Library Bar

In Toronto, a city where it often feels like the only constant is change, you can count on the Library Bar feeling the same on every visit. And that sense of timelessness is a big part of the reason that this elegant space tucked off the main lobby of the Fairmont Royal York has, even after a substantial glow-up, maintained an ardent and loyal fan base for a half-century.

“People come into the Library Bar and they’ll say, ‘I came here 30 years ago and I’m so glad to see you haven’t changed a thing,’ ” says James Grant, director of beverage for the Fairmont Royal York, who moved to Toronto in January of 2023 to freshen up its bar program.

It’s the sort of bar that belongs to everyone. People come back to reconnect with old memories and to celebrate new milestones. Of course, they also come for the cocktails, and these days, under Grant’s stewardship, those have never been better. The Global World Class Bartender of the Year in 2021 has stacked the menu with modernist-inspired drinks, using proprietary house-made ingredients to create cocktails that are otherworldly good, visually impressive and tell a story (many of them inspired by literary masterpieces).

The drinks menu isn’t the only update at the Library Bar, Grant points out. The bar team is new and, in late 2021, the Library reopened after a major renovation that took nearly two years. The design team refurbished the room without disturbing the aura, capturing the fizz, clink and buzz of countless lively celebrations of the past.

“When people say that nothing’s changed, it tells me that the feeling they get when they come to the bar is the same,” says Grant. “When people are sharing hospitality, they share food, they share drinks, and they share stories. And that’s what we still try to do.”

Fun Fact: The space that has been home to the Library Bar for 50-plus years used to be an actual lending library for hotel guests. Although the books have been removed, the collection is intact and resides in a room upstairs.

–Christine Sismondo