Toronto's most spectacular elevated patio — the Broadview Hotel's 8th-floor rooftop bar and patio provides 360-degree views of Toronto including one of the best angles on the CN Tower available anywhere. The food and cocktails justify the visit on their own, but the view is genuinely extraordinary.
Neighbourhood: East End / Riverside · Address: 106 Broadview Ave, Toronto, ON · Hours: Mon–Thu 4:00 – 10:00 PM | Fri–Sat 4:00 PM – 12:00 AM | Sun 4:00 – 10:00 PM · Price Range: $$$ · Phone: (416) 362-8439
The Broadview Hotel Rooftop serves up killer Toronto skyline views in every direction, with especially killer CN Tower photo ops you won’t get from the west end. Their creative cocktails and above-average menu make it a legit night out, not just another 'view bar.'
Unlike most downtown rooftop bars, this one sits on the east side of the city, so you catch sunsets and panoramas from a fresh angle. Bonus: the heritage building’s glassed-in lounge lets you enjoy the view even if the weather turns. It's a rare east-end patio where views easily rival anything in the core.
The Broadview Hotel rooftop is one of those Toronto spots that people mention for the view, but the view isn’t just a backdrop here — it’s the whole event. Up on the 8th floor of the restored Broadview Hotel at Queen and Broadview, you get a sweeping look over the city that actually makes you pause mid-conversation. You can see the Don Valley cutting through the east end, the downtown skyline stretching out to the west, the CN Tower sitting there like a reference point you keep returning to, and, on a clear day, Lake Ontario pulling the eye south. It’s the kind of panorama that reminds you Toronto is a much bigger, more layered city than it can feel at street level. From up there, the east end looks residential and lived-in, the core looks dense and metallic, and the whole thing feels a bit more legible.
What makes the rooftop work is that it’s not treated like a gimmick. Yes, people go for the photos, and yes, you’ll see plenty of phones out the second the light turns soft. But once the novelty passes, the place still has to stand on its own, and it mostly does. The bar program is serious enough that you’re not stuck with sugary rooftop drinks made to taste like generic summer. The cocktails lean more polished than casual, with seasonal ingredients and Ontario spirits worked into the list in a way that feels intentional rather than trendy. You can still order something easygoing if that’s your mood, but the better move is to ask for whatever seasonal drink makes the most sense that evening and let the bartender steer you. Drinks here cost what you’d expect for a premium rooftop in Toronto, though the setting does help justify it. You’re not just paying for a patio table; you’re paying for a seat at one of the city’s best viewpoints, where a simple drink suddenly feels like an occasion.
The atmosphere changes a lot depending on when you go. In the late afternoon, especially on a weekday, it can feel calm and almost deceptively relaxed. The light is cleaner then, the tables are easier to get, and the city below looks crisp and far away. That’s a great time if you actually want to talk to someone without feeling like you’re competing with a packed room and a constant scramble for photos. As sunset gets closer, the whole energy shifts. People start angling themselves toward the west-facing side for the CN Tower shot, and the rooftop gets a little more animated. It’s still not a nightclub vibe, but it becomes one of those places where you can feel the room collectively noticing the sky change color. The best seats go fast, especially in summer, and if you arrive too close to sunset without a plan, you may end up waiting longer than you want or taking whatever table is available rather than the one with the view you actually came for.
That’s the honest reality here: the Broadview rooftop is popular because it earns the attention. It’s not a secret, and it’s not cheap, so you shouldn’t expect a spontaneous walk-up experience at peak times. On a warm Friday or Saturday evening, there can be a line, and the host stand gets a steady stream of people checking in, circling back, or hoping to catch a cancellation. If you’re serious about it, go earlier than you think you need to. A 4 p.m. arrival can feel almost luxurious compared with the later rush, and it gives you time to settle in before the light peaks. If you only care about the view, the best strategy is to go for that late-afternoon-to-sunset window. If you want a more relaxed dinner-and-drinks outing, aim for a weeknight, when the pace is slower and you’re more likely to get a table that doesn’t feel like it’s being turned over in a rush. Wind can be a factor too, since you’re genuinely up high and exposed, so a cooler evening can feel a lot chillier than street level suggests. Toronto weather loves to fool people, and this rooftop punishes optimism.
The food is part of why the place doesn’t feel like a one-trick venue. You’re not going to the rooftop because the menu is some afterthought; you’re going because the kitchen is competent enough to support the whole experience. The Broadview’s ground-floor restaurant, Gertrude’s, leans into seasonal Canadian ingredients, and that same sensibility carries up top in a more casual format. The result is a menu that feels appropriate for the space without going overboard. You can order enough to make a proper evening of it, or you can keep it light and let the drinks do more of the talking. It’s the kind of place where you might start with a cocktail, share a few plates, and end up staying longer than planned because the light keeps getting better and the conversation keeps getting interrupted by people pointing at the skyline. That’s not a flaw; that’s basically the design.
The hotel itself matters to the experience too. The Broadview’s restoration preserved the old Victorian character of the building while turning it into a modern hotel with a rooftop that actually feels integrated rather than slapped on as an afterthought. That contrast is part of the charm. You’re in a building that has been through a few lives, and the current version manages to feel polished without sanding off every trace of personality. The old terra cotta facade gives the property a strong presence at street level, and once you’re upstairs, the whole thing opens up in a way that feels earned. Toronto has plenty of rooftop spaces that could exist in almost any city. This one feels tied to its specific building and its specific corner of the east end.
The neighbourhood context matters more than people sometimes give it credit for. The Broadview sits at a point where Riverdale, Leslieville, and the east end’s more residential stretches all start to blur together. Before you head up, you’re in a part of the city where the streets feel calmer than downtown but still active enough that the walk to the hotel has its own rhythm. There are old houses, small businesses, transit traffic, and that broad eastern sweep of Queen Street East that gives the area a slightly different pace from the core. If you come by transit, Broadview Station on Line 2 makes the trip easy, which is a real advantage compared with rooftop spots that require a car, a long walk, or a ride share you’ll regret after a couple of drinks. If you’re making a night of it, the location also gives you options before or after: a stroll through Riverdale, a detour through Leslieville, or a walk toward the Don Valley if you want to stretch the evening out. The setting doesn’t just serve the rooftop; it gives the visit a bit of shape.
What also sets the Broadview apart from its competitors is that it doesn’t try to compete on gimmick alone. Toronto has plenty of patios with decent views, and a lot of them rely on the same basic formula: a high price, a photogenic angle, and drinks that are fine as long as you’re not too fussy. The Broadview’s version feels more complete. The view is better than most, especially if you’re after that rare west-facing perspective with the CN Tower in frame, but the service, drinks, and overall design don’t collapse once you’ve taken your photos. It’s still a social place — people are here for dates, birthdays, meetups, drinks after work, and the occasional “let’s take the visiting friend somewhere impressive” outing — but it’s not purely performative. You can actually spend a full evening there and feel like the money went toward something more than a skyline shot. That balance is why people return. The first visit is for the view. The second one is because the rooftop has a mood that’s hard to duplicate elsewhere in the city.
If you’re planning to go, keep expectations realistic and you’ll have a much better time. Don’t show up at sunset on the first warm Saturday of the season and assume you’ll glide right in. Don’t go in expecting bargain pricing. Do go with someone you don’t mind getting distracted with, because the skyline will keep stealing the room from you. Do try to sit where you can watch the west side of the city light up, because that’s the angle that really makes the Broadview special. And do take a minute to notice how different Toronto feels from up there: less rushed, more spread out, almost scenic in a way the city rarely gets credit for. There are nicer rooftops for pure luxury, and there are more laid-back patios for a cheap drink and a long sit, but the Broadview sits in that sweet spot where the view, the setting, and the actual quality of what you’re ordering all line up. It’s pricey, yes. It can be crowded, absolutely. But on a clear evening, especially in summer, it’s one of the few places in Toronto where you understand why everyone’s heads keep turning toward the window, even when they’re trying to have a conversation.
The Broadview rooftop provides 360-degree views from the highest outdoor point in Toronto's east end — the Don Valley, the downtown skyline, the Danforth neighbourhood, and Lake Ontario are all visible. The Victorian-era hotel's restoration preserved the architectural character while adding the rooftop terrace.
The rooftop bar takes walk-ins but weekend evenings and summer rooftop demand makes advance booking advisable. The hotel's restaurant (Gertrude's on the ground floor) requires reservations; the rooftop bar may have waitlist-style management on busy evenings.
Fall is arguably the best season — the Don Valley foliage in October provides exceptional colour from the rooftop, the autumn temperature is comfortable for outdoor seating with heating elements, and the bar's seasonal fall menu is at its most interesting.
Take Line 2 to Broadview Station — the hotel is on Queen Street East at Broadview, a 2-minute walk from the subway entrance. The Queen East streetcar also stops directly at the intersection.
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