The Queen & Beaver Public House – 35 Elm St, Toronto, ON M5G 1H1
Country: England   
Seating: Indoor and outdoor seating over two floors. 
Must-try dish: Sunday Roast 
Dinner guests: Dinga Ling, Mad Max, Nurse Mads & Suited Sebastien 
The high: It feels like a true English pub straight from the United Kingdom, especially in the upstairs taproom
The low: The only option for Sunday Roast is beef. 

An important tradition in English culture is the Sunday Roast. Everyone does it, and everyone loves it. There’s nothing better than spending a Sunday afternoon at the pub with the fire roaring, the occasional pup cruising around, a soccer game on the television, and of course roast with a buttery yorkshire pudding. 

This quintessentially English institution has less meaning in Canada, making it difficult to find a pub serving a proper roast. However, The Queen and Beaver Public House in downtown Toronto seems to be taken straight out of England. The pub’s in a house on a quiet street over two storeys both with outdoor patios for the warmer months. The downstairs is sectioned off into smaller rooms with more of a restaurant feel, while the upstairs screams British pub with the cozy and unmatching sofas, erratic bookshelves, and English sports constantly on the television. 

On Sundays starting at noon until the evening, diners can enjoy the roast ritual. Unlike the pubs in England that have multiple meat options to pick from (chicken, pork, lamb, vegan), The Queen and Beaver makes the decision easy by only offering beef, roasted vegetables, and Yorkshire pudding all doused in gravy. 

It comes as a packaged deal – the meat was cooked medium and was easy to slice through with a butter knife. The vegetables and potatoes were roasted and soaked up all the savoury gravy, but the potatoes themselves were dry and needed the gravy more than it needed them. The best part of any roast dinner is the Yorkshire pudding – a baked bread side dish that’s hollow inside and pairs perfectly with gravy. 

Since we were already posted up there and the cask ales were flowing like water, a couple additional treats were ordered to the table from the regular menu. These included a Celeriac and Pear soup, a Scotch Egg, a Sausage Roll, a Cheddar and Tomato Toast, and Potato Croquettes. The entire menu itself has British fare, so anyone looking to reminisce about England will feel at home at The Queen and Beaver

Cheers to many more pints and roasts! 

Eat with you soon, 

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)