Cloak & Dagger Irish Pub

Just another pub on College between Spadina and Bathurst. Nothing to write home about. Not my go-to bar in that neighborhood. Can be quite dead on weekdays, although some days they have good live music.

Great wee pub with the friendliest people on both sides of the bar. The drinks are reasonably priced, the music is nice and they have live music performances on Fridays and Sundays. Mondays are movie nights and they play classics, they also put live sports on the telly. They usually have a lager, a pilsner, a sour, an IPA and Guinness on tap, with other taps pouring a rotating selection of styles like Milkshake IPAs, saisons etc. Reasonably priced for whiskey and shots as well. I only recently moved to the area, but this is definitely my local now and I'm heading there every weekend.

To the owner! I went there twice and the first day the guinness pint was impeccable but in my second visit the pint was not as good. The bartender was very polite but please try to maintain a standard for Guinness and teach the staff proper pouring of Guinness🙏 This became my go to place and I really hope you guys work on it please and Thankyou.

Always a great time. Well priced drinks and good service. Lots of locals and a eclectic crew that makes you feel welcomed. And GUINNESS

5 stars is too little. I was served by Monica, Cash and Connor. Chris was the barback. If I tried I wouldn't be able to think of a complaint. Absolutely fantastic service and place. I was just wandering looking for a bar to hangout and charge my phone. I am so glad it was this bar. 10 out of 5

Pleasant atmosphere, good drinks, music on the weekend. We enjoyed .

Cloak and dagger isn’t too bad. It’s small with limited seating. Not really meant for standing either. But the drinks are fairly priced and feel like they won’t break the bank. Live music some nights gives it a good vibe. Very laid back and has bench seating for larger tables.

This is a cozy little dive in the heart of college street. I prefer to visit in the weekday evenings if I'm stopping by, and it's never overcrowded, always cozy, and each bartender is very welcoming and fun! The place could use some updating to its seating, but is kept really clean. The back patio is gorgeous in the summer for a pint.

Approx. 2 weeks ago on St. Paddy's Day I met a friend at C&D around 2:30 pm; given the name of the Pub it was obvious that it should be packed on March 17, but as my get-together with my friend was on short notice, I didn't really give that a thought until I arrived. It was indeed packed inside and my friend was standing against the back wall by the bar. Once again we shared beers; our 1st was Merry's Orange Chocolate Porter from Junction Craft Brewery, which was light for a dark beer but nice. Our 2nd beer was an amber coloured beer which was also nice. Despite the crowd, service at the bar wasn't extremely slow and there was a live band playing, colourfully decked out in St. Paddy's Day attire. I was about to take a photo of the band when my phone's battery died, so I only have the photos of our beers posted below; as you can tell from the pics we opted to sit on their back patio due to no seats being available inside. Fortunately it wasn't too cold for awhile as the sun was shining, there's a fair bit of protection from the wind on their patio and there were seats available for my friend and I. The no. of people on the patio fluctuated while we were there, with larger and smaller groups of St. Paddy's Day Revelers present. The sky clouded over after awhile so my friend and I decided to head elsewhere for more beers. Despite the small size of the Pub, this was only the 2nd time I recall visiting when it was packed; the 1st time was on a Sat. night which was (and is still?) their Karaoke Night. We once again had a good time during our visit.

I stopped in last evening for supper and sat in a booth. I left after 10 minutes because no one acknowledged me, gave me a menu or asked me what I wanted.

Been going to this place for almost a decade. It's great. Good music, lotsa beers, friendly bartenders. And they have a patio when the weather is good.

There's a reason why there were only a handful of people on a Friday night here, the female bartender and the owner needs to go to a customer service school and learn some hospitality skills. One of my friends wanted to tip in cash so he paid for his drinks and came back to the table for cash, the bartender followed him and very loudly said "hey sir, just so you know tip is not included in the price", it was loud enough for everyone else to hear, who does that? My friend said "yeah I was going to tip in cash", she then said yes whatever and left. Second horrible instance was one of our friends forgot his wallet, and showed his I.D. on his phone. We all were 30 plus and all of us had our i.ds and yeah we understand policies so would be happy to leave but instead of dealing with this politely, she shouted "he forgot his ID" "who forgets their ID at a bar?" as he was leaving, to literally everyone! Why? What was your motive? Have you never forgotten your wallet in your life? Do you not know customer comes first and try to calm the customer down and deal with instances politely is part of your service? If your customer is highly stressed or does things differently, you should've handled it differently. You always won't get "calm caucasian people" who maybe regulars.. you will get a mix of personalities and its your job to learn how to serve better! That's literally why you get paid. This is the worst experience I have ever witnessed, and I honestly better training could help you save your bar.

So we decided to choose this place not because we really wanted to go here, but we wanted to give it a shot after our hockey game. So far in Canada, we have been ignored, for some reason, every time and coming into this place was no different. They would take everyones else's orders completely passing us and knowing that we were there before other patrons. We got to the point where we didn't even get a drink and had to leave. I've been to Iceland, Central America, South America and Europe and have never experienced that type of service. I'm not sure if it's because of my race or anything else but I would not recommend coming here if you're trying to have a chill time.

My drinking hole from when I used to live in Kensington Market. I remember the owner was very friendly and originally from Newfoundland. I got some free drinks the first time I went so I remember the place fondly. There was also a giant NFLD flag behind the bar. The flag is gone so I'm not sure if the place has changed hands. Still kinda dark inside but has a giant patio and a pretty varied beer selection with lots of decent microbrews. Decent standby for a pint.

This use to be my regular spot for a good 6-7 years a few years back when I use to work in the area, now it usually just a spot after hitting Kensington which was what happen during my last visit. Cloak is cozy small place, at first it does look small but it does have a back patio that is a bit hidden so at most you usually only see bar and the three booth at the front. Cloak has a good selection of beer and its not too expensive, a pint could be anywhere from 6 to 8 dollars depending on brew but the tap collection is pretty nice A good place to go for a few hours kill time and grab a few drinks with friends which is what i usually do when I end up here.

What a cozy place to come in and just have a few drinks and move on or just hang out and stay a while. This small bar has a short bar which fits maybe only about 6 stools or so but has a decent amount of seating and booths to keep the flow of customers happy it seemed. I popped in with a buddy and we sat at the bar and stayed for maybe half an hour or so and in that short time we saw a bunch of people just getting a drink or two and just moving along while their seats were then taken by new comers. The variety on tap is really quite amazing for such a small place and it seemed they had a lot of American craft beer too. I went with BC's Granville Island and it was only about 5 bucks a pint. Not bad for a Friday night pass through.

I have only been once, so it's possible that I am not getting the full picture, but when I was there late-night on a Wednesday, the music was excellent (oh that slide guitar!) and the bartender was very friendly and funny, and also got us our drinks correctly and fast. The atmosphere was a bit run-down and the lighting very dim, but it all was very comfortable. I really felt at home. The beer selection is excellent. Given how tiny this place is, I was impressed that they had such a craft beer selection, including a cask. I would go here again for sure, and given that I am not much of a bar person, that's saying a lot.

This past July my weekly Dungeons and Dragons game was shut down due to the intense heat. So the GM suggested we all go to a nice air conditioned venue to share a pint and hang out. It turns out that C&D's AC has some issues with the weather, particularly when it's as intense as it was during the hottest part of this past summer. The heat was such that the kitchen was closed down to keep the chefs from dying; thankfully, they were cool if you went out to grab a bite from one of the local restaurants. The venue is a cosy one, with nice seats and a good drink selection. The bar is decorated with a few soccer scarves and a couple issues of the superhero team of the same name. There is a performing area, but I don't really have time for your local hipster band, so feel free to enjoy them before they're popular. I did enjoy it, and hope to return the next time the climate gets all crazy hot.

Quaint little college pub with an excellent micro-b collection and laid back staff. Not exactly college fare though! :-)

This little pub is just what a pub should be small, intimate and very friendly, no food only good beer and Irish Whiskey, great bar lady and good working class drinkers. Michael H

I can't believe I haven't reviewed The Cloak and Dagger yet, something I'm sure I can say of many of my favourite spots in the city. That being said, here it is: It's one of my favourite bars in the city and certainly not the most appealing place, but they have a great selection of beers on tap, a fine selection of wines and spirits and each and every one of the staff are incredibly fun and down to earth. Bonus: secluded patio area in the back! I've had many, many great nights here. The Cloak is the kind of bar you should pop into if you want a fun, laid back evening of drinking and good music, and/or none of your friends have a cool enough spot (or patio) to hang at. Theme nights are key at this bar: Lobster bakes happen a few times during the summer (First one of summer is JUNE 4! Make sure you reserve a lobster ahead of time). For $20 you get a full lobster, a pint of beer and a cob of corn. What a bargain. Judy also makes a killer lobster roll. nomnomnom. So good. There is also Mexican night - all you can eat tacos and a shot of tequila for $12. I think they have a sausage night too? Honourable Mentions; - Live music most nights of the week - Wine is served in a tumbler: class through and through - Patio

Great place for a drink. It's a dark, old pub with a small bar and a few booths. Service is friendly and they had a $12 pitcher special when we were there on New Year's eve. They have a pretty good variety of beers on tap.

I have been a number of times, and as always this is a GREAT place depending on what is that you are looking for. Just like a Yorkviller (I just made that up) would think The Rhino to be a @#$^$@ whole... if you are looking for a classy, elegant venue of rich and suave décor, then you will be greatly disappointed of the CDIP. However if you are looking for an old Irish vibed place to relax and keep expectations low and simply want to chill with friends, then this place has your name written all over it. You won't see your name as the place is pretty dark but trust me, it is there. Dark, moody and with a surprisingly well versed selection of beers on tap the Cloak and Dagger is both a College Street and University student staple. I mean, I have known of this place since I used to be a student and that was aaaages ago. Back then they used to even have "experimental Sundays" where musically inclined people used to go hangout in the back room and just improvise some jams -- any style. That used to be awesome and weird and sometimes terrible but they fact they even created the venue for it, well, that was good on them. They do not do that now but still, if a cold drink is what you are looking for, then come on down... or better yet, don't! Keep it a secret for those in the know! ;-)

I love the cloak and dagger, I usually end up here at some point whenever I come and visit Toronto. It's a small, intimate pub with an amazing beer selection and cheap pitchers. It is quite dark, but it's quiet, so you can enjoy a pint and a conversation. The pation in the back is also great, it's sorta like going down a hallway into someone's walled back yard, very relaxing. Oh and it has a pac-man machine, how cool is that? It's definitely a placet o go enjoy a pint or two as opposed to a loud student bar and they often have guest kegs and have a great selection of small local brews. I give props to places that serve local beer, as opposed to a lot of places that serve exclusively Molson or Labatt swill. In fact I don't think they even have any of the big boys brews (I include Keith's in that category FYI). Overall the cloak & dagger is one of my favourite pubs in Toronto.

Came in on a whim, and I've been coming back ever since. An amazing place. It's small, dark, intimate, and they've got an incredible selection on tap. Amsterdam's "Boneshaker" is really special, apparently only 7-8 bars in the city sell it (according to the Amsterdam brewery tour). I think that goes to show how cool this place is! On top of the great drink selection, you can't ignore the Pac-Man machine. I've definitely drained a pocket-full of quarters playing it with my partner. They've got it set up so that the Pac-Man machine is a table so you can rest your food/drinks on it. If you're even slightly interested in retro gaming, it's awesome. $12 pitchers? Fantastic. The wood decor is cool, and I love the bricks. I haven't tried the food yet, but when I scanned the menu everything seemed reasonably priced (for pub fare). I'll be trying it out next time I come! Can't wait to go back.

Great reviews made me want to visit. The smell from the place made me leave before even ordering. Also, their all you can eat taco fest looks like hospital cafeteria. The back patio looked great...but gawd the smell was horrible.

One of the cities best kept secrets. On the surface it appears to be a standard "Irish" style pub. Behind its black shop front and tinted windows lies an old school local with a strong tap list of 15 or so mostly craft drafts. But the big hook is its secluded shady back patio, one of the best places for pint minus the d.bags and hipsters that tend to flock to other near-by Kensington watering holes.

All 11 of us managed to fit in quite nicely, even though this is a quaint little place. Nice choice of craft beers on tap, friendly bartender gave us tasters and helped with selection. By the glass, by the pitcher... And then the unexpected karaoke, unpretentious fun, clearly a bunch of regulars who didn't need any icebreakers to get involved. Friendly place, old school local pub with own atmosphere - certainly on the Saturday night we were there. I'd go back again next time we're in the hood. We didn't have any food, so can't comment on that.

My favorite watering hole in the whole damn city. Lots of local microbrews on tap, friendly service, good music, a great back patio, and it's rare to encounter a total douchebag there.

My colleagues and I have been regulars here approaching on three years. We were just kicked out because they needed to "get [the bartender] home" (because she was too drunk, which this particular girl often is, and it's never affected our experience there). This occurred fifteen minutes before drinks off at 2:45, forcing us to down our pints or leave them. We've always come here after closing out bar, knowing we can have one or two relaxed drinks after work, and tonight were told that they "always" kick people out at 2:30, an outright lie. The woman who spoke to us then said that because we are in the service industry we should understand. Yes, we all understood that we were being asked to leave a bar early because their bartender was intoxicated; they should be penalized and not us. I'm especially offended by the assertion that you close at 2:30 every night; we all really appreciated the rudeness with which the lie was delivered. We won't be patronizing Cloak & Dagger any longer. (Edited down to one star because they deleted my comment regarding this incident off their Facebook page without responding.)

Doesn't pretend to be any more than it is, a local watering hole. It has a really nice patio out back in the summer. Great crowd and cool bartenders. I like it.

This place is dark and plain. That gets huge thumbs up from me. As another reviewer mentioned, the only Irish thing about this place is the name. The bar staff is super friendly and will let you sample the awesome beers if you are not sure about what you want. And best of all: GIANT patio in the back!

Lots of bars in Toronto seek to attain some kind of Irish aesthetic, or just use the name to rustle up extra business (after all, who doesn't love an Irish pub?); Cloak & Dagger is one of the very few that nail it. It doesn't pretend to be anything BUT a bar. Live music is frequent, the beer selection is quite large and the specials are ever-changing, the bartenders are all extremely friendly and obviously happy to work there. Clientele is almost universally engaging and the atmosphere inspires striking up conversations with new people each time. In short, it's what a neighbourhood Irish bar OUGHT to be; simple, unsophisticated, friendly, laid back. The food, which really was an afterthought, is surprisingly good. It's not just fried goods and it's actually quite well done. Points off for running out of Guinness and Strongbow a bit too often.

Brilliant hole in the wall bar, always have a drink ready for me the moment I sit down. Patio is a hidden away gem most people don't know about.

I like this place because it is minimalist. Order at the bar. Kitchen is frequently closed. I enjoy just pulling up a stool at the bar and trying some of the many craft brews they have on tap and having a random conversation with regulars. Live music frequently. The place is so small so all it takes is a small group of jackasses to spoil the vibe if the place., this does happen occasionally. Fortunately most of the regulars are friendly and interesting enough so definitely recommend dropping by this place. It's more fun in off peak hours.

Huh, I get it. Super basic joint, but the Guiness is delicious and the bartender is really warm and friendly. In true Irish form, strangers slowly streamed in who have now become a group of friends bellied up to the bar.

Aside from having a terrific selection of great beers (had my first cask beer here!), the atmosphere is great and the service is really above and beyond anything I could have expected. I'm not from Canada, and I was here visiting UoT. Went out with some other students, and absentmindedly left my wallet at the table. I called the next morning and left a message on their answering machine, not really expecting to get my wallet back before I needed to leave the country. About an hour after I left the message, I got a call--not only did he have my wallet, he met me 3 hours before he needed to be there so I could get out of Canada on time!! Great beer and a great place. I'm definitely coming again next time I'm in Toronto!

Great place for a drink. Dark bar with seating and a pool table. decent beer selection. I found this place while just randomly roaming around the streets. met some quirky individuals. I plan on coming back when Im back in town.

Almost certainly my favorite bar in Toronto. The atmosphere is low key and at the same time welcoming and friendly. Despite its small size the bar boasts a focused and extensive Draft list and the bartenders are always willing to let you try a beer before you order it. On that note, the bartenders are professional and courteous and always friendly but never overbearing. The back patio is sparse but has ample seating for the fair weather months. It can get pretty cramped on the weekends but it rarely has a fratty atmosphere. Overall a wonderful little pub especially if you're into craft and local brews.

I went for a drink and asked for a Dark and Stormy. The female bartender replied they didn't have it and promptly turned and went to stack glasses, continuing to do this as I stood waiting as she didn't think to ask if maybe there was an alternative drink I wanted. Since we were only there waiting for a table at another restaurant I decided to ask for water as no part of me wanted to give this bartender money. She brought the water and told me it didn't have ice because there was none to spare. WOW. I understand if places don't have every drink on their menu but I didn't know ice was a sparse commodity in a bar. I've never been there before and will never go again to be able to say if this is representative of the bar in general or this stellar bartender.

A good selection of local beer and a bartender that knows his stuff. You can't ask for much more. The place could use a little bit more light, but it's got a nice sized back patio in the summer.

Haven't been in a while,but last visit was lobster fest, great deal on lobster, great selection of draft, when in the area it's definitely a great place to have a couple pints. Back patio is a great place to chill.

Cheap beer. Nice pub atmosphere. I love the back patio in the summer. They also have live bands playing all the time.

I've been a bartender on college street for quite a while now. Never in all my years have I been treated so appallingly. My staff members and I have been going here for quite a long time. It was always our first choice for a quick pint after we finished work ourselves. The five of us arrived to a bartender who was so intoxicated that she couldn't even serve us. Nevertheless we tipped her very well even though she overcharged one of us for a drink. We sat and had our drinks and we're suddenly abruptly told we had ten minutes to finish our pints. It was only 2 o clock and we should have had 45 minutes. Ten minutes later a woman who never said who she was told us to leave. When I remarked that we had till 2.45 and regularly came here, she became extremely rude and offensive. A man who than claimed to be the manager told us all to 'get out'. It's sad that after all of the years of me and my friends going here that we will probably never go here again. It's also sad that this place is taking customers from all the other bars on college street, especially when they treat their customers so poorly. I would love to hear a comment from the manager but doubt this will happen. Such a shame.

Great location. Excellent beer list. Terrible service. Seriously, I may not be as cool as your primary clientele, or your best friend, but my money is the same, so do me a favour and acknowledge my existence while you take it. Not for the first time, the bartender has stopped in the middle of getting my order to serve a regular and slid my change across the bar while chatting to him and not looking at me. I don't want to have a lengthy conversation with you, but I do want decent, polite service.

Hands down one of the best bars I have ever been to in any city! It was a little ways away from downtown and seemed to be filled with a more local crowd that was very accommodating. Excellent selection of beer on tap and the staff were some of the friendliest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Not only did they make great conversation, they gave us excellent tips about where else to go on our trip to Toronto and even drew us a map to get there! It is rare to feel at home in a bar so far away from home, but I definitely did at the Cloak and Dagger.

Smelly.....I think we would not ever eat anything from a place that stank like this. Good beer selection, the owner was drunk and being a a hole....but the smell how the hell do these guys pass any health inspection....soap and a mop would help ya....and the drunk owner at the bar.....ya I will pass.

This is a great place. Very good craft beer selection. Nice staff. Relaxed atmosphere. Comfortable seating. Old School video games on the table top machine. Patio out back. The food is not terrific (for me anyway) but it is a pub after all.

Been there several times and I really dig the fests, especially the lobster that happens two or three times a year. The management is very personable and friendly/ Would recommend it to all beer drinkers