One of Toronto’s old standby’s for pub-grub, hang-out for drinks or actually going out for above-average food on a pauper’s budget has just moved on up the street. Well, actually this pub moved one building south of it’s long-time location on Parliament Street in Toronto’s now desirable Cabbagetown neighborhood. I had resisted writing about House on Parliament for years for my own selfish reasons: would my divulging of one of Toronto’s best kept secrets cause me to wait even longer for a table?
The first time I went to the House on Parliament was in the late 90’s, tired from walking and shopping and feeling the need for a cold beer, something comforting to eat and with no desire to eat anywhere with any of Toronto’s usual snottyness. House on Parliament (HOP) answered the call. HOP is located on Parliament Street just south of Carlton on the west side of the street. The old location was a half-flight of stairs down from street level and upon looking at the outside of the pub, you would have passed it off as just another Irish couple trying to mimic a Firkin’ pub experience.
That was the beauty of HOP…walk into a pub and expect the usual draft beer served with wings or some classic British pubfare but actually get casual, polite service like your friends were serving you a pint and a menu that has many of the usual pub classics plus some other bar faves on their daily menu. If you visit HOP on the weekend, you’ll be tempted to order any one of the weekend brunch offerings that will please the British pub-grub crowd like Bangers and Mash or my personal fave – Eggs Benedict.
What sets HOP apart from the over-saturated market with chain-run pubs and franchises is that it’s privately owned, the regular items on the menu are all made on premise and where I believe they excel and win over new diners each night is in their daily specials. Each day, HOP offers their daily specials which could be braised short ribs or a fish dish (beyond fish & chips) or even a dish inspired by one of Toronto’s many ethnic communities (I once had an awesome apricot Baklava here).
The daily specials are on offer Monday to Friday from lunch until whenever orders run out EXCEPT: daily special on Saturday’s are on offer after 5pm and the same goes for Sunday’s BUT…each Sunday HO serves up a prix-fixe Prime-Rib dinner with Yorkshire pudding and even a bread puddin’ for dessert!
Late last year a friend texted me that HOP had caught on fire and I nearly dropped my cell phone upon hearing the news. Luckily, that bit of news turned out to be untrue (the pub did close for an evening after a fire next door caused some flooding from the firefighters’ water) and they re-opened the next day. Did the near-miss with the fire prod the owners of HOP to move or were plans already made? It seems the owners of HOP have long-planned the move to an old house one down the street – to 454 Parliament.
I was worried about HOP’s move (despite it being just one door down): would the atmosphere change? Would prices go up? Would the menu change or new staff brought in? Would the food change or would the food still be good? Anyone that’s been in the hospitality industry will know that the “intangibles” are always at play. Would the joke be on HOP this time?
I’ve been to HOP on many occasions (although I do not live in the area), I’ve gone for dates, I’ve taken friends from Toronto who have never been there, cousins looking for a new place – a comfy place and I’ve taken other food bloggers to HOP. All enjoyed the food and the atmosphere and I believe most have gone back. I’ve even gone to HOP for New Year’s Dinner a few times for what is a fine meal of 4 or 5 course menu served with panache, a fine selection of local and international wines, the usual liquor choices and beers that feature the best of Ontario micro-brews along with some more internationally known suds.
Just this past Sunday I took family & friends over to HOP for lunch…to the new location and I was kinda’ worried. Only one person in our party had been to HOP before and I kept thinking…what if HOP was shitty at the new location? HOP is now located one door down from the old location, located on the the main floor of a big ole’ home. Walk up a flight of stairs, enter to the right and you see a long, narrow bar that’s loud, people eating at tables, folks on high chairs by the bar and the joint is operating like they’ve been at this location for years.
Gone is the old HOP smell of beer and wet dog, no more walking below street level (I usually skip below street-level places) and gone are the almost predicatable line-ups one would face at HOP of yore. Upon walking into the new HOP, I was greeted and seated (table of five please) within 5 minutes! I was relieved to see the same menu, same staff and I immediately got a good vibe – that the other patrons were embracing change. Change is good – HOP moving to its new location was a real good thing!
What hasn’t changed a HOP is some of the servers are too comfortable working there (my server rolled her eyes when we weren’t ready to order when she first asked us) and then she had the nerve to take her time getting our bill….in fact chatting up with another customer while we waiting for our tab. A little sarcasm on both ends of the transaction loosens up the situation and we pay up, agree that our meals were overall good and that we’ll come back soon for some of that Sunday night Prime Rib.
I’m delighted to share that House on Parliament – Mach II is doing just fine…the food is still comforting and delish, the service is casual, prompt (with a side of snarky) and the new location has that fresh smell of wood that will soon give way to spilled beer and gravy smells. The only other peeve that remains at HOP are their wine glasses. I’m no wine glass snob but I would prefer my wine to be served in some kind of stemware (please HOP – provide some stemware)!
The pluses far outweigh the minuses on the HOP’s ledger. What do you like about House on Parliament or…what don’t you like?
House on Parliament http://www.houseonparliament.com/
454 Parliament Street, Toronto – 416.925.4074
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© 2007-2011 Peter Minakis
Lovely pub grub!
Cheers,
Rosa
I remember heading to Cabbagetown when I was a kidlet in highschool on a Home Economics field trip. The purpose…to check out neighbourhoods in TO and urban development. Sad to say I have not been back since and sad to say that was too many years ago to count. Even then Cabbagetown was up and coming. Kind of like what hippie-ville Yorkville was like in the 60’s, run down and far removed from the urban chic it is today.
Sounds like a great place! I love these kinds of establishments, unpretentious but simple good food! Sounds like a winner!
The eclectic regulars from the neighbourhood are NOT happy with the new HOP. The intimacy of the old place has given way to a new location which has all the panache of a refurbished, noisy Tim Horton’s. The regulars and the staff were like family – the regulars liked the chit chat with staff. That (and the food!) is what kept us coming back. But the configuration of the new HOP means staff spend more time racing back and forth to the kitchen at the far end. No time for chit chat. And the bar – instead of making the bar a place where people want to gather, they built a tiny bar (and by the way, flat screen TV’s under 20″ are called “computer monitors”.
But we love the food and the staff are still there, so we keep going back but not nearly as often. If the staff go, there are other good alternatives in Cabbagetown.