Inhabiting the building of an old auto shop, Bandit Brewery has become a go-to watering hole in the neighbourhood of Roncesvalles. Their logo is none other than Toronto’s own beloved trash panda – the raccoon, an unofficial mascot for Toronto. Taking inspiration from German beer gardens, Bandit is host to an incredible outdoor patio, an expansive indoor seating area and bar, as well as a little bottle shop for those who want to take the bottled brews home to enjoy.

Every time I have been to Bandit – which is quite a few – there is always new beer to try. This time I went for one from their milkshake series (a beer prepared using lactose I’m told), a mango and kiwi blend, which was delicious. They do offer less adventurous flavours for the simpler folk or you could try a four-beer flight for $10! As for food, they offer a variety of appetizers like cheese platters, fries, olives and pickles, and more substantial meals like a fig and watercress salad, a spicy jack fruit “pulled pork” sandwich, and buttermilk fried chicken. Their menu has gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options as well – I love restaurants that can accommodate dietary needs.

This has become one of my favourite breweries to visit, but on the weekends their patio gets filled up very fast, so I have yet to enjoy my Bandit beers sans roof. I guess I’ll just have to keep going back until I can make it onto the patio.