The claim
Generally counted Toronto's oldest bar — the Black Bull on Queen West opened earlier under another name, and closed in 2024 — the Wheat Sheaf was opened by Bernard Short in 1849 at King and Bathurst. The brick corner building gained its mansard roof and a third storey later. Once men-only, it is now a sports, live-music and whisky tavern, and in 2025 the city moved to protect it under the Ontario Heritage Act.
What the records show
The City of Toronto's designation report for 667 King Street West sets out the paper trail: the 1845 assessment rolls show John and Bernard Short holding four lots at King and Bathurst, Bernard being an innkeeper and baker; the city directories show the lots tenanted by 1848 and the Wheat Sheaf built and let to Daniel Patterson by 1849; the building first appears on Goad's atlas in 1858, gaining a southern addition and its mansard roof around 1889. Heritage Planning records the original use as inn and tavern. The same report notes the 1995 bankruptcy and the January 1996 reopening, after which the rooms stopped being let, so 'continuous' needs that qualification.
| Year | What | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1849 | Claimed founding | The pub |
| c.1849 | Present building | Building fabric |
| 1849 | First record of a drinking house here | City of Toronto designation report for 667 King Street West |
What to look for inside
- Generally counted Toronto's oldest bar
- Heritage designation advanced in 2025
- Men-only until 1969 (per Pub Magazine)
Visiting
The Wheat Sheaf Tavern is in Toronto, Canada, at 667 King Street West, Toronto, ON M5V 1M9. We do not list opening times, because they change; the pub’s own site is the place to check before you set out.
Sources
- www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2025/03/toronto-oldest-bar-wheatsheaf-tavern-protection/
- www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2017/01/history-toronto-oldest-bar-wheat-sheaf/
- wheatsheaftavern.com/
- www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2025/pb/bgrd/backgroundfile-252578.pdf
- ckan0.cf.opendata.inter.prod-toronto.ca/api/3/action/datastore_search?resource_id=75dbb3ff-8281-4f03-9de2-bd1214761302&q=Wheat%20Sheaf
Know something we don’t?Suggest a correctionLast checked Sept 2026
Run this pub? There is a badge for it
Free to put on your own site, no permission needed. It shows what the pub claims and what the records support, and it changes when the data does.
How to use it, and how to change what it says — if you have a document we have not seen, we would like to read it.
