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Clubbing in Toronto
It's always a party
at Toronto's many dance clubs.
• The
Taverns and Pubs of Toronto
• Our
Roving Party Animal Columnist Loves Toronto and the MCBs!
Get ready to get dizzy.And we don't mean
because of the clubs themselves (although they can be quite hypnotic)
but because of the number of them located downtown. The city refers
to this area as the Theater District but it could just as easily be
called the Club District because there are so many of the latter located
here.
The clubs can be pretty much divided into two categories: Young –
for the 19-to-25 crowd – and upscale– for the late 20s-late
30s group. The latter tends to be trendy and a bit of a scene, but hardly
like New York or L.A. Still, expect to pay $10-20 cover charges at any
club. Dress codes match the covers.
The most stylish clubs come and go often, so check back often to keep
completely up to date on Toronto's nightlife. PubClub's guide divides
the city into the following prime party places:
• Youthful
Clubs
• Upcale
& Trendy Clubs
• Clubs
Around Town
• After
Hours
Youthful Clubs
Behind the Holiday Inn on King are two young clubs but with different
personalities. Tonic is for the well-dressed clubbies, while
the aforementioned My Apartment is as casual as it is crazy.
It has a large first-floor patio and a huge upstairs with dance area.
The wooden decor is perfect for jeans and t-shirt lovers. It also makes
for interesting conversation when inquiring if a member of the opposite
sex would like to join you there. When a "you want to go to My
Apartment" inquiry is met with a "yes," it can make you
wonder what she/he actually is expecting. Thursdays are absolutely packed
for $2 beer night, which includes 16-ouncers (a $5 cover charge helps
pay for this privledge).
Limelight, located next next to Dirk's, is a true smoke-filled
club scene. (If you don't desire the energy of Limelight, Dirk's
has a hot, super-sweaty dance floor in its basement.)
Hmmm. Whiskey Saigon USED to be great (especially on Sundays)
but apparently lost its liquor license. It's now a joint called Joe's.
The jury is still out.
Upscale & Trendy Clubs
The Living Room
is an example South Beach in Toronto.
The Tower of London is a favorite of many. It's multi-leveled
dance club with a very good crowd.
Easy on the Fifth (or the Big Easy) is like an upscale beach
club. It has wooden beach chairs in little sand spots and the music
isn't too over-the-edge house. The crowd is late 20s and 30s, very well-dressed
and classy, and the mood is more serene than at other clubs. If this
were a Vegas casino, it would be where the high rollers hang.
The Living Room is South Beach meets Toronto. More of a lounge
than a club, it has a South Beach-style atmosphere with couches often
taking preference over the dance floor.
Casino Lounge is yet another club with class. Schmooze is
owned by the owners of My Apartment and it's a very good scene. The
latter is the most popular place in town on Fridays with $1.75 drinks
from afternoon until 11. In fact, there's usually a lineup by 5. Note
that on the upstairs patio, drinks are regular prices and casual dress
is not an option.
The $10 cover is a bit steep but The Courthouse Chamber Lounge
on Adelaide is a good place for people who like 80's and 90's music
and enjoy a comfortable environment. The ambiance is good – hardwood
floors, big ceilings – and the sound system is average. The 30's
crowd mostly arrives after 11.
If it's Monday, plan to sleep in Tuesday. The Ba House is open
and it's where the young and fun gather by the masses rock and dance.
Located behind Gretzky's (by SkyDome) it dominates that night the way
the CN Tower dominates the skyline. It's slightly dressy but not at
all pretentious.
There is also dancing at Montana's on John Street. We really
classify these places as bars because they feature casual dress and
attitude and no cover, but they do have lively dance floors which kind
of makes them clubs, too.
Clubs Around Town
On the fringe of the above locations are even more clubs.
Just over on Queen Street is one of most popular spots, Bamboo Club
(312 Queen Street). It's a cool concept – festive setting with
reggae and salsa music – but trying to get past the doorman
on a weekend can be a real buzz kill.
There's no problem getting into Club 606 (606 West King Street).A
longtime favorite of Toronto's cool crowd, it's hip without being vain.
There is no cover charge and the dress is everything from classy to
casual. It is very popular among a loyal set of locals.
The Guvernment (132 Queen's Quay East ) is a fairly new hotspot
for twentysomethings featuring three rooms, each with it's own DJ, and
a hypnotic light show. Fridays the music is commercial mix; Saturdays
it's house music.
Money (199 Richmond Street) is a three-level nightclub with
a bar on the first level, dancing on the second and a glass-bottom floor
and surrounding balcony on third level for viewing the hot dance show.
It's located next to the space-age Fluid Lounge, which features
an energetic dance room on one side and a much more mellow lounge on
the other.
The Phoenix (Sherbourne St.) is not right in the trendy downtown
core but plays some amazing music in the main room. Its smaller area
has retro music, pool tables and comfy couches. Radio station CFNY broadcasts
live on Saturday nights. Sundays it hosts a wildly popular hip-hop night.
The relatively quite
bar on the first floor is in contrast to the action on Money's other
levels.
Lee's Palace (Bloor St .West) is an excellent place for live
music. It's a platform for local bands on the rise. Upstairs, The
Dance Cave is a popular dance club.
The El Mocambo - everyone calls it the Elmo – features
live music, upstairs and down. It's located on Spadina Ave. at College
St.
The Courthouse Celebrity Lounge is located in a refurbished
courthouse. It has marble floors, multiple fireplaces, regal furniture
and a regal crowd. Celebrities and the fashionable congregate there.
The Docks is either an an all-in-one bar or a schizophrenic
nightclub, depending on one's point of view. Located in an obscure industrial
area on the water about 20 minutes from downtown, The Docks has a seaside
outdoor deck serving drinks and BBQ, a spacious indoor bar and and Ibiza-sized
disco. With a batting cage, driving range and beach volleyball court,
it's also an afternoon playground for the active sports nut. There's
even a drive-in theater. It's large, loud and expensive (the $15 cover
charge is just the beginning). The Aqua Lounge is the huge dance room.
Saturdays are Urban Nights and let's just say it plays to the crowd.
After Hours
The night is not over in Toronto just because the bars close. Three
all-night spots keep the crowd active well into the night.
The Madadore is open until about 5 in the morning. It's 7 bucks
to get in and 22 for a micky of low quality booze. But it's after hours
and who is complaining? Most of the cab drivers know where it's located.
For food with a crowd, Fran's at Yonge/Eglington is an authentic
diner with 24-hours breakfast; it's packed at 3 a.m. The Lakeview
Lunch on College St. has a great and cheap breakfast that is popular
with college students. Insomnia – Bloor St. West – is
where post-clubbes unwind by drinking coffee on couches.
Or, you can walk around downtown after the clubs close among the hundreds
of others spilling out of the clubs.
Finally, there's always Greektown. Restaurants serve until 4
and quite a few people make their way to "The Danforth" (as
it's also known) for that last swing or two at romance.
 Next
stop on the Party Bus: Post Party!
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