Toronto: Night Clubs, Lounges & Live Music
Toronto is a city that likes to party straight through from Wednesday to Sunday. Most clubs are open Thursday to Sunday. Bonus: Almost all of the best clubs are all located within a few blocks from eachother. (Go to Richmond St. and Adelaide St. between University Ave. and Spadina and look around!) There is never a shortage of 3:00 a.m. snacks, either. There are plenty of hot dog vendors around and many restaurants are packed in the wee hours of the morning serving everything from chinese food to falafels.
Cover at most clubs is $10 and drinks are about $5. Don't wear blue jeans or sneakers because you won't get into 80% of the clubs. Black jeans or pants and dressy shoes are better. (Note: The drinking age is a very strict 19. Bring your passport or driver's license.)
Visit the Bacardi site for instant Guest List at many of the larger Toronto clubs.
Toronto: Night Clubs/Dance Clubs
606
Located at 606 King St. West, this small bar and dance club is a popular hangout (especially Friday nights.) You'll be sure to find lots of models, actors and just generally good-looking people here. With exposed brick and a bohemian decor atmosphere, you'll be sure to come back again and again, as the people who hang out at 606 have been doing for years. 606 is a restaurant during the day serving OK round-the-world foods. One of the best things about 606 at night is that you can wear whatever you want and there's no cover charge.
Easy and the Fifth
Easy and the Fifth is a high-class club open Thurs-Sat from 9pm to 2:30am. Easy is medium-sized and not too hot, stuffy or dark (unlike many other night clubs). Easy and the Fifth (still known by its former name: "The Big Easy") is a great club to meet people (you can actually see who you're talking to) and has a cigar room with pool tables at the back. Attracts an older crowd (25-40) and visiting celebrities (you name the celeb. - they've been there.) $10 cover charge + $2 mandatory coat check in winter. Strict dress code in effect. Say 'Hi' to the super-cool and super-nice security guy Ten-ten. Located around the left side of the building that Fluid is in at 217-225 Richmond St and Duncan (across from Whiskey Saigon).
Link: www.EasyAndTheFifth.com
This is London
A relatively new club, This is London is owned by the same folks as Easy and the Fifth. The two-story night club has one very large, very square (shaped) dance floor and, although the club is high-class, it feels very impersonal - mainly because it is all open and is so large. Gets very crowded but, fortunately, not too hot. Say 'Hi' to head bouncer Cecil. Unusually steep cover charge ($20.)
Link: www.ThisisLondonClub.com
Money
Money opened it's doors for the first time in December 1998 and is open on Thursday thru Saturday. Money usually gets packed at about 10:30 or 11pm. It attracts a very young early 20's crowd. The club has three main levels (plus the basement for coat-check). The first is a lounge/bar atmosphere with plenty of couches and toned-down music (and a patio in the summer), the middle is a large dance floor with bars at either end (amazing DJ from Montreal spinning dance with a little good retro mixed in), and the third (top) floor is a large rectangle that is open in the middle and looks down onto the dance floor (this floor also has flat cushions to lie on, comfy chairs and a bar). $10 cover (Friday is ladies night), expect major line-ups, located at 199 Richmond St West (south side of Richmond across from LoveSexxy and Mad Bar). Young crowd. Say 'Hi' to Rick, Ryan and owner Oliver Geddes. Call 416-591-9000 for guest list.
Fluid Lounge
Fluid is located at 217 Richmond St West below Easy and the Fifth. This trendy, well-decorated but dimly lit club is open Tues-Sun from 10pm to 3:00am. Fluid is a fairly small club (3 rooms on one level) compared to some of Toronto's 'monster' clubs which hold thousands of people. Fluid plays hard techo versions of dance songs on most nights. Five hundred is about its capacity and it can get packed (especially on Saturday nights). Fluid is open Wednesday thru Sunday (Thursday is Reggae music). $8-10 cover.
Link: www.FluidLounge.com
Mad Bar
Mad Bar is a block or so east of Whiskey Saigon on Richmond. It is the place to go if you like smaller clubs/bars with heavier techno/rave music. There is a club-like bar on the main level and a dark dance floor on the second level. Major bonus: there is no cover charge or line-up. This club doesn't get heated up until midnight so don't bother going at 11pm because hardly anyone will be there (unless it's a special night).
The Joker
The Joker is located on Richmond Street across from the huge Paramount movie theatres (where all the clubs are.) The Joker's exterior is very interesting with blue and silver swirls on the front of the building. This huge multi-floor club attracts a younger crowd but can be a lot of fun if you're in the mood to dance and drink. The Saturday night DJ, MC Masters, spins a great mix of techno-dance on the top floor. Definitely a scene worth checking out. The Joker also has a rooftop patio and is a four floor (including roof) super-club with different DJs on the second and third floors. $10 cover and expect a line-up.
The Docks
The Docks night club (11 Polson St) is located off of Lakeshore Blvd (Cherry St. exit) right on the water and has spectacular views of the city-scape and Lake Ontario. The Docks consists of one large L-shaped room plus a large patio. It is a 41,000 sq feet mega club built to hold thousands (and it does every weekend). Jeans and t-shirt crowd. Not open during the winter (too cold right by the water). Bring at least $10 for parking or cab and $10 for cover.
Link: www.TheDocks.com
The Guvernment / Kool Haus (formerly The Warehouse)
Definetly one of the best and biggest night clubs in Toronto. The Guvernment is 44,000 sq feet and consists of three enormous clubs (The Warehouse, The Orange Room and The Guvernment) all connected plus a second floor VIP lounge (The Drink) accessible from the Guverment. The Warehouse hosts many concerts for large bands - Call 416-869-1462 for concert listings. The Guvernment/Warehouse is located by the water at 132 Queens Quay (at Jarvis) and is definetly worth the taxi ride. Fridays are R&B night and Saturday nights they spin a great mix of dance and techno. Saturday nights are definetly the best, however, if you are claustrophobic this is not the place to go because it can get pretty packed! Cover is $10 and it gets crowded at around 11pm. Say 'Hi' to promoter Ralf Madi who is usually at the VIP door.
Link: www.TheGuvernment.com
Shark City
Shark City is a sophisticated club/bar at 117 Eglington St East. On the main floor there is a large U-shaped bar and some bar tables to sit at and have light conversation over a cranberry & vodka. Downstairs is another bar and a medium-sized dance floor. $10 cover some nights.
Madison Ave Pub (aka. The Madison)
Although The Madison is not a dance club we felt it deserved a mention. The Madison is located in the University area and is a haven for university students and executives alike. It is fun, large and yet still cozy. A great place to go to shoot pool, watch a Leafs or Jays game, or just hang out. Feel free to wear your suit after work or jeans if you prefer. There is no cover and this joint boasts the largest beer sales in the nation!
Link: www.MadisonAvenuePub.com
Toronto: Bars & Music Venues
Acme Bar & Grill - 86 John St (tel 416-340-9700). A cross between a jazz club and a sports bar, with a selection of over eighty different single-malt scotches. A good spot to go after watching the ballgame at the nearby SkyDome.
Betty's - 240 King St E (tel 416-368-1300). The threat of a lawsuit forced the owners to abbreviate the name from The Betty Ford Clinic to just plain Betty's - but regulars remain devoted to this long, thin pub/bistro. It has a tree-canopied patio out back in the summer and in the winter its blond-wood booths and tables are packed for most of the day. Excellent sandwiches, hot snacks and burgers can be washed down with a strong microbrew selection.
The Bovine Sex Club - 542 Queen St W (tel 416-504-4239). Despite its comically evocative name, the Bovine doesn't have a sign - and it's not actually a sex club, just a weird, eccentrically decorated bar. The front of the building is encrusted with bicycle parts and scrap metal, and offers no glimpse of the playground within: banks of TV monitors play oddball background videos, the ceiling bristles with tree branches speckled in fairy lights, and hundreds of empty Jagermeister bottles give you an idea of the hearty partying that goes on here. There are plenty of pinball machines and pool tables, as well as an eclectic range of DJ music to keep you entertained.
Cameron House - 508 Queen St W (tel 416-703-0811). This place is half beer hall, half cocktail lounge and all entertainment. Artists have been rearranging the facade for twenty years now, the only constant being the huge metal ants marching up the side of the building. DJs play the front, and live music goes on in the back on weekends.
C'est What? - 67 Front St E (tel 416-867-9499). A gem of a bar featuring 28 microbrews on tap and a variety of ales brewed on the premises, some more experimental than others. Board games, deep couches and live music every night make this a home away from home.
Dennison's Brewing Company - 75 Victoria St (tel 416-360-5877). Four establishments grouped under one Romanesque roof: the brewery, which produces German-style lagers; Conchy Joe's - a casual oyster bar serving oysters, steamed mussels and fresh fish; Louis' Brasserie - which serves pasta, snacks and steaks; and Growler's Pub downstairs, with its gleaming brass fittings, dark-wood interior and standard pub grub.
Element Bar and Lounge - 533 Queen St W (tel 416-359-1919). Some patrons on the late end of the Gen X spectrum tried to dismiss Element as a tad too "Wallpaper", but it works a sleek retro-mod interior to advantage and attracts a youngish but sophisticated crowd. Excellent DJs on weekends - techno though jungle.
Horseshoe Tavern - 370 Queen St W (tel 416-598-4753). Lots of Toronto bands got their start here and it's still a good place to spy up-and-coming talent.
Imperial Pub - 54 Dundas E (tel 416-977-4667). A favourite of downtowners and students from the nearby polytechnic, this traditional tap house serves up beer and meaty pub food in two bars (there's also a large rooftop patio during the summer).
Lee's Palace - 529 Bloor St W (tel 416-532-7383). Hosts some of the best up-and-coming bands from punk through to folk. Upstairs is the Dance Cave - a lively alternative dance bar.
McVeigh's New Windsor Tavern - 124 Church St (tel 416-364-9698). A three-decade-old Irish pub, featuring Celtic music and food, and dark, creamy Irish ales. Resolutely unfashionable and authentic to the core. Particularly festive on the afternoon of Christmas Eve, when all the businesses close for the holidays and all the Irish musicians in town come here.
Phoenix Concert Theatre - 410 Sherbourne St (tel 416-323-1251). The building is getting a bit shabby, but the booking agents here haven't lost their edge. This is one of the better venues to catch big-name rock acts or to dance to the DJ scene in the Parlour - a small disco incorporated into the club.
Plaza Flamingo - 423 College St (tel 416-603-8884). Flamenco at the Flamingo is a summertime institution. International flamenco contests run all summer long, filling the place night and day. The kitchen serves up Spanish dishes, and an all-you-can-eat weekend brunch satisfies those who get peckish after some serious dancing.
Rex Hotel Jazz Bar and Grill - 194 Queen St W (tel 416-598-2475). In fierce arguments about which is the best jazz club in town, this one is consistently near the top of the list. A well-primped crowd lounges in the spiffed-up interior, but any reservations about the room's pretentious flare evaporate once the music - which is always top-notch - begins.
Top O' the Senator - 294 Yonge St (tel 416-364-7517). Showcases some of the biggest and best names in jazz and blues.
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