Craft beers are massive in Ontario. They’ve done the whole micro-brewery thing to the point that there’s now a trend for nano-breweries - basically a man with a pot and a penchant for beer. Volo would qualify under the nano category, but fundamentally it’s just an awesome brew pub that gets beer geeks salivating.

For 25 years it was an Italian restaurant though you wouldn’t know it now. The father and son owner team loved craft beer, and began to stock a selection. Eventually the obsession grew to the point they redid the entire premises as a pub five years ago, and they haven’t looked back.

It feels like an ale school with wooden tables and benches. The giant chalkboard has the daily specials scribbled up from A to B like a library of beer, which corresponds with the taps labelled A to B. Almost all the 26 draughts are from the Ontario region and it changes everyday.

Volo’s a bit out of the way up north without much else around it, but that keeps the crowd local and low key. Sample a few different tipples and then pick up the clipboard on your table with tick boxes to order from their range of charcuterie, pickles and cheese boards. And in summer you can take the drinking outside with a nice sized terrace. Booze, nibbles and sunshine will do us just fine.

Photo Credit: Tyler Wetherall