Le King Hall is a laid-back pub with 30 taps, deep beer cellar, extensive Scotch collection and a showpiece two-storey back bar stacked with every spirit imaginable. HOUSE SHOT: Vietnamien (vodka, lychee liqueur, lemon juice, Tabasco) WHAT TO ORDER: Vert…
Lopan is a shabby Chinoise chic, late-night hideaway serving modern Asian cocktails and dim sum snacks. BEST BITE: Big Mac Bao WHAT TO ORDER: Dailo Old Fashioned Lopan 503 College St., 2nd Floor, Toronto
Birreria Volo is a dark and narrow Italian-inspired beer hall specializing in rustic, farmhouse and wild ales, cider and funky natural wines. KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: One of the first bars in Canada to offer by-the-glass pours from house bottles,…
Soif Bar À Vin's low-intervention wines from lesser-known grapes and regions and simple food to pair with them. SUPER SOMM: Owner Véronique Rivest was the first woman to reach the podium at the World’s Best Sommelier Competition, placing second in…
INTRIGUE, ESPIONAGE, backstabbing: the online restaurant reservations game is more cutthroat than it might appear at first click. Earlier this year, Steven Addison, a.k.a. Jimmy Smits, a.k.a. Hans Gruber—a former OpenTable employee— was brought up on federal wire fraud charges…
Betty Lou’s Library is a Parisian salon that meets Prohibition-era speakeasy featuring live jazz and burlesque. KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: Entrance behind a bookcase. Use the antique telephone. Password provided with reservation confirmation WHAT TO ORDER: Virginia Woolf Betty Lou’s…
Five & Dime is a cozy, ballast-stone bar with a huge (1,000+) vinyl record collection and regional microbrews. HOUSE RULES: No Eagles or Steve Miller—ever ARTY FACT: Tables individually designed by local hobby woodworkers WHAT TO ORDER: Grimross Multigrain Farmhouse…
Elegant hotel lobby lounge serving classic grown-up drinks. ARTY FACT: Big Love with Diamond Dust is a signed, limited edition by Damien Hirst SPLURGE: Louis XIII Black Pearl WHAT TO ORDER: Golden Negroni The Cocktail Bar at Hawksworth 801 W.…
Le Royal is a sexy cave-like lounge that gets festive late at night. PLAYLIST: Hip hop, funk, soul and Afrobeat WHAT TO ORDER: 400 Dieux Lapins Le Royal 1232 Mount Royal Ave. E., Montreal
Password-protected speakeasy in a candlelit, antique-filled boiler room underneath The Middle Spoon dessert bar. HOUSE RULES: Must be escorted in (through the kitchen) and out (the side door) WHAT TO ORDER: Smoke Signals Noble 1563 Barrington St., Halifax
