Hey guys, me and a few buddies are coming to Toronto from Eastern Canada on Thursday to catch the weekend games vs. Anaheim and Washington.
We have a lot of plans made about where we want to go. However I'm still open for suggestions as most of you guys obviously know Toronto a lot better than I do. We're staying at the Ramada Downtown so we're pretty close to a lot of the places we want to go and see.
Any suggestions about what to do and see would be great from you guys, specifically what clubs/bars would you guys suggest for a few University kids after the games? We're planing to go to Real Sports one night, but the other nights are definitely open for discussion. Any help would be great. Thanks!
1. The Loose Moose is a good bar/pub to go for a drink or 2 pre- or post-game. It's about a 5 minute walk from the ACC and Union Station.
2. I'm not sure what kind of music you and your friends like, but here's a short guide to clubs and popular bars:
- Tattoo Rock Parlour (Queen and Bathurst): play newer rock, and the big hits from 90's (they play the fun, upbeat rock songs, not the harder, more serious stuff) Fun club, with good atmosphere and usually a lot of good looking girls at the university age. I'm not a big clubber but I usually have a blast there. Finally, it's not uncommon to see Leafs and Raptors there on the weekends.
- Grace O'Meiley's (King and University): Popular bar for upper-year university students and recent grads. Good atmosphere with a big dance floor. They usually have a live band that plays popular cover songs all night. It can get really busy on a Friday/Saturday night, so might be a line if you get there after 11:30. It's a fun place to finish the night.
- Madison's Pub (Bloor and Spadina): One of the most popular pubs in Toronto. It's two old, three-story houses that have been converted into a giant pub. It doesn't offer more than your typical pub, but it's a busy place, and usually a decent crowd. I remember it being rated as one of the best places to meet singles a few years ago, but not sure about these days. I usually like to go for a beer or two there and then go somewhere else.
- There are lots of good bars/pubs along Bloor Street between Spadina and Bathurst. You can just walk along and pick one for yourself. It's generally a university crowd since it's a popular area for U of T and Ryerson students to live during the school year.
- Entertainment district/club district (Borders Spadina and University on the east and west side, and Richmond and King on the north and south): Almost all of the major clubs are in this district. Once you are in the area you will see a ton of people lined up for places, so you'll know when you are close. I really don't go to many clubs so I'm not sure which ones are best these days. This is a good site for club info and reviews:
http://www.clubcrawlers.com/
In general, most of the top bars, restaurants and clubs are just west of Yonge St. There are a lot of brand name restaurants and stuff around the ACC, but I doubt you are coming Toronto for the same things you can get back home. I'd suggest College West for great Italian restaurants, and the Danforth for amazing Greek food. I'd suggest getting a TTC day pass ($9) and hit the better areas of Toronto. They're all only a 5-10 minute TTC ride from the downtown core.
One more suggestion: Real Sports Bar is cool place to check out, but there is nothing special about it after the initial shock value of it being so big. It's just a typical sports bar with overprice drinks and food, and not a great crowd for younger guys looking to have a fun in a great city. I'd definitely suggest checking it out, but it's not worth spending an entire night there, especially if you want to have some fun and meet some ladies
