TIP: Bring your student ID ! It'll get you free cover…read more Definitely more of a grungy bar/club. The line-up on a Friday midnight can be pretty lengthy. The dance cave is located up the stairs on the 2nd floor, after walking past (& smelling, eek) the gender neutral washrooms, you get to the ticket table where it's $10 cover or free for people with a student ID. Once you're in, there's a bar to the right, picnic tables and wall booth seats on the left, dance floor in the middle, & a stage. People cram onto the stage and dance there too which can get pretty wobbly & sweaty. The DJ is an older guy who doesn't take requests and sticks with playing music that ranges from: 2000s hip hop/r&b & pop, a few Drake songs, & basic girl anthems (like Mama Mia & party in the USA). The crowd is mostly young U of T students, casually dressed, and lots of jumping up and down and singing to the music ! Overall, a fun night out that doesn't require getting dressed up!

They say they're an indie bar with indie and alternative music Friday and Saturday. We went on…read moreFriday for indie night and they played only pop music. Katy Perry, Avril lavigne etc. Completely not what they advertised at all.

Such a fun bar! Drinks are cheap…read more The music is great. The staff is friendly. I had a blassssst being here and will definitely come back

This place rulessss. Great bartender (Zack) and the ambience is perfect for a Saturday afternoon…read more Highly recommend!

The best part about The Commie, aside from being one of the city's best dive bars, is Michael Louis…read moreJohnson, the musical barkeep. This man is a treasure--a multitalented musician who plays in many bands including The Lemon Bucket Orkestra. In season, you can catch Michael playing trumpet and singing with a jazz band on the back patio on Saturday evenings (5-8pm). The patio, accessible via an alleyway off Rolyat Street, feels like one of this neighbourhood's best kept secrets. Such a fun, chill vibe back there. Perhaps these Saturday shows will eventually move back inside, where they were held in the beforetimes, when the band sat cheek by jowl with customers in one of the city's most "intimate" performance venues. But whether Michael is performing behind the bar or on the back patio, the man is a marvel of multitasking. He'll perform part of a tune, set the trumpet down as the band plays on, take people's orders, prepare and serve drinks, and then pick up the trumpet and continue the song. So freaking cool. He also hosts a unique music listening event on Monday nights called Decide on the B-Side...don't forget to bring your favourite vinyl. As for the drinks, nothing fancy here, just a decent beer list and hard booze, mostly. But as described above, this bar is so much more. It's chock full of fun and character.

The owner was horribly mean to my friend. Do not go here if you aren't in the mood to be yelled at…read moreand physically intimidated by the crotchety old owner who polices everything that is said in the bar. Especially if you are a woman. Not a safe environment. Thought this place was meant to be open-minded and welcoming but apparently not.

Great experience form the second we walked in the door. They were very attentive and the energy in…read morethe room was great.

Celebrated a birthday here and it was fantastic. The cocktails are unique and beautifully crafted,…read morethe ambience is intimate and elegant, and the bartender was welcoming and attentive. Perfect place for a fun night out with friends.

Being from the US in a state where techno doesn't have much of a scene, it was delightful to travel…read moresomewhere where i could hear the music i wanted. There was a cover charge and they had a coat room available for $4 CAD as well. Bar wise, i felt like the bartenders could only do two ingredient drinks and what was on their cocktail menu for the night, so don't ask for too much. But the music was great, vibes were great. I want to bring my friends here.

Great new club on Geary! This strip of clubs and eateries is…read moreoff-the-hook lately and one of the latest dance spots to add to the fun is Standard Time. It's on the second floor of an old warehouse building with large windows where you can sit at tables and gaze out over the street and the park. Fantastic idea! The interior design is well thought out, and there is plenty of room for dancing as well as hanging out at the back in the attached room facing the street. The bar is long and plenty of room to find a spot to order there. The DJ booth is interesting as it is set in kind of a window at ground level, with an attached room behind the decks where the performers can sit and hang out. The sound system is incredible at Standard Time! Custom built speakers are both at the front by the DJ booth AND at the back facing the booth. Of course most people were up near the booth, with few at the back even though the sound was good at both spots. I found the sound simply ethereal at the back, probably because of less people in the way and less chatter from people too. Facing the speakers, and facing away from the booth at the back gave a nice stereo image of the sound so that's where I was for quite awhile when enjoying the music on my visit. Highly recommended!

Classic bar with exposed brick and leatherette booths. Great whiskey selection. Visiting Canada for…read morethe first time as a whiskey drinker and wanted to try the much maligned Canadian whiskeys. This place had a solid old fashioned and a terrific collection. I started with Canadian Club 18 yr. And it was good. A few others I won't bore you with. I had the beef sliders and they were tasty. Nicole was friendly and super helpful and I enjoyed chatting with whiskey aficionados at the bar. Can't wait to come back and try more of their collection!

Fantastic bar. Great music and drinks. The music was great. The people even better. Loved the room…read moreas well. Very well done with a lot of design around the early days of Whiskey in Toronto hence the name...it will be missed!

The live music definitely adds something special; and the decor is very cool. We had a 6pm…read morereservation, and the place was pretty empty, but did start to fill up around 7pm. We ordered two of their cocktails - and we found both great; good combination of flavours and excellent presentation. They had some constraints in the kitchen, so the food orders were taken late and some items were not available. I can say that the braai platters had an authentic taste; but with items missing, opportunity was lost for the truly authentic platter. Given the constraints, the service was excellent - friendly, and we were kept well up to date. Would love to come again.

I had Mrs. Robinson on my bookmark list for a long time and was excited to try it as part of my…read morebirthday celebration. Unfortunately, while the vibe was nice with cool live music... the drinks and staff need improvement. Our server seemed a bit off/rude and kept getting our bills wrong. The drinks we ordered (some suggested by server) were not very good. They need to find a better mixologist. We tried a few cocktails and I even ordered an expresso martini thinking that might be fairly standard? Everyone in my group tried drinks from each other and all agreed our drinks were bad. My expresso martini was so bad I couldn't even finish and just returned it. We only ordered fries, since we had dinner earlier so can't comment on food. Ended up leaving for another bar even though we could have ordered a few more cocktails. If you really want to try this place, I would suggest it for just beers. Good with friends for something casual but because of service I wouldn't bring a date, coworker or celebrate any special occasions. Really too bad, could have been a hot spot if they fix these things.

Bassline Music Bar is another Toronto institution from what I gather, and of course, in addition to…read moreall the right chemistry, the people there are what make the difference. Everyone comments on the owner being a great guy, and they are right! He is easy going, likes a good quality sound from his DJs, is easy to talk to and adds a house party feel that is not easy to find in a big city. The door guy was friendly, the barkeep was fantastic, and the sound system, oh my! it pumps out the beats like there's no tomorrow. People come here for one reason: to dance. Worth checking out when you feel the urge to dance or like an upbeat atmosphere near the front of the bar.

Most underrated lounge for house and deep house (Might even be the ONLY place for it). Been here…read moremultiple times, the owner, Craig, is super friendly, as are all the patrons. You can strike up a conversation easily with just about anyone. Sometimes there is a cover charge of $5 after 9 pm. But definitely worth it for this place. There is a dance floor and a few tables and chairs. But great atmosphere just for chilling and hanging out.