MacKenzies High Park

Hi Jim,
By taking the side of your bartender and condoning unwanted ‘flicking’ (touching) in your establishment you confirm to the world what a short-​sighted business owner you are.
Your bartender knows he crossed the line because he could see that we were not pleased with his behaviour and he later came over and said «sorry for the wet willy.» The apology was far from genuine, but it happened and there are two of us telling you that it happened. We are banking and finance professionals in our mid 30’s who have better things to do with our time than write fiction.
Regardless, you cannot allow your staff to make unwanted physical contact with your customers — it is completely inappropriate and unacceptable.

What a lovely spot. The food was excellent. I had the wings and Ceasar salad. My friend had the veggie curry with fish. All extremely tasty. On top of that our server was attentive and friendly. There was a young man delivering food and making sure all was well. And the manager/​owner stopped by the table and was very kind. Above and beyond my expectations. We loved it.

My first impression was meh, with a side of decent food.
My burger was good. Beers on tap weren’t inspirational.
Décor was what I expect from every neighbourhood pup. Ever.
As soon as you walk in, there is a really clique-​esque vibe with the patrons. As the only under-​45 person in the room, I caught a few stares (probably the fact that I was the only sober one didn’t help much).
I was there during a World Junior Championship game, and I was stunned that a few of the more lubricated regulars were loudly declaring racialized and homophobic comments about the opponents every couple minutes with no recourse. And hey, as a guy who has spent his time in some pretty classic red-​neck locales it has to be pretty bad to shock me.
That being said, the food was good enough that I will give it a second shot… definitely in the summer, or a little bit earlier in the evening.

Please is great location little nice place. It has a large screen and many smaller TVs around you can watch the game — mostly — from any angle. The large TV resolution is not great but okay. It just doesn’t look HD.
We watched quarter final worldcup game there, immediately after the game the manager decided to switch the big screen to a baseball game, that we can’t watch the post game analysis any more and have to move a diff table, but place was busy.
We asked the waitress to switch it back to follow the post game analysis. Our waitress was stressed out — I think she was handling too many customers alone at the bar.
For some reason she communicated to the manager that we were not nice to her., Opposite to what she thought, we were wit and happy. Specially that our team won and we were having very good time.
Manager came over and was rude to us. He immediately felt there was a misunderstanding and backed off. He waved our two drinks but we left right away didn’t finish dinner, we paid for our meals and left. It felt impressing that we treated unfairly and kind ruined our good time.
My advise to the manager. Never ever escalate a situation. Actually you should always defuse it and not make it worst.
Always try to understand what happen and work with the customers. Specially if they are polite.
I don’t recommend it if you want to watch soccer, but maybe baseball tho :)

After Gord and I walked around High Park for a couple hours, we were hot and sweaty … and in need of something cold to drink (we’d forgotten to bring water … duh!).
Mackenzies is right across the street from the park (Bloor Street W/​Quebec Avenue) so we popped in for a beer.
A FIFA soccer game had just gotten over and another one started up shortly thereafter. We got comfy and ended up staying for supper and watched the game. There were a few people with the same idea.
I started with garlic bread with mozzarella cheese (which I shared with Gord) and it was good. It was a surprise to find it was round
Gord started with crab cakes and he said they were delicious.
I also ordered butter chicken. It was just okay. The rice was kind of mushy and the butter chicken sauce could have had more kick. The naan was good but I left a lot of it as I was full.
Gord ordered cajun wings and said he’d get them again. The wings were big!
Alyce and Cait were our servers and they took good care of us.
Mackenzie’s isn’t a fancy place but we found it comfortable. We’d stop in again the next time we are in the area.

A typical sports pub, and the closest place to grab a drink from High Park for a post shakespeare drink.
don’t
It’s dingy, and the crowd here is very mixed.
Smells a little, and the bathrooms need a good cleaning.
Drinks were an okay price. I got a cider, but my glass smelt funny.
The bartender was very friendly though, and was honest about his opinions when asked. I appreciate that.
Come here for a short stay with a group, or keep walking, your choice

Well it’s a neighbourhood pubs on the smallish side but cosy.
The food is good, but about what I’d expect for a small pub. The counter staff are the kings and queens of the show and how well the service is. So far, it hasn’t been a bad night yet.
The draught is fresh there and they keep the lines clean.
Guess that’s why I keep coming back for more Guiness.

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!
MacKenzies is an acceptable option on this stretch of Bloor that’s populated with quite a number of similar bars. The décor is strange, and it’s set up with a somewhat modern area near the front that looks out on the street, and then something like a divey sports bar at the back. At the back, the carpet, the booths, and even the speakers and tv could use an update. If you’re looking for a burger and a beer, there’s nothing wrong with this place at all. I wouldn’t go out of my way to have a drink or food here, but it serves the need when I’m in the area, and I prefer it over a couple of its neighbours.
2 stars

Where do I start?
Today I took my family, in their first time in Canada, to one of my favourite places, Mackenzies.
I’ve been a regular at Mackenzie’s for about two years. My husband wanted a pint, I ordered an orange juice and my mom and inlaws ordered just water. We were told they couldn’t serve us because we weren’t ordering enough. Even being regulars, even being with seniors at the table, we were just told that either we’d have to order something else or leave.
After such rude and offensive attitude, even if we were thinking of ordering something, we just left. I hope they realize this is NOT how you treat customers, especially customers who are taking their family to «their favourite place».
I’m never coming back.

Just moved into the area and found this little pub just around the corner. Staff is very friendly and they take the time to get to know and remember you. Food is basic pub fare, but you can tell it’s fresh and made with good ingredients. The swiss grilled cheese is pretty much the best I’ve ever had, and I know my grilled cheese. They have pub trivia every night of the week and you can play with an app on your smartphone. Happy hour os daily from 3 – 6 and is full of great $ 5 appies. I’m a fan of this little local «dive»!

Just moved to the High Park area around Xmas, and was looking for a pub to call my local. McKenzies is the closest bar to my apartment, and being Scottish it sounded like a contender. Well I gave it 3 tries. and it definitely struck out!
Each time I found it very ‘cliquey’, found the staff less than friendly and enthusiastic, and didn’t feel particularly welcomed. The last time I went I thought I would try the food for the first time (since there are one good reviews here — must be from the always present regulars). I ordered the ‘buffalo boneless wings’. which I have had before at several places and enjoyed.
What a (sad) joke. a dried out piece of chicken breast roughly cut up in cubes and tossed in some BBQ sauce accompanied by some awful fries. Last time I will step foot in this place.

Take it from the Newfie: NEPTUNE. BURGER. Delicious cod like nowhere else in TO.
Great pub, friendly staff, reasonable prices, cool trivia setup. Can’t go wrong.

As an update to my previous review, MacKenzies now has added eight new 32″ flat panel TVs, with at least two equipped for HDTV near the bar. There is free Wi-​Fi, but you have to ask the servers for the password. Everything else I mentioned still stands after almost two years.

I go to Mackenzies for brunch on the weekends. Their patio in the summer is a nice place to hang out. I like the food here. Its pub food but its good food. The staff are nice. I always feel welcome whether its for my weekly breakkie or a random night of drinking after a dreadful day at work lol Its cozy and even though there are a lot of tvs to watch (if you are into sports) its not an obnoxious sports bar. Its worth a try.