Being a BC boy, I grew up hating the Maple Leafs and fearing Torontonians. Everyone on the West Coast thought that people in Toronto were unkind and miserable people. Were we ever wrong. After 5 years in Toronto doing my PhD at U of T, I discovered that Torontonians are actually very friendly, and that if you aren’t into nature hikes and kayaking, Toronto is way more fun than Vancouver. For the record, I still hate the Leafs (and Bruins and Rangers), unlike the overly neutral Jon Smolensky who cheers for every NHL team,
If I had a choice of which Canadian city to live in, it would be Toronto. As a lover of world cuisines, Toronto ticks all the boxes thanks to the Danforth, College St and Spadina, which offer truly authentic Greek, Italian and Chinese (and Vietnamese) experiences, respectively. Throw in Kensington Market, Little Portugal, and Koreatown and you can see why the Center of the Universe also happens to be the foodie capital of Canada.
After over 15 years away from Toronto, I had the chance to return last September. Below you can find my favorite bar experiences, in no particular order. I am missing some key bars in this guide such as Mordecai, Cry Baby and Barchef. All the more reason to return to Toronto soon!
A special thanks to Karina and Nick for taking me around!
Located in Little Italy just west of Bar Raval, Bar Pompette feels like a sophisticated French café with its white brick walls and elegant wood backbar. The welcoming French ambiance at Pompette should be no surprise given the provenance of the Alsatian founders Maxime Hoerth and Hugo Togni. Bar Pompette is a spinoff of the popular College Street restaurant Pompette, which opened in March 2020. Although the original plan was to push an ambitious cocktail and food pairing concept at Pompette, the pandemic forced the owners to switch to a brasserie format. As luck turned out, a cafe space opened up a few doors down, and it was there that Bar Pompette was born.
Drink wise, you can choose from tap-based and traditionally prepared signatures, with my favorite being 11 am in Marseille (roasted almond orgeat, beeswax infused pastis, lime and egg white). Although I was not a huge lover of pastis before visiting Pompette, I am now thanks to this delicious sour!
Louix Louis at The St Regis
Louix Louis is located on the 31st floor of The St. Regis Toronto, offering a majestic view of the Toronto skyline. The luxurious vaulted space attracts a mix of business types working from Bay Street and couples looking to splurge on date night. But the bar works great solo thanks to the friendly and chatty bar staff. One look at the beautifully lit dark spirits on the spectacular back bar and your drink choice will be automatic - a well made Manhattan. And Louix Louis has a spectacular take on the Manhattan, the aptly named Bay Street Manhattan. This complex and woody cocktail is a barrel-aged mix of Michter's bourbon, Barolo Chinato, 20 year tawny port, dry curaçao, aromatic bitters, sarsaparilla, and tonka bean.
Library Bar at the Fairmont Royal York
Library Bar in an intimate cocktail bar hidden within the Fairmont Royal York hotel. Although Library Bar has also been known as the bar for martini drinkers, the offering has evolved considerably thanks the appointment of the 2021 World Class global winner James Grant as the Director of Mixology. Grant still pays homage to the martini tradition at Library Bar with the Birdbath martini, featuring their own craft gin having bright and earthy tones. The Birdbath martini is served directly in front of the guest in a custom mixing glass in the classic or luxe version, adding a soft pretzel and sturgeon caviar.
Grant drew inspiration from literature and film when developing the menu, grouping drinks under the categories Masterpieces, Poetry, Folklore, Science Fiction and Bestsellers. My favorite from Science Fiction is Sacred Beast, with Michter's bourbon, charred habanero, mezcal, verjus, Lap Sang Su Chong and the exciting cinnamon explosion garnish. Not to be missed at Library Bar is the highly addictive bar food, especially the fried chicken with hot honey butter sauce, smoked blue cheese, herbs. I still dream about this dish months later!
Civil Liberties’ secret to success is simple: “Kind over cool”. The space is rustic and decidedly low cost but its the people filling this bar are what make it tick. The talkative and charismatic owner Nick has selected a like-minded group of bartenders to work at Civil Liberties. And kindness attracts kindness. The patrons that frequent Civil Liberties are all here for a good time. Be prepared though - at any given moment Civil Liberties can transform into a high octane party bar, much like Tres Monos in Buenos Aires or Employees Only in Singapore.
Civil’s easy to talk to bar staff are more than happy to tailor make a cocktail to best suit your mood and palate. That’s right cocktail nerds, there is no menu here whatsoever. Of course, there’s nothing stopping you from ordering a beer or their surprisingly good kegged Espresso Martini, but my recommendation is to roll the dice and see where the night leads.
Bar Raval is a vibrant restaurant bar on College Street designed by the architectural firm Partisans. The design is a modern interpretation of Spanish Art Nouveau, while paying homage to the pintxo, the traditional tapas bars from northern Spain. Carefully cut from sculpted mahogany wood, the space was inspired by Gaudi’s biomimicry. The sinuous forms within Raval encourage mingling, keeping in the same spirit as Spain’s jovial pintxos. The nearly all day Raval is open from 11am until 1am, but my favorite time to visit is before sunset to witness the transition from a naturally lit art piece to a more dramatic look after dark.
Bar Raval’s tapas game is strong, with delectable sharing plates like manchego, Catalan sobrassada, and marinated octopus. For drinks, bartender Elise Hanson has got you covered. The talented Elise, who recently won Bombay’s Most Imaginative Bartender, made me Raval’s iconic Bishop’s Garibaldi with Campari, fluffy orange juice, cinnamon, guajillo and pasilla pepper and nutmeg as well as her favorite (and mine too): White port and house tonic, perhaps the perfect low ABV concoction.
If you’re a speakeasy aficionado, welcome to your bar. Inspired by Sasha Petraske’s at Milk and Honey house rules, The Gift Shop conveniently posts their semi-strict rules outside in an attempt to repel the many Karens out there. Because if you screw up at Gift Shop, the manage H will immediately show you the door, just like the soup artist would in Seinfeld. H holds his dimly lit drinking den in high regard, and he justly expects the same from you. Look around, but without approaching any other tables (Rule number 2), and you will be mesmerized by the number of rare bottles in H’s collection. A standing ovation is warranted for rule number 6 “Do not take photos of other guests”, a cardinal sin in bars. Although rules number 1 “Don’t be a dick” and 3 “The customer is not always right” may intimidate you, if you show respect to H, he will treat you kindly. I ordered a memorable Boulevardier with Michter’s 10 rye (pictured below). Not to worry H, I did not break the unwritten rule of no flash photography.
Gift shop is open til 2AM Wednesday to Sunday and is a fantastic place to unwind for a night cap.
Mother sources the best local ingredients and elevates them through fermentation. You can view glimpse their in-house laboratory from a window in the hallway that leads to the restrooms. For a true experience at Mother, order Symbiosis, where you allow the team to personalize your cocktail based on your prefered base spirit, fermented ingredient and preparation style. Although most come here for the complex drinks with unusual ferments, I was even more impressed with the technical abilities of Japanese bartender James Park, who you can know find at the world renowned Bellwood in Tokyo. James’ shaking style and kind demeanor will be sorely missed in Toronto!
