The chandeliers glow and reflect in the stainless- steel bar of the Beaconsfield, which is within staggering distance of the Drake. Housed in a former bank building, it's a...

This old townhouse is one of the more civilised drinking establishments in the Annex. The bar gets plenty of the university trade in the shape of graduate students sipping...

This British-style pub has one of the largest and best patios in the city: thanks to a parking lot across the street, it gets plenty of afternoon sunshine. The Bull used to be...

The half-timbered front suggests Ye Olde England, and inside, homesick Brits and Anglophiles gather for the real ale (including 27 locally made microbrews). Try the Arkell Best...

This cosy subterranean bar is a beer drinker's delight, offering 40 brews on tap, including the house's own hemp ale and coffee porter. Linger over backgammon, Scrabble, darts...

Denim-clad drinkers down bourbon and listen to country music in this appealingly shabby bar. There's a band playing most Saturday nights, and a honky-tonk Sunday matinée.

Old-cool and new-school Queen Street mix in this dark, friendly bar. Artists and musicians haunt the former flophouse, gaining inspiration from the faded ceiling murals, cheap...

Canoe is a Toronto showpiece, both for the lofty setting and superlative cuisine. It's also a favourite with the CEOs who toil in the concrete canyons of Bay Street: they...

Dundas West has a few quietly hip bars, and Chelsea Room is a gem. You could easily miss this gently lit space, but it's worth seeking out for its (tiny) patio, brightly tiled...

Standard pub grub - pasta, curry and so forth - plus lots of draught beer and a great patio facing north (so you get a view of who's coming into the ghetto - as opposed to...

Exposed brick and dark wood set the tone for this old favourite. Less formal than some of its swanky neighbours, it's still a place where the young and fashionable come to see...

Comfort is the last thing you'll find at this party after the after-party. It's essentially a dingy basement where people crash on the pool tables - but it is nonetheless a...

Tucked away among the area's macho Portuguese soccer bars and Catholic churches, this tiny bustling bar is as unpretentious as its surrounding neighbourhood, but somehow very...

A motley crowd of dykes and queens mingles in these Victorian houses. Entertainment ranges from drag to dancing to karaoke, and the vibe is down to earth. Expect queues on...