Wheelchair-friendly/accessible pubs/restaurants in Toronto?

July 2, 2012 9:47 AM

Are there any good, accessible venues in Toronto (near the UofT Campus/St. George) for student events? (i.e. pubs, restaurants, and coffee houses?).

I am in charge of planning events for our student council and we are required to use accessible venues. The problem is, there isn't really that many in Toronto, surprisingly (what an eye-opener!). Some places claim they are accessible but their washrooms are completely inaccessible (down a set of narrow stairs or a door too narrow to fit a wheelchair through and no wheelchair-friendly toilet stalls). We're looking for pubs, restaurants, and coffee houses (preferably ones with private rooms or a small stage area for an open-mic night). We're planning on checking out some places on campus that are part of UofT (i.e. Hart House) but we need some accessible venues to choose from, as the only truly accessible venue we have requires a hefty $1500 commitment, which means we have to make up the difference in the tab if it comes to less thank $1500 even though we're bringing them business.

posted by 1000monkeys to food & drink (3 answers total)

I don't know the area, and I don't know how well Yelp covers major metro areas outside the US ... but it seems to have some results in Toronto, and wheelchair accessibility is one of the features you can use to filter searches. I'd recommend calling ahead anyway if you want to be really sure, since occasionally it goofs; but I've had good luck with it in several large US cities.
posted by spaceman_spiff at 10:33 AM on July 2, 2012

Here's a list my friend is compiling.
posted by avocet at 11:05 AM on July 2, 2012

spaceman_spiff: thanks for your response! I definitely have a targeted list from yelp with locations that are supposedly wheelchair-accessible (though, I find in Toronto, a lot of places like to claim they are accessible but the toilet is down some narrow stairs in a tiny cupboard :-S

avocet: thanks for the link! That was actually one of the first places I found upon searching the web, and I'm sure it will be a great resource. It's a bit short of a list at the moment, unfortunately, but hopefully your friend will be able to add to it because it's an important resource to have.

Please keep the responses coming, especially if you have first-hand knowledge of a place.
posted by 1000monkeys at 5:16 PM on July 2, 2012