Great chicken. Down the street at Chick-N-Joy, that is.
Tasty Chicken House
1014 Queen St. East
When I consider the name of this bar, I’m reminded of The Montreal Pool Room in, you guessed it, Montreal. There’s no pool at the “Pool Room” and there’s no chicken at Tasty Chicken House.
In fact, there’s no food. But there is a kitchen. And all the drinks are served ice cold. Like the owner.
But the regulars are friendly and, golly, can they shake a leg!
Plus, there’s a skin salon in the back.
The Nitty-Gritty:
Jacksoul Poster: No
Price: Cheap for Leslieville: $4.50 domestic bottled beer
Service: Cold like the beer. Here’s my initial interaction with the owner:
I said, “Hello.”
She said, “Hello.”
I said, “Hello.”
She said, “Hello.”
I said, “Hello.”
She said, “Hello.”
I said, “Hello.”
She said, “Hello.”
I said, “I’m not a cop.”
She looked at me blankly.
I said, “Beer.”
She said, “Yes.”
I said, “Molson Export.”
She said, “$4.50.”
Décor:
Downmarket Chiaroscuro
Much like the Sistine Chapel’s “The Separation of Light from Darkness” by Michelangelo, a guy named Mike painted this ceiling light and dark. For art connoisseurs, that alone might be the reason to visit.
Washroom facilities:
Clean. Boring. That’s probably a good thing, but not for my review.
Cleanliness:
Literally so clean you’d be comfortable eating their chicken off the floor, that is if they had any chicken.
Games/Amusements:
Coin-op pool table, juke box, Scratch and Win lottery tickets, and CP24 all day and night.
Value-adds:
The “Whatever happened to Solid Gold Dancer Deney Terrio” mystery solved. As you can see, he’s living happily ever after as Tasty’s feature dancer.
Here he is before the glory of Tasty Chicken House:
Indy 5%:
A Tasty tradition is that the fastest person to chug a full bottle of beer gets to wear the checkered flag jacket. It matches the ceiling. (I love theme dives!)
The current record holder is Randy McDunna, who inhaled a beer in 1.9 seconds. As he recounted, “I downed that sucker as fast as Darth fuckin’ Vader chasin’ Luke fuckin’ Skywalker, eh.”
Coldest drinks in town:
This bar is committed to serving you the coldest drinks in the city. Every beverage is stored in the fridge and served ice cold. And that includes red wine, whisky, and Hot Rum Toddies.
Life Lesson: Don’t judge a book by its cover.
Security is handled by Dan. Third Dan, that is. I watched him apply “The Mantis” to a big unruly fellow and turf him out of the bar.
History:
Walk over to nearby Carlaw Avenue and see the factory where chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr. disappointed his father, who was a dentist.
Suggested musical accompaniment:
“Dance Fever Opening”
The Last Call:
Dive Bar Mike recommends this bar for art lovers, speed drinkers, white leisure suit lovers, and those who want to enter the dragon.