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Chamberlains Pony Bar
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The key at Chamberlain’s Pony Bar is to expect the unexpected. An upscale equestrian environment meets a down-to-earth, nostalgic drink menu and Mexican food options designed to be shared.
Dim, moody lighting - almost a cornerstone of a King West bar - frames a distinctly British bar, complete with panelling, metallic trim, and exposed brick. Velvet banquette seating and high tops in the windows project a friendly, neighbourhood-pub style atmosphere, and they’re looked over by Victorian-style paintings depicting women smoking cigarettes and other non-traditional scenes. In the middle, there are neon signs and vintage-style chairs. And it’s all contrasted by an approachable menu full of bar classics and finger foods.
The thing about Chamberlain’s Pony Bar is that there’s no shortage of nightlife options in its immediate vicinity - it’s on the southeast corner of King and Portland - so making it particularly interesting and unique was vital. It occupies the former John Steinberg & Associates space, transforming what was once a hair salon into an ode to British pub culture. And, somehow, eating wings and quesadillas while sipping on margaritas just makes sense. It shouldn’t, but it does - and that’s the point of it all.
“A lot of the details were added to have this well lived-in feel and to really have all of those vintage vibes on everything,” says Camille Borody, the marketing manager at Chamberlain’s. “The design came together through a mix of different eclectic styles that pull from an old English-style pub, but then you have this juxtaposition of a Tex Mex menu that’s meant to feel unexpected, and offer a yummy little salty bite.”
Four types of quesadillas - beef barbacao, mushroom, pollo and chorizo - are on offer, served in a vintage-style plate, perfect for sharing. The mushroom version is made with mixed mushrooms, a three-cheese blend, chili, queso cotija, and roasted garlic.
The bar’s unique take on esquites, a Mexican street food involving corn on the cob, sees the sweet corn-based dish turned into a dip, made with cream, bacon, and chipotle mayo. It’s served with chips.
A bar favourite is given an upscale twist in the form of confit wings. They then get a Tex Mex persona in the form of guajillo, sesame seeds and chili, and are served with dots of dressing framing the plate.
Like the quesadillas, there’s no Tex Mex menu without tacos. Chamberlain’s pollo tacos are crafted with roasted chicken, peanut lime mole, and mango, and come with three per order. Other taco options include carne asada, Mexican chorizo, and fish (which are gluten-free). They’re also served on a vintage-style plate.
As a sweet treat, the Strawberry Tres Leches is a nod to one of the most iconic desserts there is, and a perfect tie in with the nostalgic drink options. The perfectly-sized dessert is a whipped cream lover’s dream.
“The main purpose was to do sort of an English pub-style drink menu, obviously,” says bar manager Angus Edmundson. “We want to be a neighbourhood bar, we want to be a corner spot, we want to be something for everyone, with a strong focus on margaritas.” Options include unique flavours like the black currant, a mezcal rendition, and a mango version.
“Everyone has a French martini, so our Clearly French is a clarified version of it,” Edmundson says. “We use blackberry instead of pineapple and make it completely clear by clarifying it with milk protein. It’s doing a lot of complicated stuff in the background, but it’s a really simple presentation.”
“The Strawberry Jam is very much pulling from nostalgia, from a favourite childhood snack,” Edmundson says. “It also pulls inspiration from an English pub by using an ingredient like Pimm’s. You don’t see that everywhere on the menu, so we wanted to play with that.” It’s mixed with Appleton Estate, strawberry jam, coffee (sustainably used!), lemon and Peychaud’s.
“We’ve all had Five Alive punches as a kid,” Edmundson says. “So the Ballard Rum Punch takes all of the notes that are in that - a bit of pineapple juice, a little bit of lime juice, and we literally make a Five Alive oleo.” It’s garnished with a mint spring for a bright touch.
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