Toronto Pub Closes After Under A Year And Is Instantly Replaced By Basically The Same Thing

The stint that Vancouver-based upscale pub concept, Ballyhoo Public House, was so short and sweet that you may not have clued in to the fact that it was here at all before it wordlessly closed its doors in the early days of 2026.

If you are missing it, though, don't worry: someone else has already moved in.

Opening in the spring of 2025, Ballyhoo was the latest addition to Vancouver-based Freehouse Collective's Toronto fleet, which is otherwise populated by King West mainstays Belfast Love and Isabelle's, Gift Shop on Ossington and the Financial District's Walrus.

A departure from the hospitality company's proclivity for dense downtown environs, Ballyhoo opened on Danforth and modelled itself appropriately to attract the area's largely family-oriented demographic with bright, minimalist interiors and an entry-level-trendy menu.

I'll be the first to admit it: I liked Ballyhoo, but it seems as though the burgeoning fan base it was only just beginning to muster wasn't enough to keep it around because, less than a year after opening its doors, the pub quietly closed permanently.

A good location won't stay on the market for long in this city, though, and the Danforth space was already scooped up by a very familiar business before the metaphorical Guinness had even settled.

As of mid-February, the restaurant space at Danforth and Carlaw is now home to Dublin Calling, a sister location of the Adelaide West party pub by the same name.

 

 

 

 

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Operated by the MRG Group, a Canadian hospitality mega group responsible for properties like Rock N' Horse Saloon and Par-Tee Putt, Dublin Calling transforms the space into something that more closely resembles a pub than its predecessor.

The walls are darker, the televisions are louder, the intended crowd younger, and the menu populated by pub food staples, but the DNA still looks a lot like that of Ballyhoo.

Who knows, maybe the subtle changes will be enough to get the neighbourhood amped up about its newest pub, but Dublin Calling will have to be prepared to compete with local staples like the Auld Spot, Noonan's and the Black Swan Tavern if it hopes to break through.

Dublin Calling Danforth is located at 526 Danforth Ave.