Fancy Toronto Hotel Bars
 

My wife and I will be visiting Toronto in April and have yet to experience any of Toronto's best hotel bars. Our standard of excellence is the Ritz Carlton bar in Boston. Can anyone recommend good ones in Toronto? Are jackets required? Thanks.

Following are a few suggestions: <BR> <BR>1) Roof of the Park Plaza Hotel (Avenue Road and Bloor Street) Good views of the city. It's undergoing a name change right now - when you're here it might have changed to a Hyatt but anyone will know it as the Park Plaza <BR> <BR>2) Library Bar at the Royal York Hotel (Front Street right across from Union Station). Overstuffed leather chairs and lots of stockbrokers! <BR> <BR>3) Bar at the Four Seasons Hotel (Avenue Road and Yorkville - near Park Plaza). Not much to look at, but it is a Four Seasons. <BR> <BR>4) Windsor Arms Hotel on St. Thomas and Bloor Street (a few blocks from Park Plaza/Four Seasons) Just finishing massive renovations - might not be open yet. <BR> <BR>5) It's not a hotel but it's the best bar in the city (in my estimation) Rodney's Oyster House on Adelaide Street at Jarvis - it has a tiny sign and is downstairs - but once you get there sit at the bar, eat lots of oysters (or other cooked shellfish if you're not an oyster fan) and watch the party unfold! <BR> <BR>Apparently I've spent too much time in bars! <BR> <BR>Hope you enjoy Toronto - it's 20 degrees celsius here today - hope the weather holds for your visit!

Following are a few suggestions: <BR> <BR>1) Roof of the Park Plaza Hotel (Avenue Road and Bloor Street) Good views of the city. It's undergoing a name change right now - when you're here it might have changed to a Hyatt but anyone will know it as the Park Plaza <BR> <BR>2) Library Bar at the Royal York Hotel (Front Street right across from Union Station). Overstuffed leather chairs and lots of stockbrokers! <BR> <BR>3) Bar at the Four Seasons Hotel (Avenue Road and Yorkville - near Park Plaza). Not much to look at, but it is a Four Seasons. <BR> <BR>4) Windsor Arms Hotel on St. Thomas and Bloor Street (a few blocks from Park Plaza/Four Seasons) Just finishing massive renovations - might not be open yet. <BR> <BR>5) It's not a hotel but it's the best bar in the city (in my estimation) Rodney's Oyster House on Adelaide Street at Jarvis - it has a tiny sign and is downstairs - but once you get there sit at the bar, eat lots of oysters (or other cooked shellfish if you're not an oyster fan) and watch the party unfold! <BR> <BR>Apparently I've spent too much time in bars! <BR> <BR>Hope you enjoy Toronto - it's 20 degrees celsius here today - hope the weather holds for your visit!

Oops - forgot to mention the jacket part. They're not necessary, but equally you won't feel out of place if you're wearing one. If you want some restaurant suggestions don't hesitate to e-mail me. <BR> <BR>

The park Plaza is now officially the Park Hyatt, as of last week. The rooftop bar continues to be one of the finest in the city. Try for a window seat at the main floor bar in the Four Seasons. Not a hotel, but Sassafrass, at the corner of Cumberland and Belair, continues to be a good people watching,up-market, bar. The main floor bar at the Intercontnental is nice, too. The above are at or near the corner of Bloor Street and Avenue Road. <BR> <BR>The bar on top of the CN Tower is better than you might expect, and it's a cool place to visit on a clear day, or night. <BR> <BR>I've been in all these places without a jacket. <BR>

We live near Boston and also enjoy the bar at the Ritz Carlton. I would also highly recommend the bar on the top floor of the Park Plaza. We had a fabulous meal in the dining room. The view at night with the city below is positively magical. If the weather's nice, the balcony is awesome. The bar at the top of the CN Tower had rock/pop something playing very, very loudly when we were there. Couldn't stand the din. You may wish to check out Upstairs at the Senator (249 Victoria) across the street from Pantages Theatre. Excellent live jazz groups (there's a cover charge) in a room with ambience to the max (you'd swear it was Paris in the 30's). Worth a trip just for the oil portraits of jazz greats. Not fancy, but we thoroughly enjoyed N'Awlins on King Street across from the Princess of Wales Theater. The pianist/vocalist was very entertaining and played all our requests.

So interesting that you seek classy sans tie! One can only wonder what you have in mind. Whenever I've been at the Ritz in Boston, jackets/ties, while not essential, are "better". An excellent spot, however, is the bar at the top of the Manulife Center. Awesome views, great food (bar menu). Casual, young and hip. So, perhaps not to your preferred experiences. If you want to "experience" the best hotel bars, just head for the "best" hotels and wander into the bar! Whether or not a jacket "is required" depends on your demeanor. You're not likely to be turned away, or warmly welcomed either.