“Country is as country does,” Dolly Parton famously sang in her 2011 anthem about staying true to your roots, whether you’re driving a tractor or a Cadillac. Soon, that country spirit will find a home on The Esplanade, where a massive new bar inspired by the Queen of Country herself is set to open in mid-July.
Opening where Bier Markt stood for decades at 58 The Esplanade, Dolly’s will be Toronto’s biggest country bar yet. With a massive footprint, free line dancing lessons, live music and late-night pizza, Dolly’s is promising what the platinum blonde herself always brings — a whole lot of fun.
“It’s that embodiment of what we’re trying to do, that great hospitality, the spirit, the loving, the sharing that she represents,” says Graham Hnatiw. “We want to have the friendliest front door in the city and a place where everyone feels comfortable going.”
Graham and his brother Dan perhaps know The Esplanade better than anyone else. They grew up working in their family-owned Old Spaghetti Factory, before taking over more of the street by opening projects including Bar Cathedral and subsequently Eloise and Bar Cart just last year.
Why stick to the strip? Because, Grahem says, The Esplanade is “one of the city’s greatest kept secrets.”
“It’s the best patio street in the city. It’s close to the downtown core, but you feel a little bit intimate. It’s got that small neighbourhood feel,” he says. “There’s a great community of people who live in this neighbourhood and there’s more density now of actual permanent residents than there ever has been here in our 60 years on the street.”
Dolly’s will certainly bring something new to The Esplanade with the 1,400-square-foot venue providing space for up to 700 guests and an additional 100 on the patio. Inside, the venue will stray from the typical Western vibe — don’t expect horse shoes and tumbleweeds, but rather a “grown-up” space complete with high-quality features and fixtures.
“Part of the inspiration was your aunt’s basement in the ‘70s — a cozy place to listen to records and hang out,” says Graham.
“We’ve looked at every nook and cranny of the space to design it in a way where every area should provide some sort of fun or entertainment,” adds Dan, who says there will be photobooths perfect for documenting fun nights out and special events.
Since part of the inspiration was to bring back the live music that was lost during the pandemic, Dolly’s has been purposefully designed with lighting and sound at top quality to ensure musicians are wanting to take to the stage. Guests can join in on free line dancing lessons every Wednesday evening, while Fridays and Saturdays will include a small lesson before the floor opens up for the pros. Happy hour specials will be available for those workin’ 9 to 5 and barely gettin’ by, while Thursdays will be reserved for live music.
“Depending on how the community takes up in the live music and how popular it is, it may evolve into more regularly on Friday and Saturday, but those will be demand-driven,” Graham says. “If that’s what our guest are asking for — more music and more live performances — than that’s what they’ll get.”
The brothers say they’re working with the Canadian Country Music Association to create opportunities for emerging artists to perform on Dolly’s stage, while also giving bigger names a chance to play intimate, stripped-down shows when they’re in town.
“We want to be known as the kind of place where, if you show up, you never know who might end up taking the stage,” says Dan.
As for the menu, pizza is the star of the show, with a sixth-generation Italian baker as the mastermind behind the dough. For those late-night diners, a full pizza station will be open well into the night even after the kitchen has shut its doors. While the menu is still being finalized, expect to find salad bowls, prime rib burgers, tequila shrimp and salmon, among other mains.
Gordon Hannah will lead the beverage program which promises beer and specialty cocktails, including non-alcoholic, that are designed to be pushed out quickly so you can get back to boot scootin’ boogieing on the dance floor.
“We can batch these cocktails in advance, put a lot of energy and time, and focus on flavours and quality of the beverages, and make the experience fast for a guest so you don’t have to stand around and wait,” Graham says. “You can get back to doing what you went there to do, which is enjoy your friends and the environment, music, and the sounds.”
Later this year, a café bakery connected to Dolly’s will be opening its doors, introducing baked goods that will make the mornings just as fun as a night at Dolly’s.
