Where to Watch Arsenal in Toronto
Short version: Toronto's Gooners are not crammed into one room — the T-Dot Gooners run a venue in pretty much every corner of the GTA, so the right answer is "whichever is nearest you." If you are visiting and staying downtown, head to Saint Johns Tavern in the entertainment district or Pizza Rustica by Rogers Centre.
Pick your pub by where you are, not by which is "best." They are all proper Arsenal rooms — sound on, the right crowd, scarves up.
When the match kicks off (Eastern time)
Toronto is five hours behind London, so a UK afternoon is a Toronto morning. Set the alarm, not the evening.
- 12:30pm UK early kickoff to 7:30am ET. Sunrise pint. Pizza for breakfast at Pizza Rustica sounds wrong until you have done it at 7am for a London kickoff.
- 3pm UK Saturday to 10am ET. The standard, busy slot.
- 5:30pm UK Saturday to 12:30pm ET. The civilised one — proper breakfast first.
- 2pm UK Sunday to 9am ET, and 4:30pm UK Sunday to 11:30am ET.
- 8pm UK midweek (Champions League) to 3pm ET. Mid-afternoon European nights on a work day. One of the perks.
The morning rooms fill ahead of kickoff for top-of-the-table games, so get in early.
Downtown / central
Saint Johns Tavern
117 John St. T-Dot Gooners Downtown, right in the entertainment district with Arsenal at the core. The most central option, and the easiest if you are visiting.
Pizza Rustica
37 Blue Jays Way. Arsenal Canada’s downtown spot, a couple of minutes from Rogers Centre. Screens everywhere and, yes, pizza for breakfast. Fills fast for the big ones, so get in early.
West end
The Dock Ellis
1280 Dundas St W. T-Dot Gooners West. Craft beer and early kickoffs, named after the baseball legend who threw a no-hitter on acid — which tells you the vibe. Your spot if you are west of downtown.
East end
Fox on Danforth
535 Danforth Ave. T-Dot Gooners East, where Greektown meets Gooner town. If you are east of Yonge, this is the one.
Midtown
Gatherings Resto Bar
49 St Clair Ave W. The central hub that splits the difference between downtown and the northern suburbs. If you are in the middle, start here.
North & the suburbs
VMV's Bar & Grill
4207 Keele St, North York. The York Region Gooners' home base, near Keele and Finch (Finch West subway gets you close). Proper food, passionate crowd, and far enough out that you are not scrapping for a seat. Vaughan, Richmond Hill and Markham fans all land here.
Duchess of Markham
53 Main St, Markham. The suburban Gooner stronghold out in Markham. If you are well north of the city, no need to trek downtown.
The honest take
Visiting? Stay central and build the morning around Saint Johns or Pizza Rustica. Live here? Go to your patch — the whole point of the T-Dot Gooners setup is that there is an Arsenal room near you, wherever you are in the GTA.
Sourced from fans via GoonerPubs and the T-Dot Gooners setup. Opening times and which venue is busiest shift by fixture — check before you go. Spot something out of date? Add or update a pub on GoonerPubs.