list of "age-appropriate" pubs/bars/lounges in Toronto for Chowhounds who are over 30

[phoenikia]

Inspired by this blog http://www.30tomidnight.com/ , here's the beginning of a list of "age-appropriate" pubs/bars/lounges/clubs/wine bars, where Chowhounds over 30 shouldn't feel out of place:

The Wine Bar

Crush Wine Bar

Swirl

Fat Cat Wine Bar

Local Kitchen and Wine Bar

Coquine -drinks in the lounge in front of the resto

The Drake

Le Petit Castor -pretentious crowd, and overpriced, mediocre food

Reservoir Lounge -live music, mediocre- ok food

Sopra -good food, live music some nights

Avenue -used to have good food, service & food had been going downhill on last visit

The Roof Lounge at the Hyatt drinks expensive, great service

Beerbistro -decent/good food

Biermarkt on King -mediocre food

Centro Lounge -only open some nights

Bymark -bad service the last time I was there

Nyood /Nyood Bar -good food, interesting cocktails, crowd depends on the night

Kultura -good food

Harbord Room -restaurant turns into more of a bar after around 10 pm, crowd depends on night, and it's a small place, so the "age-appropriateness" can change quickly

Pravda -crowd depends on night and time of day- seems to have older crowd after work

Samovar Room -only 30somethings when I was there, but maybe that was a coincidence because it was almost empty and only a few tables were full

Rebel House -decent food usually, sometimes not good, crowd varies

the Monk's Table

Chick n Deli -pretty bad food apart from ok wings, live music, not a classy place but then again, it's not trying to be classy

Hemingways -mixed crowd wrt age, bad food

Remy's -mixed crowd wrt age, bad food

Brant House -dance club with usually some people over 30, not many over 35, mediocre food

Spice Route -usually some people over 30, not many over 35, extremely loud for a "lounge", have never heard anything good about the food

AlleyCatz -crowd varies depending on the band, might vary depending on the night

2Cats -usually an over 30 crowd, but no food AFAIK

Gladstone -depends on the night/band/event

What other places would you add to the list? Which places would you take off the list?

related thread: fun/retro/kitschy/cool places for after-dinner drinks on a Friday night for a 36 year old and a 45 year old http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/672997

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Rebel House
1068 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M4W2L4, CA

Sopra
265 Davenport Rd, Toronto, ON M5R1J9, CA

Bymark
66 Wellington St. W, Toronto, ON M5K 1J3, CA

Roof Lounge
4 Avenue Rd, Toronto, ON M5R, CA

Centro
2472 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M4P 2F5, CA

Kultura
169 King St. E., Toronto, ON M5A 1J4, CA

Reservoir Lounge
52 Wellington St E, Toronto, ON M5E, CA

Brant House
522 King St W, Toronto, ON M5V1L7, CA

Nyood
1096 Queen West, Toronto, ON M6J 1H9, CA

Spice Route
499 King St W, Toronto, ON M5V 1K4, CA

[Arcadiaseeker]

The Queen and Beaver, The Rushton on St. Clair West....

[k_collin]

Spirithouse at the corner of portland and adelaide, 400+ spirits available and a outstanding cocktail list

[prima]

Rodney's by Bay has a mostly 30something/40something crowd after work.

[Pincus]

Morgan's on the Danforth -- good (pricey) food, fantastic beer selection, good wine choices. Generally very much an older crowd there.

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Morgan's on the Danforth
1282 Danforth Ave, Toronto, ON M4J 1M6, CA

[prima]

Would most of Morgan's customers on a typical night be in their 30s and 40s?

[Pincus]

I don't go there that often, but when I do, I would say yes.

[prima]

thanks, Pincus.

[julesrules]

You were a fan of Taps and Tales no? And Morgan's meets your approval? I will have to check it out :) What beers do you like there?

[Pincus]

Well, Morgan's food is very good, but you are also paying for the joy of eating it, at a price point I don't indulge in much. (Although I have come to love their nachos, which at $11 are at a great price point for value and taste.) They have the standard beers on tap, but I enjoy trying their guest tap which goes from Wed-Sat? Or Sun? Don't remember, but the point is they don't offer it on their non-busy times.

[julesrules]

Ok thanks... doesn't sound like a beer destination, although my husband loves nachos, so we may try it for lunch someday. I'm with you on the price point, and if I am going that high, it probably won't be at Greenwood and Danforth.

[Pincus]

They also have a whole fridge full of exotic and sometimes pricy beer bottles. Their lunch menu is more in line with what I want to pay in that neighbourhood, although I'm never around at lunch.

Yeah, if I'm going to pay that much, it definitely will be in a different part of town.

[katbri]

I checked their online dinner menu and nachos are not on it. I wanted to swing by tonight to try the nachos, do you think they will be serving them?

[Pincus]

It's one of their not online late night menu options, so yes, unless they've radically changed things, you should have been able to get some. :)

[DogPark]

Any updates since this? and For the over 40 crowd?

[prima]

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/814712

I like the Monk's Table.

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The Monk's Table
1276 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M4T 1W5, CA

[Platoputas]

A really nice, slightly upscale bar (compared to something like Rebel House) is Barchef at 472 Queen West.

http://www.barcheftoronto.com/

The decor is quite lush, and it's a really nice place to stop in for a drink or two. (They serve a few snacks, but nothing that comes close to an actual meal.) It's dimly lit and intimate, yet I wouldn't classify it as "uppity."

The drink list is very unique for Toronto. The cocktails are divided into flavour categories: sweet, sour, savoury and then there's molecular. It's pricier than average, about 10-12 bucks a drink, with the molecular ones ranging from $18-45. I know it may sound outrageous, but watching the "mixologists" do their thing is fascinating.

I've only been once before and ordered the "Professor" which was vodka, in-house bitters, lavender essence, mint syrup and fresh lemon.

In the latest issue of Food & Wine, Barchef came in at number 86 in the “innovative new bars” section. A $45 drink is certainly not for everyone, but if it sounds up your alley, it's worth a visit for sure.

www.platoputas.com

[phoenikia]

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions!

Have any Chowhounds been to Sopra lately? What are Friday nights like at Sopra? What is the crowd like?

Has anyone been to Brassaii since its change in ownership?

Which of the upscale places would you recommend for dancing?

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Sopra
265 Davenport Rd, Toronto, ON M5R1J9, CA

[Food Tourist]

Cafe Taste in Parkdale. Still need to give Blondie's a chance.

Didn't feel out of place at Victory Cafe or L'Unita on my last birthday.

I agree with and like Vertical, beerbistro, Caren's, most of the hotel bars, Pilot tavern, Ceili Cottage (but not for food), C'est What, etc. I suspect the key is to avoid the big chains and the Entertainment District.

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L'Unita
134 Avenue Rd, Toronto, ON M5R2H6, CA

Cafe Taste
1330 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6K, CA

[Food Tourist]

Actually, the rule is to avoid any place with "bottle service" reserved seating.

Nota Bene, Rhino and Harbord Room can also have decent crowds.

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Harbord Room
89 Harbord St, Toronto, ON M5S1G4, CA

Nota Bene
180 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON M5V 2A1, CA

[JamieK]

Ceili Cottage -- the oysters are good --- fresh and tasty.

[atomeyes]

um...Black Hoof after the dinner service?
best drinks in the city.

[plasticanimal]

I always have a great time at the Cloak And Dagger.

The Cameron House is always great, but if it's full the nearby Rivoli is OK too. Or the Horseshoe for that matter.

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The Rivoli
334 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M5V, CA

[tasoid]

Lobby bar at the SoHo Hotel. Blowfish, the new Brassaii, Czehoski, KiWe, Buca and any place on Ossington.

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Czehoski
678 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6J, CA

Brassaii
461 King St. W, Toronto, ON M5V 1K7, CA

KiWe
587 King St W, Toronto, ON M5V1M5, CA

Buca
604 King St. West, Toronto, ON M5V 1M6, CA

[phoenikia]

Really, any place on Ossington? I was under the impression that Ossington was drawing a predominantly 25-30, maybe 25-34 year old crowd. I realize a lot of CHs over 35 have been eating at Pizza Libretto, Paramour, maybe Union, but I thought the establishments on Ossington where people tend to drink rather than eat were catering to a mostly under 35 hipster crowd.

I had heard that Czehoski was drawing a much younger crowd lately, but maybe the crowd varies at Czehoski?

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Czehoski
678 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6J, CA

[tasoid]

Ossington is quite age independent ;-) Most places draw an older crowd through the week and get younger on the weekends. I was on the Ossington strip on Tuesday and can definitely say that of the open places (Crooked Star, Watusi, Reposado, the new Bohmer, the Ossington etc) were all drawing a thirty plus crowd.

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Reposado
136 Ossington Ave, Toronto, ON M6J, CA

Boehmer
93 Ossington Ave, Toronto, ON M6J, CA

[phoenikia]

Good to know, tasoid. Thanks!

[foodinspace]

What is the Ossington strip like on a Monday night? Are most places closed? Are those that are open dead? I'm thinking of walking that strip but I'll only be in town on a Monday. (I've been to some of those places before but on a Wednesday and a Friday...and FWIW I felt comfortable with the crowd as a post-35 year old.)

[tj2007]

Joe Mama's - Average food, but the band was fantastic. I've been 3 times, and each time the Crowd was over 30. Went back for the entertainment, not for the food.

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Joe Mamas
317 King St W, Toronto, ON M5V1J5, CA

[JamieK]

Ceilli Cottage
http://www.ceilicottage.com

Duggan's Brewery
http://www.duggansbrewery.com

Volo
http://www.barvolo.com

[Snarf]

I had a good outing at Cam's Place last week. They have live music several nights a week, and the upstairs portion has a nice, relaxed feel. The downstairs not so much.

The Miller is also fairly decent for drinks, but you would want to steer clear of the food.

Pilot? Insomnia?

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Cam's Place
2655 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M4P, CA

[Rabbit]

- The Paddock (an oldie but goodie with surprisingly decent mixology)
- Queen and Beaver (gastropub - the upstairs space is more casual for hanging out)
- The Rex (dive-y jazz bar... but in the best possible way. sometimes has minimal cover)
- Torito (but you need to be snackie too)
- Vertical (for summertime only, IMHO... but very pretty second storey terrace)
- Canoe (classic, but bring your grown-up wallet)

- I would proceed with caution at the Drake (gets overrun with the younger S&M crowd on weekends), Chick / Deli (unless you're significantly over 30 and on the prowl), Spice Route (see numerous CH postings on reprehensible service and sub-par food)
- I have a soft spot for hotel bars so I love the Roof and Avenue (also the Library Room at the Royal York, but it's admittedly stuffier than the other two).

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Torito
276 Augusta Ave, Toronto, ON M5T2L9, CA

Spice Route
499 King St W, Toronto, ON M5V 1K4, CA

[phoenikia]

Rabbit, agree completely with your words of caution re: the Drake, Chick n Deli and the Spice Route. I was only mentioning C n D and S R because of the "age appropriate" factor, and wouldn't recommend either place to a CH seeking decent food.

While the crowd at the Chick n Deli is significantly older, more downmarket, and not dressed as well as the Spice Route or Le Petit Castor crowd (posh crowd), all 3 establishments come across as places where the majority of the clientele is on the prowl (rather than just out for drinks) and it certainly changes the vibe inside the establishments.

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Spice Route
499 King St W, Toronto, ON M5V 1K4, CA

[CocoaChanel]

Caren's Wine Bar especially the patio in the summer