10 Best Cocktail bars in Canada

Bar Corso is one of the most slept on spots in the city. The variety of options on the food menu, the quality of the ingredients and the thought that has been put into each dish. This is a must try for date night.

I am truly saddened that I have to write a not so friendly review of this Bistro situated in one of my favourite galleries.
When I stepped inside, I was greeted by a beautiful and kind girl who, in sync with my wishes, found a table in a gallery overlooking the Bistro's windows.
When a young, ginger-haired server came, satisfaction dissipated quickly. I asked him to tell me more about the Woolwich Goat Cheese and Herb Quiche from their menu, and he responded, "Well, a Quiche is a Quiche.!" His response rubbed me the wrong way because I am a Croat, and my country is not into Quiche "business." But even if I were a Canadian connoisseur of the Quiche, I still deserve a better response. I did not get up and leave because I didn't want to be brushed in the "emotional" colour like women often are. Instead, I ordered the burger (my least favourite dish) and a beer (Mill St. Organic, 341ml). I first got my beer in a glass (containing certainly less than 341 ml of beer). Ten minutes later, the server brought me my burger in a bun on top of burnt, greasy fries. Ugh.
I put aside the top of the bun and discovered burnt bacon topped with cheese on a charred burger, all topped with watercress and lots of mayonnaise. Double ugh.
I was hungry, and since my burger was not cheap ($23 before tax), I ate parts of it.
I was mid-meal when Mr. Ginger, the server, came and asked, "Are you still eating?" Yet again, I did not respond as I would in my country (not holding back the truth). Instead, I minced a dry yes.
It seemed I was too slow for this server—he wanted me gone. I finished my meal with a stomach tied in a knot from humiliation and suppressed anger. Somehow, this experience stained my joy of visiting AGO today. And this is not easy to do since I have been AGO's faithful visitor and member from day one.

the service here is impecable, we arrived almost at close but the bartender helped us and treated us like his shift had just began. not to mention the quality of the drinks were unlike anything we’ve ever had before. not sure why it says temporarily closed!

Went here for my mother's birthday lunch. We had a wonderful time! Paras was very informative and walked us through the menu and helped us order what would feed everyone the best and suggested things that would allow us a more authentic experience.

Awesome time! Will come again!

The food at Farzi's Cafe was amazing. Had gone with my wife for lunch. Ordered Malabar Prawn Curry, Mutton Rogan Josh & Gilafi Kebab. The one thing that irked us was we were billed $6 for water in spite of requesting plain water. In addition, after the meal, we were quickly asked to provide 5-star rating. Food and ambience were great, but we would appreciate a little more transparency.

'A modern slice of Italy on Commercial drive. A fantastic cocktail and wine selection. The food is incredible and the ambiance is perfect for all occasions, especially late night.
•BISONTE - Bison striploin, medium rare, turnip & parmesan puree, balsamic jus & crispy rosemary.
•INSALATA - Varieties of radicchio from cropthorne farms, apple, spiced ricotta, mint & pistachio.
•CARPACCIO - Hiro waygu beef, lacto-fermented cherry tomato, parmesan reggiano.

Great service , the bar manager was super nice , came for happy hour menu, drinks were classic .

I am throughly impressed! I never write reviews for restaurants. I was I'm the culinary industry for years and have not ever been or worked for a restaurant as good as this one. We came for my birthday dinner and the hostesses were so accommodating, as we changed our minds where we wanted to sit. We found ourselves in a comfy spot in a corner that had a private romantic feel. Out server, Connor, was the best server I have ever had! Very attentive, friendly, and professional. Total good vibes all around! We shared that we are expecting and he was so genuine in his excitement for us. We will absolutely be making this our regular date night spot! The food was INCREDIBLE! Can't wait to try everything else on the menu :)
Well done to all the staff and the establishment♡

We came just for a couple of drinks and had lovely experience. Service was quick and friendly. Atmosphere is very cosy. Next time will definitely try their food.

Unique cocktail drinks. I find the menu a bit on the expensive side. Prepare to spend 30+ and more for drinks and food. Definitely worth a try. And highly recommend for romantic date nights.

Had my first date here, unluckily for me, the guy told me to “ look at this part of the menu not the bottom “ - I wouldn’t mind spending money for quality dishes like in this place if I came here by myself to spend some self-care me time. I unfortunately end up still hungry after he ordered just a dumpling for us to share.

Moral of the story, don’t date cheap guys and it’s definitely a red flag 🚩 if HE picks a place yet control what you can and cannot eat on the menu!

Anyways I’d definitely come back here for another first date with a new guy if ever. Love the atmosphere and drinks 🍹

In short, Farzi Cafe is a big SCAM!

All 5 star reviews are fake as well. However, I truly appreciate their audacity to fool their customers. They assume that everyone who goes to their place can be made fools easily.

Let me explain:

They are full of cheap street level showmans. They play with a lot of smoke (liquid nitrogen) and a lot of unwanted design techniques. Distracting you from their cheap food, low quantity, and unrealistic price points.
Special note - the water bottles in your table - they will charge you 6$ each without even asking you.

Their servers are cunning in making you order unwanted items. He also pushed us for a 5 star review multiple times, to the point where many of us felt uncomfortable.

If you take pride in your intelligence level, I recommend to never visit to this place.

Cheers!

Tried this place for brunch and dinner, both times the food was great. Their sesame bread with honey butter is super delicious. The lamb was very juicy and not gamey at all. They also had Monday half price oysters that were very fresh and meaty. Highly recommend this place if you’re on the Ossington strip.

Had to think about this before posting and settled with a 4/5.

Service was exceptional. We had the prem tasting menu and definitely did not leave hungry.

Very smart combinations of cheap ingredients into flavorbombs. Ie Sunchoke super elevated to taste amazing. Noodle soup with 90 day rib etc.

Personal opinion - 1 star was taken away because of the repeated flavours and ingredients in the at least 2 of the dishes and non resturant made component's that were integrated into the dishes. Ie the chinese donut stick and the eggroll. Also for the use of truffle to elevate simple dishes like mashed potato, that one didn't sit right with me. It smelled great but flavor wise, nothing.

Atmosphere was great. Decently spaced tables.

Service was fantastic, except any cocktail or draft beer will entail a nice waiting time. Dishes came out as we finished the previous, and we did not feel rushed. They were able to advise on each dish and the components.

Some misc notables;

Tom yum custard, very smart combo

Sunchoke dumplings = amazing, never had such a combination before, this level of creativity was fantastic

Koi soy noodles looks impressive, although noodles were homemade it was not fresh (dried). Very salty, thank you for not flavouring the rib that much because it would had definitely been too much.

Fried rice star was just the XO sauce, rice itself was nothing out of the norm. Neutral, but offended by the use of truffle when the soy sauce was so dominant.

Roasted duck- really smart and great flavor!

Dessert- aloe sake, very smart and freshing combo. Eggroll did not do much for it except for the colour breakup of the plate.

I would reccomend to try the tasting menu once to be immersed for a decent spread of the resturants offerings.

Overall some very smart dishes and combinations

Came here for brunch and the food and drinks were delicious! The server recommended to share 2-3 dishes between the two of us and two dishes was the perfect amount. They gave us new sharing plates between dishes which I really appreciate. Service was friendly and fast and the atmosphere was bright and comfortable.

What an awesome find! We enjoyed our lunch here. Service was great; Peter was very helpful and attentive. The kids enjoyed their yummy meals. You can tell that the kitchen staff take pride in the food quality and presentation. We will be back.

My Americano ☕️ cup wasn’t filled up and when I asked them to fill the cup up to the top they didn’t care to do that.. Bad service, coffee wasn’t very good. I won’t be back here, I don’t recommend this coffee house. Lots of other places to choose from on Main.

Good brunch place!
We got three dishes because we thought two wouldn’t be enough, but they were very filling, probably as they are all mostly carbs.
They were all good food, but wasn’t impressive. A little hyped up in my opinion.

The service provided were good! Recommend making reservations.

The Don't Mind If I Do cocktail, which is Hendrick's gin, St Germain, lime juice, celery bitters, and egg white was perfectly mixed. Loved it.
Also enjoyed their negroni on happy hour menu for $10

Best club in city, compared to the other one in Ottawa I definitely love the vibe & energy here & everyone is extremely respectful.

I just want to give a special thanks to Wallid for making sure my people wear straight & always making sure my table was clean as well.

I can’t wait for tonight, because it’s gonna be a movie & I’m definitely telling everyone about this spot.

Can’t forget Rio & Menna was extremely helpful throughout the whole night

Perfect spot to grab a drink and a bite to eat from one of the food hall vendors. The cocktails were balanced and refreshing. Bartenders were attentive and very helpful with menu/drink questions.

Forecast coffee is a cafeteria that I liked because it has a different design from the others, and also has good coffee. The food leaves a bit to be desired and the place is a bit noisy. Is a good place to try it.

Bar Corso is a great spot for drinks and nibbles on the drive. Our server was excellent and friendly, and the vibe of the space is really cool. The cocktails were the highlight and paired well with the food options. I’ll definitely be back, especially for a winter bar evening.

Great coffee, average price for the neighbourhood however how they differ is they have cocktails and spirits. Also have designated seating for people with laptops vs. laptop tables.

I had so much fun this weekend at Hyde & Seek, the service was amazing & the people was amazing. Security was amazing they my friends feels safe & bartender was extremely polite. I love the music it was actually a whole vibe & I’m definitely coming back next weekend.

I can’t forget Sunday, was a whole vibe & everyone was extremely polite & the service was fast & amazing from the bottle service girl & busser also

I can’t wait for the next event!!

It was the first time going to DaiLo with much anticipation as it has been on my list for awhile now. Contrary to my anticipation, the food was unfortunately mediocre.

The overall review of the food: it was mentioned to be family style dishes however the food was presented individually per portion and separated out, this is not family style. The portion is most definitely not family style type of dishes, everything was quite small for the price. Most importantly, nothing was “wow” out of the 8 different dishes we tried which is very surprising, to not be impressed with even 1 dish. Even the simplest dishes like Chinese broccoli was bland, and overall everything was pretty bland which was disappointing. I am really unsure how the 5 star reviews that rave about the food came to be.. Judging by the 8 dishes we tried, the consensus was that they are way overpriced. If they were really good, then the price would be understandable but unfortunately this was not the case.

Service was great, servers were friendly and helpful with providing recommendations. Atmosphere was nothing special, I couldn’t recall anything particular about the restaurant.

It was a good experience as I’ve wanted to visit this restaurant for quite some time now, but sadly I would not go back or recommend to other people as nothing really stood out nor was memorable.

One of the best places to enjoy a casual meal at Commons. We enjoyed tacos, wine, beer and cocktails during the happy hour. The menu may be limited but pretty ok for the price and happy hours. Chicken tacos are delicious. Flat breads are perfectly made and a good enough portion for a quick snack. The house wines, red and white are average but not too bad for the price.

The place has nice modern funky decor so won't feel the place as a boring restaurant. Fun place overall for happy hour

My girlfriend and I went to this place for AfroBeats night. This was our first true night out in Vancouver since we've been in town for vacation. The bartenders and the overall vibe was great this was the best bar we went to in Vancouver. I would recommend anybody that's coming into town or anybody in general to come to this bar.

I would give the barman zero for customer service. On top of that drinks are expensive. Lots of bars that are way better nearby. Give it a missed

Their prix fix menu is a great deal! Food was fresh and made with local ingredients. The chicken liver pate was generous and their pork belly was cooked to perfection. Service was fast and friendly.

Bar staff is always friendly and always the best drinks!

Absolutely loved it!!
Ambience was top notch and food was too good!!
Highly recommend onion rings on sides !!
In main Nashville hot chicken Sammy was best! Spinach dip was mouthwatering!
Warm pretzels was bit ok in comparison to everything else!!
Also, vegan burger was way good than we thought!

I thank Conor to serving us very well!! He was really good with his work and also helped us to decide for the best dishes! His hospitality was amazing!!
Thank you! ✨

The food was quite good. Lamb Shank melt in the mouth, butter chicken hot and crispy and fish and chips were wonderful. Nachos were ok, the biscuit that came with he fish and chips were quite dry.

It is quite a bustling place in the evening and we were seated within minutes. The food took less than 30mins to arrive at the table. Busy place, took some time to get the server attention after the meal for our bill. A nice place to hang out for a drink amongst good company.

10/10 experience guaranteed. not only do they cater to the nightclub atmosphere, they’ve also just opened a smaller, more intimate venue in the front part of the club. they’ve recently launched a brunch menu exclusively on Sundays, with different chefs each week! The attached video was from their launch this past Sunday. I promise you, you won’t be disappointed!

I really liked the burger here, the place is no e and the staff is great! The burguers come alone you will have to order side dishes like fries or salads, overall good prices, you'll pay around 12 dollars for a burger.

We waited about 30 mins in line to get in on a Friday night, it was not even busy inside when we finally got in. Don't know why they were holding up the line. It seemed that if you knew the promoter or the security they let you cut the line and go right in. I guess they just want to keep a line outside to make them look busy. Eventually as the night went on, it did get busier inside. Bathrooms are absolutely disgusting, not clean and smell so bad. Drinks were okay. Only thing good was the music, they played afrobeats, hip-hop and dancehall.

Great late evening experience with a varied and appealing 'Late Happy Hour' food and drink menu. Patio is a wonderful spot to dine and watch the city go by. Server Janessa was a helpful, fun, and efficient final touch to our excellent experience.