Quiet late night drink in Toronto?
March 2, 2015 9:53 PM   Subscribe

I'm in TO for a week for work and have evenings free, could any locals suggest a nice somewhere to get a cocktail?

The suggestion I received so far was for the Library Bar, I went tonight around 10 and the place was packed, lined up out the door and loud.

Looking for:

1. Quiet.
2. Not too fancy, I didn't travel with a suit.
3. Good cocktails.
4. Food.
5. Not a sports bar.
posted by Cosine to Travel & Transportation around Toronto, ON (17 answers total) 9 users marked this as a favorite
 
Library bar was going to be my suggestion (it usually isn't loud). What about the Toronto Temperance Society?
posted by saucysault at 9:59 PM on March 2, 2015 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: TTS is members only, unfortunately.
posted by Cosine at 10:05 PM on March 2, 2015


Best answer: Maybe Spirit House? I'm not sure how loud it gets.
posted by jacquilynne at 10:17 PM on March 2, 2015


queen and beaver.
posted by PinkMoose at 10:33 PM on March 2, 2015


C'est What is often not too loud. Not sure how quiet you want to get.
posted by clord at 10:49 PM on March 2, 2015


Bymark, right downtown.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 11:05 PM on March 2, 2015


The Whippoorwill at Bloor and Lansdowne matches your criteria. Has a cocktail program, food is good, casual, and quiet enough that you can chat with the bartender if that's what you want.
posted by dismitree at 3:47 AM on March 3, 2015


I like Panorama in Manulife Centre, mainly for the view. (On edit, I see it's closed for renovations until sometime in March.)
1. It is quiet enough that I have had a mobile phone conversation there, although I imagine it gets louder on the weekends.
2. They want to be fancy, but they have let me in wearing business casual.
3. They have a bar. I've never tried the cocktails.
4. They have food, but it tends to be pricey.
5. Not a sports bar.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 4:01 AM on March 3, 2015


The Library Bar is normally pretty quiet but there is currently a massive mining conference (like thousands and thousands of people attending since Sunday) on in the city right now and there was an event at the Royal York last night. That explains the lineup. Conference is over on Wednesday. You may have better luck there Wednesday night, and more likely on Thursday night if you are still in town.

The places in and around the convention centre and Front Street will probably all be insane until the conference is over.
posted by Cyrie at 5:49 AM on March 3, 2015


I'm very fond of Cocktail Bar. It's very small, so it doesn't get loud, the bartenders are astounding to watch, and the cocktails are wonderful.

Spirit House as mentioned above can get noisy, but not usually on weeknights.
posted by AmandaA at 6:28 AM on March 3, 2015 [1 favorite]


Welcome to Toronto! I think you'd like The Midfield. Nice food, drinks, atmosphere. It won't be packed. There's also The Communist's Daughter. It's small and dark and the kind of place that feels good to be alone in. Slightly less upscale, less tasty menu, but feels good to be there. But it might be busy on a Friday.
posted by Clotilde at 7:26 AM on March 3, 2015 [1 favorite]


the Pour Boy off Bloor is a good bet, as is Nirvana on College for quiet weeknight drinks.
posted by hepta at 9:19 AM on March 3, 2015


Allen's on the Danforth is more of a scotch bar, though they do make a nice cocktail. Usually reasonably quiet and charming.

Komrade on Queen East can be lovely too.
posted by Sleddog_Afterburn at 11:03 AM on March 3, 2015


I like Canoe in the financial district. The view is great, although maybe not this week. On the expensive side.
posted by grouse at 12:59 PM on March 3, 2015 [1 favorite]


The Roof Lounge at the Park Hyatt, on the corner of Bloor and Avenue Road is nice and cozy. You don't need to wear a suit, though some of the other patrons will likely be wearing them. It's quite a small room, so unlikely to get too loud. Also a great view of the city, with the Royal Ontario Museum right across the street, and downtown in the distance.
posted by Kabanos at 2:25 PM on March 3, 2015 [1 favorite]


I like the bar at Ocho a lot - though, I haven't been on a friday or saturday night, so I can't say if it's still quiet then, but they have great drinks, and very comfy open space, and since it's a hotel bar, you may be able to hang out with other travelers.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 6:53 PM on March 3, 2015


Ah, all of the best quiet conversation bars from my TO old era now are gone. One of my faves was Pimbletts, now a B&B, and most nice.
posted by ovvl at 6:56 PM on March 5, 2015


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