Torontonians have earned the right to be a tad cynical about the opening of yet another ye olde Irish/Scottish/English pub, with their mini-kilt-clad babes, sweet potato fries and calamari rings. But Ted and Mary (née McGugan) Koutsogiannopoulos, along with executive chef Bryan Burke, are hoping to bring something a little more authentic with McGugan’s, their new Scottish tavern on Gerrard Street. The trio, which is also behind Hank’s, Wine Bar and Great Burger Kitchen, secured the place late last summer, and has been sweating away to get it ready for launch ever since (indeed, Burke and Koutsogiannopulis did the woodwork themselves). We dropped in to check it out.
A proud Scot, Mary McGugan had been ruminating about opening a pub of her own since 2006. The two-story space (a former flower shop) is warm in deep reds, greens, dark wood with salvaged Mennonite floor planks. In addition to the main dining room, there’s a room for private functions, a rooftop patio and a backyard lounge—a total of 258 seats in the summer. Before opening the place, Burke flew to Scotland to get a handle on real Scottish food. “It was horrible,” he confessed. “Everything was deep-fried. Even the pizza. But, what I discovered was the essence of what Scottish food can be.”
The menu of elevated pub grub contains the usual suspects—fish and chips ($14.95), caesar salad ($8.95)—but there are also quirky Scottish delicacies. Chef de Cuisine Don Gingrich rolls haggis ($12.95)—ground lamb, oats and spices—into bite-size balls, dips them in a house ale tempura batter and deep-fries them golden. His wee Scotch eggs ($12.95 for five), meanwhile, are hard boiled quail eggs, wrapped in house-ground sausage and fried. Gingrich is a stickler for doing everything from scratch: roasting bones for stock, soaking raisins in scotch for his butter tarts, hand cutting fresh fries, blending duck livers into pâté and whipping up all vinaigrettes, jams and sauces. He even infuses local honey with Scottish heather flowers.
At the bar, there’s an impressive list of Scotch and whiskey—40 to 50 labels, depending on the day, including a 20-year-old Dun Bheagan’s Rosemount from the Lowlands of Scotland (there are only 762 bottles released every year). Manager and Wine Spectator award–winning sommelier Brian Michael works to pair the scotch and whiskeys with the kitchen’s local products. “That’s why,” he explains, “there are only three imports on tap: Innis and Gunn, Guinness and Kilkenny. The rest of our selections of drafts are all micro-brewed Ontario craft beers.” Next up for the team of industry vets behind McGugan’s: an Italian place called Aprile Bambina, two doors down at number 1054.
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- The sign outside
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- Ivan, the daytime bartender, is not a Scot. And no, he’s not asked to wear the kilt. He just does because he likes it
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- Just about everything but the stools was built by the owners.
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- Twelve brews on tap and many more by the bottle
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- Chef Dan Gingrich likes makes everything from scratch, from infusing honey with heather to roasting bones for stock.
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- Essential kitchen stuff: A Night with Robbie Burns, The Food Lover’s Companion and a steel
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- Only 762 bottles of Dun Bheagan’s Rosemount from the Lowlands of Scotland are released per year. $30 per shot
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- Chef Don Gingrich’s heather-infused honey
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- Red Wehani rice salad with barley, currents and beets ($8.95)
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- Haggis balls: McGugan ale tempura bites of hagis with root vegetable chips and single malt scotch aïoli ($12.95)
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- Stout-braised lamb shank with barley and roasted root vegetables ($21.95)
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- Sticky toffee cheesecake with caramelized condensed milk and pralines ($7.95)
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- McGugan’s Ploughman: duck liver pate, cheese, quail eggs and smoked pork hock ($14.95)
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- Fish and Chips ($14.95)
McGugan’s, 1058 Gerrard St. E., 416-901-9859, mcgugans.com
Please tell them NOT to make their fries greasy. yuck!
February 17, 2012 at 12:24 pm | by LovetocookanywhereBad Music, along with the un-pub like style and very nervous looking what we would take as the manager.- Mr. Suit = NOT A PUB…….\on the up side the food was sensational…..but its not a PUB
February 17, 2012 at 6:43 pm | by smithThe bartender was great, the food was great, but the pricing was out to lunch for what they delivered. I had those hagis balls for $13.00. They served 3 and they weren’t worth $4.32 per ball.
If you want to be a pub, then change your pricing to reflect pub fare. $12.00 for 6 chicken wings. I think the grilled cheese sandwich was $11 or $12.00.
Pay some attention to your location. If you want to succeed and have staying power, then I recommend making some amendments to your menu. I won’t be back unless it’s changed.
February 18, 2012 at 9:31 am | by mckayI went in and was given a tour by the super friendly host, Monique. I met chef Bryan and saw the upstairs and rooftop patio spaces. Judging from the smiles on the faces of the patrons, and the welcoming attitude of t staff, this place is going to be a real winner. I look forward to making it my local.
February 18, 2012 at 9:35 am | by Lisaas a local resident, my neighbours and i are delighted to have such a place open in the hood! food is great, service has been great and friendly.
February 18, 2012 at 10:28 am | by Danby having the higher prices it just keeps the local riff raff away which is totally fine.
only suggestion i would make is offering a kids specific menu with lower prices. this area has a lot of young families and for the place to really succeed it will need to cater to these families. much more enticing to pop in for a quick family friendly dinner if the prices are lower!
i support local businesses and wish only the best for Ted and Mary. another new restaurant 2 doors down? very exciting!!!!
Like all new places, we had a few growing pains in the first few weeks including getting portions consistent (ie. haggis, wings comments) and lowering the price points a bit. We have recalibrated the menu to be what the neighbourhood is telling us they want while still keeping the quality high. I am very glad to hear most everyone remark on our friendliness because that is so important to us. Please keep talking to us and letting us know what we can do to serve you best. Thank you all so much for warmly welcoming McGugan’s to your neighbourhood! Cheers!
February 18, 2012 at 8:45 pm | by Mary McGuganOne Last Thing — My web guy is away for the weekend so the new menus, although in effect, might not get uploaded until Tuesday! Bear with us! Thanks!
February 18, 2012 at 8:59 pm | by Mary McGuganM
New menu uploaded!
February 18, 2012 at 11:05 pm | by Mary McGugandon’t listen to the people who want you to be more kid friendly, a pub is a drinking place first and not a place for kids.
February 20, 2012 at 7:00 am | by nokidsinpubsI’ve been to McGugans twice now and have been slightly disappointed both times. The bartender needs to learn how to pour a Guinness properly and for that matter, beer in general. The head on my Guinness was served with a “Pope’s collar”, which is a bad thing for a pint. My companion had a craft beer that was served liked it had a big gulp taken out of it.
February 21, 2012 at 9:30 am | by JimmyMy other friend, a foodie, was disappointed with a very greasy grilled cheese sandwich.
As a local resident – I want this place to succeed. I agree with some of the other comments above, a new place will have a few kinks, I’ll go again as it’s so close – they just need to work them out before I become a regular. Otherwise, it’s back to McCarthy’s or The Ceili Cottage.
i think actually jamie kennedy was behind wine bar.. as for all 3 i dont know how they stay open they are always empty..
February 21, 2012 at 12:58 pm | by don craigisn’t greasiness a known quality of grilled cheese sandwiches? a foodie? really?
February 21, 2012 at 1:36 pm | by justaguyNice to see Innis & Gunn getting a tap. I had a bottle of Innis & Gunn oak-aged ale and goes so nicely with lamb and other Scottish fare.
Of course, you can never go wrong with Guinness Extra Stout on tap – although it sounds like the bartender isn’t doing justice in the pour, which is important if you’re going to bother at all. My wine/beer guru returns improper pours; yep, he takes it that seriously – and why not? You’re not paying for “the beer”, you can drink it at home for far cheaper – it is about the dining experience and the care that the servers put into providing a quality experience, and for which they’ll be expecting a tip, right?
http://torontomyway.blogspot.com
February 21, 2012 at 2:01 pm | by Toronto My WayWhen u say you came to acotland to taste thelocal food. and everything was deep fried you obviously never left glasgow. try looking at the east coast and further north where normal scots live . we are moveing to toronto soon from bonnyrigg and will pop in to see how you are getting on but it aounds like you havnt really hit the nail on the head just yet with your fancy menu . try looking online at some of our scottish restaurant menus. there is a fresh sea food restaurant here called Lough fine. check it out . good luck for the future.
February 21, 2012 at 2:29 pm | by paulNice enough place, but it’s about as Scottish as The Comrade. It’s just a marketing hook; it’s a generic room with a couple of UK beers on tap.
February 22, 2012 at 12:27 pm | by Liam