The curb appeal was too much to pass up on a wintery weekday night. The dim lighting, warm interior and well stocked bar drew us in. Prices were fair as well. The look is typical of west end and Junction bars these days. The bartender did not seem entirely thrilled to be there but my attractive and somewhat demanding friend put him through his paces. "What are your signature cocktails ?" - "Whatever you want." "What's the name of that lovely shaped bottle of bourbon ?" "I don't know." Only one other customer besides us maybe he knew it would not be a high earning night for him. Anyways, we had small pour Old Fashioneds and continued on into the night. This place needs a little more character to be as good as it is to the naked eye. read more

Random little bar on Dundas Street that has a pseudo Game of Thrones theme. They have a huge inventory of different liquors to suit the majority of people. The bar itself is dimly lit, but very cozy for a date night or even a low key night with a few friends. read more

Walked in, the bar tender acknowledge us, treated us with respect, served us quality drinks at a great price, asked if we were driving (weren't) and gave two shots on the house. I don't ask for anything more than a good feeling after I pay and leave. I'll be back for the old fashion read more

I want to marry the Bourbon Sours here. The staff is super friendly, the vibe is warm, and I can knock back those sours as if it's my last night on earth. I might even spend my last night on earth here, if it came down to it. THAT'S HOW GOOD THOSE SOURS ARE. GOD. Having a shitty Monday? Go to the 1602, have a few drinks, go to bed, wake up the next day feeling like you can take on the world. That's what happened to me, I am being so effective and purposeful at work today! The reason? THE BOURBON SOURS. Yes yes ya'll, I said it, I meant it. read more

A cozy spot to grab a drink, or 2... Or 3! you can easily walk past this place if you weren't paying attention. The atmosphere was dark, cozy and romantic, and a bit hipster of course! No drink menu, no frills kind of place. just tell the bartender what kind drink you want, tons of bourbon and scotch on the wall. Based on previous yelp reviews, I went with a bourbon sour, it really was delicious!! For my second drink I asked the bartend to make me a grapefruit based drink and it was delicious, perfect balance of tangy, bitterness and could definitely taste the bourbon. Very good!! read more

1602 - A well stocked bar - Bars Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Pulling into this bar is like pulling into a sweater. Mutually tired and stressed, I pinned this joint on Yelp and told my boyfriend to meet me here en route home. (Thank you, Yelp.) It's dimly lit, with a back wall chalkboard of "personal" "messages", fitted with cozy couches and bistro deuce tables, staffed by friendly bartenders, and filled with *Music You Can Have Conversations Over* Fantastic selection of bourbon and...mezcal at decent prices?! In the running for my favourite westside bar. read more

We stumbled across this place randomly while doing a Dundas hop. Speaking to a man smoking outside, he said the bar doesn't have a name. It changes everyday. Weird, but that's cool. Step inside, and its a sweet little spot. Everyone inside is cool, no pretentiousness or anything. We sat down at the bar, ready to order some beers, when I noticed my kryptonite on the wall - a scotch list. Not just any scotch list, this one had 20+ different single malts, and even a few blended (read: Johnny Walker). They also had a bourbon list with even more options than scotch, but bourban just isn't my jam. I had a nice Glenlivet 15, one of my favourites. I paired it with a tall can of Pabst (class, I know). The scotch was modestly priced, and the can of Pabst was like $5 I'm pretty sure. Bronwyn got her customary drink, straight gin with lots of olive juice. Alright, this is all fine and dandy, but what pushes this place over the top and earns it the 5 stars (I'd go 6 if I could) was the bartender. Not only was she the friendliest woman on Earth, but she offered us baked ziti that she had made herself...for FREE! She literally had a big pot of it on a hotplate behind the bar, and was serving it out to patrons at the bar. It was legendary, I couldn't believe it. Such a warming treat on a cold night. This place was amazing overall. We're going to go back again, and again, and again. read more

I would like to begin this review by saying that ... this is not a place that wants to be on yelp. This is not a place that wants to be seen as cool. But dammit, it's cool. Apparently they are known for their whisky selection, but they have plenty good local beers too. I wouldn't know anything about that seeing how I'm a vodka girl myself. First and foremost, the music, and the mood is great. People are definitely down to have a good time, and there is ZERO pretension. Jeans, ball caps, high heels, and sneakers. Anything goes. The crowd varies in age, and all seems to be pretty nice. I found people to be friendly and talkative. In the back there is a comfy couch to throw your coat on- or sit and request Peaches from the DJ as I did. It's not quite a dive, but your shoes will absolutely NOT stick to the floor. A prerequisite of mine to go to any bar where I could wear jeans. The DJ has the biggest CD collection of anyone I've ever seen even before iTunes. The music will have you enjoying your beverage of choice all night long. From 70s rock, to modern alternative. Its a good time. The name changes daily, so don't look for a sign... look for the address. The neighborhood is very cool- and as much as this bar wants to remain off the grid- too bad. I just popped your yelp cherry 1602. You're welcome. read more

I've stopped in a couple times now and admittedly at first wasn't sure what to think. They didn't have beer on tap - despite having taps. The bartender said he didn't know if they'd get them back. So I settled in with a tall boy and realized the place was super dark and atmosphere was lacking so didn't come back again. Imagine when to my surprise when walking by and now a sign said they had a patio out back that I'd never known about. So I walk in and happily find a few decent craft brews on tap, reasonably priced at $7. I indulged in a couple of those and sat on one of their brightly painted picnic tables out on their back patio. My opinion went from a debated 2 star opinion to a perfectly passable 3 stars, maybe bordering into a 4th star as my future visits increase. But for now, I'll still give it the A-OK seal of approval. read more

Best bar I have been to in Toronto. I'm just upset it took me so long to discover this place. The bartender was a true artist with the drinks and very friendly. read more

This bar totally rocks! The staff are terrific. Its a friendly, chill atmosphere, with a great selection of whiskey/scotches. You go for one drink, end up having 5 and making a new friend :) I went with my friend Kevin and we had a blast. It's good to support awesome local places. It's what gives Toronto it's charm. Well that and all the homeless ppl. read more

My absolute favourite Bourbon place in the city... Bourbon Selection is second to none! Place comes with NO attitude, is fairly dark but friendly, and tunes are always fairly good for the must part ... FREE WIFI, which is something of a hit n miss in this city, which constantly baffles me Be warned they only take cash now, again read more

Great atmosphere. Exactly as other reviewers mention. Not a very large beer selection though. There's just 2 taps, and a handful of tallboy options. No food either - but you can eat right next door at bivy (http://www.yelp.com/biz/bivy-toronto). I'm told you come here for whiskey. Still have to try something other than beer. read more

It is dark, sometimes loud, sometimes quiet. It isn't for everyone. And that's the way I like it.

This places is unique, it's a complete oddball. It has no name to start. two beer taps and lots of whiskies, Bourbons, cocktails and tall boys. Very cinematic atmosphere. No pretentiousness, no hipsters lining up outside. Staff is super friendly and chilled. read more

A bar for whisky lovers. Their middle shelf is 10x the top shelf anywhere. Had a highland park 18 for fifteen dollars. Will come back anytime. read more

Smelled like hangover urine. Was too dark. Too cool for a sign, but maybe good for rapist clientèle. I'll let them frequent this place instead. read more

I love the whiskey list here and the cozy vibe. It airs on the side of hipster bar but just shy of the douchbagery that hipsters bring. This is one of my favorite laid back bars where you can just have some scotch neat and enjoy the unpretentious atmosphere. read more

Great local with craft beer and awesome whiskey selection. Bigger than most bars in the area, just past the way too busy Ossington strip and you don't have to wait in line. read more

Very chill spot to hang out in. Bar space and couches with a few scattered chairs. Low lighting. Nice bartender.

Went here for drinks with a friend tonight. She saw it talked about online and we were bored. Apparently it doesn't have a real name. There is no sign or anything. The name thing seems to me to be trying too hard, but whatever. The interior looks totally cool. The bartender was friendly. The tall cans were $4.50. It had a crowd but not the packed-unable-to-move vibe of other places nearby on Ossington and area. It also wasn't disgustingly "hipster" (ugh I hate that word). I'll definitely go back. read more

Love This Bar. Greatest Bourbon selection around. Elliot is a bartending machine. Chill vibe read more

We were blow away by the hospitality at the 1602. We were only in TO for one night to try and go to the Lockhart, but there was no room. It was recommended that we wait in another bar, and we found ourselves down the road at 1602. They friendly folks went above and beyond to try and make our one night the best night with fine Quebec whiskey (sans bever) and entertaining conversations. Next time I'm in the city, I'm bringing everyone I know. We really appreciate everything they did for us :) read more