Watermark Irish Pub and Restaurant, which opened at Harbourfront Centre last week, is among a host of high-end pubs popping up around town. Here's a look at the venue, along with two other new spots and a traditional Irish pub that's set to open on Queen Street East later this month.
1. Watermark—the latest pub from Fab Concepts Inc., which also operates Brazen Head, Foggy Dew, and Pogue Mahone—is a lakeside restaurant in the Queens Quay Terminal that's filled with dark wood tables with hardwood floors. The pub has seating for 240 inside and a semiprivate room with a fireplace that holds groups of up to 150 for cocktail receptions and 100 for dinner. The space has garage doors that open onto a lakeside patio that holds up to 220. The menu, created by executive chef Ken Skidmore, features traditional pub food like Irish stew and Stilton and onion beef pasties, with a focus on seafood.
2. Located in the club district at the corner of Adelaide and Peter Streets, the Adelaide Street Pub is open for lunch and dinner on weekdays. The space, which features a long black and red bar, opened in November and is available for full buyouts. The main room holds 70, a courtyard seats 40, and a rooftop patio can accommodate up to 80 during the warmer months.
3. Pan-seared Irish salmon, Guinness steak and mushroom pie, and Scotch eggs are just some of the authentic dishes offered at the Roy Public House, which opened in Leslieville in March. Owners Mark Corbett and Andy Schnurr created a warm feel with yellow walls and dark wood tables in the traditional Irish pub, located in the former home of the Asian pub Kubo Radio. The Roy seats 94.
4. Patrick McMurray, champion oyster shucker and owner of Starfish Oyster Bed & Grill, is set to open an authentic Irish pub called the Ceili Cottage in Leslieville this month. The cozy 70-seat space will have a dining area with church pews and small tables and a bar area with a piano. McMurray plans to offer music lessons, trivia nights, and live music and dancing. There will be 12 beers on tap, including craft beers and local ales. The menu will feature simple dishes like Ploughman's lunches and stews made with organic ingredients. (There will not be a deep fryer in the kitchen.) A patio will seat 40 in the warmer months.
