11 Best Bars In Toronto One Can’t Ignore

Are you in Toronto or planning a visit to this Magnus city?

The city is famous for its electrifying nightlife, rocking culture, and the most happening restaurants, clubs, and night bars. Yes, because there is no fun without an amazing drink. Isn’t it!! Here in this article, let’s find out the most popular and the best bars in Toronto.

Bar Culture In Toronto

Toronto is the capital city of Ontario. It is also Canada’s largest city with something to offer everyone. Whether you are shopping in any supermarket, strolling down any street, hanging with your friends, or enjoying a romantic sight with your partner. You will spot bars in almost every area you visit in Toronto.

And, it sometimes becomes confusing to choose the best among so many options available. If you are wondering about the right spot to grab a drink and enjoy some chilling moments, go through this article to find out which bar could be the best option.

Best Bars In Toronto

This lively city is always full of life, fun, and enthusiasm. Toronto has some of the finest bars to have your favourite drinks with good vibes.

We have shortlisted the best bars in Toronto for you, where you would love to have some delicious drinks in a nice ambiance and enjoy a great time. Without delaying anymore, find out the best bars in Toronto

1. Mother Cocktail Bar

One of the best bars in Toronto is the Mother Cocktail bar, located at 874 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON M6J 1G3, Canada.

What’s Special

The Mother cocktail bar uses simple, fresh ingredients and, through fermentation, preserves nature’s essence and gives life to brand-new flavours to provide its guests with the best and most amazing drinks.

It is a little bar but very stylish from the inside. The main aim of the bar is to showcase the best hyper-seasonal produce and present innovative flavours. Its cocktail menu is categorized into three sections:

• Yesterday – It mixes three main ingredients with neroli and Lacto-fermented plums.
• Today – It mixes cocoa and dark pecan rum, caramelized yogurt, arabica, and espresso alginate; and keeps it changing weekly.
• Tomorrow – In this section you will find some new house-made drinks along with kombuchas.

The cocktails there are presented with a remarkable amount of ingenuity. If you want to taste some unique cocktails, wines, and beers, then you must try this great cocktail icon.

2. Cloak Bar

The Cloak bar is one of Toronto’s best-kept secrets located at 488 Wellington Street West, Toronto, ON M5V 1E9, Canada.

What’s Special

The Cloak bar is a hidden gem and one of the best bars in Toronto that serves delicious cocktails and snacks of several varieties.

This Toronto bar is an underground bar where you must go through the basement. And once you enter inside, you will be amused by its transition into a lovely and cool place.

Some of the best snacks and items served there include popcorn chicken, fried cauliflower, a Rodie burger, East coast oysters, midnight oil fries, and Japanese pancakes.

The bar offers you an extended wine list, a large variety of cocktails, beers, scotch, and even temperance (no or very low alcohol).

Enjoy your special moments in this quiet and cozy bar. The incredibly hospitable and knowledgeable service will easily bring you comfort. And yes, the lovely music is always there playing behind to soothe your soul.

3. Gift Shop

The Gift shop is an intimate bar located at 89-B Ossington Avenue, Toronto, ON M6J 2Z2, Canada.

What’s Special

It is a small bar where only 10-12 people can fit in at once, located behind a barber shop. You can easily spot this bar with a green light outside its front portion which looks like a barbershop. Yes, this is a shop, but when you enter it there is a door inside that will lead you to this amazing bar.

You must try this unique bar at least once if you visit nearby. It has a hidden entrance, beautiful vintage glasses, and a charming and quirky atmosphere that gives competition to many big bars in Toronto.

The atmosphere inside is nice, and its retro vibes give it a unique look with geometric, black, baby-blue, and white tiled flooring. 

The bar always surprises its visitors with its incredible combinations of unexpected ingredients in its cocktails. It also serves legendary drinks from bars worldwide and the High Roller Babies – classic cocktails prepared with premium spirits.

The different cocktails are served in various styles and various beautifully designed glasses.

4. Black Dice Cafe (Japanese Rockabilly bar)

Black Dice Cafe is an unconventional bar in Toronto located at 1574 Dundas St West, Toronto, ON M6K 1T8, Canada.

What’s Special

This bar provides its customers with a big selection of Japanese whisky, which is exceptional for those who haven’t tried it earlier. You can also get sake if you love to have it.

The deadly combination of Japanese beer with sake brings it to the list of the best bars in Toronto. The Black Dice Cafe also names itself the Japanese Rockability bar.

It is also a sort of bartender’s bar with a heavy crowd on most nights. People from around the world come here for the expertly curated selection of Japanese whisky and the chilling atmosphere with a mid-century jukebox.

This local bar is inspired by British rock culture and American 50s culture. Enjoy some tasty snacks while sipping your amazing drinks and the loud music. You can’t skip your rocking night in this great Toronto bar.

5. The Shameful Tiki Room

The Shameful Tiki Room is a popular fun bar in Toronto located at 1378 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON M6K 1L7, Canada.

What’s Special

This special bar is where you can order the most outlandish cocktail you can think about. As the name suggests, drinking at this bar is nothing to be ashamed of. You only need to drink and enjoy the playful drinks. Entering the bar is like escaping into some other world.

The decor is beautiful with full-on Polynesian kitsch, decorated with carved wooden masks and cane furniture.

The bar has a tropical vibe that offers Polynesian-inspired foods and exotic cocktails. The atmosphere is cozy and vibrant, and the live music makes your mood.

It offers a rotating selection of bottled beers, half bottles of red or white wine, and some non-alcoholic drinks. You can order a punch-style bowl along with your drinks. The bartenders are very friendly and helpful, and the service is excellent. Truly, Shameful Tiki Room is one of the best bars in Toronto.

6. Bar Raval

Bar Raval is a Spanish bar located at 505 College Street, Toronto, ON M6J 2J3, Canada.

What’s Special

Barcelona has inspired the design of this pintxo bar. The decor is beautifully designed with wooden tones inside and vibes are cool.

The Bar Raval remains crowded most of the time. It also has a patio that gets busy during the summer and is sometimes filled with patrons standing elbow to elbow while enjoying their fun times.

This bar is undoubtedly the biggest attraction for bar enthusiasts. Going there will make you feel like visiting some other city or country.

Apart from serving sophisticated cocktails, it is also known for stellar tapas, pintxos, canned seafood, and conserves. Small food plates are filled with cocktails, beer, wine, and fortified.

The energy of the Bar Raval is great, which is more for the younger crowd. The solid wine and beer program and its unique architecture make this gem one of the best bars in Toronto

7. Mahjong Bar

Mahjong bar is a small Chinese bar located at 1276 Dundas West, Toronto, ON M6J 1X7, Canada.

What’s Special

Tucked behind a pink neon-lit bodega, you walk to a glowing doorway to get in. While you enter inside, you will be able to spot retro Hong-Kong style decor with checkered floors, a gleaming bar and a tropical mural.

The Mahjong bar offers Chinese dishes on small plates, mahjong games, colourful cocktails, and Cantonese bar fare. 

Most drinks here are influenced by Chinese flavours, including Bamboo Manhattan, frozen Peacock Daiquiri with rum, dragonfruit, and calamari.

Some delicious foods include shrimp dumplings, turnip cakes with Chinese sausage, Sichuan fried chicken, or chilli-dusted popcorn chicken. All with a touch of Chinese taste.

The bar is one of the coolest bars you would love to go to again and again. It is a traditional bar where anyone can come, enjoy, and have a good pastime. Its wonderful atmosphere and vibes, along with good music and top-quality cocktails, include this bar in the category of best bars in Toronto.

8. Bar Volo

Bar Volo is a bar cum brewery and a bottle shop located at 17 St Nicholas Street, Toronto, ON M4Y 3G4, Canada.

What’s Special

Bar Volo has been a successfully running bar for more than 30 years in Toronto. One of the biggest attractions of the bar is the 26 rotating taps, often with some unusual beers that are not easily available in other bars.

The bar has a large wine menu with around ten varieties of wine offered by the glass on the table. It has imported reds, pinks, whites, oranges, and new wines on the list. Most of the cocktails served here are Italian-inspired, but some local combos, like the purple seltzer, are also offered here.

The south-Italian food and its ever-changing menu offered here are awesome. You would love the meatballs, mussels, cheese fries, eggplant parmigiana, and several sandwiches and pizzas.

Bar Volo also has a brewery specializing in traditional cask-conditioned ales, happy ales, and highly drinkable lagers.

The excellent ambiance and location, interiors with lots of dark wood, sunny terraces and changing levels, well-behaved staff, and a large collection of beers, wines, and cocktails make it a favourite destination for all beer lovers.

9. Rhum Corner

Rhum corner, the biggest spot for rum cocktails, is located at 926 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6J 1W3, Canada.

What’s Special

The Rhum Corner serves you cheap and tasty food and drinks like frescos, slushies, and rum buckets. This Haitian bar is owned by Jen Agg and her artist husband, Roland Jean.

The company music, friendly staff, and lots of rum make your evening memorable. The decor looks like of any top rum shop. You will spot unfinished ceilings with proper duct work done on it. Overall, it looks beautiful from inside with some interesting decorations. The lighting inside is quite dark.

The food here is also amazing, so you must order some of the items. The banana frites, macaroni, salt cod patty, and tuna ceviche are some great snacks here to eat. On large plates, you can go for a griot bowl, fried chicken combo, oxtails, legumes with jasmine rice, or cubes of juicy pork with crispy tostones and spicy pikliz.

This bar is a hip and energetic spot that gives an intimate feel. It has an open kitchen nestled behind the bar filled with rum stocks. You will find the most aged and rare rum collection the the Caribbean. Some of the best rum drinks for you to have in this bar are Fresco, Zombie, Red Stripe, Painkiller, and Jungle Bird.

The staff is wonderful, Extremely friendly, helpful, and attentive. You must include this bar in your bucket list.

10. Sweaty Betty’s

Sweaty Betty’s is one of the best bars in Toronto, located at 13 Ossington Avenue, Toronto, ON M6J 2Y8, Canada.

What’s Special

Sweaty betty’s is a popular dive bar with a back patio and one of the longest-standing bars in Toronto. Its deck is open all year round. The terrace is fairly small, with a great wooden bench on one side and cute lights around. The bar offers the most classic cocktails with dim red lighting, neon signs, and mismatched furniture.

The cocktail menu keeps changing seasonally. Its rotating cocktail menu and specials, including the famous pickleback shots and vegan Caesar, are loved by visitors. The bar also has a well-curated selection of chips and snacks. You can also go for several vegan options on the menu.

You will spot some of the best and most attractive bartenders here compared to other bars. Its super unique decor with red lighting throughout looks amazing.

A perfect spot to take a break from the busy town life. Grab your favorite cocktail and chill with the music playing behind.

11. Bar Chef

Bar Chef is also one of the best bars in Toronto, which is located at 472 Queen Street West Toronto, ON M5V 2B2, Canada.

What’s Special

Last but not least, we have on our list the Bar Chef. This is an award-winning cocktail bar and also listed among one of the best bars in the world. Also, an events business and bottled cocktail company.

Every event here is an immersive cocktail experience. The cocktail selection is integrated with the theme, season, or style. Some main events are

• Cocktail catering – It serves you with a customized cocktail, bespoke ornate bar design, and luxury service in events like weddings, product launches, or private functions.
• Virtual workshops – The virtual mixology workshops bring your groups together in modern dynamic settings. You can have your guests sign in from anywhere, and the workshop provides them with a complete and customizable cocktail kit delivered to each participant in advance.
• In-house private events- The bar chef also provides services for your in-house private events.

This is a great spot with a relaxing and cool atmosphere where you are served the best-crafted cocktails prepared from locally sourced maple syrup, foraged Ontario spruce tips, hand-toasted chamomile flowers, and many more.

Enjoy the wide selection of drinks with lovely music. Service is impeccable, and the presentation of drinks looks very authentic.

Bottom Line

These selected bars offer the best drinks in the comfiest and loveliest atmosphere, perfect for a first date, a drink after work, or a night out with friends. You must visit these eleven best bars in Toronto at least once. And we can assure you that once you see these bars, you won’t be able to stop yourself from coming here again.

These are the gems in Toronto where you can relax, chill, hang out, rock, party, or enjoy to the fullest. Choose any of these bars to chill or visit all of them one-by-one if you can. Have a rocking time in these bars. Enjoy and stay safe!!

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