Castro and from Cuba. Bathrooms in the basement very clean (bonus). Awesome selection of beer. I don't recommend the coke. read more

What an adorable little spot! This place is full of character, and full of characters. Definitely a place that's adored by its regulars, and delights new visitors. It's small, warm, and has a bit of a country vibe to it. Impressive bottled beer selection, and the service is prompt and friendly. We were entertained by a great 3 piece band that included an upright bass....the music was lively, fun, and pretty darn country. They even did a Kenny Rogers cover - yee-haw! Now here is the best bit. The entire menu, which I believe has been completely overhauled over the years, is 100% vegetarian, and can accommodate vegans and even gluten-free folk!! Our table had the nut meat burrito, nachos with beans & Daiya 'cheese', chilli with Daiya (they even brought me gluten free tortilla chips instead of the flatbread it comes with), and another one of the burrito selections that I can't remember. The quinoa bowls also sound creative and delicious, so I might try one of those next time. The chef clearly puts some serious thought into making meals that are satisfying, unique, and can please veggies and meat eaters. This is not 5 star food, but it's a great twist on pub food, and pretty exciting for a vegetarian crowd. I liked this place right away, and if lived closer, I would definitely stop by regularly for some grub and country tunes. read more

Celebrating ~Fourth of July~ @Castro's Lounge. Happy Independence Day. Q =- I wonder how many Americans have said that sentence before? Great selection of Beers on Menu. Good-to-Great one-personnel service. Great Castro-theme Lounge spot. Good-to-Great Beer availability onsite. Great variety daily Local live Music. Good-to-Great Beach 'hood East-end Bar. Let's call this one Third.Fifth of July. 3.5'd read more

One of the most chill places to grab a pint and look at pics of communism. Fidel would likely be at Castros drinking Hacker-Pschorr German beer if he were hanging out in the beach and he'd be eating one of their tamales. When I ordered my tamale the server told me with a curious look, "the leaf is not edible". After being absolutely sure that the leaf (which is used to cook it) was indeed el classico (as fibrous as birch bark) I replied: "someone has tried to eat this"? He replied "you would be surprised how many". The tamale was amazing and both the regular and vegan nachos are awesome. There's often live music even quite early after work, stop by and see how awesome it is. read more

This would be a 4.5 review if that were possible. And read below. We're trying to be honest. It goes up or down once we have the food. But, it has beer. Good beer. Great selection. It's a rarity. Ok, I confess, we have a personal connection to Castro's Lounge and we might possibly know one of the owners. BUT, aside from that - we are Beer Drinkers. And we really, really like Castro's. It has atmosphere. It has a low-key, yet eccentric clientele. It has friendly staff. But most of all - it has Beer. Good Beer. Microbrew Beer! Local Beer! And they know their beers! This is one of maybe 8 or so place in all of Toronto I recommend for Beer Drinkers like ourselves. if you are a Beer Drinker, you should go. They do DJ's and music regularly. Good stuff. It's ambiance. - they also serve some food. We have heard good things about their wings, and will likely try them next time. We liked the DJ, didn't have the food... We go for the Beer! read more

Castros is a fun little pub in the eastern Beaches area. However it is a little out of the way of most Beaches traffic. The decor is just fun and great for those into history and political science would have a field day for all the topics the decor would bring up. Very friendly wait staff. Small environment and great for those who like have meaningful conversations. It's bain is it's location is not in the heart of the beaches, it's small size (which is also a plus for some) it's food menu is questionable. read more

Small place with a great atmosphere. Service was good. We picked a crazy day to attend as we had people with bells and wooden poles dressed in white do dances for us. I tried to get a youtube video of this but couldn't find one. The group of 8 would take over the sidewalk, dance, smash each others wooden poles (I know that sounds wrong) and then come into the bar to drink more beer before repeating again. There was someone with them providing music accompaniment. I had the nachos with chorizo which was quite tasty. I believe this bar is/was owned by the same owners as Sarahs at Coxwell and Danforth. Great selection of beers on tap. We were there for about seven hours so got to take in a live band at the end of the night too. Good spot!! read more

The Toronto Lover system: 5 stars = Must visit! 4 stars = Really good. I take my friends here. 3 stars = Somewhat worth it... if you have nowhere better to go. 2 stars = Below average. Attend only when necessary. 1 star = Do not visit! Castro's is a great little bar with a reasonable variety of beers on tap and good service. It's a nice space for a group, or just to sit for a bit and have a drink. There's a reason it's popular. 4 stars read more

Came here on Wednesday we weren't really expecting live music cos usually its always just weekends. Its nice and cozy.

What a pleasant surprise this place was. Despite having lived in the neighbourhood for years - and gone by maybe several hundred times - we never thought of looking inside. Then I noticed a sign for a vegetarian brunch advertised on the chalkboard outside, and just a couple of days earlier, it had come up in a search for Cuban restaurants in the city (inspired by the movie Chef with Jon Favereau - a must-see for foodies.) I started with a Bloody Mary, while my wife enjoyed enjoyed a coffee (the house brew is local favorite, the Remarkable Bean). There's an extensive menu of craft brews and ciders, and a more than decent wine list. For our mains, my wife ordered the poutine - roasted potatoes, cheese blend, pico de gallo and something called huancaina sauce, topped with poached eggs. I opted for the breakfast burrito, nicely filled with eggs, fresh veggies and black beans. I could have done with slightly less egg, and more avocado. The food was fresh, delicious and plentiful. The decor is funky, the walls festooned with glam shots of world leaders, various rebels (or heroes, take your pick) and a soundtrack hand picked by the server and featuring a nice selection of everything from Latin jazz to Paul Simon. We didn't have dessert, and the total bill clocked in at just less than $40. We'll definitely be back. (PS hey owners, please make your web site more mobile friendly. Thanks.) read more

Amazing beer selection, the best nachos in town and great live music every night. What else could one want?

Great atmosphere, and great live music. Unfortunately they are no longer serving food? It's a recent change and hopefully a temporary one - their burritos especially are much lamented. So, no longer a place to grab a bite but if you want a drink of something they have a terrifically vast selection to choose from, whether you're looking for beer or tequila. The cozy vibe will make you want to settle in and stay a while. read more

This is a great low-key brunch spot for warm summer afternoons on Queen East. Overall the food was quite good and prices were reasonable, which is a refreshing contrast to some of the other places nearby. Service was friendly and efficient and it looked like the place sees a steady stream of patrons all day long. The bathrooms are traditional Toronto basement style (ick), but I give them props for the mash-up of political and pop culture artwork and photos covering every square inch of wall space. read more

Good eats, fabulous beer, eclectic crowd and cool washrooms....This is not for Labatts Blue drinkers! If you want to hear some great music, Jerry Leger plays every Thursday. read more

Damn, I don't want to tell people about the spicy butter paneer rice with my half-pint King's European-style lager. I want this place to stay cool and low-key and not get crowded! read more

Cozy atmosphere. Can get loud when the band is playing. A very large selection of beers from around the world. Definitely worth checking out! read more

The best place to go for a beer in the Beach. Cool atmosphere and seriously good nachos.

Weird clientele. We didn't have food. Cask selection. Great can/bottle selection. There's live music most times.

Hands down the best selection of beer in the Beaches. The casks and rockabilly/country/folk/blues music flow at Castros. Nice veggie menu if you want a bite to eat. The crowd skews older and slightly rumpled. A good chillled out place to drink with friendly servers. read more

My favourite bar in the entire city! Lesser known fact they carry chess boards in the back, so me and my friend will always play chess while having a drink. If you're looking for a good new beer to try ask for the Kwak. read more

Live music every night and amazing beer selection. Winning!

A fun little bar! Don't order anything adventurous off the menu - the pub grub is fine, and the beer is good. The whimsical decor and the regulars are the fun part. read more

Love the deal on cask pints on Saturday. Staff need to be a bit more welcoming. Great pub...though small. read more

This has become one of our favorite new Sunday brunch places. It is nothing fancy, but it has an interesting solid, vegan friendly menu. The staff has been amazing. It is the perfect end to our beaches bike ride. read more

Great little bar and a fun place to reminisce about the good old days when we add 20,000 nuclear warheads aimed at us. The service, live music (DJs on weekends), beer selection and food are all excellent. read more

I love Castros! So many beers to pick from. Friendly service, live music and delicious vegetarian food!! Pleasant atmosphere. The only thing I can complain about is that both times I went, my beers could have been colder. Turn up your fridge people! read more

Really nice beer selection, but the waitress was clueless about it. Also, when we arrived there was a travel company pitching their service pretty much the entire time we were there. I imagine there aren't usually commercials running in the bar, but it would have been nice if the staff has warned us about it before we ordered. Otherwise, the bar was pretty cool looking and might be a good time, but this was definitely not a good day. read more

Gem of a little bar. Live music 5 days a week and awesome beer selection in bottles and on tap make it a must stop.

This is one of my fave places to go after 10 pm for a beer and little interesting music and a chance to bump into a neighbor and chat for a bit. Did I forget to mention the beer and food? The beer is well selected, especially strong in Belgian, Ontario and Quebec. I usually have a Quebec oat stout, which is really tasty. The food is vegetarian, which is a nice way to choose a specific clientele (an eclectic mix of ages and social backgrounds, minus the kind of people who like junk beer and junk food at a sports bar). The food also reframes the pub feel, since it's part of defining the evening as part of a sipping experience, not a guzzling one. The wall poster collection is one of the best in town, and serves as a bit of a history lesson of famous agitators of the last hundred years. I like the fact that the place supports so many indy musicians. Every neighborhood needs a place like this. read more

Worst service ever! The live music was the only redeeming quality but our extraordinarily rude server made our first experience at this place, our last. read more

This is a great beer bar in the Beach!! They have a great selection of craft beer and cask beer. There's almost too much to choose from (if that's even possible). The service was fantastic! An incredibly cheerful and friendly woman named Sarah spent time getting to know us! She was smiling and chatting with everyone. It was very refreshing and SO welcoming. The live music was great as well. We are definitely coming back!! Highly recommended! read more

God. Just wanted to pop in here for a quick beer and maybe catch the band. Nope. Place smelled like a homeless person pissed themselves. Totally disgusting. read more

Cool spot !! Tasty beers from around the world. We stumbled in, drawn in by the live music. We hesitated as it was a small place but glad we got past that initial doubt. Ended up staying for a couple rounds. read more

Great food, music and selection of beer! What more could anyone want? The gluten free options make it more allergy friendly!