The Ultimate Guide to Canadian Soccer Pubs

We all know the next best thing for a soccer fan is to be at a soccer match is watching it in an exciting pub environment. What is less clear is where a Canadian fan can find a good pub or bar to get their footy fix. So, we’ve compiled a list of Canadian Soccer Pubs. Now, we’re not talking about those places where 80-year-old Italian men meet to watch Napoli v Lazio, or the local HQ of the Millwall supporters club. Canadian soccer bars, for Canadian soccer. We’ve scoured the country, and grilled all the experts in search of places that have a history of supporting the beautiful game on Canadian soil.

For all you Montreal Ultras or Whitecap Southsiders, for those of you who bleed red for TFC or red-and-white for Canada’s MNT, this is the list for where to catch away games, fuel up for home games and consistently find other Canadian footy fanatics.

Of course, we can’t do it all ourselves – if you know first-hand of a Canuck-friendly footy bar anywhere in Canada, let us know with a comment below or an email to canadiansoccerguys@gmail.com. (Note: We have no vested interests in any of these establishments, we’re just looking to help Canadian soccer reach more Canadians. We also just like pubs a whole lot.)

So here it is, ladies and gentlemen, the Some Canadian Guys Writing About Soccer Ultimate Guide to Canadian Soccer Pubs. Enjoy.
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NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR

St. John’s

The Duke of Duckworth
325 Duckworth Street
www.thedukenl.ca
If you’re looking for footy on The Rock, we’re told this is the place to head. Bonus: According to its website, this joint is a celebrity hot spot, having served the likes of David Bowie and, uhh, Huey Lewis (nothing yet on whether the News joined him).

NOVA SCOTIA

Halifax

Bubba Ray’s
5650 Spring Garden Rd.
Bubba Ray’s Facebook page. Go ahead, try to add Bubba as a friend.
The highest praise we could find was from one Halifax-based reader who said simply “It’s not Maxwell’s.” But it is near the Public Gardens, in case you need a place to pee after last call.

Maxwell’s Plum
1600 Grafton St. (Grafton & Sackville)
themaxwellsplum.com
If you’re looking to catch some footy in the downtown core, and enjoy throwing peanut shells all over the floor, this is the place to go. Bonus: mere steps away from Pizza Corner.

Gatsby’s Pub and Eatery
5675 Spring Garden Rd.
“We love soccer. We have British owners, but we welcome fans from every country. We are going to do an awesome job for the FIFA World Cup in 2010.” Hey, that’s what they said! Who are we to disagree?

QUEBEC

Montreal

Café Frappe
barstlaurentfrappe.com
3900 Boul. St-Laurent, Montreal
Home of the Impact hardcores during away games. Any atmosphere?
You tell me.

Pub 99
4240 Rue Hochelega, Montreal
The pre-game boozer for Ultras getting ready for the action at Stade Saputo.

St-Leonard

Café Milano
cafemilano.ca
5196 rue Jarry Est
Next time you’re in St-Leonard, why not pop into the place that has, according to one unsubstantiated account, “the best cappuccino in town”? Apparently it was a hot spot during the World Cup, and, to its credit, it serves “S” biscuits!

ONTARIO

Beamsville

The Butcher and Banker
4520 Ontario Street Ss 2
Our source tells us they’ll put MNT games on their 60″ HDTV unbidden, and they’ve saved at least one Voyageur from the horrors of a pleasant soccer-free dinner with loved ones. Phew!

Kitchener-Waterloo

The Duke of Wellington
dukeofwellingtonpub.com
33 Erb St. W., Waterloo
A very English pub, but we have it on good authority (well…we heard from a guy who knows a guy) that The Duke is owned by a friend of Mo Johnstone, and fans regularly pitch up to watch the Reds. So count this place as TFC-friendly, I’d say.

Failte
85 King Street North, Waterloo
It’s home base for the KW branch of the Red Patch Boys, and small enough that even just a few V’s could commandeer the place for an MNT game.

North Bay

Bull and Quench
bullandquench.ca
603 McIntrye E.
Voyageur-tested and -approved, a good spot for anyone finding themselves on the shores of Lake Nipissing come match day.

Ottawa

The Georgetown Sports Pub
georgetownpub.ca
1159 Bank St.
Calls itself “Ottawa’s No. 1 soccer pub.” And bars never lie.

Toronto

Duke of Gloucester
dukeofgloucester.net
649 Yonge Street, second floor (Yonge & Bloor)
Some Canadian Guys can personally recommend this place – a midtown home for U Sector during TFC away games – as a good place to watch MNT matches. Actually, come to think of it, Canada has an 0-2 record when we watch them there. And 33 per cent of us have been (unsuccessfully) barred for life. So…enter at your (and Canada’s) own peril.

The Football Factory
thefootballfactory.ca
164 Bathurst Street (Queen W. & Bathurst)
No, they don’t actually make football (and if a factory that pumped out soccer players was in Toronto, you’d think TFC would be able to make the playoffs), but they do serve beer and love the beautiful game.

The Rhino
therhino.ca
1249 Queen St. W. (Queen W. & Dufferin)
The huge patio and even huger selection of cheap (by Toronto standards) beer have made The Rhino a natural meet-up spot for V’s preparing to heading to BMO Field.

Scallywags
scallywags.net
11 St. Clair Ave. W. (Yonge & St. Clair)
Our second home, and venue of our Dispatches From Scallywags posts. Hopping on weekend mornings during the Premier League season, and during big tournaments. A dedicated soccer hub, Scally’s is a reliable venue for TFC and Canada viewing as well.

Shoeless Joe’s
1189 King Street West (King W. & Dufferin)
Just a quick march to BMO Field, and home to the Red Patch Boys, another of Toronto FC’s biggest supporters groups, Joe’s is wall-to-wall Reds, and boasts a lively atmosphere during away games, as well before and after home games.

MANITOBA

Winnipeg

Dylan O’Connors on Pembina
dylansonpembina.com
1875 Pembina Highway
An attractive waitress told Grant this was one of Winnipeg’s best soccer bars, but he didn’t listen to her. Recent research suggests Grant made a mistake. Bonus: If the game’s not on, just hang around until the next divorce party starts.

The Brit Cafe
2615 Portage Ave.
Some Canadian Guys can personally vouch for this entry. One third of us watched the Arsenal-Liverpool here in December ’09. There is a side section with a hi-def widescreen and room for about 30 people. Usually opens at 11am on Sunday but will open earlier for a big EPL game. Count this joint as “likely,” to show obscure-yet-televised Canada matches if specifically asked.

Players Bar & Grill
2188 McPhillips St.
Reportedly showed 2009 Gold Cup matches when arranged beforehand. So there you go.

SASKATCHEWAN

Regina

O’Hanlon’s
1947 Scarth St.
This bar has its own Myspace page which pretty much makes it the Jonas Brothers of Canadian soccer pubs. But, y’know, in a good way.

The Press Box
pressboxregina.com
909 Albert St.
The website features a video of four hot women welcoming you to the bar. Presumably they work there. The bar also serves beer and shows soccer. Sadly, they won’t let you live there, as far as I know.

ALBERTA

Calgary

The Ship & Anchor
shipandanchor.co
534-17th Ave. SW
Recommended by an ex-Calgarian footie fan, the Ship & Anchor does indeed have some decent soccer cred, with a slate upcoming pub-viewable games listed on its website. Canadian content? Well, we’re taking that on faith, but this seems like the kind of place that will hear out pleas to put Les Rouges on the big screen. Either way, we needed a Calgary location, so here you go.

Edmonton

The Sherlock Holmes
edmontonpubs.com
10012, 101A Ave. NW
This ridiculous-looking theme pub is a gem for post-match drinking near(ish) Commonwealth Stadium. It’s also a piece of Voyageurs lore, as a number of our boys showed up to meet the V’s after drawing with Mexico in the qualifiers for South Africa, 2010.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Vancouver

Doolin’s Pub
654 Nelson St.
Swangard’s location makes pre-game drinks an awful stumble from the bleachers, but the Doolin’s has shown its support for the Whitecaps (to the tune of 10 season’s tickets), so ‘Caps faithful can feel good about drinking there.

Library Square Public House
dhmbars.ca/librarySquare
300 W. Gerogia St.
Looks awfully classy for a soccer pub, but word on the street is that they’re big supporters of the Whitecaps, and the close-to-BC-Place location means you can expect to see supporters flocking here in droves come 2011.

The Three Lions Pub
1-1 Broadway E.
Sounds suspiciously English, but that means soccer, and a nod from Voyageurs board means this is the kind of place that will at least hear out your pleas to change the channel from a replay of Stockport County v Exeter City to Canada v Randomcheatingsouthamericans

Victoria

The Bard and Banker
bardandbanker.com
1022 Government St.
Apparently this is the only pub in Victoria (and, so, probably the only one on Vancouver Island) that showed all of Canada’s Gold Cup matches in 2009. That gets them a big thumbs up. All the other pubs in Victoria get a frowny face. It’s a sophisticated rating system we have.