Is PJ O'Brien Still Open? Restaurant Makeover Update (Toronto, ON)
Current status
As of October 2026, PJ O'Brien is listed open on pjobrien.com, reviewed by our team on October 19, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.
Last verified
What the source shows: The pub's own website, read 2026-10-19, lists current opening hours, the Colborne Street address and table-booking links, and a Google Places listing checked the same day marks it operational.
- Season / episode Season 3, Episode 15
- Original air date
- Address 39 Colborne St, Toronto, ON M5E 1E3
Interactive map — loads when you ask for it.
Everything on this map is also in the list below.
© OpenStreetMap contributors © CARTO
What happened after Restaurant Makeover?
P.J. O'Brien Irish Pub & Restaurant stands at 39 Colborne Street in downtown Toronto, behind the King Edward Hotel. Its episode, titled "PJ O'Brien", aired on 2007-01-22 as the fifteenth episode of the third season of Restaurant Makeover. That HGTV Canada series had a chef and a designer rework one restaurant on a limited budget and a short schedule, with the owners adding matching money. Wikipedia's list of renovated restaurants names chef Corbin Tomaszeski and designer Cherie Stinson for this episode and places the pub in the St. Lawrence area. Rotten Tomatoes' season listing gives no description beyond the pub's name, and none of the other sources read for this entry says what problems the pub had on screen, what changed in the menu, decor or staff, or how the relaunch went. No source read mentions a change of name.
BlogTO profiled the pub in autumn 2021; the article shows no publication day, and its web address is dated October 2021. It reported that the pub opened in 1966, that the Quinn family took it over in 2000 and kept the name, and that it reopened on Oct. 2 after 18 months closed, with the owners hoping to be back to normal by mid-2022. The article does not mention the TV show. It also reported that a lounge next door was named after Pat Quinn Sr. in 2007, the year the episode aired, though BlogTO did not link that naming to the show.
When the pub's website was checked on 2026-10-19, it listed opening hours (Sunday through Wednesday 11 a.m. to midnight, Thursday until 1 a.m., Friday and Saturday until 2 a.m.), the Colborne Street address, and reservation links. The page carried a 2025 copyright line, and its page metadata showed a modification date of 2026-10-19. A Google Places listing checked the same day marked the business operational. No news coverage from 2026 about the pub was found. Wikipedia's list also marks the pub as still open but gives no date or citation for that entry.
Featured on Restaurant Makeover
- Show
- Restaurant Makeover
- Season / episode
- Season 3, Episode 15
- Original air date
- Episode title
- PJ O'Brien
- What was featured
- Downtown Toronto Irish pub and restaurant makeover on Colborne Street
- Role
- Featured restaurant
- Name on the broadcast
- PJ O'Brien
More from Restaurant Makeover
-
Milton, ON
Closed Checked -
Toronto, ON
Closed Checked -
Brampton, ON
Closed Checked -
North York, ON
Closed Checked -
Guelph, ON
Closed Checked -
Toronto, ON
Closed Checked
Other TV restaurants in Ontario
-
Toronto, ON
You Gotta Eat Here!
Closed Checked -
Toronto, ON
Restaurant Takeover
Closed Checked -
Toronto, ON
You Gotta Eat Here!
Open Checked -
Toronto, ON
Restaurant Makeover
Closed Checked -
Toronto, ON
Restaurant Makeover
Closed Checked -
Toronto, ON
Restaurant Makeover
Open Checked
Nearest restaurants
-
Toronto, ON · 0.0 mi away
Restaurant Makeover
Closed Checked -
Toronto, ON · 0.0 mi away
Restaurant Makeover
Closed Checked -
Toronto, ON · 0.2 mi away
You Gotta Eat Here!
Closed Checked -
Toronto, ON · 0.3 mi away
You Gotta Eat Here!
Open Checked -
Toronto, ON · 0.3 mi away
You Gotta Eat Here!
Closed Checked -
Toronto, ON · 0.4 mi away
Restaurant Makeover
Closed Checked
Visit info
- Address
- 39 Colborne St, Toronto, ON M5E 1E3
- Venue type
- bar
- Official website
- pjobrien.com
- State hub
- TV restaurants in Ontario
Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.
Sources
- pjobrien.com — http://pjobrien.com/
- blogto.com — https://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2021/10/pj-obrien-irish-pub-toronto
- Google — https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=43.6488889,-79.3752778
- Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restaurant_Makeover
- rottentomatoes.com — https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/restaurant_makeover/s03
See something wrong?
We work hard to keep every status accurate and dated, but restaurants change fast and our sources aren't perfect. If something here is wrong — a status, a name, an address, anything — tell us what you're seeing and where you saw it, and we'll check it.
Record rmk-040 · last verified .