RESTAURANT REVIEWS
The Grid Publication BY: Rob Duffy AND Jacob Rutka
Wed Feb 15, 2012 Sports/ Toronto’s 20 greatest sports bars/ Our definitive list of the best places in Toronto to congregate with your fellow sports fanatics and watch the big game. BY: Rob Duffy AND Jacob Rutka /"Shakey’s"/ This Bloor West Village watering hole was opened in the mid-1990s by former Maple Leafs sniper Mike “Shakey” Walton, but the bar was reborn in late 2010 as a stylish bistro. Current owners Rob and Chris Lundy have built a menu for the locavore sports fan—all the meat is from local markets, and Toronto’s Cobs Bread supplies the buns. Beer: 12 draught, including house brand Shakey’s Light Lager, 18 bottles. Wings: $12/lb Good to know: Walton played on the last Leafs team to win a Stanley Cup, and the two gold seats from Maple Leaf Gardens situated in the bar’s basement are a welcome reminder of the team’s glory days. Number of screens: 6
www.roadstories.ca
10/04/2011- It’s the first game of the new hockey season this Thursday (Oct. 6, 2011) and my beloved Habs (Montreal Canadiens) are in town to face their rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs. A perfect time to talk about a new hockey hang out. Dave’s Organic Burger at Shakey’s in Toronto. Shakey’s is west of Runnymede Avenue on the south side of Bloor, in Toronto’s Bloor West Village, a ‘hood’ with deep European roots. More bistro than sports bar, what drew my attention to Shakey’s is its Toronto Maple Leafs history, decent food, bounty of flat-screen TVs, and its owners’ family connection to Toronto’s hospitality industry. All a good fit for a Roadstories post about people, places and things. Shakey was Mike Walton’s nickname. Walton played centre for the Toronto Maple Leafs when the team won its last Stanley Cup (way back in 1967). When Walton retired from hockey he opened Shakey’s Original Bar & Grill, one of the first bars in the village, which for many years, ran dry. Silver Dollar Room, Toronto The famous Silver Dollar Room, Toronto, Canada Rob Lundy owns present-day Shakey’s with his brother Chris, Shakey’s chef. Their maternal grandfather once owned one of Toronto’s most famous clubs, the Silver Dollar. He also turned the Stardust Hotel and Lounge into the original Drake Hotel back in 1949. The Lundy brothers have not forgotten Shakey’s hockey roots. Lots of Leaf memorabilia here. Black and white photos of early Leaf glory days hang on the walls. There’s the 1967 Maple Leaf Stanley Cup winners parading down Yonge Street and Walton squaring off with Gordie Howe at the old Maple Leaf Gardens. Even a couple of Habs photos hang by the entrance, a nod to Hab fans in Toronto, I guess. Then there’s the food. The Lundy brothers have created a place that attracts its fair share of sports fans but not exclusively. Last week, more women than men were having lunch when I was there and when I went back for pictures, a dad and his two daughters and a young couple with an infant were among those ordering dinner. Chris, who trained at Vancouver’s Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts and worked at Toronto’s Crush Wine Bar, the former Lemon Meringue and Montreal’s Garçon and Club 357c , told me his biggest challenge was getting to know his customer base. Initially, he wanted a finer dining menu but he quickly realized that his best plan was still offer pub fare. The big difference is that just about everything here is now made from scratch or sourced from the village, including what you see on the kids’ menu. We tried Dave’s Organic Burger washed down with a Mill Street draft. Made with Rowe Farms organic ground beef, It came highly recommended and didn’t disapppoint. Other big sellers include Chris’s homemade fried chicken, fish and chips, nachos, and his soups which are mostly vegan. Fish for the fish and chips comes from a local Bloor West Village supplier and outside of the Polish pickles supplied by a Polish shop on Bloor West, most condiments, including the mayonnaise, are made in-house.
Rafi.N
7/25/2011- Shakey\'s is a sports bar with a nice appearance. Service is great and the environment is very much what you would expect from a sports bar. I came here for a drink and to escape the downpour on an otherwise nice Saturday night. *** DRINKS *** I had a pint of Lawn Chair Wheat Beer. The beer was good and not watered down. *** SERVICE *** Service was great! We walked in and seated ourselves. Once we were seated, we were immediately asked if we wanted anything. Our server was very friendly and helpful as she named all the beers on tap and gave us a menu. Our server was the only one waiting on tables and she had her hands full. Despite this, she remained calm and happy. *** ATMOSPHERE *** The bar is typical of a bar, but it has a cleaner, and classier look than a typical sports bar. The floors and furniture is wooden. There is a small patio in the front, but there is seating indoors with a wide open wall at the front. The bar has nice decor with black and white photos from when the Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup and paraded in Toronto. There are wide screen TVs on every wall. The patrons looked to range in age from 25-50 and they were generally loud, especially the ones sitting at the bar. *** PRICE *** Price for a pint of beer is good. * Pint of Lawn Chair Wheat Beer | $5.75 * *** SHAKE ON IT *** Shakey\'s is a nice bar to sit with friends, watch a game and have a drink. The patio is really small, but there\'s plenty of seating inside. The service is great, so you won\'t be disappointed. If you\'re in the area and want a drink you can agree on Shakey\'s - you can shake on it.
