Civil Liberties is a bar in The Annex, Toronto.
Civil Liberties on Bloor at Ossington runs a no-menu speakeasy since 2014, bartenders mixing drinks to your taste in an industrial-vibe back room.
Must order: Tell the bartender three flavours you like and let them mix.
Food program: Bar snacks only
Tip: No menu by design. The door at 878 has no signage; ring the bell. Late nights until 02:00.
Address: 878 Bloor Street W, Toronto, ON M6G 1M5
Dreyfus on Harbord is the Annex's reference cocktail and natural-wine bar since 2018, chef Zach Kolomeir's small-plate kitchen under 50 seats.
Signature drink: Mediterranean spritzes, Beaujolais by the glass
Food: Mediterranean snacks and pasta
Order: A spritz and the cured fish board.
Tip: Closed Mondays. Sister to Bar Mordecai on Dundas West. The chairs at the bar take walk-ins.
Cocktail Bar on Dundas West is Jen Agg's drink room since 2013, the menu split seasonal, bold, citrusy, liquor forward and wild cards, sister to Grey Gardens.
Signature drink: Seasonal cocktail rotation
Food: Snacks from Grey Gardens sister kitchen
Order: Whatever the bar manager David Greig is excited about that night.
Tip: Closed Mondays. Snacks from Grey Gardens kitchen run light. Bar seats walk in; tables on Resy.
BarChef on Queen West is Frankie Solarik's modernist cocktail bar since 2008, theatrical drinks with dry ice, smoked glass domes and botanical foams.
Signature drink: Smoked Manhattan, Abstract Ice
Food: Bar snacks only
Order: The signature smoked Manhattan presented under a glass dome.
Tip: Reservations recommended; cocktails run $25 to $50. Closed Monday.
Mahjong Bar on Dundas West pours Asian-inspired cocktails behind a Vietnamese sandwich-shop facade since 2016, a speakeasy through the back door.
Signature drink: Asian-inspired cocktails
Food: Vietnamese small plates
Order: A Pandan Highball with the bahn mi sliders.
Tip: Enter through the sandwich shop; the back door opens after 19:00. Reservations on Resy.
Dreyfus on Harbord is the Annex's reference cocktail and natural-wine bar since 2018, chef Zach Kolomeir's small-plate kitchen under 50 seats.
Signature drink: Mediterranean spritzes, Beaujolais by the glass
Food: Mediterranean snacks and pasta
Order: A spritz and the cured fish board.
Tip: Closed Mondays. Sister to Bar Mordecai on Dundas West. The chairs at the bar take walk-ins.
Pinkerton's Snack Bar on Gerrard East is the city's reference snack-and-cocktail dive since 2017, owner Marc Baglio's pan-Asian plates and drinks.
Signature drink: House cocktail rotation
Food: Pan-Asian snack bar
Order: A house cocktail with the bao buns and crispy rice.
Tip: Walk-ins only. Closed Monday. Late nights to 02:00 Friday and Saturday.
The Communist's Daughter on Dundas at Ossington is the strip's reference dive bar since 2003, a former Portuguese diner with low ceilings and cheap beer.
Signature drink: Beer and a shot, well drinks
Food: Bar snacks
Order: A pint of local lager with a shot of rye.
Tip: Cash preferred under $10. Late kitchen has frozen pizzas after 22:00.
