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Laugh Resort
Squeeze inside the small, split-level Laugh Resort, where Ellen DeGeneres, Ray Romano and Adam Sandler once cracked jokes and served up the big laffs. New talent takes the stage on Wednesday nights, which can be a bit hit-and-miss, but it'll only cost you around C$7 .
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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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Louie's Coffee Stop
Standing on a busy corner of Kensington Market since 1965, Louie's coffee shack is a mellow oasis, with vintage jazz and plastic grapevines stapled to the eaves. There's not much room inside, so get your espresso to go.
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Matador
For more than 40 years there's been after-hours chaos on the Matador's huge dance floor, just west of Little Italy. Shuffle in under the rusty ballroom sign for live bands playing honky-tonk and classic rock. It's alcohol-free, but if you're up this late, chances are you won't need any more.
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Mill Street Brewery
With eight specialty beers brewed on site (and what a site the Distillery District is!) these guys are a leading light in local microbrewing. An arty crowd of locals and tourists quaffs swirling pints of wheat beer, seasonal fruit beers, Cobblestone Stout and their famous Coffee Porter. On a sunny afternoon, their courtyard is the place to be.
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Moonbean Coffee Company
'Nothing here is just ordinary,' says the dude behind the counter, and that's true. Serving the best latte west of Yonge St, Moonbean has organic and fair trade coffees, all-day breakfasts for around C$6 , and 'Bite Me' vegan cookies. Grind your own beans from $10 per pound.
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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; around C$11 ). Tapas helps postpone your alcoholic demise.
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Rebel House
Just north of Yorkville, rough-and-tumble Rebel House has 16 patriotic Canadian brews on tap, Ontario wines and well-trained chefs (yes, chefs) in the kitchen. Bend elbows with neighborhood drinkers beneath the ex-rebel dangling from the gallows on the sign.
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Red Room
The Red Room rules. Part pub, part diner, part funky lounge - this arty room is the place to drag your hungover bones for a recuperative pint of microbrew, an all-day breakfast (burgers, curries, pasta) and an earful of Stones, The Who and Led Zepp. Sink into a booth and forget your misdemeanors.
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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 C$12 a glass. Still, if you feel like hobnobbing with the downtown moneymakers in sexy surrounds, Reds is for you.
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Remarkable Bean
A Beaches favorite serves up shepherd's pie and still-in-the-pan homemade desserts to go with your latte or maté (South American 'tea of life'). Snooty middle-aged guys who've retired too early clog-up the window seats.
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Republik
Resident DJs Lil Pete and Dave Campbell spin old-skool, drum 'n' bass, alt-rock and hip-hop at this massive club, divided into three rooms: the main club, the Vision Room and Toronto's largest smoking room (wheeze…). Friday's new rock and alternative nights take a more rockin', less pill-poppin' approach to life.
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Reservoir Lounge
This seductive supper club is jumpin' with swing and boogie-woogie - reservations are a must. If these bands don't get your feet tapping, you're probably dead. Decent Southern soul food is served, and the bartenders are famously friendly. You might bump into Prince, Nick Nolte or Tom Jones malingering in a corner.
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Second City
Sharing its name with a comedy club in Chicago, the club's moniker dates from the days when each city was perceived to be playing second fiddle, Chicago to New York City, and Toronto to Montréal. But the 300-seat Second City is legendary, and many Saturday Night Live comics started here. Improv performances held after the last show ends are free.
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Slack's
Bridging the divide between gays, lesbians, urban cowboys and straights all searching for a little glitz, quasi-retro Slack's opens its gorgeous French doors and backlit bar to all-comers. An eventful monthly calendar features comedy shows, karaoke, drag shows, live music and art installations. The food's great too.
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Smokeless Joe
Buried below street level in Clubland, this narrow where-everybody-knows-your-name bar sells over 250 different types of beer (the menu is a book). Some of the rarest brews aren't sold in stores, so stop by for a pint or two. Or three. It was one of the first places in T.O. to ban smoking. Thanks Joe.
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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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Sonic
NYC club mogul David Morales opened Sonic in 2006 with unprecedented hooplah and hype. Is it worth the astronomical cover charge? Well, if you like your clubs large, loud and gregarious and your clubbers minimally clad, then the answer is yes. Ohhhh yes.
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Tango Palace Coffee Company
En route to The Beaches, this artsy, stained-glass coffeehouse sits quietly amongst the Leslieville antiques and design shops. Sip inside amongst feathery miscellanea on old-fashioned tables and chairs, or linger on the sunny sidewalk over a rich croissant and a dark-roasted brew - ahhh, heaven...
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Tonic
Tonic bills itself as 'neutral' and 'abstract,' but the grape-like disco balls above the entry lobby suggest otherwise. 'Uni Night' on Thursdays draws a slightly more literate crowd than 'Fashion Fridays.' Album launch parties by Diddy and others of his ilk see a steep decline in the skin-to-clothing ratio.
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Village Idiot
The Idiot is a cherry-red, black and brass boozer on the southern fringe of Baldwin Village. Management aims for an Olde English interior, but (thankfully) comes up a bit short, the irrepressible student crowd helping to keep things local. Belgian beers on tap, great pub food and afternoon rays streaming in.
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Wheat Sheaf Tavern
At Toronto's longest running pub (since 1849), a host of faithful regulars shuffle and mutter around dartboards, pool tables, a kickin' jukebox and relaxed streetside patio. It's a bit out of the way, but we like it that way. Half-price wings Sunday to Tuesday.
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Woody's/Sailor
On any given night, red-hot Woody's sells more beer than any other bar in the country. The city's most popular gay bar complex has a glad bag of tricks, from drag shows, 'best ass' contests, leather sessions, billiards tables and nightly DJs. Sailor is a slick bar off to one side.
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Yuk Yuk's
A bit like the brass plucked chicken door handles, acts here are sometimes funny and sometimes just a joke. Canadian and international touring acts appear regularly, with famous faces on some weekends. Jim Carrey cut his comic teeth here. Cover for Tuesday's 'Amateur Night' is just around C$3 .
