Best breweries in Toronto
Toronto: Craft Brewery Tour (3 Breweries)
What are the best breweries in Toronto?
Bellwoods Brewery on Ossington is the most nationally recognized name and consistently sells out its rarer releases. Blood Brothers Brewing in Corso Italia and Left Field Brewery in Leslieville are close seconds for beer-focused visitors, while Steam Whistle Brewing near the CN Tower and Mill Street Brew Pub in the Distillery District are the two most visitor-friendly options with tours and central locations.
Toronto’s craft beer scene, briefly explained
Toronto’s craft brewery scene grew rapidly after Ontario loosened brewery licensing and retail rules in the 2010s, and the city now has dozens of independent breweries spread across its west-end and east-end neighborhoods, with a smaller historic cluster downtown near the CN Tower and Distillery District. Unlike some cities where breweries concentrate in a single industrial district, Toronto’s are scattered enough that picking three or four in one neighborhood, rather than trying to see the whole scene in a day, is the more realistic approach.
Expect CAD $8-10 for a pint at most taprooms, and CAD $16-22 for a 4-pack of cans to take home — prices that track close to what you’d pay in most major North American cities with a strong craft scene.
| Where | Ossington/Dundas West, Leslieville, or downtown near CN Tower |
| Cost | CAD $8-10/pint, $16-22 for a 4-pack |
| Time needed | 2-4 hours for 2-3 stops in one cluster |
| Getting there | streetcar or rideshare; no more than 20-25 min from Union |
| Best time | weekday evenings after 5pm for a calmer taproom |
The Ossington and Dundas West cluster
Bellwoods Brewery, on Ossington Avenue, is Toronto’s most nationally recognized craft brewery, known for hop-forward IPAs and barrel-aged sours that routinely sell out on release day. The original taproom is small and gets crowded on weekend evenings; a second, larger location a few blocks away (Bellwoods Brewery Brewpub) has more seating and a fuller food menu if the original is packed. Blood Brothers Brewing, a short ride further west in Corso Italia, has built a reputation for hazy IPAs and pastry stouts with a devoted local following — arrive early on release days if you want the newest batch before it sells out.
Both sit close enough to Trinity Bellwoods Park that a brewery stop pairs naturally with an afternoon in the park, especially in summer when the park itself becomes an informal gathering spot.
The Leslieville cluster
Left Field Brewery anchors Leslieville’s beer scene, named for its baseball theme (the founders are lifelong Blue Jays fans) and known for approachable, well-balanced beers rather than the more extreme styles some west-end breweries chase. Its taproom is more spacious and food-truck-friendly than the tighter Ossington spots, making it a comfortable stop for a longer sit rather than a quick pint. Leslieville’s brunch scene, covered in our best brunch spots in Toronto guide, makes a natural late-afternoon follow-up after a Left Field visit.
The historic and visitor-friendly options
Steam Whistle Brewing operates out of the John Street Roundhouse, a restored early-1900s railway roundhouse a short walk from the CN Tower and Rogers Centre, and remains one of the most visitor-friendly breweries in the city thanks to its regular guided tours covering both the brewing process and the building’s railway history. It brews a single flagship pilsner rather than a rotating lineup, which makes it a lower-commitment stop for visitors who want one solid beer and a genuinely interesting building rather than a deep craft-beer dive.
Mill Street Brewery, based in the Distillery District, is Toronto’s other major visitor-facing brewery, with a full brew pub, beer garden, and tours through its historic tank house. It’s covered in more detail in our best restaurants in the Distillery District guide, since the food menu is as much a draw as the beer itself.
Guided brewery tours
If you want to hit three breweries in one outing without planning transit between neighborhoods yourself, the Toronto craft brewery tour covers three stops with a guide who handles the route and introduces you to each brewery’s story — a practical option if beer is a genuine trip priority and you don’t want to spend an afternoon figuring out streetcar transfers between Ossington, Leslieville, and downtown.
Building your own brewery crawl
If you’d rather self-direct, pick one neighborhood cluster rather than trying to cover the whole city in a day — Ossington/Dundas West for the most nationally known names, Leslieville for a calmer, more spread-out afternoon, or downtown near the CN Tower for the two historic, tour-friendly options. Streetcars connect all three areas to downtown directly, and none require more than a 20-25 minute ride from Union Station.
Timing your visit
Weekend afternoons (Saturday and Sunday, roughly 1-6pm) are the busiest at every taproom listed here, particularly Bellwoods and Blood Brothers on release days, which are typically announced on social media a day or two ahead. Weekday evenings after 5pm are noticeably calmer and the better choice if you’d rather talk to staff and take your time than navigate a crowd. Most taprooms close by 10-11pm and don’t run the late-night hours a downtown bar district might.
How Toronto’s beer scene compares to the rest of Ontario
Toronto anchors Ontario’s craft beer scene by volume, but it isn’t the only region worth knowing about if beer is a genuine trip focus. The Distillery District’s Mill Street Brewery started small before becoming a national brand, a trajectory a few of the Ossington-area breweries are now following as their cans reach LCBO shelves across the province.
Outside the city, Collingwood and the Blue Mountain area have developed their own smaller but well-regarded scene — Side Launch Brewing and Northwinds Brewhouse are the two most established names there, both benefiting from Georgian Bay’s water and a more relaxed, ski-town taproom culture than downtown Toronto’s often-crowded weekend spots. Niagara and Prince Edward County, better known for wine, also have a handful of breweries worth a stop if a wine country day trip includes beer drinkers in the group. None of these regional scenes replace a Toronto brewery day, but they’re worth knowing about if your Ontario trip extends beyond the city.
A one-day west-end brewery itinerary
For visitors with a full day to dedicate to Toronto’s beer scene, a workable route starts at Bellwoods Brewery’s original Ossington taproom around noon, before the weekend crowd peaks, followed by a walk or short ride to Blood Brothers Brewing in Corso Italia for early afternoon. From there, a streetcar ride connects to Trinity Bellwoods Park for a break in the afternoon sun if weather allows, before finishing the evening with dinner and a final pint at Bellwoods Brewery Brewpub’s larger, food-focused second location. This route covers the west end’s two most acclaimed breweries without requiring more than two short transit rides, and builds in enough slack to linger at whichever stop turns out to be the better fit for your group’s taste.
What makes Toronto’s brewing scene distinct
Unlike some North American craft beer capitals that lean heavily into one dominant style, Toronto’s breweries span a genuinely wide range — Bellwoods and Blood Brothers both work extensively with hazy IPAs and barrel-aged sours, Left Field leans toward more classic, balanced styles, and Steam Whistle sticks to a single flagship pilsner as a matter of brand identity rather than experimentation. That range means a brewery crawl here rewards visiting more than one stop rather than assuming any single brewery represents the city’s style — the contrast between a Bellwoods sour and a Steam Whistle pilsner is a genuinely useful way to understand the breadth of what’s being made across the city.
Practical notes
- Age verification: Ontario’s legal drinking age is 19; bring government-issued photo ID, as taprooms check consistently.
- Food: Most taprooms allow outside food or have food trucks on-site; few run full kitchens themselves, Mill Street Brew Pub being the main exception.
- Cans to go: Nearly every brewery sells 4-packs and mixed cases to take with you — useful if you want to bring Toronto beer home rather than only drinking on-site.
- Getting between breweries: Rideshare or streetcar both work well; driving yourself is not recommended once you’ve started drinking, and Toronto’s transit covers all three main brewery clusters reliably.
Pairing a brewery visit with food
Few of Toronto’s smaller taprooms run full kitchens, so planning food alongside a brewery stop matters more here than at a brewpub-style venue. Left Field Brewery in Leslieville sits close to the neighborhood’s strong food scene, making it easy to grab a bite nearby before or after a visit — our best restaurants in the Distillery District guide and best brunch spots in Toronto guide both cover nearby options if you’re building a fuller food-and-beer day around the Leslieville or Distillery District clusters.
Bellwoods Brewery Brewpub and Mill Street Brew Pub are the two exceptions on this list that run substantial food menus in-house, making either a reasonable single stop for a full meal-plus-beer evening without needing to plan a second food destination.
Frequently asked questions about Toronto breweries
What’s the difference between Bellwoods Brewery and Blood Brothers Brewing?
Bellwoods is larger, longer-established, and has two locations; Blood Brothers is smaller and more focused on limited, frequently rotating releases with a devoted local following. Both are considered among the city’s best, and beer enthusiasts often visit both in the same afternoon since they’re a short ride apart.
Are Toronto breweries expensive compared to other Canadian cities?
Roughly comparable to Vancouver and Montreal’s craft scenes, and generally similar to or slightly cheaper than major U.S. craft beer cities once currency exchange is factored in for American visitors.
Can I visit Toronto breweries without drinking alcohol?
Yes, most taprooms serve non-alcoholic options and food, and the historic tours at Steam Whistle and Mill Street are worth doing for the building and brewing-process content alone, even without ordering beer.
What is the best brewery to visit if I only have time for one?
Bellwoods Brewery for the strongest reputation and beer quality, or Steam Whistle if you’d rather combine the visit with a historic building and a formal tour near other downtown sights like the CN Tower.
Do I need reservations for Toronto brewery taprooms?
No, taprooms operate as walk-in spaces. Guided tours at Steam Whistle and Mill Street benefit from booking ahead, especially on weekends, but the taprooms themselves don’t require reservations.
Is there a brewery scene outside downtown Toronto worth visiting?
Yes — Collingwood, near Blue Mountain, has its own small but well-regarded brewery cluster, covered in our best breweries in Collingwood guide, worth combining with a Blue Mountain or wine country day trip rather than a standalone visit from downtown Toronto.
Which Toronto brewery neighborhood is best for a first-time visitor?
Ossington and Dundas West give the most nationally recognized names (Bellwoods, Blood Brothers) in a single walkable cluster, making it the easiest starting point if you only have one afternoon to dedicate to Toronto’s beer scene.
Can I combine a brewery visit with a Distillery District food stop?
Yes — Mill Street Brewery sits directly in the Distillery District, and pairing it with a meal from our best restaurants in the Distillery District guide makes for an easy single-neighborhood food-and-beer afternoon.
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