With August quickly moving towards its end, I am eager to enjoy the last days of summer before entering what is reported to be a cooler-than-normal September. With that in mind, my mom and I decided to have a leisurely lunch at Harbourfront to enjoy the lake and boat scenery. I bristle at the idea of going to Harbourfront on the weekends, battling the crowds for a prime spot on the patio, so we chose a sunny Monday afternoon instead. I was informed that the Amsterdam Brewhouse has one of the best patios in Toronto so we ventured to the western Harbourfront to check it out.
At 1 p.m. on a Monday, Amsterdam Brewhouse was bustling. Is anyone working today? The south-facing patio was full of business- and casually-attired people. We were told it would be a 15 minute wait for the patio, so we took a seat and waited for a text. After 15 minutes, we still hadn’t received a text so we walked up to the host’s stand and asked if our table was ready. A hostess quickly apologized and led us out to the sun-basked patio.
The 15-minute wait was worth it! What a tremendous view of Lake Ontario this patio boasts!
Our server arrived within a few minutes and asked if we wanted drinks. Neither of us are beer drinkers so, unfortunately, we cannot comment on the quality of the beer. I will say that Amsterdam Brewhouse brews their own beer on site. Their local favourites, such as the Natural Blonde Lager, which is also available at the LCBO, are $7. You might want to try their small batch beer from their cellar such as the Recidivist, a traditional English Barley wine with heritage malts and Fuggle hops for $18 a bottle. You can also take a guided tour of the brewery.
Lacking originality, we each opted for the Roasted Vegetable with Goat Cheese Pizza, $16, with roasted zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes, asparagus, goat cheese and pesto. The pizzas were served in about 15 minutes and we were delighted with the result.
The pizza is made in a wood oven, resulting in a light and crispy crust. The vegetables are thoroughly roasted and blended superbly with the goat cheese and pesto. This is definitely one of the better pizzas I’ve enjoyed in Toronto recently.
A glance at the table next to us revealed a juicy looking burger served with a really unique house salad. The Yam frites (sweet potato fries with roasted garlic aioli, $7) looked amazing too. I’ll order that next time.
When we were finished, our server let us linger at our table to soak in the view before bringing the check so we did not feel rushed to vacate the table at all.
And did I mention the view?
Amsterdam Brewhouse, 245 Queens Quay West (just west of Lower Simcoe Street), 416-504-1020
