World Travel Guide

City Guide  - Toronto  - Nightlife
Nightlife

Toronto's nightlife is yet another aspect of urban life that defies the city's staid reputation. This was recently helped, in no small part, by the provincial government's decision to extend drinking hours until 0200, while nightclubs and after-hours clubs often stay open until dawn. Mixed drinks and pints tend to come in around the C$5 mark, and admission is often charged at nighclubs, but never at normal bars unless a band is playing. A few self-consciously trendy nightclubs may have no-jeans and no-trainer policies at the door. Since its illegal in the Province of Ontario to serve alcohol and not serve food, bars should be considered places to eat as much as to drink.

The most common nights for locals to spend on the town are Thursday, Friday and Saturday, although enthusiastic crowds can usually be found on most other nights. The most popular area for bars and clubs is in the heart of the city centre, slightly west of the business district, around the theatre district on King and Queen Streets. For a more ethnic feel, Little Italy offers Italian-flavoured bars and clubs that tend to attract a cooler, more refined crowd in search of pasta, properly mixed drinks and better music. Greektown offers a slew of Greek restaurants and bars that import something of a mediterranean festive feel even on the darkest of winter nights. Local bars playing a hockey or baseball game on television can be found almost anywhere and are great spots for a plate of chicken wings and a beer.

Bars:
British visitors will feel at home in the many pubs that dot the city, showing up on street corners and in neighbourhood high streets. The Madison, 14 Madison Avenue, is something like a super-pub, taking up four floors over two converted Victorian houses. The Rebel House, 1068 Yonge, a neighbourhood favourite, serves a range of good beer and uncommonly good pub food. For a taste of the excellent lager and ale at the city's best brew pubs, try the Granite Brewery, 245 Eglinton East, or the Steam Whistle Brewing Company, 255 Bremner Boulevard. Little Italy's Bar Italia, College Street, is a stylish, trendy cocktail bar that attracts the good-looking weekend crowd where the pastas are reasonably priced and tasty. The Rivoli, 332 Queen Street West, attracts a slightly more alternative crowd. One side of the bar serves fusion cuisine, the other cocktails, while concerts, club nights and spoken-word events take place in the back; upstairs is a large pool hall. Further west is the Gypsy Co-op, 815 Queen Street West, comfortable as a bar/lounge/restaurant earlier in the day, or as a nightclub later on. A sense of the country's ice hockey obsession can be experienced at Wayne Gretzky's, 99 Blue Jays Way, owned by one of the game's greatest players ever and a monument to his success on the ice.

Casinos:
There are no licensed casinos within the City of Toronto, however, the Province of Ontario does contain three government-run casinos. The nearest is Casino Niagara in Niagara Falls, 5705 Falls Avenue. The casino offers slot machines, blackjack, roulette, baccarat, Caribbean stud poker and craps. Patrons must be at least 19 years of age and must possess government-issued identification as proof of age. There is no dress code.

Clubs:
Richmond Street is home to many of the city's biggest and best-known clubs. Whiskey Saigon, 250 Richmond Street West, lit up with a neon sign and bright lights, is one of its longer standing residents, which offers a lounge and rooftop patio. Not far away is Roxy Blue, 12 Brant Street, a relative newcomer, known for modern r'n'b as well as high-profile DJs occasionally flown into town. A young, tapped-in crowd finds its home at Turbo, 360 Adelaide Street West, for electronic music, trance and breakbeats. Towards the city's west end, the Meow Lounge, 1926 Lakeshore Boulevard West, offers, as its name suggest, a more loungey, relaxed atmosphere. On the eastern edge of the city centre is the Guvernment, 132 Queens Quay East, a massive warehouse rigged with an industrial-strength sound system.

Comedy:
Toronto is home to what is probably North America's most famous comedy club chain: Second City. The Toronto branch at 56 Blue Jays Way, however, is of particular pop-cultural significance as it experienced a golden age in the late 1970s, and witnessed the beginning of the careers of future Hollywood greats, such as Dan Aykroyd (Blues Brothers), Mike Myers (Austin Powers) and Martin Short (Three Amigos).

Live music:
The Horseshoe Tavern, 368 Queen Street West, a gritty down-home venue and the first on the continent to receive The Police, is the best place to hear new rock bands. Massey Hall, 178 Victoria Street, hosts everything from jazz, classical, rock and world music to international dance troupes.



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