Craft breweries Toronto have grown from a single working-class brewpub in 1985 (the long-gone Granite Brewery on Mount Pleasant) to more than 90 licensed craft breweries today, plus another 40 in the immediate suburbs. Toronto now ranks third in North America for craft brewery density behind only Portland and Denver, and the city’s beer scene is as diverse as its food: West End hop bombs, East End sours, Junction Belgians, Etobicoke lagers, and a Korean-Toronto fusion brewery making rice lagers in Scarborough. This guide walks through the 25 best craft breweries Toronto offers — by neighbourhood — with notes on which to choose for tours, food, patio culture, and the best beer.
Why Toronto craft beer is having a moment
Ontario’s craft beer industry quadrupled between 2014 and 2024, and Toronto has been the centre of that growth. The Ontario Craft Brewers association now lists 350+ member breweries; Toronto and the GTA account for 40% of them. The catalysts: a 2018 LCBO reform that opened on-site sales without volume restrictions, the rise of farmers’-market direct-to-consumer sales, and a sustained craft-cocktail-and-craft-beer interest from young Torontonians.
The result is a brewery scene that mostly opens its doors as a taproom — 90% of craft breweries Toronto produces have full-service taprooms, often with kitchens, weekend brunch, trivia nights, and patio hours that run from May through October. Most are TTC-accessible.
West End: the Junction and Bloordale
Henderson Brewing
Henderson (128A Sterling Rd, Lower Junction) is named after Robert Henderson, the brewer who founded Toronto’s first commercial brewery in 1820. The 12,000-square-foot taproom is industrial-chic, the brewery does monthly collaboration releases (“Ides Series”), and the kitchen serves wood-fired pizzas and house-cured meat boards. The patio is one of the city’s largest brewery patios. Closest TTC: Lansdowne (Line 2) plus a 10-minute walk.
Indie Alehouse
Indie Alehouse (2876 Dundas W) was the first craft brewery in the Junction (2012) and remains its anchor — a long, narrow 100-seat room with a small open kitchen, 16 taps of mostly hop-forward house beers, and a wall of bottles to take home. Try the Spadina Monkey IPA or the Cockpuncher imperial stout.
Junction Craft Brewery
Junction Craft (150 Symes Rd) operates out of the historic Symes Avenue garbage incinerator — yes, really. The 1933 art deco building is a designated heritage site; the patio is on the rooftop with a view of the Stockyards Industrial Park. The Conductor’s Craft Ale and Stationmaster’s IPA are reliable.
East End and Riverside: the brewery alley
Left Field Brewery
Left Field (36 Wagstaff Dr, just east of Greenwood and Gerrard) is the brewery of choice for Toronto’s beer-nerd community — small batches, frequent rotation, and a strong New England IPA program. The taproom is tiny but consistently sells out. Closest TTC: Greenwood (Line 2) plus 12-minute walk.
Eastbound Brewing
Eastbound (700 Queen E, Riverside) is one of the prettiest taprooms in the city — exposed-brick warehouse, 50 seats, six house beers and a sharing kitchen menu (the lamb merguez sausage roll is famous). The Eastbound Pilsner is a dependable everyday lager.
Godspeed Brewery
Godspeed (242 Coxwell Ave) brings Belgian and Japanese influence to Toronto craft brewing — founder Luc Lafontaine spent eight years in Belgium and has done residencies in Japan. The saisons and the Yuzu IPA are world-class. Small taproom (40 seats), no kitchen but excellent snacks.
Downtown and South: the brewery district
Steam Whistle Brewing
Steam Whistle (255 Bremner Blvd, base of CN Tower) is the city’s biggest craft brewery and the largest steam-driven brewing operation in North America. The 1929 Roundhouse building alone is worth the visit. Brewery tours run hourly $15 and include four samples plus a souvenir glass. The pilsner is the only beer they make — a clean Czech-style lager that is the official beer of countless Toronto sports stadiums.
Mill Street Brewery
Mill Street (21 Tank House Lane, Distillery District) is a Toronto institution since 2002. The brewpub serves an extensive menu with beer pairings; the Organic Lager is the gateway, the Tankhouse Pale Ale is the classic, the Cobblestone Stout is for nitro stout lovers. Distillery District location is a major tourist draw — see also our Distillery District guide.
Amsterdam BrewHouse
Amsterdam BrewHouse (245 Queens Quay W) is the lakefront flagship of the Amsterdam Brewing Company, with two patios overlooking the harbour, a kitchen serving brewery food at scale, and tours of the on-site nano-brewery. The Boneshaker IPA and Spirit of ’76 lagers are the headliners.
North York and Scarborough
Folly Brewpub
Folly (928 College St, Little Italy) is a brewery and natural wine bar with a Chez-Panisse-meets-pub vibe. Sour and wild beers are the focus and the kitchen does seasonal small plates. Easily the most chef-driven of the breweries.
Rorschach Brewing
Rorschach (1001 Eastern Ave) is a 90-seat taproom and barrel-aged-program studio with a strong focus on stouts and barleywines. Their barrel cellar is open by reservation for tasting flights ($35/person, four pours).
Halo Brewery
Halo (247 Wallace Ave) is a former coffee roasting building turned tiny taproom in the Junction Triangle, with one of the better outdoor patios in the immediate area.
Brewery tours and crawls
Several Toronto operators run group brewery tours: Toronto Beer Tours runs a Junction Crawl (Henderson + Junction Craft + Indie Alehouse, 4 hrs, $79); a Riverside Crawl (Eastbound + Left Field + Godspeed, 4 hrs, $79); and a Distillery Brewery Combo (Mill Street tour and tasting, 2 hrs, $45). All tours include transportation and a tasting flight at each stop.
Self-guided crawls work well too. The five Junction breweries (Henderson, Junction Craft, Indie Alehouse, Halo, and the smaller High Park Brewery) are within 1.5 km of each other. The Riverside cluster (Left Field, Eastbound, Godspeed) is within a 25-minute walk.
What to drink: Toronto craft beer styles
NEIPA / hazy IPA — Toronto’s signature style. Try at Left Field, Bellwoods, Folly, Indie Alehouse.
Lager and pilsner — Steam Whistle is the cleanest; Eastbound and Halo also make excellent lagers.
Sour / wild ales — Folly, Burdock, Rorschach, and Bellwoods are the city’s wild leaders.
Belgian and saison — Godspeed and Indie Alehouse.
Stout and porter — Mill Street Cobblestone, Rorschach barrel-aged stouts, Henderson’s stouts in winter.
Practical tips for craft breweries Toronto
Hours and reservations
Most taprooms open 12pm–10pm Monday–Saturday and 12pm–8pm Sundays. Friday and Saturday evenings get crowded — small taprooms (Left Field, Godspeed, Folly) often have 30-minute waits between 6 and 9pm. Reservations are accepted at Henderson, Eastbound, Mill Street, and Steam Whistle.
Costs
Pints CA$8–$12. Tasting flights of 4 (3oz each) typically $14–$18. Taproom kitchens charge $14–$22 per main. Brewery tours average $15–$25 with samples included.
Buying takeout beer
Every brewery has an on-site retail shop. Cans typically $4–$6 each; a four-pack of premium beer runs $18–$24. Most breweries also distribute through The Beer Store and the LCBO.
Internal links: round out your Toronto food and drink
Pair brewery visits with the rest of Toronto’s food scene: best bars in Toronto, best restaurants in Toronto, cheap eats in Toronto, Distillery District guide, and things to do in Toronto. For the post-brewery dinner, our best pizza Toronto guide pairs well with West End brewery hops.
Craft breweries Toronto are spread across the city but cluster naturally — pick a neighbourhood, walk between three or four taprooms, and you’ll have one of the best afternoons the city offers.