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| - In truth, The Quail probably deserves a 3.5 rating, but I gave it a bump because I've logged enough summer patio hours there to treat it like a good friend. Here, bud, take that extra 0.5 star! *high fives, back pats*
The Firkin chain trades on a degree of consistency: standard full bar offerings, standard menu, standard aesthetic. However, The Quail is my favourite of the bunch. A nice patio, a good daytime crowd, a generous distribution of red velvety booths (and equally well-distributed wide screens for Olympics viewing)...I've spent many hours at 1055 Yonge Street.
Mid-week nachos and wifi? Yep
Summertime pitchers of Pimms? Un-hunh
Servers who often double up on mints for me? That, too
Morning-after brunch of full English breakfast and the restorative combo of sweet potato fries/chipotle aioli/Frank's Red Hot? Come'n geddit
Sit on the patio and watch Yonge bustle by, or snag my favourite spot: a booth against the South wall which overlooks the brick-laid alley way...a view that helps stoke my anglophilia.
Mauricio A. mentioned that there isn't a subway nearby, but if you're down with the Yonge line, Rosedale Station is just south of the Quail...should you need a quick TTC-powered get-away after one too many.
Yelp note - a 2-parter!
1. The Quail is closing next month (September 2012) for a total interior overhaul. Expect a sleek modern take on pub decor, even though - as per reports from servers - there was a shocking amount of local push-back expressing "hey, no...we actually kinda like the musty beer smell!" (+1).
2. On Thursday and Saturday nights The Quail transforms into what my friends and I jokingly call "Q Lounge"...the crowd is different, the testosterone is amped (thanks, 19 year old crowd) and things are bumpin'. If you're just wanting a quiet time tucked into a booth, avoid these nights.
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