The original and world's best — BATL (Backyard Axe Throwing League) was invented in Toronto and remains the gold standard. Trained coaches get complete beginners burying axes in 15 minutes. Olympic-level league nights run throughout the year. Birthday parties, corporate groups, date nights — it works for all of them.
Neighbourhood: Leslieville / East End · Address: 25 Booth Ave, Toronto, ON · Hours: Mon–Fri 3pm–11pm | Sat–Sun 10am–11pm · Price Range: $$ · Phone: (647) 793-6410
BATL is where axe throwing was literally invented, and the pros running the show make sure even newbies are sinking bullseyes fast. It's social, addictive, and nothing like your typical group activity.
This is the OG axe throwing spot—every other venue in Toronto owes BATL its existence. The vibe is more local league than cheesy party spot, instructors actually care, and the lanes are well-spaced so you aren’t packed in with strangers. Weekly leagues draw serious talent and keep things competitive.
BATL in Leslieville is one of those Toronto places that sounds a little gimmicky until you actually go, and then it gets weirdly addictive. This is the original Backyard Axe Throwing League, the Toronto-born spot that helped turn axe throwing into a real thing people do on purpose, in groups, on weeknights, and at bachelor parties where one friend definitely arrives too confident. The booth-and-target setup is simple, but that’s part of why it works. You show up, get signed in, get handed the safety rules, and within a few minutes you’re standing in a lane with an axe in your hand, wondering if this is going to be awkward. Then you throw your first one, it sticks, and suddenly the whole room feels a lot more fun.
The best way to think about BATL is that it’s a social activity with just enough skill involved to keep people hooked. You’re not doing anything so intense that beginners feel left out, but it’s not so easy that it gets boring after ten minutes. A coach stays with your lane, explains the grip, the stance, the release, and the safety basics, then helps run the games. Most sessions start with basic throws so everyone can get a feel for the motion, and then move into scoring rounds, head-to-head matchups, and sometimes little challenges that make things more competitive. The coaches really matter here. They keep the pace moving, they make sure nobody is doing something dumb, and they’re usually pretty good at reading the room. If your group is loud and chaotic, they’ll lean into that. If you’re awkward and half of you have never thrown anything sharper than a pencil in school, they’ll ease you in without making it weird.
What surprises people most is how quickly it starts to feel physical in a satisfying way. Axe throwing looks like a novelty, but after a few rounds you notice your shoulders, your timing, your balance, and that tiny moment of release right before the axe leaves your hand. There’s a very specific feeling when you get it right, and it’s extremely rewarding. Even if you’re not naturally coordinated, you usually improve fast enough to keep the whole thing from turning into a joke. The first ten minutes are usually the clumsiest. By the middle of the session, people are arguing about technique, celebrating random bullseyes, and teasing the one friend who keeps over-rotating the axe by a millimetre and missing by a hair. By the end, even the people who said they were only there “for the social part” are asking for one more round.
BATL’s Leslieville location has the advantage of feeling like the real thing rather than some polished copy of it. A lot of newer axe-throwing places look like they were designed to be a quick novelty stop between dinner and drinks. BATL feels more like the home base of the whole concept. The layout is practical, the lanes are built for groups, and the coaching model is polished because this is the place that helped define it in the first place. That doesn’t mean it’s stiff or overly serious. It’s still a fun, slightly loud, slightly competitive room where people cheer when someone lands a clean throw and groan when the axe bounces off the target and skitters down the lane. But there’s a confidence to the operation that newer competitors usually don’t have. You can tell they’ve seen every kind of group and every kind of energy, from corporate teams trying to bond against their will to birthday crews who show up ready to treat the whole thing like the opening act of a long night out.
The vibe changes quite a bit depending on when you go. Early evening sessions on weekdays tend to be calmer and a bit more instructional, which is great if you’re nervous or if your group isn’t trying to turn the night into a competition. Fridays are the sweet spot if you want energy. That’s when the place feels most alive, with more laughter, more cheering, and more of that slightly chaotic group dynamic that makes axe throwing so much better than it has any right to be. Weekends are busy, especially if there’s a corporate crowd or a cluster of birthday parties booked at the same time. That can be fun if you like people-watching and louder rooms, but it also means you should book ahead and not assume you can just wander in and get a lane right away. If you do manage a walk-in on a quiet weekday, you’ll probably have a smoother, more relaxed session and a better shot at getting extra attention from the coach.
The neighbourhood matters too. Leslieville and the East End are a good fit for BATL because this part of Toronto is full of people who like doing something a little different before heading out for food or drinks. Booth Avenue is easy enough to get to, and once you’re there, you’re not stuck in a dead zone. You can pair the session with dinner nearby, grab a coffee before your booking, or make a whole evening of it without having to cross half the city. The area has that practical east-end feel where things are more laid-back than downtown, but still busy enough that you’re not short on options. If you’re coming from elsewhere in Toronto, it’s a nice excuse to spend time in a part of the city that still feels local and lived-in rather than overly polished for visitors.
If you’ve never done axe throwing before, a few practical things help. Wear comfortable clothes that let you move your arms without restriction. Closed-toe shoes are a must, so don’t show up in sandals and hope for mercy. Don’t overthink your first throw; people almost always try too hard, then relax and do better. Listen to the coach, even if you think you’ve already figured it out after watching two throws on YouTube. And if your group includes one person who’s weirdly competitive, prepare for them to take this much more seriously than anyone expected. That’s part of the fun. BATL is very good at bringing that out in people. It can be a date night that turns unexpectedly flirty because you’re laughing over bad throws and sudden triumphs, or a corporate outing where the quiet accountant turns out to have a terrifyingly accurate release. The format gives everyone a chance to look good, look silly, and then look good again five minutes later.
The honest reality is that BATL works best when you lean into what it is instead of treating it like a high-stakes sport or a one-off tourist checkbox. It’s not a place where you need to be athletic to enjoy yourself, but it does reward a little patience. Expect a short learning curve, a bit of waiting between throws if your lane is full, and the occasional awkward round if one person in the group is way better than everyone else. That’s normal. The coaches are used to balancing uneven skill levels, and the whole system is built to keep things moving even when half the group is still figuring out the throw. If you’re going with a larger party, it’s worth booking early, especially for evenings and weekends. If you want the best experience, go with enough time to actually settle in rather than rushing in after a stressful dinner reservation. A relaxed group always has more fun here than a group trying to squeeze the activity into a packed schedule.
What keeps people coming back is that BATL still feels like the standard other places are trying to catch. The targets are proper, the scoring has enough structure to make things competitive, and the staff know how to keep first-timers comfortable without making the whole thing feel watered down. There’s also a nice range of reasons to go. Some people show up for league nights and treat it like a real ongoing hobby. Some come for birthday parties or team events and leave talking about it for days. Some just want a date idea that doesn’t involve staring at a menu for an hour. Whatever the reason, it usually lands. It’s one of those activities that gives you a story to tell afterward, which is part of why it works so well in Toronto. We’re a city full of people who like trying something new if it’s done well, and BATL is one of the rare places where the novelty still feels grounded enough to be genuinely fun.
No — all BATL sessions begin with instruction from a certified coach who teaches proper technique and safety from scratch. Most first-time throwers are hitting the target within the first 20 minutes. No prior experience is required or assumed.
Standard BATL sessions run approximately 2 hours, which includes safety instruction, warm-up throwing, coached games and tournaments, and wrap-up. This is the right amount of time to progress from beginner to competent without fatigue setting in.
Yes — BATL was one of the first venues to develop corporate team-building programming around axe throwing. The competitive format, the physical skill element, and the coaching structure make it particularly effective for groups that want more engagement than a bar outing but less planning than an organized event.
BATL's original Toronto location is at 1680 Lakeshore Boulevard East in Leslieville/East Toronto, near the Queen Street East and Leslie intersection. The 501 Queen streetcar runs nearby. Check batl.ca for current location details and booking.
WTF Toronto creates guides using independent editorial research, official sources, local knowledge and firsthand experience where available. Commercial relationships are disclosed where applicable.