Toronto Nightlife Tips by SWFC_Fan

Nightlife Spot: Eating and drinking

It sometimes feels as though every city in the world has at least one Irish bar. Toronto is no different - I noticed several of them during my 8 day stay in the city.

The only one that I visited was McVeigh’s, a cosy pub located on Richmond Street East in between Yonge Street and Jarvis Street.

The staff were friendly (especially the lovely barmaid who explained where I could catch a bus to Niagara Falls) and the atmosphere was warm and “local”. Several people entered the pub while I was in there, each one greeted by their first name by the staff - and none of them sounded Irish. This is very much a local pub for local people - it is just far enough off Yonge Street to escape the attentions of tourists.

There is a large selection of Irish (Caffrey’s, Kilkenny, Guinness), Canadian (Molson, Labatts) and international beers on draft and in bottles. I had a pint of Caffrey’s - and at a price of 6.50 CAD, I only had the one.

A nice friendly pub with a good selection of beers!

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Theme: Eating and Drinking
Dress Code: Casual
Address: Richmond Street East
Directions: On Richmond Street East, between Yonge Street and Jarvis Street.

Nightlife Spot: Espresso Rose

Espresso Rose is a cosy little cafe on Yonge Street, seemingly attracting a largely upmarket clientele.

It labels itself “The European Coffee House with an Art Deco Feel" and displays a sign outside stating that it serves "The Best Italian Coffee on Yonge".

At the time of my visit in February 2006, it was decorated with roses and pink hearts - but that may have been because Valentine’s Day was approaching.

The cafe offers a large selection of coffees, cakes, muffins, milkshakes and usual coffeehouse fare.

I had a large Irish Cream Flavoured Coffee (Cost: 2.10 CAD) and a rich caramel cupcake (Cost: 3 CAD).

I noticed that other flavoured coffees included vanilla and hazelnut.

Good coffee and cakes in an Art Deco surrounding!

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Theme: Eating and Drinking
Dress Code: None
Address: 419 Yonge Street
Directions: On Yonge Street, approximately 1km north of Dundas Square.

Nightlife Spot: Tim Horton's

Branches of Tim Horton’s cafe can be found all over Toronto, the rest of Canada and the USA.

As far as I could see, there was little to distinguish Tim Horton’s from the vast number of other chain cafes in Toronto. The items sold (coffees, hot chocolate, milkshakes, soft drinks, donuts, cookies and cakes) and the atmosphere (laid back and informal) were pretty much the same as at Starbuck’s, Coffee Time or Timothy’s World Coffee.

I visited various branches of Tim Horton’s during my stay in Toronto in February 2006 - usually late in the evening for a warm drink and some cake.

I particularly enjoyed the warm smoothies (available in hazelnut, orange and raspberry flavours), along with a maple syrup or chocolate donut. A warm smoothie and a couple of donuts cost in the region of 3.50 CAD.

Typical cafe fare...in a typical cafe!

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Theme: Eating and Drinking
Dress Code: None
Address: Various branches
Directions: Many branches throughout Toronto, Canada and the USA.
Website: www.timhortons.com

Nightlife Spot: Elephant and Castle Pub

I visited the Elephant and Castle pub on Yonge Street one afternoon during my visit to Toronto in February 2006.

It is a typically English pub with a large bar, English beers on draught, a dining area and flat screen TVs mounted above the bar showing, amongst other things, live English football.

As well as English beers, the pub also offers Canadian beers (Molson and Labatts) on draught and various bottled import beers.

My visit coincided with a Premiership match between Liverpool and Arsenal, so I bought a pint of (expensive) Boddingtons (7.30 CAD) and settled down at the bar to watch the game.

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Theme: Eating and Drinking
Dress Code: Casual
Address: Yonge Street
Directions: On Yonge Street, a little distance (500m?) north of Dundas Square.