Are you a fan of the mysterious, fantasy worlds, LOTR, monsters and villains, and D&D? Well, you must add Storm Crow Manor to your Toronto bucket list. Keep reading to find out why!
A D&D tavern wasn’t really on my radar. In fact, my boyfriend (a talented DM and avid dungeons and dragons player) only had one thing he wanted to do in Toronto – and this was it. While I don’t play that often, we still bond on many nerdy interests and hobbies, and this was certainly one of them. Even if you don’t play D&D, Storm Crow Manor has something for all nerds alike.
When you walk up the path from the street, two stories of windows are lit in colors of red, orange, yellow, and blue. LED candles flicker. Signs alluding to different movies and fandoms shine. An inflatable Jabba the Hut stands guard in the front lawn, looking out onto the busy streets of Toronto. There’s the light drum of music and, upon first impressions, I thought we had accidentally stumbled upon the coolest frat house I had ever seen.
The building itself is a renovated house, so there are many twists and turns as you head from room to room. Once you enter, there is a great wooden bar on the right side.
The drink menu is extensive, from brews to cocktails to creative shots named after villains, monsters, and sci-fi famous movies. Their drink menu also includes a “roll for your shot” option. The bartender will hand you a D20 and the roll of the dice chooses one of the 20 creative shots for you!
If you roll a perfect 20, you are offered a souvenir shot glass. However, that is the only way to obtain the shot glass – luck/skill, whichever you believe in. Unfortunately, we weren’t lucky/skillful enough – at least this time around!
There are so many intricate details and creative decorations covering every inch of the tavern. The bar is a carved octopus reaching towards the ceiling. The shelves behind the bar are not just lined with liquors, but with sparkling and glowing bottles that look like either poison or healing potions. Various board games are stacked precariously in an open cabinet. We had a bit of a wait, so we decided to try rolling for our shots.
Some of my favorite shot names included:
#13 Jules Verne
#6 Vulcan Mindmeld
#1 Critical Miss (tequila, tabasco, and bitters) – if you do so bad as to roll a one, you have to suffer a bit, of course.
However, this can be a trap because, after two shots, I kept wanting to keep paying and go for that 20. Well played, Storm Crow, well played.
You don’t just have to go to Storm Crow to drink. For dinner. were seated on the second floor, through rooms with stained-glass windows overlooking Mordor and taxidermy-styled monster heads displayed over roaring fireplaces. Vintage photographs lined the walls and spooky masks and statues stood guard behind corners. There were nods to many pop culture shows and movies, such as Stranger Things, Men in Black, 2000 Leagues Under the Sea, Frankenstein, and Dracula. Truthfully, there were so many interesting rooms filled with amazing memorabilia that I probably still didn’t get to see all of it. Behind our table, which was facing a steampunk laboratory that doubled as our assigned bar, two vibrant portraits of a lord and his lady watched over us. While they were usually still, sometimes they shifted in their portraits, their eyes always moving.
There is a lot of good food on the menu, from chickpea fries (which were so good and spicy), wolverine poutine, and calamari of Cthulu. Reading the menu was almost as entertaining as exploring the place. We chose to create our own Dungeon Burger where, just like the shots, you roll for your creation. The waiter brought out a slip, a pencil, and a D20. The rules were simple – what you roll is what you get.
Of course, you can choose what you want, but there is fun in the mystery of what you are about to create. I only cheated . . . maybe once or twice. There are many things to choose from, the type of bun to the choice of meat. You have the choice of adding toppings, sauces, and sides. Lastly, you get to choose the alignment of your burger. Is it a Lawful Evil or Chaotic Neutral? Roll to find out! 
But we still can’t forget about those cocktails! There were many to choose from, all with wonderfully nerdy names. I ordered a “Butterbeer” while my friend sipped on a rum-based drink called “Release the Kraken.” Dry ice made his drink bubble and steam like a personal potion. Another sweet favorite of mine was the “What We Drink in the Shadows,” which is a play on the New Zealand vampire mockumentary “What We Do in the Shadows.” The ingredients were sometimes just as spooky and intriguing.
We had a wonderful time at Storm Crow Manor and it ended up being one of the best ideas during our Toronto trip. It is a great place to meet for drinks or a fun dinner. The next time that we end up in Toronto, I know that this will definitely be at the top of our list.
Unfortunately, D&D bars don’t exist in South Florida at the moment but, hopefully we won’t always have to cross international borders to find one – though, I wouldn’t really mind.
What do you think about a Dungeons and Dragons themed bar and tavern? Do you have something similar near you?
Check out Storm Crow Manor’s website here!
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