Fun new bars in Toronto are the answer to the unavoidable Friday afternoon “where are we going tonight” text.
From upscale, sophisticated options serving bites and beverages you won’t find anywhere else to casual arcade bars where you and your crew can get your game faces on, these are the new spots in Toronto that are guaranteed crowd-pleasers.
Here are my picks for the fun new bars in Toronto you need to try at least once.
Slice of Life
‘Fun’ doesn’t have to mean ‘low-brow,’ and this Little Italy cocktail and snack bar exudes elegance while keeping things creative with exquisite cocktails and tasty bites like toasts topped with mushroom mousse and kaluga caviar served with confit egg yolk.
Shake it all up with sultry interiors and a crew of good folks, and you’ve got yourself a good time.
Badlands
Take any of your preconceived notions about what a country bar in Toronto could look, feel and sound like, and leave them at the door when you step inside of this Ossington spot from the people behind Sprezzatura Spaghetti Disco.
Here, you’ll find a delightfully committed Western-inspired interior, a killer playlist, and a menu of Southern American-style bites for a rootin’-tootin’ good time, guaranteed.
Badlands is a brand new take on a Western bar.
National at The Well
Good times are abound at the first Toronto location of this Calgary-based bowling and arcade bar chain, which set up shop at The Well earlier this year.
Here, you can nibble on elevated bar bites and sip on a selection of creative cocktails before lacing up those bowling shoes and hitting one of six bowling lanes or the bountiful arcade.
ZUI Beer Bar on Bloor
The sister location to a North York favourite, this Koreatown bar is the definition of vibrant — and I don’t mean that metaphorically. Neon decor and signs adorn every inch of the space to cyberpunk-esque results.
The interiors are paired with equally creative cocktails, served in unique vessels like lava lamp-esque dispensers, Pikachu-shaped cups, and shot towers and Asian street food staples to nibble on.
The modes of consumption are part of the charm at ZUI Beer Bar.
Please and Thank You
This newly-opened snack and cocktail bar comes to you from the team behind fellow Ossington haunt, Oddseoul, and, despite its mannerly name, it carries the energy of a casual hangout with your closest friends — who may just so happen to be strangers.
A variety of inventive cocktails complement a menu of small plates inspired by Indian and east Asian flavours in a cozy, rustic environment.
