A classic Punk / Rock n Roll Bar in Toronto CA. Basically the CBGB's of that scene…read more It's been around since the early 1990's and is exactly what a spot like this should be. Very nondescript outside facade - no sign telling you what it is other than a small "BSC" (for Bovine Sex Club) painted near the door. Hard to miss though as the exterior is made up a punk rock style sculpture of rusted bikes & other assorted ephemera. The interior is similar, visually. Great sound system & chill vibes pervade throughout. Weirdly the stage is right in the entrance of the club, on your left, with a long bar along the right side, heading back. Great, crowd, great location in cool area with lots of restaurants & plenty of parking - both on the street up to 2 hours & extended parking for a flat-rate of CA$20 (~$14 USD) from 6:00pm until the next morning, just 2 blacks away.

The Bovine is a fantastic place that is the same today as it was decades ago. not only that, but it…read moreis also one of the cheapest pints that you can find. Now, are the taps dry? Maybe. Are the beer cans running out? It's possible. But, it's a dive in the way of the old dives. And the acoustics for bands are... not great. But they are a sign of what once was. Without attempting to try to present a front of a time long gone, The Bovine simply exists today as it once did in that time long ago, before Smokes stickers, before iPhones, back when people would just go to a bar to talk with those they didn't know the morning prior. Bring cash though, unless you're looking to make some big orders, because credit card is a minimum fifty-dollar spend.

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

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

In late October, on a Sunday, I had lunch with a few friends at Rivoli Toronto, an iconic venue…read morenear the downtown core. I had a great time. I parked on Queen Street West. It's Green P parking. I recommend paying for parking through the Green P app if you need to add more time. When you walk in, there's a flight of stairs and a main floor: - The main floor has a restaurant, bars, and Back Room for concerts - The second floor has a full bar, stage, pool tables, and arcade games I entered the main floor. I was greeted by John, the owner. He was super nice and hospitable, leading me to where my friends were. We were a party of six. Main floor We feasted. We got a lot of food. We divided, shared, and conquered. We ended up boxing leftovers home. I ordered a Diet Coke. It was cold and perfect. I ended up getting another one later on. Balls menu The balls menu consists of appetizers that are sharable with friends. I can also see having a few for yourself to enjoy. It's good finger food eats if you want variety or something lighter, especially before a show. We enjoyed the following ballsy items: - Wookie balls - Beefy Danish balls (frikadeller) - Fish ball fusion - D'oh balls - Garlic mashed potato All the balls were scrumptious and filling. The Wookie balls are one of the Rivoli's signature items. They are rice balls with mirin, sesame oil, and herbs, coated in black and white sesame seeds. They were crunchy and yummy. The beefy Danish and garlic mashed potato balls are comfort in ball form. I dream of this combo still. I was fortunate to have been invited into the kitchen, to check out where these talented chefs make all their food creations. Every order is made fresh. I could tell how much these chefs love what they do. They cooked and plated everything so effortlessly and with such precision. It was impressive! I got to see them make these offerings for us: - Blackened burger - Korean chicken lettuce wraps They were delicious and full of flavour. You can get the lettuce wraps made with veggies if you're vegan. Noodles We got the vegetarian pesto linguini. I loved the roasted red pepper and garlic cloves, with pesto that was fresh and bright. You can also get this dish with chicken. Rivoli's classic pad thai has been a staple since Rivoli opened in 1982. Pan-seared chicken and shrimp are your proteins. Egg, scallions, peanuts, and bean sprouts, and the proteins are tossed with rice noodles in Rivoli's signature pad thai sauce. The sauce is ketchup-based, which may offend pad thai purists, but they are missing out on yumminess by knocking it. You can also get this dish made vegetarian with veggies and tofu. Flatbreads Flatbreads are part of the Sound Bites appetizers at Rivoli. We enjoyed the following flatbreads: - Spicy thai - Spicy thai sauce base, with baby shrimp, marinated chicken, green onion, bean sprouts, ribbons of egg, roasted peanuts, cilantro, and fresh lime zest - Korean BBQ - Korean BBQ sauce base, with marinated chicken, red pepper, red onion, carrot, cheese, cilantro, and green onion - Love from parma - drizzled extra virgin olive oil on the flatbread, with thyme, sea salt, cracked black pepper, prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted garlic, shaved parmesan, arugula, and flat-leaf parsley - Blanco - drizzled extra virgin olive oil on the baked flatbread, with fresh thyme, cracked sea salt, gouda cheese, and bufala mozzarella All flatbreads were perfectly toasted and made to order. They were both chewy and crispy where they should be. Scrumptious! Back Room The Back Room is the main stage. Adele, Amy Winehouse, Gord Downie, The Kids in the Hall, Mike Myers are some folks who have performed here. It was cool to look at the stage and sit on it, to soak in everything. I'll need to return and check out a show or more. Second floor I took in The Empty Glasses play a live set at 3 pm on the second floor. The stage is by the bar. This band plays every other Sunday. It felt like being in Nashville, visiting a bar, knowing that there is good, live country music playing as you grab a drink and a bite to eat. The difference is that you save a bit by soaking up country vibes in downtown Toronto. It's a tight-knit community of talented country musicians that can play or sing anything on a Sunday afternoon. It was special to witness. I instantly became a fan, as attending live concerts and performances is my thing. There's also a pool hall with games on this floor. It was a throwback to my undergraduate years learning how to play pool with friends over drinks. There are a decent number of pool tables. I counted eleven. The purple one in the middle is the largest one out of the bunch. The oldest one is over a century old. It's like being in a pool hall museum, but you can touch the artifacts. You can also play video games. I saw Pac-Man and other great 80's arcade games. They made me happy. I had a great time. The food and drinks, and live music were excellent. (436)

October 5/2024: Dinner & a show with my Al, where it all began!…read more Started with the Spring Rolls ($10.99). They were tasty & we're free thanks to YELP!! My main was the totally mediocre burger, fries & an Amsterdam Blond Beer. Beer was delicious ($7.96). It was their "Blackened Burger" with blue cheese ($21.99). It was good but not great. Very small portion as I've noticed at many other restaurants. The service was good. Our Columbian Server was a very nice, polite young man. In the beginning the restaurant was well cared for & in the beginning it was quiet. We went to the in-house show after dinner. The show was a burlesque show consisting of a bunch of overweight women that were a way too old taking off their cloth! All hosted by a transvestite comedian! It was funny as hell, entertaining & super weird all in one! It was also the Neublanch Art festival on Queen W. Let me just say that, that street was weird central last night!! To me, this was a totally enjoyable evening & I'd recommend this restaurant & the subsequent show for sure! It happens once/month.

The Drake Underground is in the basement of the hotel obviously, but does not have the basement-y…read morefeel that I expected going in. The bar as you enter is cramped and covid-claustrophobic if that's a thing, but since the place was absolutely packed with beautiful women, that made it easier to take! It seemed everyone was happy to be out of their cages and shaking it on the d-floor. That night was an amazing showcase of talent! I had so much fun. It was a celebration of a various artists album called Coverama that my friend John Orpheus was a part of and has the first song spot on the album, and as well was the headliner of the evening's show. There was plenty of room to dance, as well there was lots of room on the stage for the performers. The bathrooms were nice, and should be considering the venue's prominence in Toronto, and were not disgusting as is often the case with these kinds of events. Highly reco'd for your party needs.

Underground is such a vibe! Been for a few concerts there, Maeta (2023), Christian Kuria and Bobby…read moreNsenga most recently. Fun vibe with the lights, intimate smaller venue perfect for up and coming artists. You can buy nice cocktails from the rooftop lounge and bring them downstairs. The bartenders in the underground are always super nice. Such a fun venue!

Top live music joint in the TO. There is live music in the front and sometimes a cover charge for…read morethe band in the back. Friendly service , affordable dranks and always fun music.

The Cameron House Toronto's staple for Live Music on Queen West.. Snacks chips , great friendly…read moreatmosphere with great customer service ..

Met some friends here for a catch-up and drinks. I was a bit worried about the reviews about…read moreboisterous burlesque and was concerned about the noise level. But it was a Wednesday evening and Heidi was playing piano. We all arrived at the same time and were greeted immediately by the bartender and Heidi! We shared an enormous plate of delicious nachos. They weren't just slapped together but almost every single chip had a topping. Delicious and addictive. It was a great evening and the decor prompted more conversation. Interesting pictures and a laid back decor with exposed brick walls.

Their happy hour time changes on daily basis depending on the scheduled show on that day. They gave…read morean event every night and some of them have free admission and the other ones require buying tickets. They have live band or DJ nights (check their website). They gave great vibes. Usually the bar is packed and the staff and bartenders are very quick with providing service.

Dropped in for a quick afternoon beer last week and had a good feeling about this place right away…read more It's got a friendly + cozy vibe + small but diverse selection of beer on tap. I think they call places like this "dive bars" in Toronto but they are known simply as "bars" in other parts of the world. They also have a fun newsletter called The Low Bar Bugle which was good reading. It seems to be only issue #1 but I look forward to more. Then we dropped in for a beer early on a Saturday night and the place was hopping. Seems like it is also a music venue. Which we clued in to as we watched the punk rock-n-roll crowd coming and going and listened to the sound blasting from upstairs (accessed via the red door next to the front door). Despite the busy night Low Bar maintained it's charm. Nice to have a great go to bar in the hood. (Low Bar is in the space formerly known as Gaslight.)

Feels auspicious that there's a cool new old dive bar in the neighbourhood. Dropped in once for an…read moreafter-work pint on a weekday. We tried the happy hour special Low Beer draft (big glass, $7), which was apparently something by Great Lakes. It was a quiet time of day with some regulars chatting around the bar and good tunes playing. Came back a second time on a Saturday night when there was a gig upstairs. Place was bustling with people getting a drink in before heading upstairs, then got briefly super busy during a break in the show. Cheerful crowd of punks, rockers and beer drinkers. Happy to see the scrumptious Bellwoods Roman Candle on tap (small pint, $8). Friendly place with groovy old chairs, low light, vintage lamps, random decor and even its own newsletter! There looks to be a patio out back, too. I'll be back!

Easy to get to, great little spot for live music. Bluegrass brunches on the weekend were a fond…read morepart of my 20s. Nice to see a venue like this stand the test of time!

Fun place, good service, great music. Definitely recommended. Enjoyable. Easy to get to on the…read morestreetcar.

The St. Royals were the heart and soul of our reception. I can't imagine the night without them,…read moreand can't recommend them enough. We're from out of town, so it was their website that initially won us over; this was clearly an amazing group of performers, and their song selection was precisely what we were hoping for. From there, we got into Skype contact with James, who was immediately charming, obliging, and very practical. Which set another precedent: that this is a group of professionals. There was zero friction in the preparation. Could they travel to Niagara-on-the-Lake? Absolutely. And stay late? Sure. Learn a song? Yes. Accommodate a father-daughter dance, pause their set for a brief ceremony at midnight, play something on loop for a traditional Slovakian wedding dance? No problems. And they had recommendations and advice at every turn. The day of, they showed up early and handled all their prep. They managed to tiptoe in during the speeches, perfectly timed for the first dance. A miscue on our part was handled in stride, and all night they were totally attentive to both us and our guests. It goes without saying that the music was incredible, that everyone was up and dancing, that the vocalist was out of this world and that our man James killed it on trumpet. Having the St. Royals relieved us of so much worry. We had no qualms about relying on them, and our experience bore that out: they were consummate professionals, and amazing performers. Our guests are still raving about the quality of the music. And please, whatever you do: don't forget the brass.

From the owner: Toronto Wedding Bands, String Quartets, Event Live Music, DJs, and Live Entertainment…read more The St. Royals offer exclusive live music and entertainment for weddings, wedding receptions and private events. Our live bands, party bands, wedding bands, string quartets, & DJs are fully customizable and designed to fit your vision for the live music and entertainment at your event. See The St. Royals live wedding bands perform from our high-energy funk, soul, Motown and RnB repertoire at one of our free live showcases before you book. Speak to an Entertainment Consultant to get a customized quote for your event or wedding.

overcrowded, dirty, terrible sound syste. Will never go back. they shouldn't let un ticketed…read morecustomers inside the venue. There were way too many people in the venue and it created a safety issue. with the money they generated they should at least get a new sound system. This place is way overhyped. ambience was not good either.

It's a pretty divey place at baseline, but it's a clean and safe dive and it kind of needs to be…read morethis way because it's a Toronto rock hall legend in the city. Stage is small, which means it's actually a pretty great place to get close to your favourite acts, but don't expect much of a stage show. Good variety of drinks for a venue of this type. Better than most of the similar classic rock venues in town.