House On Parliament

Without fail, I always end up at the House on Parliament (456 Parliament Street, Toronto). Locals call it the HOP, my friends and I call it P-House.

I’ve mostly read positive reviews of it, but speaking as someone who has literally eaten everything on the menu multiple times over, I love it. The food is good. To call it glorified pub-fare would be pretty accurate. I’ve brought every guest that’s visited me to P-House and I’ve never had a single person say anything less than its fantastic.

The atmosphere is cozy, almost too cozy especially on snowy winter nights. Once you’ve sat and had a glass, it’s almost impossible to peel yourself off the cushioned seats. If it is winter though, make sure to sit in the main dining room as the bar room gets cold! In the summertime the terrace is always fun, with smoking only on the east side of it.

The classics, pulled pork sandwich, clubhouse sandwich and steak frites are always delicious. My personal fave is the veggie burger. I love meat, by all means, but this is even better than their house burger. The only time I’ll opt for another burger is when the bison burger is on their daily specials (if you luck out and go there when its available, get it, delish!). Speaking of their daily specials, you can never go wrong. I often look forward to the next time they have their rib and chicken combo on it!

As I always pay attention to the little things, there are a few of note: They always serve mayo with their fries. You can sub in a salad for your fries (try the spinach at no extra cost!) and have a taste of their seasonal beer. Right now it’s the winter blend and its yum.

Dale, Kerri, Jenn, Paul and the whole staff are usually a barrel of fun, they have my order down before I even walk in the door. Kerri mentioned to a friend of mine the other night “If 3 days go by without seeing Shawn, I get a little worried”. To that I laughed.

Try the Waupoos cider, crisp and refreshing.

Good to know: On Monday nights they have half-price wings, but prepare for slow service. It gets packed early and stays that way all night. If you go around 7pm any night of the week, chances are you’ll have to wait 10 or 15 minutes before you’re seated.

Upcoming food for thought: The St. Lawrence Market, Swan Restaurant and samplings from my Christmas Party menu.