We've rounded up a few new kids on the block worth adding to your rotation when going out for queer cheer in Toronto
The world is fast becoming an apocalyptic hellscape. Phlegm-ravaged plague victims and fanatical religious nuts do battle on every street corner. The village resounds with the forlorn moans of hungry drag queens and zombies and zombie drag queens (one assumes). The toxic miasma of this cursed new age extends into all areas of life, including leisure time and the availability of spots where queers can go and do fun things. Over the years, venue after venue has closed its doors in Toronto, changing the landscape of the village and making it difficult for people to find community and ways to pass the time until the next big catastrophe.
But clutch your wasteland-salvaged pearls no longer, because several places have popped up right under our beleaguered noses! A year ago we listed 18 spots for your social radar, and respect to all of them for everythign they do. As always, if you want to directly support queer institutions in the city check out Buddies, Glad Day and Miss Pippa's. Below are the latest and greatest queer and queer adjacent spots that might now be on your radar.
The queer places
The queer-owned and operated Parkdale establishment is more than a bar – it’s working hard to quickly become a well-rounded hub for the queer community where you don’t just drink but explore yourself and create lasting connections. It has regular dance parties, drag shows, trivia nights and more, and has featured the singular Künst Kids open drag stage. Their IG is a wild ride of queer nights of all kinds, and they’re quickly becoming a staple in the city’s west end. They have a back patio and the owners as well as the staff are the queerest of the queer, making the $3B one of the safest queer spaces in the city of Toronto.
The Well on Church street (you know, the one with the shower go-go booth on the second floor), has been a super lively edition to the Village. with a non-stop schedule of drag shows, bingo's, drink specials and a great (albeit very, very bright) spot to have drinks and yell with groups of friends. They recently opened a location on Queen West near Spadina! We don't know much about the new spot, we've heard there are drag shows, but it is indeed a queer-owned gay on Queen West, and sometimes that's all we need to know.
Billed as “Toronto’s New Queer POC community Event Space,” Impact is an essential new queer space in the city. Their monthly calendar is jam packed with sex parties, sex-y parties, dance parties, foam parties and the odd ball and comedy show. This basement spot - complete with a big sex-maze/back room - has a sizeable capacity, and they’ve recently taken over the second floor of the building. Expect big things from this spot, which if you were around for the Club120 days, carries a similar vibe and aesthetic. It’s also a constant work in progress with details changing all the time.
The queer-adjacent places:
These are difficult times and there’s nothing shameful about getting a drink with your dog. That’s what we’re going with – don’t question it. This café (before 4pm) and “drinkery” (all day) invites you to bring your fuzzy four-legged friends too for a cute and cozy, jittery or tipsy (depending on your bent) outing. The vibe, the music are just right in this new east-side wine and cocktail hideout.
Located in the middle of College Street madnes, is kind of a special events spot, but worth keeping an eye on for their recurring, queer friendly Bang it Back ‘90s and ‘00’s hip hop and dancehall night. We can’t speak to their regular DJ nights, except that the team who runs it are lovely. They also have “cornhole” lanes if you like games as you drink.
A new hotbed for wild dancing, fantastic sound and fun, new parties, BSMT 254 is one of the best sounding rooms in the west and host parties like Veneno, F.R.E.Q.Z., Pucker Up, Detention, and Rusted. They also host an onslaught of super interesting and inclusive live music shows. Security is great, bartenders and lovely… and did we mention the sound?!
One of the city’s most exciting spots for queer underground music, parties and programming, Drom is like noone else on this list. Not only do they host live music shows, they regularly go until 4am, 3/4 of their staff is queer, and it's the the home of Metramorphosis, the trans-focused techno night Toronto should be honoured to have. The vibe is welcoming, the drinks are creative and the sound is big and loud. “...finding a community amonst strangers, joy, in the face of adversity, immigrant souls eating, drinking and playing music together.”
Both in the west end. Both legendary in their own right (The Garrison being home to Hot Nuts back in the day),The Garrison and The Baby G are two of the best spots to see live music in the city, while at the same time being hosts to some of the gayest dance parties we've got. Thanks to their stage, lights and sounds, they've both become great spots for drag, performance and just full-out queer joy. Nights like Beam Me Up and Monteal's visiting Homopop nights are in heavy rotation, and both spots are just down the street from one another. One of them with a bathhouse on top of it!
This is our list's punk-y, shit disturbing little cousin. Houndstooth is on the west end of College, there is never a cover, and they house Qued Up... the open decks night were up and coming queer DJs can try their hands, fingers and beat matchings live in front a supportive, reception audience. Watch their IG for local queer DJs spinning from time to time... this is an easy spot for drinks, music and no BS attitude.
The legendary live music space on Queen West has entered it’s queer era, and we are here for it. Host for parties like NAGDP, Habibi Nights and one off’s like Just For Laughs, New Ho Queen and diva celebrations for Kylie and Britney. The boys in charge of the space as well as the programming are trying to create a new kind of space, where everyone is welcome and no bullshit behaviour is tolerated. They program with intent, they have great sound and they are defiinitely worth keeping on your radar when deciding where to invest your monthly going-out queer coins.
Located on College, close enough to OCAD, TMU and University Subway station, this unassuming brunch spot packs a real punch with Selena Vyle’s Saturday Bacon & Leggs drag brunches and disco bingo’s, trivia nights, and a sizeable party space upstairs for parties.
Parliament Street! A new queer-ish spot! We love Super Bargain. It’s got a local, dive bar feel, the bartenders are super fun, Messy Margaret hosts a drag bingo here and they have great happy hour pricing. Another great spot for a friendly catch-up, gossip session or date night. They also have oyster nights, keep an eye on their IG for when those pop-up.
Tommy’s is the perfect after-work-glass-of-wine-because-the-day-sucked, or date night spot. Found at the corner of Dundas West and Sauroren, this cutie litlte spot offers coffee, wine, craft beer, cocktails and to-go bottles. Many (not all) of the staff are queer angels sent down from the heavens to make sure we are watered and feel welcome and cute. Don’t forget their sister bar Tammy’s in Parkdale.
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Lead photo via the fine folks at Lewdline.
And as always, if we've missed any you think should be included in our next roundup, let us know at info @ yohomo . ca <3
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