You may have heard about College Street Bar – or better yet, we should say, if you haven’t, you need to get in on the loop! A staple College Street restaurant and bar, this local hangout has been a favourite of many for over 20 years. Taken over last year by BartenderOne’s Gavin MacMillan (one of Canada’s best-known names in mixology), College Street Bar (CSB) has recently undergone a facelift with innovative décor accents, a new menu created by Executive Chef Joe Friday, and a cocktail menu that enhances the new menu’s flavours.

The “new” CSB plans on standing out and creating a social environment for friends to enjoy good food and cocktails that have flare. “For this phase of CSB, the concept of the restaurant is simple, delicious, comfort food served Dim Sum style,” says MacMillan. “We’re serving smaller, affordable portions to groups to encourage sharing and allow them to try a variety of dishes.”

A few weeks ago we stopped in to check out CSB’s new digs and there was no disappointment. Their new menu offers comfort food items like Southern Ontario fried chicken, smoked mac & cheese, baby backyard ribs (in an apricot BBQ sauce!), while also keeping in mind some guests may prefer lighter items like the pretzel seared scallop or steamed littleneck clams. All the flavours were great, comforting, and we’ll be going back for that deliciously done fried chicken for sure.

Cocktails have the MacMillan touch and the large menu has options for everyone. We need to give one special shout out to the College Street Car, which is made of Sailor Jerry rum, Cointreau, lemon, cinnamon and egg whites – simply fantabulous. It should also be noted that the cocktail prices are fantastic given that we’re seeing much higher wine and cocktail prices in Toronto restaurants these days.