Pinkerton's Snack Bar - Toronto, Ontario

Joan Zheng

Busy lively bar on the weekends with many shareable foods. Most of the dishes are good, while some are average tasting. Overall great place to hang out with your friends to grab a bite and drink. 4.5/5 stars.

Bredgy L.

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An eclectic bar with wonderful small bites where the ahi tuna tostada is the star. The wonton wrappers are delightfully airy and crisp, which somehow support the generous portion of ahi tuna piled high and marinated with a well-balanced soy yuzu sauce that brings a burst of tangy umami. The avocado adds a wonderful creamy bite and is topped with nori flakes and chilli peppers. The Taiwanese baos were also popular, easy to pick up and bite with some nice flavours. The chicken is crisp and juicy and slathered in an umami-rich gochujang sauce that's balanced with the pickles. The pork adobo is braised low and slow to render out the fat so it melts in your mouth.

Kyle Keifman

Staff went above and beyond. They were so accommodating. Very kind and friendly. The sweetest bartender I've ever met. The food was delicious and original. The cocktails were great. I loved how the place was decorated too. I definitely want to go again next time I'm in Toronto.

Morganne McCumber

We didn't eat but had a lovely time at the Chef's table! I loved the vibes and the staff were so welcoming and lovely throughout the evening. They made great drink suggestions and we enjoyed ourselves so much! Will definitely be back!

Tallie MacDonald

Absolutely fantastic! The chef and the serving staff were absolutely top notch. An incredible shout out to the wonderful chef that took care of my severe food allergies to nightshades and handcrafted. A wonderful beautiful tofu salad. The flavors were crisp and amazing. Just the care and detail I could n't say anything negative about my experience at this wonderful little establishment drinks were absolutely fantastic. The care and detail and presentation of the other food that was presented to our table was amazing. Thank you for a wonderful evening and can't wait to come back!

Gastro W.

Despite it’s British sounding name, Pinkerton's Snack Bar’s menu decidedly has an Asian influence. The kitchen and the bar seemed to have developed separately, as their drink menu leans towards classic cocktails like my favourite of the evening… the paloma ($16), adorned with a lovely pink peppercorn salt rim that adds a kick to the tequila, mezcal, and citrusy drink. Beautifully made but hardly seems like a drink that pairs with fried rice.

Still, I enjoyed it with a plate of duck fried rice ($18). It’s a good version of the dish, filled with flavours thanks to duck confit chunks mixed with micro chopped vegetables, egg, and hoisin that added a savoury richness. My only grumble is the rice was too fresh – every Asian knows that day old is best for frying – so the dish was too wet.

The crispy salt and pepper tofu ($13) arrived hot and crunchy and would have been delicious if it weren’t for the accompanying spicy tomato chutney. While I didn’t find it revolting, tofu and marinara isn’t really the greatest combination, especially when I was looking forward to the more traditional chopped bell pepper and onions relish version instead.

I enjoyed the soft buns used by Pinkerton’s for their bao buns ($15 for two), but they needed more filling. There was too much batter on the small pieces of Korean fried chicken, so the protein became dry and leaned towards a jerky consistency. The bulgogi sirloin was better, the beef more pronounced, and being marinated helps to keep things moist, especially when dressed with carrot slaw and spicy mayo.

Surprisingly there wasn’t a leaf of fermented cabbage in the kimchi fries ($12) - I then realized the menu description says it’s topped with kimchi mayo and pickled vegetables but not actual kimchi. The flavours came through in the mayo, but I found there were too many greens compared to the actual spuds, so the dish wasn’t hot enough.

Ultimately, Pinkerton is aptly named as a snack bar and not a restaurant. Their food will satisfy a boozy stomach but won’t wow the taste buds. Luckily, their cocktails do, such as the beautiful floral French 75 ($16). The cocktail’s lavender and jasmine elements weren’t too overwhelming, additives that can sometimes leave a drink tasting like dish detergent. Rather, it was refreshing, a lovely drink to sip on a hot day.

Mike Williams

A very special spot - dropped by for some late night drinks and some food. All the cocktails are great. Only got to try some of the bao buns, but they were perfectly light and fluffy and delicious. Johnathan and the rest of the bar staff were fantastic.

Anushka Chandran

It is the one place this strip lacks. A nice vibe all around, smallish place, good for snack groups and hangs. The food and drinks were both excellent. We were seated next to the kitchen so got chatting to the chef and it was such a pleasure.
Definitely recommend the kimchi fries and the pork Baos. There is so much flavour to the food and the fusion hits the right notes.
The LIIT was lit too. As were the other drinks!
It can get crowded and the wait can be painful apart from that all is great.