In Toronto right now, the best seat in the (restaurant) house isn’t a cozy booth but the bar. Close enough to the kitchen to feel the heat or accidentally make eye contact with a line cook, bar seating in the city jumped 78 per cent year-over-year in 2025. It’s the easiest spot to eat alone, dodge an awkward date, or feel like a regular without actually being one. And some of these counters are straight-up gorgeous thanks to hand-carved mahogany, glowing marble and views that make your living room look like a cardboard box.
Here is your definitive guide to the 10 best restaurant bars in Toronto.
Milos
This isn’t just a bar; it’s a 65-foot stretch of Pentelikon marble (the same stuff used for the Acropolis). It sits right next to a glowing “fish marketplace” on ice. Grab a stool to watch the sashimi chefs at work, and take advantage of their Toronto-only bar menu for a high-end experience that won’t take all night.
Lulu Bar
Located at The Well, Lulu Bar is a two-story tropical getaway. While the main floor is great for a quick drink, the upstairs feature bar is the winner. It’s built from handmade terracotta and exotic stone, putting you right next to the open kitchen where they’re charring house-made spam skewers under massive seagrass chandeliers.
Hello Nori
For kitchen magic in its purest form, head to the Hello Nori flagship on King West. Everything revolves around a massive, 36-seat U-shaped bar. While you watch the chefs assemble hand-rolls with surgical speed, look up at the “wavy” wood ceiling, a nod to Toronto’s old textile industry and looks incredible under the lights.
Bar Prima
If you want to feel like you’ve stepped onto a 1960s Roman film set, grab a stool at Bar Prima. Future Studio built a full-on time machine on Queen West, complete with a hand-applied gold-leaf ceiling and a marble floor inspired by Cy Twombly’s apartment. The marble-topped bar, punctuated by an antique deco clock, is perfect for a solo Negroni or a low-lit date. From your seat, you can watch the white-jacketed bartenders work their magic while enjoying modern Italian-American dishes like “Rockefeller” scallops or grilled swordfish piccata.
Compton Ave.
If the other spots are all about the kitchen in action, Compton Ave. is all about theatre. The bar comes with its own curated art — pull up a stool under Portrait of a Lady in Black, an 1855 original that watches over the back bar like a very fancy chaperone. Cocktails are shaken beneath glittering chandeliers, bartenders in waistcoats work their magic with hickory-smoked vermouth and suddenly the street outside just melts away.
Bar Vendetta
If you want retro soul over polish, Bar Vendetta is the spot. Housed in the legendary space that once was The Black Hoof, this pasta-and-wine bar nods to the ’70s with orange-and-brown basket-weave floors and walls covered in classic band posters. A sweeping Douglas fir canopy arches over the bar, giving it a cozy, tucked-away feel. At the bar you can watch the kitchen work its magic. From here, you get a front-row view of chefs turning out hits like ricotta-stuffed crown cacio e pepe or meatballs piled high with parmesan.
Quetzal
Sitting at the counter here feels like being at a high-end campfire. You’re positioned right in front of a 24-foot wall of open flame. Between the “wavy” white ceiling that mimics Mexican market tarps and the smell of woodsmoke, it’s a total sensory overload. Try to snag one of the “floating” tables that cantilever directly off the main bar.
Casa Madera
If you want to trade the Toronto skyline for a Tulum oasis, Casa Madera inside the 1 Hotel is the city’s ultimate tropical escape. The design is a masterclass in “coastal refined,” with a ceiling draped in lush greenery. At the massive bar watch mixologists perform “elemental” magic with cocktails inspired by air and fire, served with tableside smoke and aromatic bubbles.
La Palma
This is your sunlight-filled sanctuary on Dundas West. The interior is a bright, breezy love letter to California cool. While the booths are great for brunch, landing a spot at the copper-framed kitchen counter is where the real energy is. It’s the perfect vantage point to watch the team fire up their famous 100-layer lasagna.
Louix Louis
If you want to feel like you’re dining inside a massive, shimmering crystal tumbler, head to the 31st floor of the St. Regis. Louix Louis is a two-story masterpiece of gold and amber, anchored by a “Grand Bar” that houses one of North America’s largest collections of dark spirits — over 500 bottles in total. The ceiling features a 60-foot hand-painted mural titled Bouquet of Whisky, designed to mimic the swirling, amber textures of a neat pour.
