The Elmwood Bar is a new go-to neighbourhood bar in Toronto, fusing its founders’ love of good beer, friendly vibes, and chicken wings.
When the romance between Elmwood Bar founders Allen Meredith and Mallory Bey (or, Al and Mal, as they’re commonly referred) was first blooming, regular road trips to Buffalo, New York, to visit the city’s swath of friendly neighbourhood bars became a tradition.
Both boasting backgrounds on the Toronto food scene, with Mal working as a bartender and Al as a chef, good food and drink have always been a non-negotiable. When they started dreaming up a place of their own, though, their imaginations quickly drifted away from the buzzy downtown spots they both cut their teeth at.
Allen Meredith and Mallory Bey.
Instead, they thought of their early trips to Buffalo: the welcoming spaces that made them feel like regulars, even on their first visit; the bars that exclusively served craft beer without the need to pat themselves on the back for it; the wings.
Thus, the Elmwood Bar was born. Named after a main Buffalo street, Al and Mal’s Etobicoke restaurant bar embodies the unpretentious air and warm attitudes that drew them in.
Despite being inspired by a U.S. city, the Elmwood is still quintessentially Canadian, through and through. The walls are covered with bits of ephemera: a light-up bottle of Labatt Blue, old Leafs cards, a poster from the ice storm of ’98.
It’s the perfect level of homey and kitschy, complete with yacht rock humming over the speakers, but without the sticky tabletops and insufficient lighting of comparable wing houses.
The menu is short and sweet: four different wing flavours, mastered by Al after a lengthy R&D period, Montreal-style toasté hot dogs, and fries. Every single one hits the nail on the head.
An order of wings goes for $25 and comes with 10 extra-large wings, weighing in at roughly a pound and a half.
It goes without saying that the Buffalo wings are the star of the show. Available either hot or mild, they’re tossed in a generous helping of house-made sauce and stay miraculously crispy. They arrive steaming hot and with a side of wet wipes for saucy fingers.
For something different, Charred Scallion BBQ is a standout. A riff on Asian flavours, the sticky-sweet sauce combines classic barbecue with charred green onion and cilantro. They’re fairly mild, but finish with a satisfying tingle of spice at the tip of your tongue.
The toastés ($15) come with two to an order and a size of fries. The steamed hot dogs (yes, there are hot dogs in there) are all dressed with mustard, chopped onion and shredded cabbage.
The bun seals the deal. Mal and Al tell blogTO that they searched high and low to source authentic buns from Quebec, and it was well worth the wait.
The drink menu is stocked with a selection of local craft and imported beverages, including the Allentown house lager, which comes with a cheeky chicken wing etching on the fill line.
Al and Mal’s estimation, that their neighbourhood needed an establishment like The Elmwood, has proven correct in the weeks since opening. The restaurant is rarely, if ever, anything less than packed. Mallory tells blogTO that, even though it wasn’t their intention, lineups are usual.
Still, the success has done nothing to dampen the restaurant’s personability. As patrons stream in, each one is greeted personally and engaged in a warm conversation. Al and Mal seem to be on a first-name basis with all of them.
The Elmwood Bar is located at 753 The Queensway.