Best Bars and Clubs in Toronto
Bars and Clubs
Jazz Bistro has once again given new life to the iconic 251 Victoria Street address. Once home to both Savoy and the Top of the Senator Jazz Club, the space was left dark for 8 years before new owners Colin and Joan Hunter stepped in and reopened the space earlier this year. Featuring a rotating list of talented performers, the restaurant/lounge features classic bistro-style offerings like roasted lamb served with a creamy risotto topped with goat jus and mint relish ($28) or a crispy duck confit served with leeks, red cabbage and brandied prune sauce ($24). Vegetarians might opt for the butternut squash ravioli ($16) while vegans best steer clear.
16 locals recommend
Jazz Bistro
251 Victoria StJazz Bistro has once again given new life to the iconic 251 Victoria Street address. Once home to both Savoy and the Top of the Senator Jazz Club, the space was left dark for 8 years before new owners Colin and Joan Hunter stepped in and reopened the space earlier this year. Featuring a rotating list of talented performers, the restaurant/lounge features classic bistro-style offerings like roasted lamb served with a creamy risotto topped with goat jus and mint relish ($28) or a crispy duck confit served with leeks, red cabbage and brandied prune sauce ($24). Vegetarians might opt for the butternut squash ravioli ($16) while vegans best steer clear.
Grossman’s Tavern has been a part of Toronto’s history for decades.
Opening in 1943, it's one of the city’s longest-running live music venues, mostly known for being home to blues as well as bluegrass, roots, folk, jazz and rock. There’s still live music here every single night.
15 locals recommend
Grossman's Tavern
377 Spadina Ave.Grossman’s Tavern has been a part of Toronto’s history for decades.
Opening in 1943, it's one of the city’s longest-running live music venues, mostly known for being home to blues as well as bluegrass, roots, folk, jazz and rock. There’s still live music here every single night.
The Dakota Tavern, or just the Dakota as it’s known to local music lovers, has only been open since 2006, but it feels like much longer than that. Maybe it’s the folk and honky tonk acts that regularly take the stage, maybe it’s the dim basement it’s holed up in, the way they only take cash or credit, or the way it’s in disrepair in the best sense.
351 locals recommend
The Lakeview Restaurant
1132 Dundas Street WestThe Dakota Tavern, or just the Dakota as it’s known to local music lovers, has only been open since 2006, but it feels like much longer than that. Maybe it’s the folk and honky tonk acts that regularly take the stage, maybe it’s the dim basement it’s holed up in, the way they only take cash or credit, or the way it’s in disrepair in the best sense.
The Comrade is a longstanding hangout and watering hole that also happens to serve up some of the most amazing food in its neighbourhood.
Happy hour special cocktails that are better than your average 5 - 7 p.m. libation and snack specials to go along with them reign here, where the bartending is expert and the menu is approachable yet sophisticated.
72 locals recommend
The Comrade
758 Queen St EThe Comrade is a longstanding hangout and watering hole that also happens to serve up some of the most amazing food in its neighbourhood.
Happy hour special cocktails that are better than your average 5 - 7 p.m. libation and snack specials to go along with them reign here, where the bartending is expert and the menu is approachable yet sophisticated.
Bar Mordecai is named for the pet hawk of one of the characters in The Royal Tenenbaums, directed by Wes Anderson.
This bar is influenced by the aesthetic of his films and the style of grand old school hotel lobbies (the Tenenbaums are living in a hotel at the beginning of the movie).
Bar Mordecai
1272 Dundas Street WestBar Mordecai is named for the pet hawk of one of the characters in The Royal Tenenbaums, directed by Wes Anderson.
This bar is influenced by the aesthetic of his films and the style of grand old school hotel lobbies (the Tenenbaums are living in a hotel at the beginning of the movie).
The Oud & the Fuzz is named for a tune by John Berberian, an Armenian-born oud player from New York City known for fusing psychedelic jazz and traditional Armenian music.
This cocktail bar from the same people behind Antikka follows a similar ethos. Where else can you hear nightly DJs and regular live music while munching on eetch salad and drinking Armenian-inspired cocktails?
The Oud & the Fuzz
21 Kensington AvenueThe Oud & the Fuzz is named for a tune by John Berberian, an Armenian-born oud player from New York City known for fusing psychedelic jazz and traditional Armenian music.
This cocktail bar from the same people behind Antikka follows a similar ethos. Where else can you hear nightly DJs and regular live music while munching on eetch salad and drinking Armenian-inspired cocktails?
Nothing Fancy is just that: a no-frills bar putting on free weekly live comedy shows.
The space was formerly home to Red Light, and the back patio is now used for socially distanced performances.
Nothing Fancy
1185 Dundas Street WestNothing Fancy is just that: a no-frills bar putting on free weekly live comedy shows.
The space was formerly home to Red Light, and the back patio is now used for socially distanced performances.
Hank's Liquor has taken over the subterranean space that was once home to Unlovable, with much of the same nitty-gritty dive bar feel.
Owners Greg Bain and Krista Tobias also run Ted's Collision, which has been around for 25 years.
Hank’s Liquor
1415 B Dundas Street WestHank's Liquor has taken over the subterranean space that was once home to Unlovable, with much of the same nitty-gritty dive bar feel.
Owners Greg Bain and Krista Tobias also run Ted's Collision, which has been around for 25 years.
Larry's Folly is a quirky neighbourhood watering hole for coffee during the day and libations at night.
On a weekday, the bar is a bustling work space serving locals looking for a place with decent wifi and a reasonably-priced lattes.
Larry's Folly
1462 Queen St WLarry's Folly is a quirky neighbourhood watering hole for coffee during the day and libations at night.
On a weekday, the bar is a bustling work space serving locals looking for a place with decent wifi and a reasonably-priced lattes.
Northwood recently opened in the grey zone of Bloor between Koreatown and Ossington, filling a void for residents looking to imbibe locally. Owners Richard Pope and Ang Reynolds have lived in the area for years, but as they found themselves "always going out to Dundas, Ossington or Queen West" (perhaps to Pope's other watering hole, Mr. Pong's ?) rather than in the area, when a corner space at the edge of Christie Pits became available, they jumped on it.
92 locals recommend
Northwood
815 Bloor St WNorthwood recently opened in the grey zone of Bloor between Koreatown and Ossington, filling a void for residents looking to imbibe locally. Owners Richard Pope and Ang Reynolds have lived in the area for years, but as they found themselves "always going out to Dundas, Ossington or Queen West" (perhaps to Pope's other watering hole, Mr. Pong's ?) rather than in the area, when a corner space at the edge of Christie Pits became available, they jumped on it.
BarChef has acted as a pioneer for the Toronto cocktail renaissance. Prior to Frankie Solarik and Brent VanderVeen pairing together to open their molecular mixology concept, there wasn't a huge range of places to enjoy an innovative cocktail in the city.
145 locals recommend
BarChef
472 Queen St WBarChef has acted as a pioneer for the Toronto cocktail renaissance. Prior to Frankie Solarik and Brent VanderVeen pairing together to open their molecular mixology concept, there wasn't a huge range of places to enjoy an innovative cocktail in the city.
Project Gigglewater isn’t another Harry Potter bar; it’s named for a prohibition-era term for booze, and pays homage to classic cocktail culture.
The “Project” part implies an experimental, fun-loving nature wherein a detailed cocktail menu with some limited snacks changes up seasonally.
Project Gigglewater
1369 Dundas Street WestProject Gigglewater isn’t another Harry Potter bar; it’s named for a prohibition-era term for booze, and pays homage to classic cocktail culture.
The “Project” part implies an experimental, fun-loving nature wherein a detailed cocktail menu with some limited snacks changes up seasonally.
Cry Baby Gallery is a cocktail and oyster bar secretly hidden behind an art gallery.
Venture past the brightly lit, white gallery through a heavy black curtain to a totally opposite long, dark bar space.
Cry Baby Gallery
1468 Dundas St WCry Baby Gallery is a cocktail and oyster bar secretly hidden behind an art gallery.
Venture past the brightly lit, white gallery through a heavy black curtain to a totally opposite long, dark bar space.