From Bar Raval on Ossington to the Drake on Queen West — a neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood guide to Toronto's bars, clubs, and cocktail scene.
Toronto's nightlife gets underestimated by people who don't know where to look. The city has excellent cocktail bars, a genuine club scene, late-night music venues, rooftop bars, wine bars, and dive bars — it's just spread across the city instead of concentrated in one strip. Here's how to navigate it.
The King West strip is where most of the late-night clubs and big-ticket bars operate. This is the part of Toronto that gets the most press and the most tourists. It has the most options and the most lineups. Good for: a big night out with a group, club nights, rooftop bars. Avoid if: you want something intimate or local-feeling.
The Ossington Ave strip between Queen and Dundas is the city's cocktail-bar corridor. This is where the most interesting independent bars have set up — Bar Raval, Civil Liberties, Bellwoods Brewery. The food at most of these places is also excellent. Less loud, more craft-forward than King West.
Queen West has the bars that don't take themselves too seriously. The Drake Hotel, the Gladstone Hotel, and the stretch of bars between Bathurst and Roncesvalles cover a range from live music to hipster dive bars to proper cocktail bars. Good for a night that goes in unpredictable directions.
Kensington is live music, small independent bars, and energy that's unlike anywhere else in the city. Bar Hop, Handlebar, and the rotating pop-ups that appear in the market's many small venues. Gets busiest Thursday–Saturday but has the most character on any night.
Getting Home Toronto's last subway runs around 1:30–2:00am on weekends. After that, Uber/Lyft surge pricing kicks in around last call (2am, when bars legally close). If you want a car at 2:30am, order it at 1:50.
Alongside the bar scene, Toronto has one of the strongest live music cultures in North America. The city produced Drake, The Weeknd, and a long lineage of artists that includes Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and Rush. That heritage shows up in the venues. Horseshoe Tavern on Queen West has been booking live acts since 1947 and remains one of the best small venues in the country. The Rivoli hosts everything from jazz to experimental electronic music. Lee's Palace on Bloor is the essential mid-size venue. And for large shows, Budweiser Stage at Ontario Place is one of the best outdoor concert venues in North America — lake views, proper sound, and a capacity that keeps most acts booking there over Rogers Centre.
See All Nightlife → — Full Toronto Nightlife Guide
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