Another scotch joint had pointed out this place on our last TO trip, so here we are. A tiny space with seating for about 20, plus standing room, it's kitschy and fun. Others have mentioned the juke box, it, and the discs in it are as epic as everyone else has noted. We got the last table, but people keep pouring in. Standing room is at a premium at points. They have a nice selection of Japanese whisky, the reason we're here. Nika from the Barrel and Suntory Hibiki were the two the knowledgeable barkeep recommended. Both delicious. A good stop. read more

Black Dice Cafe - Whiskey shelf - Bars Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Cash only, $4 to use atm, bought two beers that came to $24. Overpriced Japanese Beer that taste like Lukewarm coors light. Cool setting tho. read more

There are a lot of bars around that when you walk into them you think, "Why is this a bar? Why does this place exist?" The very generic nature of these places begs these questions. You can stay and have a drink and feel like every day is like the last, and that life is a tedious gerbil wheel of sameness. But that is not what comes to mind when you walk into Black Dice Cafe. Whoever owns this place has a vision of what their drinking space should be. It has character, it has a pinball machine, it has an old jukebox that works, it has a theme. What I am trying to say is that I appreciate not just the style of the space but the thought behind it. Stay, have a drink, and... I'm not going to tell you how you will feel, but let me know how it goes. read more

I love Black Dice Café. It's a small bar on Dundas that offers a Japanese Rockabilly themed space. The space is not accessible, as it it small and narrow and the bathroom in downstairs. In terms of food, the menu offers mostly Japanese style snacks. Don't expect to have dinner here. However, there are options for everyone, from meat eaters to vegans. Also, make sure you bring cash or are able to access the ATM downstairs because this place is cash only. There's a pinball machine and a jukebox. Both cost a quarter, which is awesome, but try to plan ahead or at least have more than just $20 bills. The place is super tiny, so if you don't want to be disappointed on a Saturday night, I'd say arrive no later than 10pm. The bar offers a wide variety of sake-based cocktails, a few themed cocktails, Japanese beers and Japanese whiskeys. My friends and I had a few Cherry Lolas, which were Cherry Coke and Sailor Jerry Rum. They were delicious! The music all came from the Rockabilly filled jukebox. The tunes were loud enough that you could hear them, but quiet enough that you could still have a conversation. The patronage were mostly old punks/rockabilly/general weirdos and 20-something hipsters. The bartender was super friendly. read more

Black Dice Cafe - Menu on the wall - Bars Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

This small bar has Toronto's best juke box. Old school tunes, labeled by hand at 25 cents a hit. Cash only. But you already expected that. They have a large variety of sake as well as all of your usual friends and some decent beers on tap. The ambiance reminds me of Jack Rabbit Slim's from Pulp Fiction, if you took out the drugs, shrunk it, and replaced the burgers with bevvies. Admittedly, I was very excited to review this place, but my memories of it are actually pretty hazy. But what a juke box! PEPPER PROPS to Dana D, who dubbed this place Japanese Rockabilly. Bang on, sista. read more

There's a big upside to hanging with a set who have a twist & shout acumen, especially when it's your birthday. "I just want the best jukebox you know of. Doesn't matter what. Or where." Then. Through the lovely, shimmery snow flakes we walked out to the west end, down Dundas. As a traveler, a trek like this is even more memorable. The outdoor sandwich board "Japanese Rockabilly." Well then. The notes are fact: this is a mighty juke. Original build. Handwritten tunes. Singles. 45s. 25¢ a track. Just enough space for three person juke jiving. I honestly couldn't ask for a better place to wind down a birthday. The tables are limited on the perimeter and the bar seats five or six. There are motorcycle head lamps on the tap. There's a spirited Japanese guy tending bar, who has patience. And I don't know the Rockabilly crowd in Toronto, but in the states they can be austere & off putting with their commitment to their look so much it can make you feel out of place. Not here. There's no reason not to twist & shout your way here. read more

VIBE Japanese Rockabilly. If your reaction is, "whatever THAT is..." than I suggest you visit this joint and see firsthand. Down to earth and certainly not polished, but not overly divey either. Cozy, but not so small you're bumping into everyone. I'm not a regular, but my impression is that a lot of people in the bar are. Those that come alone are friends of the bartender. Those that are down to mingle with new people sit at the bar. PINBALL Takes quarters. Exists. Nuff said. MUSIC. Juke Box also takes quarters. Limited selection offers Frank Sinatra, Wanda Jackson, The Zombies, The Platters, Sam Cooke...you get the idea. The rough thing is that sometimes it doesn't actually play your song choice. The nice thing is that, again, it's only 25cents. When the Juke Box isn't playing, it switches over to the bartender's ipod which is always excellent. LIBATIONS. Drinks have a Japanese focus, with Sapporo on tap and a varied list of sake-based coctails. I like the 'Sakura' quite a bit. Nice patrons. Nice bartenders. Great atmosphere. Great music. Great drinks. read more

I'll try to be fair in my description of The Black Dice Café. My memory became hazy by the end of the night but this is what happens when you ingest 10 to 15 sake shots in a matter of hours. How I did not go to the hospital that evening with alcohol poisoning defies basic biology, but I live to tell you the tale so read on. In early June, I celebrated my birthday and I co-shared the event with my buddy Louie. We share the same birthday (different year) and we've done this successfully for the past three years. It's a great way for our friends to mingle and for us to have a great group of people together. I selected the Black Café as our party spot since he's friends with the owners. I had seen pictures of the place and heard of how nice it was so it seemed like a great place to celebrate. Worried that I wasn't being smart about testing the place first, I'm so glad that it worked out: The Black Dice is a cozy bar that has a similar atmosphere to the Communist's Daughter, and slightly bigger in size. By the time I had arrived, it was already busy but not too busy for me to scoop out a table. Louie tried to get a band to play but they couldn't make it. I love live music but in a way, I'm glad that it didn't work out. Given the fact that the bar was already hopping with people, I couldn't picture where the band would play. It's that small of a place. What's unique about The Black Dice is that it's a Japanese rockabilly-themed bar. This is thanks to its co-owner who is Japanese. This also explains why there's Sapporo on tap, rice crackers and wasabi peas sold at the bar, and a variety of sake next to the Jameson and vodka. Thanks to the generosity of my friends, I personally think that I sampled ALL of the sake they had that night. Again, the exact number of shots I had varies from 10 to 15; I lost count after five. Basically, I wasn't allowed to have a free hand empty sans booze. If you're not a fan of sake, the bar is well-stocked with other alcoholic goodies. I haven't tried the food there but to be honest I wasn't looking for a menu. Most of my change went towards the music selection of Link Wray, Johnny Cash, B-52s and Joan Jett on the vintage 1957 Seeburg jukebox. Like I mentioned before, my friend tried to get a band to perform which didn't work out. The Black Dice does play host to local rockabilly-surf-ska-punk bans a few times a month. Check their calendar online to see if there's anything that piques your interest. The Black Dice get 3.5 stars for my overall, first impression. I hope to be back soon to check out their live music nights, but I'll make sure to kibosh any attempts of drinking sake for a while. read more

I adored this place. My goodness. The aesthetic is amazing. Sake on tap. Cash only though, but there's an ATM in the basement. Small tables, there are snacks you can order if you want, don't go with a big group. Lovely. read more

Decor and vibe were fabulous. Bad ass vintage working juke box, you can play your rockabilly favorites from the 50's, early 60's and a few from today. Mostly sake based cocktails, we're delicious and fit the ambiance of the bar. A must see for any rock n' roller visiting Toronto. read more

Whoa. So they have this Japanese Whiskey that is super supppperr smokey. Like hits you in your face smouldering smoke. I've never tasted anything like it anywhere else and it's pretty amazing. The Back Dice is basically a Sake cocktail bar, and they really do the spirit justice. All their mixed drinks are lovely and I personally adore their Sake sour and the 'Hime' (Sake, Plume wine, peach juice). Feeling peckish? They've got Wasabi peas to much on. Definitely an amazing spot if you need to have a night-cap with ambience - it's dimly lit, but the glow from the pinball machine, jukebox, neon lighting accents and the teevee above the bar cradle you in the sweet sweet arms of retro nostalgia. But be careful of the stairs coming up from the bathroom! I've have gracefully tripped up those wankers every single time I'm there... read more

Small, low-key spot with excellent sake-based cocktails, a jukebox, and a pinball machine. The bartender was wearing an awesome cowboy shirt. read more

Actual rating 4.5. What a cute place! It was kind of like stepping into Jack Rabbit Slim's. They went all out to capture that late 50s early 60s diner vibe. Details like the pinball machine and the jukebox really worked here. Yep, I know it's been done a lot, but if it's done well, I'm still down. Cocktail prices were reasonable, and although I opted for my boring old stand by and didn't try one myself, the consensus at the table was the martinis were solid. It was a Tuesday night around 10 pm and we were the only ones there for a good part of our visit which struck me as very odd. A couple couples rolled in later for a nightcap, and two dudes for a couple pints, but that was it. If this place was in my hood, I'd think it would be constantly busy. I'd go back and give the hime a try! read more

Strong selection of Japanese alcohol within a surprising non-pretentious vibe. A great place to catch up with friends if you can get a seat.

The Black Dice Cafe is a Toronto jewel. A note-perfect rockabilly bar. Check out the bar which Hideki, the owner, built himself out of reclaimed bowling lanes. An amazing pinball table and a better jukebox. Great cocktails. Overall one of the greatest bars in Toronto. read more

Stopped in on a quiet Thursday night for drinks because of how cool the place looks. We loved the decor and general atmosphere; every inch of the interior is thoughtfully covered with tchotchkes and vintage posters and records. Very much my kind of bar. Sadly, our bartender was unexplainably cold and rude to my partner and I (we were barely greeted when we sat down at the bar and then generally ignored for the rest of our visit). She addressed us very dismissively and scoffed under her breath at my partner for misreading the chalkboard cocktail sign. Had a sake sour which was actually delicious and I would have had another, but we felt really unwelcome and left after one drink. Will probably not go back. What a waste of a really cool concept. read more

Toronto HAS a Japanese rockabilly bar. That's five stars! Is it a GREAT Japanese rockabilly bar? Is it authentic, like the Japanese Rockabilly bars in Austin or Kyoto? Is Japanese Rockabilly Bar a meaningful concept, which could evoke a consistent representation in the minds of others? (The answers to all three: It doesn't matter!) Undoubtedly the best in its class. Also: Jukebox plays 45s. read more

For a place that specializes in Japanese Whiskey, the bartender sure didn't know much about it. Also, the place smelled like BO.

My wife and I stopped in early one night to try this place out as it is so close to us. Unfortunately we had poor service and the food was no better. For such a small eclectic menu you'd think it would be good. The decor is pretty cool if you're into retro. read more

Toss the 1950s, Japan and rockabilly into a blender/shaker and you get this super cute bar - tops for chitchat and drinking. We were on a Dundas West discovery tour, so dipped in only for a single drink. The bar specializes in sake cocktails and sake, but we'd started the evening on beer, so kept singing the same tune. (I wasn't wowed by my draft, which I'm pretty sure was Henderson IPA... turns out I don't love Henderson, oh well.) Next time, I would go straight for the sake or sake cocktails. The owner has rockabilly playing at a level that lets you enjoy the music and hear your bar-mates, too, PLUS an old-school jukebox that plays nostalgic grooves from 45s for a quarter. It's a small place, so come alone or with a friend or two max, sit at the bar or at one of the adorable formica dinette sets. I didn't see anyone eating, but there are a few snack items listed on the chalkboard, one of which is the "Hungry Man Dinner." Given the '50s vibe, maybe it's rolled in on its own TV tray! read more

Black Dice Cafe - Seeburg jukebox, a quarter a play. - Bars Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

What can I say...won't go here again. Overpriced sake, uneventful slow service...atmosphere is dark and dated....stale and yucky food. Bartender is hard to understand. Way better places to drink and hangout in the neighborhood. I love Sake but this isn't the right atmosphere to enjoy it. read more

I really enjoyed my recent visit here. The space is quite neat, great pinball machine, and very nice bartender. I intend to return soon.

Bitchin' totally rockin' beautiful bartender named Calla, who served us delicious cocktails and Japanese snacks. We had a great time!!

I came across this bar while visiting Toronto. It is a Japanese Rockabilly bar. Quite interesting. I had never seen anything like it. I highly recommend it to anyone travelling to Toronto, it has a great Vibe. read more

I have nothing but love for this place. Pinball. Records. An amazing neon light. It's all of the things.

Excellent bar with a cool atmosphere. Lots of beer and booze choices. I can't believe someone reviewed this place for the food (pogos and tv dinners??) -- get real dude. It's a bar and a welcome (and much needed) addition to the area... read more