At the bar

Insights from inside

January 10, 2025 No Comments

A very personal look at what it takes to open a successful bar

The room is designed to be bright, cheerful and very personal. Jessica Blaine Smith photos

Opening a bar in Toronto, where every corner of the city seems to be filled with vibrant and eclectic spots, can be as challenging, intimidating and thrilling. It poses even more challenges when you are a self-funded solo entrepreneur, especially when you are known not for your business acumen, your operational skills or your taste in food and wine, but for something as specific as cocktails. In a city celebrated for its diverse culinary and drinkscape, making a mark requires more than just good food and drinks. It demands a vision.

At the bar

A hero’s journey

November 22, 2024 No Comments

Good Thief is a cocktail odyssey across Southeast Asia

The spicy, fruity, complex Six-Inch Yellow is an excellent way to start your cocktail journey at Good Thief. Juno Kim photos courtesy of Good Thief

The rain on the pavement reflects the red, green and orange of the Main Street traffic lights through the floor-to-ceiling windows and into the dim of Good Thief. In the summertime, the windows open completely to blend the divide between inside and out, but on a wet autumn evening, Good Thief beckons the curious and adventurous into its modern yet cozy space, promising not just drinks but a journey through the flavours of Southeast Asia and cutting-edge mixology techniques.

At the bar

Getting tipsy with Bar Pompette

July 19, 2024 No Comments

Canada’s top bar is just a welcoming neighbourhood joint at heart

Canada’s No. 1 bar, Pompette has the welcoming vibe of a casual French bistro, but serious technique and skill go into every cocktail. Instagram/barpompette_to photo

Recently named the country’s No.1 bar by Canada’s 100 Best and listed among North America’s 50 Best Bars, Bar Pompette is one of Toronto’s favourite gems. Pompette is inviting and unpretentious, a bar that feels both cozy and elegant. Step inside and it feels like a French café, its minimalist setting featuring a gorgeous marble bar and a romantic patio in the back. And the name “Pompette” in itself, meaning “slightly tipsy,” reflects the bar’s fun, playful personality.

I spoke with co-founders Maxime Hoerth and Hugo Togni, both from France and with high-end hotel and restaurant backgrounds, about their passion for the industry, their move from France and what it took to establish such a presence in Toronto.

At the bar

Totally retro, all-new Meo

July 5, 2024 No Comments

Chinatown’s hot new bar is all about tantalizingly unexpected tastes

Inspired by vintage Taipei and historic Chinatown, Meo is tucked below (and a sibling to) Michelin-starred Kissa Tanto. Charles Nasby photo

“Is it OK if the flowers are on the edges?” a server asks as she tweezes a bloom onto the Citrus Crush cocktail and carries it to a waiting table of excited friends.

It’s 5 p.m. on a Thursday at Meo, Chinatown’s newest cocktail bar. Though the doors just opened, the place has immediately started to fill. I overhear one of the managers say there are 55 people on the books tonight and more walk-ins are expected.

It’s sunny outside, but you’d never know it in the low light of the room themed after a 1970s love-motel. Part lounge and part living room, Meo feels like an elevated version of a retro home bar. As if you stepped back in time to visit your grandparents with exquisite taste and an extensive liquor collection. The pink-hued interior and menus are influenced by Taipei and photos of Vancouver’s Chinatown from the same era.

At the bar

Another round at Cocktail Bar

December 22, 2023 No Comments

This Toronto institution enters an exciting new chapter with bar manager Juliana Wolkowski

Juliana Wolkowski is bringing visionary leadership to Toronto fan favourite Cocktail Bar. Erin Leydon photo

In the heart of Toronto’s vibrant cocktail scene, where new bars are constantly coming up with all sorts of innovative ways to bring entertaining, theatrical serves to life, there’s one place that stands out as a true, classic gem: Cocktail Bar.

At the bar

A world of flavours

December 8, 2023 No Comments

At The Watson, it’s all about a laidback vibe and well-travelled cocktails

The Watson’s bar manager, Jordan Coelho, experiments with flavours he’s discovered around the world. Chelsea Brown photo

The late afternoon light filters through the window, casting a lazy haze over Main Street’s newest bar, The Watson.

The crew preps for opening, whirring around the dark wood and green leather interior accented with marble and gold fixtures. The space feels simultaneously Parisian yet West Coast, Art Deco yet contemporary.

Bar manager and partner Jordan Coelho says he wanted it to feel like a library and gestures to the apothecary shelf behind the bar that he hopes to deck out with homemade bitters. Their house-blend amaro already sits in pride of place, aging in Woodford Reserve barrels.

As opening approaches, shakers are already ringing out in the capable hands of bartender Thomas Dodds (previously of The Diamond).

At the bar

Serious Storytelling

June 2, 2023 No Comments

Suyo’s bartenders sidestep pretension by perfecting the art of not taking yourself too seriously

The bar team at Suyo Modern Peruvian—Andrew Kong, left, and bar manager Max Curzon-Price—tell the tale of Peru in their creative cocktails. Chelsea Brown photo

Inside the recently opened Suyo Modern Peruvian on Main Street, just above the chorus of stylish 20-somethings and couples on date night, the bartenders can be heard telling the story of Peru—from undergrowth to clouds, ancient Incan civilization to contemporary culture.

At the bar

Setting the stage

November 18, 2022 No Comments

At Published on Main, Dylan Riches performs cocktail theatre

At Published on Main, Dylan Riches pushes boundaries with his creative cocktails. Sarah Annand photo

Ask Dylan Riches to trace his journey from the wilds of Prince George to bar manager at East Vancouver’s celebrated Published on Main, and he’ll ultimately suggest that he’s simply swapped one stage for another.

“One of the things I love most about this industry is that the path is not the same for every single person,” Riches says at the award-winning restaurant. “I love talking to people in the industry, getting to know them, hearing about where they come from. Every person’s path has a different turn or twist.”