Entertainment in Toronto
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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 backlit bar to all-comers. Events include comedy, karaoke, drag shows, live music and art installations. Female DJ's spin on the weekends; the food's great too.
reviewed
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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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Horseshoe Tavern
Well past its 60th birthday, the legendary Horseshoe still plays a crucial role in the development of local indie rock. Not so local, The Police played here on their first North American tour – Sting did an encore in his underwear. Buy tickets at the door or check Ticketmaster.
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Club XS
One of Toronto's newest clubs, XS is a sexy venue where the dress code is strictly observed. With bottle service and VIP rooms (natch), XS caters to the elite. Though reservations aren't mandatory, if you want to make certain you're on the guest list you'd be wise to make them via the website.
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Bovine Sex Club
Don't worry, this isn't some kind of twisted fetish establishment. BSC is a maverick punk, metal and retro rock room that's been here since the 1991, one of the first venues to latch onto the Queen West arts explosion. A rusty tangle of scrap metal spews down over the front wall to the doorway.
reviewed
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Madison Avenue Pub
Consuming three Victorian houses in The Annex, the Madison is positively elephantine. A 25-to-35 crowd is lured through the doors – billiards, darts, a sports bar, polished brass, antique-looking lamps lighting the curtained upper floors at night, five patios and plenty of hot babes.
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Factory Theatre
This innovative theater company – 'Home of the Canadian Playwright' – has been busy for 35 years. The independent SummerWorks Theatre Festival stages plays at the Factory Theatre too, as do performers from the Toronto Fringe Festival. Sunday matinees are 'Pay What You Can.'
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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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Music Showbar
Off to one side at C'est What ?, Music Showroom is a small-capacity live venue with a stellar sound system. Expect intimate pop-rock with an edge – Jeff Buckley, The Tea Party and Wilco all played here. Tickets are sold at the door – first come, first served.
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Black Eagle
A charred-out, lawless tomb, Black Eagle lures leather-men, uniform fetishists and denim boys. Hard-core gay porn plays on big screens; the art on the walls is well hung in all senses of the expression. Check your clothes at the door for gritty theme nights (not for the mild-mannered).
reviewed
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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 $3.
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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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Sneaky Dee's
Spangled with graffiti on the prominent Bathurst/College St corner, Sneaky Dee's isn't so sneaky-looking. The downstairs bar has battered booths with skeletons painted on them; upstairs is a darkened breeding ground for new TO rock talent. Fill up on Tex-Mex while downing cheap beer.
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Toronto Symphony Orchestra
A range of classics, Cole Porter–era pops and new music from around the world are presented by the TSO at Roy Thomson Hall, Massey Hall and the Toronto Centre for the Arts. Consult the website for the answers to such questions as 'What if I need to cough?' and 'Should I clap yet?'.
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Foundation Room
A 30-plus crowd of city drifters descends into this plush, Middle Eastern–inspired room near St Lawrence Market – all dark wooden floors, Moroccan lanterns, mirrored walls and red velvet cushions. DJs play house; bottled beers and martinis seem to be in every hand.
reviewed
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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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Pilot Tavern
A pumping after-worker, The Pilot got its start during WWII, which explains the aviation-themed decor and why it calls the patio the Flight Deck – an airborne terrace among the office tower windows. Stop by for live jazz sets on Saturday and Sunday afternoons from 3pm.
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Tonic
Clubland’s 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, ’ which see a steep decline in the skin-to-clothing ratio.
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Glenn Gould Studio
Glenn Gould Studio's acoustics do the namesake famous pianist honors. Purchase advance tickets for evening concerts of classical and contemporary music by soloists, chamber groups, choirs and sinfonia between September and June. Young international artists are often featured.
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Graffiti's
This diverse bohemian bar has credible acoustic rock, roots, blues and jazz acts, as well as open-mic nights and 'cabarets' that could (and usually do) embrace any subject. There's Sleeman Cream Ale on tap, jazzy murals, Persian rugs and beautifully painted marble tabletops.
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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 $6, and 'Bite Me' vegan cookies. Grind your own beans from $10 per pound.
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Docks Nightclubs
A lakeshore entertainment complex, the Docks has multiple nightclubs, all with huge dance floors, and a breezy outdoor patio. It's primed at the height of summer, when 2000 people gyrate through special event nights. Public transport isn't an option – take a cab.
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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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Red Room
The Red Room rules. Part pub, part diner, part funky lounge – this arty Kensington Market room is the place to drag your hungover bones for a recuperative pint of microbrew, an all-day breakfast and an earful of Brit pop. Sink into a booth and forget your misdemeanors.
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Canadian Opera Company
Canada's national opera company has been warbling its pipes for over 50 years. Tickets sell out fast; the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre (in the Four Seasons Centre) holds free concerts from September through June, usually at noon. Check the website for specific days.
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