Are you on the lookout for the most poppin’ Most Fun Bars in Toronto?
Then we have you covered!
On this page, you’ll find the official shortlist of the best Most Fun Bars in Toronto. (More in-depth further below)
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It should come as no surprise that Canada’s most populous city is jam-packed with entertainment options. Whatever nightlife style you prefer, you’ll find it here, and the best bars in Toronto are among the best in Canada. Going out in Toronto for the first time can be a little intimidating, so let us guide you through The Best Bars for having the most fun. The best bars in Toronto are open all year. Is the sun shining? Visit the outdoor terraces and soak up the rays. Is winter arriving a little early? That’s to be expected in Canada, but Toronto’s basement bars will keep you warm. A night on the tiles is one of the best things to do in Toronto, regardless of the weather, and you can also book a spa day to deal with the inevitable hangover.
Sneaky Dee’s
Sneaky Dee’s is an unassuming bar serving Tex-Mex fare & known for its nachos, with edgy live music & DJs upstairs. This iconic Toronto institution has been getting us drunk (and curing our hangovers) since 1987. Share some pitchers of beer with friends, catch a show at the upstairs stage or satisfy your craving for late-night nachos at this College and Bathurst spot. You should go to experience a staple of Toronto culture and enjoy affordable, easy-drinking brews. And in case you get a little too messy the night before, Sneaky Dee’s offers a weekday breakfast special for only $5.50. A home away from home, Sneaky Dee’s is an excellent family to have. They feed you hungry and send you home only when you’re stuffed to the brim! The kitchen is always open late, and the night is always young.
Sneaky Dee’s is a bomb of energy and dazzling with nostalgia. A place to sit and dance and home to the most reasonably priced menu in the city’s grid. Always a hip tune on rotation in the dining room, Sneaky Dee’s is a remedy of laughter and good people. Famous for its Tex-Mex and pub-style favorites, if the familiar faces don’t keep you coming back, the King’s Crown nachos certainly will! The current location at 431 College is the restaurant and concert venue’s second home. It opened a few blocks north, across from Honest Ed’s at 562 Bloor Street, in 1987. The restaurant, open 24 hours a day, was the main attraction at the time, though bands performed downstairs in the small dark basement, including early performances by the Cowboy Junkies.
It even hosted the first Fringe of Toronto Theater Festival in 1989. When the bands returned in 2002, the programming was greatly expanded to include a mix of eclectic dance parties like Shit La Merde and the loud rock bands for which it was initially known. For a time, the long-running and influential Wavelength series was held there on Sunday nights and was also home to the Trampoline Hall series. It’s been a crucial launching pad for countless bands over the years, and it’s hosted a wide range of indie acts, including Feist (rumored to have worked there at one point), Broken Social Scene, and Dirty Projectors. With a capacity of 200 people, it can accommodate emerging touring acts while being affordable to local bands.
Mahjong Bar
Mahjong Bar is a small storefront that hides this hip hangout serving small plates of Chinese dishes plus cocktails. Enter this retro bar inspired by the Cantonese game of Mahjong by passing through a neon-lit corner store. Cocktails combine flavors from the east and west, and the kitchen serves small plates such as Sichuan fried chicken. Drinking at Mahjong is like being a member of a fantastic, hidden club. It’s a popular spot for birthday celebrations or breaking the ice after a first date. The bar quickly fills up on weekends as a DJ and dance floor appear. Mahjong Bar is a singular, sexy speakeasy with perfectly executed mixology. The entrance to this speakeasy is a pink, neon-lit bodega straight out of a Wes Anderson film.
Enter the main bar area through a key-shaped back door, which features checkered floors, a tropical mural, and a gleaming lacquered bar. Cool. A fun-loving crowd of mixology nerds, hipsters, and anyone who enjoys the playful nature of Mahjong. Cocktails like the Lady Bird, a concoction of vodka, nashi pear, thyme, Strega, anisette, and lemon that the menu describes as “a much tastier coping mechanism than throwing yourself out of a moving car.” A rotating collection of whiskies from around the world is available for those who prefer stiffer and straighter drinks. Asian street food, including spicy Sichuan dishes, complements the cocktails well. Try the braised beef with chili oil or the pork, shrimp, and cabbage wontons from Chengdu. Learning about the inventive ingredients and flavors that go into each cocktail is part of the fun, and the staff is happy to assist.
Finally, why are you coming here? A one-of-a-kind, sexy speakeasy with excellent mixology. It’s hidden behind a modest, nondescript storefront, and walking into Mahjong is like entering a portal to another world. The walls are adorned with a vivid jungle scene by local artist Gabriella Lo, the floors evoke a glamorous retro feel with a black-and-white checkerboard pattern, and apothecary-style glass cabinets hold bottles of alcohol and wine. Drinks may have Canadian-centric names (like the Lake Joe Spritz, which, as the menu proclaims, is meant to evoke “that Muskoka lifestyle minus mosquitos and four-hour drive”), but with a Japanese influence, using ingredients like yuzu, sake, plum wine, and Nashi pear. In short, the place is a jaw-dropper. If you were standing outside the front door in a nondescript row of bars on Dundas West, you’d never know it was there.
Shameful Tiki Room Toronto
Shameful Tiki Room Toronto is a lively haunt with a tropical vibe offering Polynesian-inspired food, exotic cocktails & live music. There is no such thing as drinking shame at this Parkdale tiki bar. The decor is full-on Polynesian kitsch, and the drinks are just as amusing. Order a punch-style bowl to share with friends, and be prepared for some fanfare (gongs, fog machine mist). Blacked-out windows and a heavy velvet curtain at the entrance heighten the sense of escapism, particularly welcome on a cold winter night. The Shameful Tiki Room is dedicated to creating an immersive experience that pays homage to classic American tiki bars from the mid-century past and the cultures that inspired that first movement. Dim lighting, no visible windows to the outside, music that doesn’t drown out conversation, share plates for groups, and, of course, expertly crafted vintage exotic cocktails like the Zombie, Jet Pilot, and Mai Tai.
When a trip to an exotic faraway paradise isn’t available, we’re ready to provide the next best thing. There are no prizes for guessing which spirit is on the menu at The Shameful Tiki Room; it’s rum. This Toronto iteration, a sister to the ever-popular Vancouver original, is tiki-tastic in every way, from the carved wooden masks and cane furniture to the pink-tinged lighting and dried leaves hanging from the ceiling. The cocktail menu is complete with kitschy illustrations. There’s also a fun barrel-rating system to indicate the potency of each drink: they’re happy to report that no cocktail receives less than two barrels out of a possible five.
The sharing plates are also worth trying, as is the food menu, which includes tuna poke, Maui coconut shrimp, and a signature pupu platter. The Shameful Tiki Room is a tiki bar dedicated to resurrecting the first wave of tiki popularity from the 1930s and 1940s (except for their cocktails). There are no TVs, loud music, or phones to distract customers from the delicious food and signature cocktails. Shameful has a full menu of Polynesian-inspired cocktails, mostly rum-based. Still, the Bowls, three distinct mystery cocktails that pack a seriously boozy punch in their made-for-sharing ceramic vessels, keep people coming back. Despite the name, tiki idol worship is openly practiced here: all the Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic’s classics are carefully measured, squeezed, and swizzled—for shaken, check out the Go-Go-Bungalow dancers on Sunday nights.
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Conclusion
The bar scene in Toronto has changed a lot in the last decade. The days of the best Toronto bars serving a cocktail menu of vodka crans and rum and cokes are long gone. Local brews have taken center stage on beer taps, which no longer feature only foreign labels. Torontonians have developed a more refined taste. Now, it’s all about nuanced notes and complex flavors — and the most elaborate presentation (we’re looking at you, billowing smoke and oversized garnishes). The best bars in Toronto have grown and changed as a result of this evolution, and we’ve compiled a list of the best of the best.
