Tired of going to the same bars with your friends? There are a huge number of unique cocktail bars all around the city. Check out some of these below next time you’re looking for a place to go when you’re out on the town.
The Reservoir Lounge
Where: 52 Wellington Street E
If you’re looking for a spot with great drinks and live jazz, look no further. This perennial favourite is a modern-day speakeasy. This bar first opened around 20 years ago and has been popular ever since. It comfortably seats 100 people, so but feels intimate and cozy rather than cramped and claustrophobic.
Infuse Cafe Bar
Where: 354 Yonge Street
This downtown bar is all about comfort, from the refreshing tea-inspired cocktails to the soft lighting. Their drinks are the perfect blend of sweet, fruitiness, and alcohol. Drinks can also be made without alcohol, to enhance the tea-base flavour, or if you have a sober friend, they’ll love with place, too.
Black Hoof’s Cocktail Bar
Where: 923 Dundas St W
This spot is the city’s best kept secret. The bar is tucked away on Dundas West near Black Hoof and Rhum Corner. They have a great collection of their own creations, from boozy to fruity drinks, always made with fresh ingredients. Black Hoof’s Cocktail Bar has an intimate vibe perfect for a date night.
The Wickson Social
Where: 5 St Joseph Street
The drink list here is quite impressive, and even has a huge draught list with rotating, local taps for those beer lovers out there. The interior will definitely remind you of a newly-made speakeasy. They also have new drinks inspired by classics, such as a pomegranate cocktail, a rum-based Old Fashioned.
Civil Liberties
Where: 878 Bloor Street W
If you’re feeling up to try something new, check out Civil Liberties and consider letting the mixologist take liberty with your custom creation. One of the mosts popular attractions to this bar is the tailor-made cocktails based on feedback given to your server. Perfect for a fun night out with friends or a unique first date.
BarChef
Where: 472 Queen Street W
BarChef probably has one of the most unique cocktail menus in the whole city. All the drinks here are creative and inventive, with some being a blend of essential oil, different liquors, finished off with dry ice. This bar is perfect if you’re looking to impress someone and create a very memorable experience.
The Gaslight
Where: 1426 Bloor Street W
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This bar is mostly known for their selection of craft beer, but their cocktail menu is well-loved too. There is also the option to upgrade your glass to a pitcher, so its perfect for a night out drinking with friends. The drink menu has creative originals as well as classic favourites.
Sauce on the Danforth
Where: 1376 Danforth Avenue
This bar is relatively new, opening just a few years ago. But it has quickly built up a regular clientele, with their drink selection being the favourite. There’s a vide array of vintage-inspired drinks from the 1920s. Paintings and other decor from the Victorian-era fill the interior of the bar.
I’ll Be Seeing You
Where: 747 Queen Street E
Probably one of the first things you’ll notice when you walk in the door are the decorations: plates on the wall, old school board and card games at the front, disco balls and chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and even some ouija boards on display. The two sisters who own the bar pride themselves on their creative cocktails, such as the Disappearing Unicorn.
Suite 114
Where: 116 Dundas Street W
If you’re a lover of cocktails and brain-teasers, you’ll love Suite 114. Just to get in, you’ll need to decipher a code. At the bottom of the menu is a riddle, and if you correctly solve it you’ll have access to the always-changing secret menu. You can definitely tell the bar is speakeasy-themed from the level of secrecy and the vintage-inspired drinks.
Ferro Bar & Cafe
Where: 769 Saint Clair Avenue W
This is the perfect spot if you love authentic Italian food and perfectly matched cocktails. The large drink menu is filled with wine, beer, and of course, mixed drinks. The ambiance is casual but also elegant, so it’s perfect if you’re looking to impress a date without being too formal.
Photo by Jakub Dziubak on Unsplash
