255 Best Bars in Canada

This small and retro-chic bar has been around for almost a decade and serves up beers, cocktails, live music, and good vibes. There's also a patio covered in lush greenery. Cash only.

The hotel's spacious Lobby Lounge is famed for its high tea service complete with decadent pastry selection. The vibe gets swish by night as it transforms with live music, trendy cocktails, and delicious bar bites.

This large, sports-inclined bar is blessed with an enviable proximity to Kits Beach. The spacious but usually packed patio is across from a grassy park and Kitsilano Pool. Inside, multiple televisions show whatever sports game is happening, while the kitchen serves inexpensive pub grub.

A relatively new addition to Old Montréal, Lola Lola Lolita opened in 2021. The club hosts reggaeton nights on Fridays and big bands on Saturdays, playing bachata, merengue, salsa, and the occasional mariachi. Drinks range from beers to sangrias and classic Latin cocktails such as mojitos, margaritas, and Caipirissimas, as well as virgin cocktails. Appetizers like ceviche, guacamole, Colombian empanadas, chicken wings, and mamalon tacos are also on offer.

A veteran of Victoria's nightclub scene, Lucky's draws DJs, live bands, and a friendly younger crowd of locals who make the most of Lucky's great sound system and dance floor.

An old-world-pub atmosphere and a bar with more than 400 whiskey options are the main attractions here, and the patio is lively in summer.

This pub-meets-Greek restaurant is a long-standing neighborhood hangout, with after-work crowds stopping by for microbrews, signature cocktails, big-screen sports, and pub fare that ranges from souvlaki to nachos.

Sharpen your swords! This chic bar highlighting Champagne and other bubblies is the perfect place to break open a bottle—literally. The staff like to open the bottles of Champagne with sabers, a practice that adds an element of fun and drama to an accessible venue. Finger foods include oysters, beef tartare, caviar, and calamari.

This beautiful old sandstone mansion includes three floors of food, drink, and good Irish craic (a Gaelic term that means having fun with affable companions). This isn't hard to do with more than 20 different stouts, lagers, and ales on tap. There's live entertainment nearly every night of the week, so head to the basement if you're looking for a bit of quiet (or a good chin-wag). The house fries are excellent for noshing, but beware of the Rim Reaper—chicken wings made with the world's hottest pepper.

With more than 40 TVs, this popular bar is a great place to watch the Calgary Flames and the Calgary Stampeders. It also shows Buzztime, the national trivia network, on its many screens. Free parking in a busy part of town is an added bonus.

Named after the monster said to lurk in Lake Memphrémagog, La Memphré dates back to the 1800s, when it belonged to Magog's first mayor, Alvin H. Moore. Now a British-style gastropub, it offers up three styles of cheese fondue alongside Bavarian onion soup, burgers, and all manner of modern pub fare in a non-pub setting. All selections are best accompanied by a cold one of whatever other tempting refreshments are on offer. Making your selection is that much more fun as the beautifully presented menu provides not only mouthwatering descriptions of the food and beverages but also historical information and more.

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.

Renovated in 2021 (and renamed in 2025), this mid-size club and concert venue boasts impressive lighting and sound systems. The roster features mainly live acts, from pop and rap to punk and indie, plus occasional DJs and dance parties. Get down on the main dance floor, or head to the upper deck for seating and a killer view of the stage.

With a French and Mediterranean menu, an attractive sidewalk terrace, and a sophisticated interior that contrasts dark wood against stone walls, this jazz bar is pleasing to the eyes and ears. Despite being spread out over two floors, the space still feels cozy. Live duos play during the first part of the week, while weekends showcase full bands. There's never a cover charge.

Its hot central location makes Moe Joe's a perennial favorite. Theme nights from Ladies' Night Saturday to Feel Good Friday to Glow-in-the-Dark giveaways on Sunday appeal to a diverse crowd. If you're traveling in a group, reserve a party booth or snag a VIP pass to skip the lines.

The Monolith is an imposing concrete building adorned with stunning murals, and inside is a state-of-the-art brewery that barrel-ages their beer for up to three years, creating complex flavors that will delight beer aficionados.

The heart of the city's improv comedy scene offers inexpensive shows in both English and French.   Save $C2 on advance tickets; otherwise get here early, as the cheaper tickets usually sell out quickly. 

There’s a melancholy, lost-in-time feel to this quintessential Granville Street bar. The decor features aged chandeliers, a fireplace, and old-world kitsch. It's the kind of place where rock 'n rollers (old and new) hang out into the early hours. There's a wide selection of beer, comfy seating, and dark corners in which to disappear.

Hankering for some quality pub food, an extensive selection of Canadian microbrews, and a few games of bowling and/or Ping-Pong? The National on 10th is the place for you. The menu is dominated by wings and nachos and the like, but there are a few hefty salads and rice bowls for those looking for something more nutritious. All in all, this spacious pub is just a fun place to hang out for an evening.

This no-frills downtown watering hole offers live music every night. It has a particularly nice (and sheltered) patio. It's open until 2 am, and music starts at 10.

A great selection of beers, brewed on-premises or coming from some of the best microbreweries in Québec, attract diners here, along with the smart menu of reinvented pub fare (fish and waffle, blood sausage pie, or braised pork belly with chimichurri sauce and parsley root chips, for example). The décor, with raw plywood and exposed structures, is modern and trendy.

Crossing the threshold into this Danforth pub, decked out with cozy wooden booths (or "snugs"), is like teleporting to the Emerald Isle. Musicians playing folk and traditional Irish tunes perform here regularly, and the Guinness is always flowing.

In the downtown historic district, this pub lives up to its name with old-time Irish fun, including a weekly live traditional music session in a room at the back. In the main bar on Wednesday, Brent Mason, a well-known neofolk artist, starts the evening and then turns the mike over to the audience. Friday and Saturday (and some Thursdays), it's mostly live cover bands, starting at 10 pm.

When Russell Crowe comes to town, he jams at O'Reilly's Pub, famous for its nightly live Irish and Newfoundland music. Starting times vary, but shows typically begin late. O'Reilly's also has a full pub-grub menu.

A traditional Irish alehouse, the Old Triangle reels in patrons with better-than-average pub food and pints of Guinness, then keeps them fixated with live Celtic music every night. Traditional open sessions take place on Sunday afternoon and Tuesday evening.