Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
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.
The family that runs this narrow beer and cocktail bar has a side business importing rare brews from all over the world, so you know whatever's on tap—whether it's brewed in Ontario or Belgium—is going to be stellar. Weathered brick walls and a hidden back courtyard add to the old-world feel. Grab antipasti and pizzas if you're hungry, or hit up Bottega Volo two doors down for snacks and bottles to go.
Locals know the Drake as a hub for art, culture, food, and nightlife, with multiple spaces hosting events on any given night. The basement is home to the Drake Underground, a venue that hosts live music and DJ nights, while the rooftop Sky Yard patio serves drinks surrounded by eye-popping art installations.
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.
Pouring over 150 beers from 30 countries, including 50 on tap, this expansive restaurant and bar is well-regarded on the international beer scene. The highlight of the Bier Markt is its spacious, year-round sidewalk patio on the Esplanade, ideal for enjoying a cold brew on a leisurely afternoon. The lines are ridiculous on weekends—do as the locals do and go midweek instead.
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.
Founded in 1988, this cozy underground spot combines the charm of a beer cellar, the comfort of a library, and the fun of a pool hall. With over 40 taps of Canadian beer and a menu of globally inspired pub fare, it’s a perfect place to relax. The main room features several pool tables and a cozy fireplace area with couches, while an adjoining room hosts live folk, rock, and roots performances several times a week.
Restaurateur Jen Agg is a household name in Toronto, and the drinks are never an afterthought at her restaurants or at Cocktail Bar, where the ceiling is covered in pressed tin tiles and bottles gleam behind glass-paned cabinet doors. Across the street from Agg's other flagship spot, Bar Vendetta, this boozy haunt respects classic cocktail tradition—think Manhattans and absinthe concoctions, but rarely any vodka—but isn't afraid to take a few left turns either.
This dark but friendly little bar opened at the corner of Dundas and Ossington in the early 2000s, long before the neighborhood became trendy. Now, with its snack bar sign from its earlier incarnation and old-fashioned vinyl jukebox filled with punk and indie rock classics, the Commie (as the regulars sometimes call it) is an institution. Not much more than a bar and a few tables, it's the kind of spot you can go to, have a couple of pints, and find yourself in a deep conversation with someone you just met.
An Annex fave since the 1990s, this brick-walled spot makes good on its name by serving from morning 'til late. Hearty bar bites are a draw, as are the DJs that spin most evenings and the wide-ranging drinks menu (including martini specials on Thursdays). Head right back the next morning for a tasty brunch.
This delightfully divey dive, on a relatively quiet stretch of the Danforth, is known as one of the city's best beer bars, with 25 taps plus dozens of bottles and cans; nearly everything is local. The atmosphere is dim and raucous, with 1990s alt-rock blasting on the stereo. Can't snag a bar stool? Pull up a chair in the adjoining two storefronts, which serve as an all-day café and a cocktail bar.
No hole-in-the-wall sports bar, this sleek 25,000-square-foot space adjacent to the Scotiabank Arena lights up with almost 200 high-definition flat-screen TVs and amazing sightlines from every club-style booth, table, or stool at one of the three bars. Head to the second floor to watch a game on the biggest TV, an HDTV screen two stories high. For popular sporting events, or any day or night the Jays, Leafs, or Raptors play, it's best to make a reservation (accepted up to three weeks in advance), though the bar does keep a third of its seats for walk-in traffic an hour before face-off.
This classy tequila bar was ahead of the bar buzz on Ossington (it opened in 2007) and is still going strong. The dark wood, large windows, big back patio, and mix of DJs and live jazz set the tone for a serious list of tequilas meant to be sipped, not slammed. There are also enjoyable Mexican nibbles like ceviche and tacos. Reposado has also expanded into a bodega next door with enviable bottles available for takeout.
This hotel's sceney rooftop bar has become a bona fide party destination—especially when DJs spin on weekends. The lounge space is encased in a glass pyramid that allows for stunning views of the surrounding city, with a wraparound open-air deck. While you're feasting your eyes on that panorama, enjoy a simple-yet-flavorful house cocktail, a local beer, or some of the kitchen's globe-spanning small plates.
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.
Sign up for Travel Tips & News
Thank you for your interest!
