Presenting the 50 Best Bars in Canada 2019
The experience of going out is made during the more intimate, before-and-after moments of dinner, which are often spent on bar stools or at dimly lit tables enjoying a drink.
At Canada’s 100 Best, our idea of a great bar starts with an atmospheric setting and an exceptional beverage program. We think excellent cocktails are just like the best food: they should respect the past but do more than simply repeat it. And we think that any good bartender should be able to pull off that trick with a non-alcoholic mix, too
Without further ado: the 2019 list of the Best Bars in Canada. To search by region, click here
LISTINGS BY RANK
No. 1: Bar Raval
Of all the watering holes around the country, none evokes such ardent enthusiasm (and sometimes…
No. 2: The Keefer Bar
At Keefer Bar, you don’t need to believe in traditional Chinese medicine to feel the…
No. 4: Pretty Ugly
Pretty Ugly is a chill Parkdale gem from the same people behind Bar Raval and…
No. 5: Atwater Cocktail Club
Atwater cocktail club is one dark, dead-end alley that you shouldn’t scurry past. Because behind…
No. 6: The Coldroom
Old Montreal’s architectural marvels do not include an anonymous, scruffy, black metal door set into…
No. 7: Cloakroom Bar
The narrow entrance at the cloakroom bar is lined with black-and-white photos of style trailblazers.…
No. 9: Botanist
No. 10: The Bar at Alo
The Bar at Alo, separate from the restaurant, is an elegant oasis floating three stories…
No. 15: Prohibition
Prohibition, often billed as an “intimate speakeasy.” This velvet-draped art deco lounge is far too…
No. 13: Bar Clementine
At Bar Clementine, slip into the louche skin of a bon vivant, sipping absinthe in…
No. 11: El Pequeño
El Pequeño Small square-footage, grand atmosphere: El Pequeño is the former Canuck-kitsch gift shop which…
No. 20: Bar Bricco
Bar Bricco is a tiny, elegant bar that authentically recreates a taste of Italy, from…
No. 12: Gift Shop
At the back of an Ossington barbershop, this 18-seat retreat revolves around the charmingly cantankerous…
No. 14: Nacarat
Nacarat, located inside Montreal’s beautifully renovated Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth hotel. Nacarat’s name alludes to…
No. 17: Lot Six
Warm East Coast hospitality in a historic stone building lends this high-volume cocktail bar remarkable…
No. 18: The Shameful Tiki Room (Toronto)
Shameful Tiki Room comes to Toronto’s Parkdale ’hood via a sister bar (led by ex-Harbord…
No. 19: The Shameful Tiki Room (Vancouver)
The Shameful Tiki Room is not just a bar, it’s a world. To enter this…
Best Bars No. 30: Lobby Lounge
A shiny expanse of gleaming white marble brims with beautiful people swaying to live music.…
Best Bars No. 29: Chez Tao!
The brainchild of award-winning mixologist Vincent Thuaud, Chez Tao! is the late-night Saint-Sauveur district spot…
Best Bars No. 27: Roost
Roost is perched among the treetops on the second floor of an old house with…
Best Bars No. 26: 1608
1608 is located inside a turret in the majestic Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. The circular…
Best Bars No. 25: Paris Paris
At Paris Paris it’s literally always vino o’clock. This all-day bar also boasts chef-ish food…
No. 24: Nénuphar
Nénuphar, inspired by the absinthe prohibition in 1920s Paris. The art nouveau speakeasy, located inside…
No. 23: Barchef
Barchef owner-mixologist Frankie Solarik—part magician, part scientist—has been tickling all senses with his modernist cocktails…
Best Bar No. 22: Midfield Wine Bar
Midfield Wine Bar is making wine approachable. This cozy, dark wood-clad haven for wine nerds…
Support Your Local Bottle Shop
BAR LUPULUS Ottawa Bar Lupulus hasn’t seated customers in its dining room since mid-March 2020.…
Best Bars No. 40: Lopan
Lopan is a shabby Chinoise chic, late-night hideaway serving modern Asian cocktails and dim sum…
Best Bars No. 39: Birreria Volo
Birreria Volo is a dark and narrow Italian-inspired beer hall specializing in rustic, farmhouse and…
Best Bars No. 38: Soif Bar À Vin
Soif Bar À Vin's low-intervention wines from lesser-known grapes and regions and simple food to…
Best Bars No. 37: Betty Lou’s Library
Betty Lou’s Library is a Parisian salon that meets Prohibition-era speakeasy featuring live jazz and…
Best Bars No. 36: Five & Dime
Five & Dime is a cozy, ballast-stone bar with a huge (1,000+) vinyl record collection…
Best Bars No. 35: The Cocktail Bar at Hawksworth
Elegant hotel lobby lounge serving classic grown-up drinks. ARTY FACT: Big Love with Diamond Dust…
Best Bars No. 34: Le Royal
Le Royal is a sexy cave-like lounge that gets festive late at night. PLAYLIST: Hip…
Best Bars No. 31: Noble At The Middle Spoon
Password-protected speakeasy in a candlelit, antique-filled boiler room underneath The Middle Spoon dessert bar. HOUSE…
No. 49: Grapes & Soda
Grapes & Soda is quirky, cramped and cozy. But Vancouver’s original natural-wine bar also cooks…
Best Bar No. 50: Luxus Lounge
Luxus Lounge is bringing craft-cocktail polish to The Rock. The energetic bartenders running this intimate…
Best Bars: The Milk Tiger Lounge
The Milk Tiger Lounge was a game-changer for Calgary. This casual hole-in-the-wall has a deep…
Best Bars: The Woodcutter’s Blanket
At the Woodcutters Blanket, prepare to make new friends. This tiny log cabin punches hugely…
Best Bars No. 46: The Cloak Bar
The Cloak Bar is a posh, Brit-themed speakeasy located behind a heavy curtain beneath Marben…
Best Bars No. 45: Coffee Oysters Champagne
Coffee Oysters Champagne is a dark and sultry, cognac-forward cocktail lounge hidden behind a bright…
Best Bars No. 44: Bar Annabelle
Bar Annabelle is evoking the old-time glamour of a luxury rail club, this tiny blush-and-brass…
Best Bars No. 42: Burdock Brewery
Burdock Brewery is a brewpub run by winos (with a music hall on the side)…
Best Bars No. 41: Le King Hall
Le King Hall is a laid-back pub with 30 taps, deep beer cellar, extensive Scotch…