The outskirts of Toronto are somewhat of a wasteland of good, craft beer. Venture like 20 minutes from the downtown core and Rickards will be the closest thing to craft beer you can get at a lot of places. However this Bier Markt is an oasis of beer in the vast, desolate wasteland of the GTA.
I came here this past Sunday because they were having a birthday party for Belgium. This location is at the shops on Don Mills, a higher end outdoor mall. When I arrived I was asked if my name was on the guest list for the birthday bash, when I said no the hostess didn't blink and offered me a table on the section of the patio closed off for the party. This location is quite large and has a decent sized patio facing a few parking spaces, away from the hustle and bustle of the shops.
The beer menu here is quite extensive, spanning about 25-30 pages broken down by country with a large selection of both draught and bottled beer. Although the menu is vast the beers they carry are not particularly exotic or rare and can be found at most LCBO's or good beer joints in the city. Nonetheless it's good to have a nice selection of beers without having to venture into the city.
On this day they had free appetizers going around the party section. I got to sample a few things; the food was ok but did not blow my socks off. My favourite was probably the wings and the porchetta sliders. I've tried their food at one of the downtown locations and it was subpar as well so I would recommend you come here for some good beer rather than dinner (lots of other dining options nearby). The service on this day was sublime, and very attentive. When my yelp friend wanted to move 3 times in search of some shade they accommodated us with nothing but a smile. I will definitely return to this location, maybe it will give me an excuse to go shopping.