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The nightlife scene in Toronto is as varied as the neighborhoods. Downtown—in the Entertainment and Financial districts and Old Town—bars and pubs cater to theatergoers and weekday worker bees. They can be dead on weekends after dark, however—especially in the Entertainment District—until 11 pm rolls around and the big loft-styl
The nightlife scene in Toronto is as varied as the neighborhoods. Downtown—in the Entertainment and Financial districts and Old Town—bars and pubs cater to theatergoers and weekday worker bees. They can be dead on weekends after dark, however—especially in the Entertain
The nightlife scene in Toronto is as varied as the neighborhoods. Downtown—in the Entertainment and Financial districts
The nightlife scene in Toronto is as varied as the neighborhoods. Downtown—in the Entertainment and Financial districts and Old Town—bars and pubs cater to theatergoers and weekday worker bees. They can be dead on weekends after dark, however—especially in the Entertainment District—until 11 pm rolls around and the big loft-style dance clubs get going. To hang with locals at their neighborhood joints, head to Little Italy or the Annex, where university students mix with residents of the surrounding Victorian-lined streets.
Gay nightlife centers around Church and Wellesley streets northeast of the downtown core. Everyone under 40 ends up on Queen West at some point, patronizing the once-bohemian, now-established arty bars and cafés. Ladies who lunch meet for midday martinis in swanky Yorkville and later clink glasses at the tony lounges. Throughout the city are dedicated music venues, bars, and supper clubs that specialize in jazz, Latin, blues, rock, hip-hop, and everything in between.
Most recently Toronto has emerged as a food-obsessed city with late-night restaurants (from hole in the walls to the crème de la crème in fine dining), offering sips and nibbles to those who wish to feast past the usual dinner hour. Other emerging trends include a flourish of local brewpubs and luxury hotels offering unique evening programs which have locals and tourists swarming. In this section, we've covered the places that have cemented their place in the city's scene, but new hot spots are always emerging. Check local news outlets to get the latest.
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Queen's Park, The Annex, and Little Italy
West Queen West, Ossington, and Parkdale
Harbourfront, the Entertainment District, and The Financial District
Such Canadian literary luminaries as Margaret Atwood and Mordecai Richler have used the 17th-floor Park Hyatt bar as a setting in their writings, and now it's been renamed the Writers Room. A popular date spot, it's also a good place to sip a glass of wine, scotch, or a cocktail and soak in the city. The chic bar has big, open windows and an impressive patio that offers some of the most breathtaking views of the city, including the nearby ROM and University of Toronto. Inventive, spirit-forward cocktails (presented with quotes from books) come with little bowls of nuts and olives. There are also adventurous sharing plates like foie gras doughnuts, beef tartare, and oysters.
Tucked down a cobblestone laneway across the street from its original location on Yonge Street, Bar Volo is one of the city's top destinations for beer lovers. Once specializing in rare and one-off brews from other breweries (still a major, the new location at the other two Volo locations in Little Italy), Bar Volo now has its own brewery on-site. That means you can get traditional English-style hand-pulled cask beers, highly drinkable German and Italian-style lagers, and some hoppy ales. It's a European style, which means the beers are all well-made, approachable classics and not too wacky (though you can find some of those on the beer list as well). For non-beer drinkers, there's also a full cocktail program and a full list of natural wines they import themselves. After pandemic-era changes to the city's liquor laws, those one-off wines and beers are all available to buy and take home. Or sip them alongside southern Italian tapas inside or on the sizable front patio.
17 Nicholas St., Toronto, Ontario, M4Y 3G4, Canada
In comparison to the raucous, glittering scene you'll find nearby, Boutique Bar is a (relatively) low-key spot for a cocktail, whether you're feeling like a classic negroni, a martini, or one of the house creations. If you can, grab a spot on the tiny front patio and watch the comings and goings along Church Street. DJs bring the party on weekends.
Downstairs is Crews, a queer bar with a stage for karaoke, open mic, or drag shows (depending on the night), a dance floor in back with a DJ spinning house beats, and a sizable back patio. Upstairs, Tangos has a bar and a small dance floor that gets packed with twenty- and thirtysomethings kicking it to old-school hip-hop and 1980s beats. The gender ratio is surprisingly balanced and the drag shows are lots of fun.
This high-end lounge in the flagship Four Seasons Hotel Toronto is modern and chic, with top-notch cocktails, including the bourbon, absinthe, sherry, and coffee-infused vermouth–based Bon Vivant. The food is spearheaded by French chef Daniel Boulud, so the menu goes far above and beyond simple bar bites—the charcuterie is house-made, they take the burger very seriously, and there are fresh oysters at the raw bar.
Hemingway's is a homey bastion in a sea of Yorkville swank. The three-story complex, with indoor and outdoor spaces (including a heated rooftop patio), is a mishmash of booths, tables, several bars, mirrors, artsy posters, and books. The pub grub menu, which covers everything from brunch to late night, is a big draw for the regular-heavy crowd, too. A different kind of sports bar, it's also a good place to watch international events like soccer, rugby, and cricket.
A predominantly upscale crowd of men, mostly in their twenties to forties, frequents this cavernous pub and its brother bar Sailor where DJs mix nearly every night. The Toronto gay bar institution is known for Best Chest and Best Butt contests, which are hosted by some of the city's most beloved drag queens, as well as raucous dance parties. The exterior of Woody's was used on the television show Queer as Folk.
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