Bar entertainment in Toronto
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A
Sweaty Betty’s
In a city of infused vodkas and creative cocktails, Betty’s refuses to mix anything with more than three ingredients. This no-nonsense approach pares a night out at the bar to the essentials: having a good time and chatting people up. The tiny place is packed with hipsters on the weekends, and the living room-ish setup kinda makes it feel like a college house party.
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B
Czehoski
Everyone raves about Czehoski, a timber-faced shopfront bar that manages to be bohemian, classy and understated all at once. The beer and wine lists are extensive, the bar food first-rate, cocktails potent, service friendly, music ‘schmoove’ and interior design magazine-worthy. The only thing worth arguing about is how to pronounce the name.
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C
Castro’s Lounge
An unexpected attitude-free zone in The Beaches, this renegade bar has 120-plus Canadian microbrews and import beers, vintage movie posters and hardwood tables, around which cluster local literati, conspiracy theorists, political activists and slacker hangers-on. Keep an ear to the ground for beer tastings, spoken-word events and live music.
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Underground Garage
Trying valiantly to keep it real in the otherwise skin-deep Entertainment District, this urban rock bar is down a steep staircase lined with Led Zeppelin, Willie Nelson and John Lennon posters. Wailing guitars, cold beer and good times – just as it should be. Doesn’t usually get going until 9pm; cover under $5.
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Supermarket
It looks like it probably once was a supermarket, but they ain't selling groceries any more. Instead, fill your shopping trolley with jazzy hip-hop DJs, themed costume parties (Rocky Horror, Casual Sex, Halloween, etc), occasional live bands and Asian-fusion dinners. Kensington Market at its kookiest.
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Tranzac
Drop in and say 'G'day' at the Toronto Australia New Zealand Club (Tranzac), where the bar is bolstered by a graffiti wall, theatre space, satellite TV sports and live performances Monday to Thursday (Pay What You Can) – anything from indie rock to bluegrass, poetry readings and book launches.
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Social
Industrial un-faced brickwork and exposed timber beams clash with zebra-print couches and neon at The Social, an old Mafia joint turned übercool bar. 'I can't believe they're playing that' rock from the '70s and '80s titillates the hipster crowd. DJs sporadically; closed Sunday and Tuesday.
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Smokeless Joe
Buried below street level in Clubland, this narrow ‘where everybody knows your name’ bar sells more than 250 different beers (the menu is a book). Some of the rarest brews aren’t sold in stores, so stop by for a pint or three. It was one of the first places in TO to ban smoking. Thanks, Joe.
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Päaeez
The Apostrophe Police wouldn't approve of the 'Martini's' on the menu, but don't let a little wayward grammar stop you from slurping them down. Try a 2½oz 'Belvedere Beauty' (vodka, lychee liqueur, passionfruit juice and cinnamon; $11). Tapas helps postpone your alcoholic demise.
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Labyrinth Lounge
Bad-ass rock and 'Shit happens' nights collide with stand-up comedy, jam sessions and guest DJs at this bar out the back of the Future Bakery & Café. The student crowd morphs between the two venues with little regard for boundaries, haircuts or study.
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K
Waterside Sports Club
Next to a Harbourfront film lot, the Waterside Sports Club has unobstructed lakefront views from the patio. Check out movie stars on a break (Meg Tilley, Jeff Bridges, Mark Wahlberg) and sweaty young Torontonians fresh off the nearby racquetball courts.
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Crush
It's easy to develop a crush on Crush, an impressively designed wine bar offering dozens of varietals by the glass. Sommelier Eric Gennaro conducts wine-tasting evenings for everyone from novices to experts, served by some of the friendliest waitstaff in the city.
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Library Bar
A clubby atmosphere pervades this opulent room, with rich wood paneling and overstuffed chairs. Debonair barman Mike whips up the best classic martinis in town, although wilder combinations appear on the menu – chocolatini or banana split martini, anyone?
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Hemingway's
Equal parts sports pub, singles' bar and jazz venue, Hemingway's is an undeniable Yorkville hot spot. The heated double-deck rooftop patio makes for a vivacious night full of opportunity among an upwardly-mobile crowd of bright young things.
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Reds
Reds probably has the best wine list in Toronto (heavy on the reds) but it comes at a cost – prices start at around $12 a glass. Still, if you feel like hobnobbing with the downtown moneymakers in sexy surrounds, Reds is for you.
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Panorama
For a free rooftop view of the city, head to Panorama, which has the city's highest licensed patio. It's a bit tricky to find, but it's worth it for the sunset.
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