7 Best Bars in Yorkville, Church and Wellesley, Rosedale, and Cabbagetown, Toronto

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, this is one of the city's top destinations for beer lovers. Once specializing in rare and one-off brews from other breweries, 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 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.

The newly reopened bar is back in a pastel-hued venue serving colorful cocktails with DJs on the third floor every weekend. If you can, grab a spot on the charming back patio and have a drink with friends under twinkling hanging lights.

Crews and Tangos is the life of the party in the Village and has been for years. What started as two separate bars (Crews, a gay bar, and Tango, a lesbian bar) back in the 1990s came together in 2004 with one big idea that still defines the place today—all are welcome. Set inside a pair of 1850s rowhouses, this three-story spot is where epic drag shows turn into full-on dance parties. Don't be surprised to find the dance floor covered in sequins and the occasional lash strip by the end of the night.

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—most in their twenties to forties—frequents this cavernous pub and its brother bar Sailor, where DJs mix nearly every night. The Toronto gay 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 was used on the television show Queer as Folk.