The Only Cafe

Easily one of the best places on the Danforth for a cold brew or a hot tea. The place is full of characters including backpackers that are staying at the hostel above. The Only has an impressive selection of beers and they definitely promote the local brews which I love. The bartenders are friendly and remember your face even if you’ve never ordered from them. You can tell this place is a favourite to many just by the postcard collection they have behind the bar. Breakfast is new and a little slow but there’s no reason to rush at The Only so grab a tea and a board game with a friend while you wait.

Casual vibe. They are serious about the beer and have a great selection. They a few tasty stout options, which I love. Bartenders care about this and will give you all the details you could ever want.
Patrons vary widely in age and type. A female friend was waiting alone for a few minutes, and she mentioned that she was accosted by 3 different men crudely attempting to initiate conversation. It was probably just her being hot and wrong place, wrong time.
Good patio vibes. It gets a bit shady at night. One time there was a racoon that did not care about being surrounded by humans. It proceeded to rifle through the garbage can that was outside and then saunter off past our table with some scraps of food.
Conclusion: Excellent casual option for quality beers

I’ve been meaning to check this place out forever. I finally got around to going in on a random week night excited to try some interesting beer. There were several people seated at the bar but the place wasn’t packed or anything. I stood at the bar for 10 minutes waiting to make a drink order. The bartender was chatting with various people, not pouring drinks, and couldn’t be bothered to serve me. Maybe you have to know somebody to get served here? I dunno. I left and went to a bar down the street.

Hadn’t been here in a while since we left the area, so we were definitely looking forward to coming back. Have to say I was very disappointed. Beer selection in the fridge is maybe a third of what it once was. The taps weren’t much better, still a vast selection but many that seemed too similar. My biggest issue was the bathroom. Absolutely spotless, I’m not even sure how they kept it that clean for a whole evening, but the stench of bleach was overbearing and lingered in my nose as if I snorted it. Toss in too many hipsters who make no effort to get out of your way when walking through and I’m surprised I gave it a three.
The place is as busy as always, so they won’t miss my business, and I won’t miss theirs.

INCREDIBLE beer selection, and great patio out back. Friendly staff and cozy interior. Will definitely be going back to sample more brews.

I thoroughly enjoy The Only Café, in fact I’d be here much more often if it wasn’t for the poor service. Customers are often left unacknowledged or looked down upon by the hipster staff.
Their coffee and beer selections are pretty awesome and they have a lot on tap, and the overall atmosphere is great! If it weren’t for the crummy service then I’d be spending a lot more time/​money here.
In short, if you’re able to handle the attitudes then this place is great once you’ve got your beer/​coffee/​food and no longer have to interact with staff.

Great neighbourhood bar. The type of place you could grab a beer and read a book (if you’re there early enough)
They have a lot of «regulars»

Great little dive bar to grab drinks with friends. Excellent beer selection. It was pretty busy but grabbed a spot at the bar for after work drinks on a Thursday.

Love to hang out here. So cozy. Yes its small but it feels like home. A very large selection of beers from around the world. Better in the summer when you can sit on the patio out back. I love that we can bring in our own food. Like the pizza place next door. The guy there was so nice he made it fresh for us and brought it over. Always great.

This place gets dumb slammed. Went here on a Fri around 12:30am and oh Lordy. I get the appeal: a large beer selection, nice ambiance, and cool staff (one even returned a 10 $ that we had unknowingly dropped when switching tables). If you can get yourself a decent seat you’re set (which we happened upon via perfect timing), but I don’t envy the many shoulder to shoulder standers. They had some board games on the wall which is always a nice touch. (One word one number: Connect 4.)
I heard this is the only café, which makes it pretty unique, so check it out I guess.

Love this place. It’s as much an institution as a bar, but it’s also my go-​to local. It’s worn at the edges for sure, but that’s part of the charm. Friendly staff, great beer, a fun clientele and a true bohemian, local, independent vibe.
Oh and the patio is a summertime institution.

A true beer fan’s delight! Service (which is bar service only) is a little sketchy at times but once you grab a bartender’s attention, you’re set for the day/​evening. Food here is not recommended but you can take in your own food from many of the neighbouring joints.

Its hard to review an establishment of such stature and successful longevity. These things pretty well speak for themselves. Hell, this Pub has a song written about it that concretely places it within Canadian culture. Lowest of the Lows «Just about ‘The Only’ Blues».
The first thing that strikes you about the place is the warmth that only comes from a space that has been lived in and experienced. Visual texture is everywhere. Reproductions of great art in aged frames, historical concert posters and bric-​à-​brac hang on every inch of wall space. Postcards plaster the beer fridge. Hand written chalkboard beer list. A library of board games and a pinball machine in a far back corner nook. All this bathed in the warm glow of light emitted from an eclectic smattering of small table lamps. It brings me back to my art school, record listening youth.
They key attraction is of course the wide selection of Ontario and Quebec beers on tap and an international selection of choice beers from around the world in bottles.
This constantly changing menu of beers is part of the excitement of each returning visit. What will I try today? Samples are free, within reason, so no worries to committing to a full pint of something you may hate. That and the staff are well versed on all their beers, and they are a willing group to get you what you want.
The crowd of patrons that frequent The Only is very diverse and always engaging. I’ve gone here alone and in groups often to find myself involved in a completely random conversation within a short time. Always intriguing and socially satisfying. Never a dull moment.
The Only food service is limited to panini style sandwiches that are really good. No worries here though, food option are close by. Take out, even delivery, is welcome. There is some great local fair to be had close by. Pizza, fried chicken, all day dim sum and Caribbean, even a 7 – 11, all within steps. In addition to this is a coffee and tea extension, The Only Within the Only, accessible from the street, from within the Pub and from the massive back patio.
Nuff said, The Only is more than just an East side gem. It’s a Toronto gem. Visit and enjoy.

Came here spontaneously tonight, it was pretty crowded but we were able to get a table and hang out comfortably for the evening. They have a really good selection of different types of beers on tap. I am not a big drinker so I ordered a cider, the bartender was able to recommend and give me a sample which was very nice. Overall, the drinks we got were reasonably priced and the service was good. Would come back if I was in the area looking for drinks and a place to hang out.

As an East ender, I’ve loved having The Only nearby for a long time purely because of the amazing beer selection. Often discovered new beers for the first time ever thanks to this establishment! Over the last few visits though, the crazy noise, messy interior and overall vibe seems to have deteriorated, which is why I struggled with it but am settling on giving it 3-​stars.
Not like my review will hurt them, they are always packed and I’ll probably go back again in the future, but something about the overall experience was lacking the last few times I went. Beer selection still top notch though.

This is one of my favourite haunts in the city. It has a certain musk to it that while foul, it is almost charming. Almost.
The beer selection is unmatched by most bars in the city and the tap handles are always rotating which is nice for the non-​loyal beer drinker.
The clientele is eclectic and eccentric. Old and young, hip and introverted. There is a crew that plays Magic Cards in the back that are interesting to say the least.
Bartenders control the music and they usually play pretty rad shit. Lots of great old school hip hop and solid 90s rock. Also, the buzzing of the jäger machine helps tune out the voices in my head which is a huge bonus.

On a recent pub crawl I led, this was our final stop, number 6 of 6. I say we ended on a high note.
If I had a local, this place would be it even if the Wren and Sauce are more local.
I have been to the Only long before I moved to the Danforth. It has hosted one of my worst Toronto dates («but I got a great story out of it!»). The beer selection is one of the best on the Danforth. The back patio is wonderful. And the crowd is good. I don’t feel like there are many places a mid 20s-​mid 40s guy/​gal can pick up east of Pape but this one might be one of those places.
I have only ever been here for drinks and only ever for beer. As mentioned below, it is a bit cramped and dark… it is the kind of place you can get and be drunk in if that makes sense.
Highly recommended – even if you have to cross the Don to get here.

Super laid back, great vibe, awesome neighbourhood watering hole!
Have been here for late night drinks a bunch of times. I also drive by quite often, and it seems to be the most popular watering hole in the area!
Looks like a dump but ISN’T! Strange décor but it all works — I think because THE ONLY isn’t trying to be something it’s not… it just IS.
Staff and fellow patrons are friendly and seem genuinely happy to be there. Love that!
Great selection of beer and yummy yummy cocktails! Perfect place to become a regular!

Ce bar est génial ! On s’y sent comme chez soi, vraiment. Un peu excentré du centre-​ville, donc peut-​être qu’il y a pareil ailleurs et qu’il né vaut pas un grand détour mais j’étais logée à 5 minutes donc j’y suis souvent allée.
Il y a deux salles, un avec le bar et l’autre plus cozy qui fait office de café le matin, ainsi qu’une terrasse de l’autre côté (qui né donne pas sur le trottoir donc). La déco est super top, avec les bougies dégoulinantes de cire, les petits fauteuils, les mugs qui font penser à la maison dans lesquels on vous sert le café le matin, les tabourets décorés du sigle coloré «Only Café», une carte du monde bien rigolote sur une table. Bref des petits détails top !
On y trouve un tas de bières, dont le barman se fera un plaisir d’expliquer les goûts, et vous pourrez même y goûter si vous n’arrivez pas à vous décider. Elles sont vraiment bonnes !
De jour comme de nuit, je recommande complètement.

I like this place a lot. They have a lot of beers on tap, it’s easy to find parking here, and it’s a pretty nice to be. I think this is one of my favorite beer bars in Toronto. I asked for the highest IBU beer they had, and the bar tender seemed a little lost. But, he asked the other bartender and they know. I have probably been in the whole cicerone/​bjpc scene for so long in California that I am spoiled. I can’t fault them too much. I wish this place was bigger, but I didn’t realize I could drink in the attatched café, so mea culpa.
I would totally go back to this place :)

Part One — Warming up for the Winter Beer Fest at The Only Café
Love the beer selections here both on Tap and in Bottles. I like how they have a little booklet that has the profile of what they have on tap with characteristic, tasting notes and pricing. I ended up ordering:
Aporkalypse Now Oatmeal Bacon Stout ($ 4.50) — more smokey than meaty, but really easy to drink and I can tell myself I am having some healthy grains.
I need to come back for some of their bottles. I wish my fridge is loaded with all these beers too.
Part Two — Sampling Beer in the Back Patio for Winter Beer Fest at The Only Café
Beer Fest Winter 2013
Armed with 20 $ 1 sampling tickets I was able to tried quite a few of the offerings, OK almost all they have (thanks for Untapped App so I kind of remember)
Great Lakes Brewery — Lube Job Baltic Porter
Great Lakes Brewery — Belgian Quad
Great Lakes Brewery — Harry Porter and The Bourbon Soaked Vanilla Beans Porter
Great Lakes Brewery — 25^th Anniversary Bourbon Barrel-​Aged Russian Imperial Stout
Flying Monkeys — Balls To the Wall Russian Imperial Stout
Flying Monkeys — The Matador Imperial IPA Aged on Spanish Cedar
Nickel Brook — Maple Porter
Nickel Brook — Old Kentucky Bastard Imperial Stout
Grand River — Jubilation Winter Warmer
Hogtown — Hog Wild IPA
Mill Street — ESB Extra Special Bitter
Cameron’s — Rye Pale Ale (RPA)
Black Oak — Double Chocolate Cherry Stout
Steam Whistle — Pilsner Unfiltered Plus
King Brewery — Dark Unfiltered
Kensington Brewing — Baldwin FishEye IPA
I never thought I would be drinking beers for 2 hours outdoor in below freezing temperature. But this is one of the best beer fest I ever been to. People are nice, Beer kept flowing and those high ABV % Stout kept me warm and toasty.
I will definitely be coming back to The Only Café for more beers… LOVE