Betty's
Old Town
This laid-back dive bar has an excellent selection of draft beers and classic pub fare, from poutine to nachos and chicken wings. It’s a fun spot to watch sports.
7 Best Nightlife in Toronto, Ontario
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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-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.
Bier Markt
Old Town
With more than 150 beers from 30 countries, including 50 on tap, this enormous restaurant/bar has a corner on the international beer market, but the best thing about it is the oversize year-round sidewalk patio on the Esplanade, ideal for an afternoon brew. The lines are ridiculous on weekends—do as the locals do and go midweek instead.
C'est What
Old Town
In a cozy underground setting that's part beer cellar, part library, and part pool hall, C'est What offers more than 40 taps of Canadian beer, plus a menu of globally inspired pub grub. The main room is home to a couple of pool tables and a comfy fireplace area lined with couches, while an adjoining room hosts live folk, rock, and roots acts a few times a week.
Recommended Fodor's Video
Mill Street Brew Pub
Distillery District
There may not be a better place in the city for a brewery and pub than in the brick-laned pedestrian-only Distillery District. Sixteen house-brewed beers are on tap; be sure to sample the signature trilogy: Organic, Tank House Ale and Wit. After a proper tasting, head to the on-site beer boutique where you can purchase some of your favorites. The pub serves dressed-up fare: beer-braised ribs, lobster grilled cheese and beer-steamed mussels. Alfresco tables are prime real estate in warm weather.
Mill Street Brewery
Distillery District
Brewing some of Toronto's most widely enjoyed craft beers, Mill Street Brewery runs a pair of adjoining brewpubs in the Distillery District. Enter off Tank House Lane to find the Mill Street Brew Pub, home of dressed-up bar eats, or veer down a side alley to feast at the modern Beer Hall. Both bars have several beer taps, with choices ranging from Mill Street staples like Organic Lager and Tankhouse Ale to seasonal and one-off beers. A bottle shop attached to the Brew Pub offers a selection of Mill Street offerings to go.
Pravda Vodka Bar
Old Town
Once a Soviet themed-bar, Pravda now channels the opulence of a 1920s speakeasy; it offers happy hour cocktails and operates as a supper club in the early evening, which is popular with the after-work crowd. As the night wears on, it transforms into a lively nightclub with a DJ and performances by an aerialist, belly dancer, or live musicians. Take a tour of its glass-encased walk-in freezer on the second floor, where you can don a fur coat and sample more than 70 vodka brands from around the world, such as French, Latvian, and Polish vodkas, each for a fee.
The Sultan's Tent and Cafe Moroc
Old Town
Not far from the historic St. Lawrence Market, the Sultan's Tent and its front bar, Cafe Moroc, re-create a traditional Moroccan banquet atmosphere, complete with plush divans and metal lanterns. In addition to wine and beer, they have a specialty cocktail list that puts a North African spin on classic drinks, like the Arabian Caesar or the Moroccan old-fashioned. There's live music and belly dancers every evening.
