Toronto is an incredible city for nightlife. We have clubs, bars, pubs, and everything in between. But because there is so much choice in such a big city, finding a spot to hang out on a Friday or Saturday night can be hard. Where do we even start?
Well, you can start here.
I’m 33 years old. I have lived in Toronto my entire life and even I feel that there are so many places I haven’t tried yet. I have, however, been enjoying our incredible downtown area almost every week since my mid-twenties. I’ve found great friends in club owners, promoters, bartenders, bouncers etc. who have shown me some of the greatest times.
I often talk to people who have no idea where to start with our party scene. Either they’re new to Toronto or they just don’t have time to party anymore and are out of the loop. I find myself helping them pick the place that suits their needs, and sometimes even helping them get on the guest-list.
If so many of my friends find value in my advice, I wondered how much of Toronto would benefit from it. So I decided to write this article and breakdown some of the best places I’ve been to in Toronto.
Now, let’s be clear. As someone who does party a lot, I will tell you that the venue will very rarely make or break your night. Who you are with and how open your heart is to having fun will always matter more.
Having said that, here are some of the best places to go to have a great night!
One of the first clubs I fell in love with and became a regular at. Uniun is your classic nightclub located right in the thick of the King West area. It has a state-of-the-art venue with amazing decor, several different bars, and a huge dance floor. The emphasis of Uniun is the decor, the sound system, and the dance floor.
On Friday nights, they have international DJ’s taking the tables to spin the best in dance music. Saturday nights they have their resident DJ playing hip hop, house, and other club anthems.
Perhaps my favourite at the moment. You can say that Everleigh is a cross between a traditional nightclub and a bar. Also in the King West area, Everleigh is not the massive state-of-the-art nightclub that Uniun is. Half of Everleigh resembles a bar — it has stand-up tables, a pool table, and sometimes beer pong and an arcade game, with room for people to stand around with drinks and hang out. The other half of Everleigh has a small dancefloor with table service surrounding it. The best of both worlds!
If you’re into old school hip hop, Friday is your night. On Saturday nights, their resident DJ plays a mix of everything for everyone.
Rebel is the biggest nightclub in Toronto and regarded by many as the best. It has over 45,000 square feet of entertainment space, with several floors and rooms playing different types of music. Celebrities have been known to hit up Rebel. I had the pleasure of being there over the past year on nights when French Montana and Lil’ Jon were there. Needless to say, those nights were incredible! If you’re into the massive nightclubs that are in places like Las Vegas, go to Rebel.
It should be noted, though, that it tends to get really busy and crowded inside and outside of Rebel. It is also a bit away from the downtown Toronto core — like 10 to 15 minutes by cab or Uber — and is a bit harder to get to. If you’re someone who does not like lineups and very busy places, you might want to stick with some of the smaller places like Uniun and Everleigh.
The Thompson Hotel is becoming a very popular spot in Toronto. I have several friends who promote for them, so I’ve gotten to know this place over the last little while.
The Lobby Bar at the Thompson is open to everyone. It has no guest-list, and charges no cover. They have a DJ there on Fridays and Saturday nights, with a small space for people to hang out and dance, and table service available. The thing I love about the Lobby Bar is that there are usually no lineups or security, which makes it different from the other places I’ve talked about — you just walk in and party!
The Thompson also has a Rooftop Lounge. The rooftop is famous for its spectacular view of downtown Toronto. The Rooftop Lounge has tons of cabanas and couches to sit on. If you want to have a quieter night sitting down, relaxing and taking in the views over a creative cocktail, I highly recommend the roof. Everyone needs to witness the view at least once!
Contrary to the Lobby Bar, the rooftop can be very busy and difficult to get into on Fridays and Saturday nights. I have been on the guest-list for the rooftop before and still did not make it upstairs despite arriving fairly early (around 11 PM). This is not me suggesting that the service is bad there. I’m simply giving you an idea of how busy the rooftop at the Thompson can get. If you want to ensure you get upstairs to see the beautiful views, I highly recommend you reserve bottle service.
Finally, the Thompson also has a separate club called Wildflower in its lower level. Admittedly, I have never been there, though I know that Friday nights are house music nights and Saturday nights are hip hop.
I’ve only been here once. This place is so refreshingly different from most the other nightclubs and bars I frequent in Toronto, I decided to tell you about it!
If you’ve been to Edmonton, they have a Rec Room in West Edmonton Mall as well. The Rec Room is a massive venue just like Rebel, only it’s not all nightclub and dancing. It has a bar experience, where you can sit and have drinks. It has a restaurant serving food. It also has a plethora of arcade games, virtual reality, and other games.
The Rec Room is located just outside of the King West area, still in the downtown area, right outside Union Station, across from the Rogers Centre.
Come here if you’re looking to chill out and play some fun games with your friends and be a little more active. This is a nice alternative to the loud music and dancing at the other places. It just depends on what you’re feeling!
Honorable Mentions
Obviously, I can’t cover every single place. There are some very popular places that I did not list above and many other places that I’ve never even been to or heard of. Toronto is a massive city with so many interesting entertainment options. The ones I discussed above are my favourites and the ones I have the most experience with. In an effort to give you even more options, here are some brief honorable mentions of other choices:
Cheap drinks, anyone? — The Office Pub, Bar 244, and Crocodile Rock are three places known to always have cheap drinks (around $3 depending on the night). The Office Pub has open-mic karaoke, Bar 244 has a nightclub-style dance floor in its bottom floor, and Croc Rock has a pool table, a small dance floor, and a rooftop patio in the summer.
Places known for amazing cocktails — If you’re someone who likes places that put emphasis on the quality of their cocktails and enjoy tasting different concoctions, start with The Carbon Bar, SpiritHouse, and BarChef.
Want a cozier space to chill out? — If you’re looking for a spot that’s quieter and cozier, hit up C’est What, The Gaslight, and Hole in the Wall just to name a few.
As you can see, the possibilities are endless. Really, if you wander around the King West, Queen West, or College West areas, you will find tons of interesting places. Just go on those three streets between Spadina and Ossington. It’s fun to hop around to different places sometimes too!
As a general rule of thumb, if you’re planning on going to a club, get on the guest-list and arrive before 11:30. Most clubs in Toronto start to get busy after that and you could find yourself waiting outside for awhile (imagine in the winter?!) and maybe not even getting in. Also, check the website or Facebook page for the place you want to go to. They often make it free or reduced cover (sometimes for ladies, sometimes for men as well) before 11:30.
Party hard. Enjoy our city.
