BlogTO's Best Pubs in Toronto...Thoughts?

BlogTO, a 2010 Toronto Beer Week (TBW) sponsor, came out with their annual Best Pubs of Toronto list yesterday and 7 of the 11 mentioned were TBW participants, something we like to see!

Congratulations go out to C'est What, Victory Cafe, The Local, Betty's, The Queen & Beaver, The Only Cafe, and Duggan's Brewery.

However, there are some notable absences of some great establishments. Granted, the ones listed on BlogTO were chosen by online voting, and most of them are good spots to knock back a couple of pints, but the beer geek in me thought it could be better... so here is my Best Pubs in Toronto list. And as with any list of sorts, it is subjective. Everyone I know would probably add and subtract a number of the places I mention.

Without ranking in order from 1 to 10 and using the following criteria - Must have a solid beer selection, good service, good atmosphere, knowledgable staff, host beer events, have caring owners/managers, respect for the customer:

The Monk's Table
barVolo
C'est What (BlogTO List)
Victory Cafe (BlogTO List)
The Ceili Cottage
Queen & Beaver (BlogTO List)
Dora Keogh's/Allen's
Bryden's
The Only Cafe (BlogTO List)
Granite Brewery

Actually, I couldn't stop at just ten, so here are numerous honourable mentions:
Burger Bar & Tequlia Tavern
The Harbord House
Smokeless Joe
The Local
Mill Street Brewpub
Duggan's Brewery
The Rebel House
Dominion on Queen
The Feathers Pub

One thing this list made me realize was how good the pub scene is here in Toronto. When we set about organizing a list of possible licensees list for TBW our group was both surprised and encouraged when we saw the outcome on paper - Toronto has great pubs! And one trend that is being noticed is when a new establishment opens, craft beer, or a selection of solid imports are taking up the draught lines and beer fridges.

*Note - beerbistro is all by itself. Have to give props even though it's no pub!