“To be or not to be…,”
“Dude, where’s my car?”
“Who is your daddy and what does he do?”
These are just a few of the timeless existential questions with which we grapple on a daily basis. And through all the complexity and uncertainty, perhaps no question looms larger than the classic Saturday night stumper:
“Where should we go?”
Nobody is throwing a party and since everyone is gassed from the workweek, bright ideas are harder to come by than red lipstick at a Nine Inch Nails concert. What you do know is that you’ve got energy and the last thing you’re going to be is stuck at home with a bag of chocolate almonds watching low-budget documentaries on Netflix. So what you need is a starting point that opens the evening up to the glories (and foggy memories) of a seat-of-the-pants bar hop.
In and around downtown Toronto, there is now an overflow of hot-pockets for pubs, wine bars, lounges, and clubs that can turn the most aimless of wanderers into the most exciting of crawlers. The question is, which is the best for getting things warmed up?
Take a look at our suggestions below and let us know what intersection/area has the most green lights for an epic evening on the town. If you have somewhere else in mind, simply select ‘other’, enter the main cross-roads and we’ll make sure they get on the map…
1. Dundas/Ossington
Pop north to Dakota, east to Opera Bob’s, west to Churchill, The Doc Ellis, and the rest of Dundas West or south along the always-happening Ossington strip to The Painted Lady, and the Reposados and Belwoods Breweries of the world.
2. Yonge/Dundas
Right in the middle of it all, it may be a Joey’s or a Jack Astor’s kind of night, or maybe even a few swanky spots just south in the Financial District like The Chase, Blowfish, Speakeasy21, Ki, or America.
3. Broadview/Queen
More and more popular every month, even with Jilly’s gone, places like Boots & Bourbon, Prohibition, and An Sibin are always a sure bet for an early shot of adrenaline…and the much stronger stuff too.
4. College/Bathurst
From the nachos and cheap pitchers at Sneaky Dee’s to College Street Bar, Sidecar, and Ted’s Collision, then west to ragers like Mod Club, swanky spots like Lily Lounge and Stone Lounge, busy-and-cozies like Weldon Park. Not to mention, the heap of Italian spots offering a wine or espresso break.
5. John/Adelaide
Whether you’re a clubber or a pubber, up John or along Adelaide is one of the heaviest and most diverse concentrations of watering holes in the city. From The Office Pub, The Town Crier, and the slick Parlour, over to Rock ‘n’ Horse Saloon and Grace O’Malley’s, up to Jack Astor’s, The Ballroom, and a handful of clubs, or just a bit west to The Underground Garage and the east-of-Spadina King scene.
6. Queen/Spadina
Staples like the Rivoli, Black Bull, and The Hideout on the more casual end but keep poking further west to Lisa Marie, Czehoski, and then all the way to the ever-faithful strip of Dog & Bear–Drake–Beaconsfield–Brooklyn–Gladstone.
7. King/Portland
Now with Gusto, Bier Market, Buca, Home of the Brave, and The Keg all within an arm’s length of each other, Weslodge and Patria just a bit east, and Queen St. only a stone’s throw away, this is a hard spot to beat for an epic evening kick-off.
8. Avenue/Yorkville
Head west for Museum Tavern and The Bedford Academy or a bit north into the heart of Yorkville for newcomers like Montage and The Oxley. Not to mention staples like Hemmingway’s, Amber, or The Pilot.
9. Bloor/Bathurst
Endless well-priced bars, cocktail lounges, and restaurants heading both directions from the Bloor Street Guu, Labyrinth, and The Maddy to grungier Dance Cave, chilled-out Insomnia, and further west to staples like Clinton’s. Any area where you can end with karaoke is always a solid option.
#NOTABLE
Cover image from: istockphoto.com/Michelinedesgroseilliers
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