Toronto is the city that gave us Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Daniel Caesar and The Tragically Hip — so it’s no surprise that, after a few quieter years on the live music front, the city’s sound is coming back to life, one stage at a time. From Yorkville to Queen West, live music is taking over dinner tables, cocktail lounges and basement bars. Some venues are brand new, some are Toronto legends reborn, but whether you’re chasing smoky jazz, sweaty rock or karaoke chaos, the new wave of music bars is proof that this city was built to be heard. Here are 10 of the best places to catch live music in Toronto right now.
Cassette
The name says it all: Cassette is where music rewinds itself for a new generation. The retro-inspired restaurant and venue just opened last week inside the historic Gladstone House, reviving one of Toronto’s most beloved performance spaces with a fresh, soulful edge.
Once home to the legendary Melody Bar, the Gladstone has long been a cornerstone of the city’s creative scene; it’s hosted artists, musicians, and drag queens for decades. Cassette keeps that legacy spinning.
Regular events include a monthly Dinner & Drag residency with Toronto icon Tynomi Banks, alongside rotating live shows spotlighting up-and-coming local performers. On opening night, Toronto indie artist Kieran set the tone for what Cassette promises to be: a hub for live music, performance and connection. 1214 Queen St. W.
Small Talk
Opened in September, Small Talk is the newest addition to the Ossington strip — and it’s giving Toronto its grown-up groove back. From the team behind Paris Texas and Pizza Wine Disco, this sleek lounge swaps rowdy crowds for dim lights, velvet tones and a soundtrack built for flirting over martinis. There’s also a funky little champagne vending machine to sweeten the deal!
Inside, it’s all jazz house, live sets and smooth conversation, a moody, maroon hideaway where music leads the night. Expect classic jazz trios, late-night jam sessions and a crowd that actually listens. 110 Ossington Ave.
Dina’s Tavern
On sacred ground once home to the legendary Silver Dollar Room, Dina’s Tavern brought rock ’n’ roll back to Spadina this past September with grit, groove and a sense of humour. The team behind Track & Field and Bangarang has created a ’70s-style fever dream filled with hidden rats (literally — their smoking mascot can be found throughout the space, including on the napkins), vintage tchotchkes and nightly live bands. Expect Monday jazz nights, weekend rock shows and a crowd that knows every word and is willing to dance when they don’t. 486 Spadina Ave.
Powder Room
Yorkville’s about to get scandalous again. Opening next week, Powder Room is an ode to old-money glamour through a gloriously trashy ’90s lens — think caviar with a side of chaos, oysters under disco lights and martinis spilled like secrets. The new supper club and cocktail lounge channels Brittany, Paris and Lindsay at their tabloid peak. The menu keeps that same trashy-meets-classy vibe, serving up oysters and caviar with a wink, wagyu hot dogs and nuggets in a box. Live performances complete the fantasy, blurring the line between jazz and nightlife. Sleaze has never looked better — and Yorkville’s never been this alive. 129 Yorkville Ave.
Bar Niro
Bar Niro feels like stepping into a Roman jazz postcard. The low-lit aperitivo bar is all quiet elegance until Friday night rolls around — then the saxophones come out. Celebrating its one-year anniversary this November, Bar Niro’s weekly jazz nights are the city’s most romantic secret. Come for the prosciutto and Negronis, stay for the sultry rhythm that makes every night feel like date night. 1334 Dundas St. W.
The Drake Hotel
While the Drake Hotel is no stranger to live music — its legendary Drake Underground has long been a launchpad for Toronto’s next big acts — the hotel’s newest series, Dinner with a Side of Sounds, proves it they always know exactly what’s in. Running Thursday through Saturday nights, the supper club–style experience pairs piano sets and live vocals with prix fixe dining and classic cocktails. It’s intimate, vibey and perfectly Drake: think candlelight, a little chatter and a soundtrack that makes every forkful feel cinematic. 1150 Queen St. W.
Jean Darlene’s Piano Bar
Intentionally hidden in an alley near Ossington, Jean Darlene’s feels like a place only the city’s coolest people know— the kind of place you hear before you see. While not new to the city (it opened in late 2022) it still feels like a secret. Behind the velvet curtains, mirrored booths and golden glow of a disco ball stand some of the most talented performers in the city. The room is tight, hot and humming with energy; every seat is filled, every spot is taken, and every face familiar. Everyone here is a regular, and there’s a reason for that.
Co-owned by nightlife veterans behind The Haifa Room and The Lakeview, this piano bar flips karaoke into an art form. Guests sing with a live band while Toronto’s music insiders, drag icons and industry veterans cheer from the crowd. One night might end with the coat-check attendant belting “Umbrella” better than Rihanna; the next, it’s the bouncer closing the night with “Tubthumping.” 1203 Dundas St. W.
The Baby G
A sister venue to The Garrison, The Baby G is a compact, sweaty and essential part of Toronto’s indie scene. With space for just 170 people, it’s where you catch your favourite band before they blow up. The sound is tight, the beer list is simple, and the crowd is always game. Since 2016, The Baby G has been quietly holding down the city’s grassroots spirit standing the testament of time — and in 2025, it’s never felt more relevant. 1608 Dundas St. W.
Poetry Jazz Café
A Queen West staple for over a decade, Poetry Jazz Café is what happens when a love for music becomes a way of life. Owner Sean Pascale built the space to celebrate Black jazz culture and the roots of the genre itself. Expect global sounds — hip-hop, Afro-Cuban, funk — purple lights, close quarters, and a rhythm that moves through everyone in the room. 224 Augusta Ave.
The Great Hall
A Queen West landmark with a long creative lineage, The Great Hall has evolved into the beating heart of Toronto’s modern music scene. Home to Longboat Hall, it now serves as the stage for Davie Studios, a Toronto-based musicianship collective dedicated to building genuine community around sound.
Each month, Davie Studios transforms the space into a playground for live collaboration through its signature events, The Listening Room and Acid Jazz Night. The Listening Room is a jam series inspired by the Soulquarians’ process of music creation. Musicians and music lovers alike are invited into an intimate, three-part creative journey where listening turns into playing, and the crowd becomes part of the composition.
Then there’s Acid Jazz Night, where Toronto’s sharpest MCs freestyle alongside a live house band in a spontaneous explosion of rhythm and wordplay. It’s high-energy, communal and deeply rooted in the kind of musical appreciation that feels increasingly rare. 1087 Queen St. W.
