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| - I'll admit the Artful Dodger has a pretty pretentious name, and to be frank, I am not sure what really distinguishes it from all the other professorial wannabe English pubs out there. But I like it.
Nothing's nicer than curling up at a table next to their giant fireplace on a cold winter night and ordering some of their hearty pub style classic entrees like bangers and mash with a pint of stout. And in the summertime, they have a really popular patio that just so happens to be gayborhood-adjacent. I also recommend their burgers and their wings. And of course, pitchers and pitchers of beer.
The crowd in the Artful seems to be a very mixed bag, both in terms of age range and overall demographic. Maybe its proximity to the middle of the universe Bloor/Yonge subway hub makes it accessible to a lot of different types of people, but you just can't say who you will run into there. From older sorts who might meet the "professorial" designation to goth kids, football-hooligan types, german tourists, and stray partiers from Church Street, this place really does represent how varied this city is.
Table service can be a bit slow, especially during peak times like summer nights on the patio or winter nights in the dining areas. With a cavernous amount of space I guess the waitstaff have more turf to cover than cramped Queen Street art bars. Stop in for a beer and a chat, maybe you'll meet a new Goth friend when you're there!
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