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All About Toronto:
Places to lounge it up...
Lobby (193 Bloor Street West)On the World's Best Bars website (www.worldsbestbars.com), one excited reader says of Lobby: "The Lobby Lounge is by far the hottest spot in town. I travel to Toronto at least once a month to experience Lobby. The beautiful people, the to die for menu [sic] and the ambiance is certainly sexier than a Hugh Hef gig. Lobby lounge gets my vote for the hot spot to see and be seen." Does this guy work there? This seems to be the general consensus on Lobby, unless you abhor pretentious places with overpriced menus and will then probably hate it. Many people I knew had heard of Lobby (me not being one of them), but when it came down to actually going inside, their time was better spent elsewhere. Still, I was curious, and so on a birthday invite, I ventured down to the place to "see and be seen." After all, Russel Crowe was spotted having a nightcap there…but then again, Crowe is probably an alcoholic and will drink anywhere.
Lobby does have its share of pretty, well made-up people, but what got to me the most was its badly designed floor space. More specifically, its lack of seating areas. After an hour, all I wanted to do was push one of the pretty people off their pretty chair so I would have a place to rest my feet. Still, the place was nice inside, and I'm sure their washrooms were really pretty too, although I didn't have a chance to venture to the ladies' room. There's a very tiny roped-off V.I.P. section, if you can call it that, at the front of the room - where, I guess, you sit to "be seen." On a pretentious level, there really isn't much of that going around, although the crowd is a youngish L.A.-wannabe type. I did hear someone apologize for bumping into my friend, so that goes to show you that although there may be a façade, we are still Torontonians at heart. At the bar, a glass of regular ol' cabernet sauvignon (hey, I had to fit in somehow) cost me a cool $12.00. After that, we moved the party to a local (and way cheaper) pub down the street, lest I had to resort to sleeping with one of their black-clad bartenders to get another drink.
As far as atmosphere goes, Lobby does project a New York-vibe, but as far as enjoyment goes, it's just too narrow of a space to comfortably stand around without getting hit by someone's Prada bag. Better yet, save yourself some money and just kind of hover at the front of their tiny patio. You'll be "seen" for sure, at least by random passersby.
Hey Lucy! (295 King Street West)
Compared to Lobby, Hey Lucy! is its poor cousin. But what it lacks in expensive items, it more makes up for in its friendly and lively atmosphere. Located on the King Street/Spadina strip, sharing its block with the likes of The Red Tomato and Joe Mama's, the small restaurant and bar is a favourite among sun-seeking patio worshippers who don't want to pay an arm and a leg for dinner and drinks.
On weekdays, it's hard to get a seat unless you beat the after-work rush, who can sit on the patio hours on end enjoying moderately-priced drinks with gigantic off-the-menu salads or pizzas. The upstairs also has a patio (overlooking the building next door, but we'll overlook that), which fills up fast. On weekends, it's easier to get a drink after 10:00 PM as scenesters head off to clubs and other lounges in the area, but you have to move fast to beat the after-theatre crowd. In winter, though, the place is as dead as a fish out of water.
The appeal of Hey Lucy! is its pleasant staff, and an eclectic menu, comprised mostly of pizza and pasta that, on some occasions, veers off to east Indian- and Asian-inspired dishes. And hey, you can't go wrong with items priced from $9.00 to $24.00, and a place that will welcome you regardless of whether you wear your prettiest high heels or show up in running shoes and a muumuu. The best part of Hey Lucy! is its "Martini Wednesdays," which draws in regulars and newbies alike. Priced at $3.50 per martini (and offering a variety, from their signature Hey Lucy! to Godzilla to Jolly Rancher), it will hardly put a dent on your wallet. Word to the wise, though: on busy nights, make sure to sit by the bar or order you next drink as soon as you're served, or else you won't see the waitress until the next Groundhog Day.
Peel Pub (191 College Street, 275 King Street West)
There are tons of college and university bars in Toronto (The Madison springs to mind) but Peel Pub has always seemed like the place to go, even before I started attending university. The charm of Peel Pub is neither aesthetic nor hygienic. Its appeal lies solely on its cheap drinks, which (the staff and patrons hope) will get some college girl drunk in time for their wet t-shirt contest. After the popularity of the King Street West location, and a beer recycling scandal behind them, Peel Pub opened its doors on College Street (across the University of Toronto campus) in the hopes of drawing a similar drunken, money-dropping crowd. Unfortunately, the most success this newer location has had was packing its joint during the NHL play-offs. Still, their nine cent wing Sundays was a value that couldn't be beat.
But like most places that try too hard in the beginning, the value started dwindling. By last month, the wing "special" had ballooned to 25 cents a pop, and the service was beyond lacking. After leaving the Taste of the Danforth, Bee and I headed downtown for a little wing night. Upon ordering our wings and drinks, our waiter suddenly disappeared, and was replaced by a friendly, but scatter-brained, waitress, who only managed to get our drink orders right that night. Bee's 30-wing request magically turned into 20, and our wings were the size of paperclips. When he pointed out the blunder to the waitress, she promised that she would get him the ten owed wings, plus ten on the house. But again, quite magically, the ten on the house simply vanished. My order of fries and gravy (quite good, actually - one of the things I will say Peel Pub has going for them, and only $2.99 for a basketful) was totally forgotten, prompting the waitress to re-order them free of charge. We were more than chagrined by the time we left, and Bee, the self-appointed vigilante of bad service, sent an angry e-mail to the head offices in Montreal, the birthplace of this college bar franchise.
A day later, someone from the head office replied, and told Bee that the Peel Pub locations in Toronto were in violation of franchise regulations. More specifically, the Peel Pubs in Toronto were in no way affiliated with the Peel Pub franchise, and were in the process of being sued over their trademark infringement. Maybe that's why they feel they can get away with serving recycled beer or 100-year old chicken to its customers. Like most legal battles, this could take a while to settle, but in the mean time, be wary of the Peel Pub name.
Update: The Peel Pub location on King Street has since closed. It is now a Filthy McNasty's. The name's different, but the service is still the same though.
Café Diplomatico (594 College Street)
If you like people-watching without all the posing, then Little Italy may be the strip you've always been looking for. Stretching from Bathurst Street west to Ossington Street on College, the small neighbourhood is one of the oldest in Toronto, and most recently, one of the hippest. With time, the mostly Italian and Portuguese eateries expanded to include Japanese and French fares (try out Brasserie Aix at 584), just to name a few, but it is the bars and lounges that still keep the locals coming. Smack dab in the middle of it all is Café Diplomatico, one of the more down-to-earth bars in the neighbourhood. With its large side patio and affordable menu, it's a great alternative to club hopping on a Friday night or a pleasant way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon.
The mostly older crowd, some of them looking primed to be The Godfather extras, may make you feel at times like you've stepped into Easy & The Fifth, but with such a relaxed atmosphere, it's hard to not loosen up yourself. Be wary of the younger crowd that sometimes flocks to the patio on a summer weekday evening - you might feel like you're witnessing the birth of a boy band, or possibly having a chance encounter with Vittoria Gotti's sons. The staff varies in service; some of them are as sweet as peaches, while others might be too busy fixing their hair to notice you. Nevertheless, the wait for a seat on the patio or a refill of my drink is never longer than an average wait for a stall in the women's washroom (which, depending on where you are, will be minutes or hours).
The only thing that really needs work at Café Diplomatico is its washroom, located in the lower level of the building and only offering two minute, dungeon-like stalls for women. The basement itself oftentimes smells like it's been dunked in a sewer, and the hall will make you feel like you're unwillingly participating in a horror movie. Still, if you think you can hold it in long enough to enjoy this café, then take advantage of whatever warm days we have left, and mosey on down to the patio. ¤ C.Ho.