Since only complainers post about Toronto on here, how about something useful. I'll try to cater it to the locals as well as travelers as well, so disregard the time-specific events if you are just visiting.
City Vibe
A lot of people compare Toronto to Chicago, which I'll accept under the visual standards. It is slightly larger, however many aspects I would compare more to a laid back version of New York. It is the most diverse city in the world, with 230 nationalities and 51% non-Canadian born residents. It hosts the headquarters of the biggest 5 banks in Canada, as well as other large corporations such as Canadian Tire, Shoppers, and Rogers. It is a very safe city, and any part of the city I will be mentioning below can be walked to at any hour of the day. It houses one of the top ranked universities in the world, University of Toronto, as well as Ryerson University and York University (and a few other smaller schools). We also have 4 professional sports teams, 3 of which made it to at least the semi-finals this past year, and one which was the worst team in the league.
There is something for everyone in Toronto, although it's a pretty condensed city, each neighbourhood can be very different from the next. There are so many people coming alone to Toronto from different countries, I find it pretty easy to meet people. I recently went on a trip with 6 of my best friends from the city, with each us of born in a different country.
Women
You will find many posts on the forum complaining about the women in Toronto. Visually, there is nothing to complain about. Toronto is an extremely attractive city, and even as I travel to some of the likes of Eastern Europe, it's never a complete let down to get back home. There's a catch. Most Toronto guys have no game, and the women here know it. To use an overused PUA term, their bitch shields can be up here. Luckily, if you aren't from Toronto that doesn't apply. I normally let them know I am from the USA very early on in the conversations.
Since you have a 1/2 chance of meeting a non-Canadian, it helps to have traveled a bit so you can talk to the many foreigners that live here about their countries. You'll meet lots of French and Germans, as well as Australians, Brits, Ukrainians, and Russians. A lot of them are here on Visas, and you don't get nearly the amount of weekend tourists as the other big North American cities. I find it crazy how many people going to Niagara Falls but not Toronto.
It's not normally to hard to get Toronto girls into bed. There isn't a heavy religious influence here, and the women are highly independent. If it's not date 1, it's normally date 2.
I don't think game is too complicated in Toronto. The main thing is to talk to the women before you are incredibly drunk. The typical Canadian guy will wait til 1am to make an approach, and by that time he's normally pretty sloppy and it quickly becomes a shootout for the girls who aren't paired off by then. Asshole game can do well in the right neighborhoods and clubs (King West), but nice guy game does fine as long as you make moves. If you ask a foreign girl who has lived in Toronto about the guys here they will laugh, normally with some story about how they were talking to a guy and he didn't make a move.
Where to live/stay:
I would suggest the following corridor: West of Bathurst, South of Bloor, East of Jarvis. The best place for quality of women is going to be either Liberty Villiage or City Place. Rent will set you back about $1,600 for a one bedroom, or $2,300 for a 2 bedroom, as the buildings in these neighbourhoods are all relatively new with good amenities. There are older buildings in the above corridor which you can rent for around $1,100 for a one bedroom. The cheapest you'll be able to find would be $400-$500 for a crappy shared apartment. Girls are used to going home in uber/cabs here, so as long as you are in that relative area, you probably won't have any logistics issues.
If you are here for a weekend, best bet is to use AirBnb. There are 2 hostels downtown worth staying at if you are on a budget- The Planet Traveler -kensington market with an awesome rooftop, and the HI on Jarvis- Good location with a bar under it. Also, give Couchsurfing a try, there are a ton of hosts in the city.
Bars I like, by neighbourhood:
Kensington Market- Eclectic Hipstery Neighbourhood
Cold Tea- This is a speakeasy in Kensington Market that makes a perfect date spot. Expensive, but expertly made cocktails in an intimate setting. In the summer they throw Sunday-Fundays that can't be beat. They have a DJ, rotating restaurants supplying food each week, and a normally at capacity outdoor patio. It can be a hipster crowd, but there is always talent to be had there and I've seen some weird stuff go down.
The Boat- Fun, open dance venue. Great place to grab some drinks on the weekend, can be hit or miss but when it's good it's a fun night out.
Sneaky Dee's- Legendary place in Toronto known for cheap drinks and massive food plates. Downstairs can be tough to pick up since it is all seating, but upstairs is wide open. Busy on the weekends, but they also do karaoke nights, trivia nights, and host live bands.
Queen/King St West
Crocodile Rock- Cougar bar by weekend, but probably your best bet on a Wednesday night in Toronto. Cheap drinks, and lots of drunk students. The downstairs is probably the better of the 2 floors to pick up, but both can be alright. Gotta make your move early, it's a shit show by 12:30am.
Queen Street Warehouse- If you are a looking for party on an off night, this is going to be your last chance venue. It's a very hipster bar, but you can get the non hipster girls in her occasionally, sometimes those in the industry. Always fun music, girls dancing on bars, and generous bartenders. $5 food for everything on the menu.
Rockin' Horse Saloon - One of 2 country bars in Toronto. The talent here is always good, busy Thur-Sat. The mechanical bull and line dancing make for a fun vibe.
The Porch (summer only)- Amazing rooftop patio with a view of the CN tower. Expensive drinks and food, but great place to meet beautiful women and enjoy your summer nights.
Gracie O'Malley's - Irish pub with cheap drinks and a great student crowd. Really easy place to pick up and good looking 19-21 y/o sorority type girls. Live band alternating into a dj on the breaks. Student night on Thursday is a gold mine. I've gone here in a blazer after events before and it definitely helps with that crowd.
The Cameron House- Amazing date spot, live music every night of the week and never cover for the main room. Tough place to pull, but it can happen if you get lucky. If you aren't looking to pull but just want to have a fun night listening to live music, give this place a go.
Wide Open- Probably the cheapest place for drinks in Toronto. Small, skinny dive bar. Best bet here is to pop in for a drink to pregame at the beginning of the night. Sometimes there will be a couple girls to chat up. If not, the bartenders are normally good looking so enjoy that and move on.
Bar 244- This cheap club has $3 drinks on Saturday nights. Bar is typically really busy, 2 floors and lots of girls. Definitely worth a look.
The Drake- 3 level venue with 2 dance floors and a rooftop. Quality girls, good music. If you have some dance floor game this place can be really good. I do better meeting the girls outside of here, then walking back in with them.
Dog and Bear- I've done really well here in the past. If you don't get here early enough, you'll be stuck in line for a while. The women are typically good looking and the set up of the venue makes approaches easy. A lot of times we will got to The Ossington bar early, get a stamp, then head here until the Ossington gets busy.
Bier Markt-A beer menu that goes for ages, and live bands on the weekend. Great place to pick up, once again, normally a good crowd of girls but a lack of men hitting on them.
The Addisons- Not on King West, but close, this venue is set up to resemble a house party. The outdoor patio will have all sorts of games to play, and inside looks like a big house party, to the extent that they bring in free pizza for everyone throughout the night. Beautiful women, approachable, and easy to pull.
Oasis Rooftop (summer only)- This place brings out the best Toronto has to offer. Expensive drinks, but a fantastic place to have some Coronitas on a hot summer day. Good place to meet girls before heading somewhere else with them later in the night.
Bar Hop- Another great date spot. Awesome beer menu, intimate bar.
Underground Garage-[/i] If you want to go hard on a Monday, this is your best place. There will be some talent for sure, but you'll have to work for it. Weekends can be good too. Half bar, half dance floor, sketchy decorations.
UG3- A newish venue in Toronto, great for picking up. Here you get the King West girls that aren't slutting it up at the Clubs. It's a live music venue that's entirely open and easy to meet people. Good looking girls, fun music, and PBR tallboys on special. What more could you ask for?
Thompson Rooftop- You'll need to dress well for here, and sometimes the face control can be a bit strict. Top tier talent, and a pretty approachable venue with nice views of the city.
If you struck out on King Street West, don't give up yet. Thursdays outside Gracies you can easily pick up last minute on the street. Friday and Saturday Walk between Bathurst and John anywhere from 2-3am and you'll have an alright chance. Also, if you head to Smoke's Poutinery or Burrito Boyz, there will be a bunch of drunk people ordering food and waiting for their orders. Can't count the amount of times I have pulled from the above tactics.
The Gay Village-
Coming Soon: Bar Volo- Unfortunately this 20 year staple, and the perfect date spot in Toronto, had to close in October. They are reopening in the Village early next year. 32 beers on tap, and the candle lit atmosphere is perfect for dates. No chance at picking up there, seeing as it will be 10 couples on dates and maybe a couple guys have a beer.
Aside from that, if you have been out in a gay village, you'll know what to expect. The two best places here are 'Crews and Tango' and 'Woodys'. Also the after hours in the gay neighbourhood can be fruitful, but you'll have to ask around as to the location.
Note: Gay pride is probably the easiest weekend to get laid in Toronto. No straight guys, yet probably 30-40% women, tons of whom are straight and drunk with their guards lowered. First week of June.
The Junction- Charming, small-town feeling neighbourhood
Note- it's a pain in the ass to get to, you kind of have to commit to the night there. I'd recommend this if you are going for an all out date with a girl. You can visit the following bars in this order:
Indie Ale House- Brewery located on the corner where the bus drops you off. Awesome beer, some good snacks. The parm bacon popcorn is golden.
Hole in the Wall- Capacity 20 or so, the name basically says it all. Well made cocktails and pricey, but good food.
3030 Dundas West - Large, open bar with arcade games and live music on the weekends. Can definitely pick up here, but to go all the way out to find out it isn't busy would be an expensive mistake.
There are few other bars along this street. If you are doing the date night, just bounce around and hit whatever is busy.
The Annex- The Fratty, UT area
The Madison Pub- You will feel old here if you are older than 25. That's ok. It's a bunch of hot 19-21 year old students/sorority girls. It has endless rooms in a 3 story house, dance floor, piano bar, irish pub style bar with a live band, huge patio, you literally have no excuse in the venue because it has everything. My pickups normally happen in the piano bar, but upstairs can be good as well. Once again, make your move early, plant a ton of seeds, and bite when you have the chance because if you miss the window of opportunity, it's a shit show.
The Green Room- Busy Wed-Sat, this hidden bar is popular with students, and occasionally foreigners. Really cheap food. Logistics are weird for picking up since it's basically all seated, but on the busy nights there will be lots of people standing and it's normally a pretty relaxed crowd.
El Furniture Warehouse- Sister to QSW- If you are a looking for party on an off night, this is going to be your last chance venue. It's a very hipster bar, but you can get the non hipster girls in her occasionally, sometimes those in the industry. Always fun music, girls dancing on bars, and generous bartenders. $5 food for everything on the menu.
Ossington- Hipster cool
Get Well - this unique bar has a good beer menu and arcade games going all around the edge, all of which are free. Great first date spot as you can distract yourselves a bit with some friend competition on the arcade games. Also, wed-sat there are opportunities to pick up here. There may only be a handful of girls, but no competition.
The Ossington- Great place to pick up on Fri and Sat ($5 cover). Front half is a bar, where you can easily talk to girls. Back half is a club to bring the girls back to dance, or if you have good dance floor game you can make some moves.
Dakota Tavern- This small live music venue is normally busy on the weekends. It's a bit of a roll of the dice on picking up, but I have a few times before and worst case is you a pay a little cover and enjoy some good bands. It wasn't too long ago the Strumbellas were doing a residency there.
Communists Daughter -I always take dates here when I'm bar hopping on the Ossington. Capacity is about 15, friend bartenders, cheap drinks. Quirky events ranging from Russian story telling, to bring your own record night, to this band that plays songs on Saws and slinkys. Definitely not a pick up spot.
Baby Huey's - This recently relocated bar can be great to pick up. Top tier talent, busy on the weekends. They do industry night on Monday which can be decent as well.
Bellwoods Brewery- Not the perfect place to pick up- but it can be done on the patio or in the line up. Always a busy place, great place to get the juices flowing to a delicious beer.
Little Italy
Track and Field- Definitely on of the best in Toronto for bar game. They have 2 bocce ball fields and 2 shuffleboards. Can be busy Wed-Sat, and normally a more King West crowd, but not the pretentious types. Good DJs, good cocktails, and normally quite a few options of girls. Line can be bad, so it wouldn't hurt to get there before 10 to get a stamp.
El Convento Rico- Although it is a very gay friendly bar, some of my friends swear upon this place. Probably helps a lot to have some dancing abilities, but if you are looking for hot latin women, apparently this place is golden.
This is another neighbourhood you can just bar hop around it. Hit or miss depending on the night.
The Danforth- Greektown
Only Cafe- This divey beer is situated under a hostel, which helps with the international cards. There will be quite a few old people there, but sometimes you'll get lucky. They do 4 2-day beer fests every year, which are typically great, not only for girls but for your wallet.
I'm not going to get into to others on the Danforth, but there are a ton. The best week out here is the first week of August, where 2.5 million people come out to the Danforth Festival.
Queen Street East
Boots and Bourbon- Another one of my favorites for picking up in Toronto. Busy Thur-Sat. Country girls, live music, and easy to approach. Lot's of my Toronto pulls have come from here. The bar area is where I do the best, but the dance floor routinely has groups of 2-4 girls dancing with no guys attempting.
You can check Prohibition as well, but I normally stick to Boots if I come over here.
Yorkville- Fanciest neighbourhood
This neighborhood is where you will find the celebrities hanging out in Toronto. There are ok bars- Hemingways, Proof, but I don't normally go out of my way to go out here.
Day by Day Recommendations:
Sunday- Cold Tea (summer)
Monday- Baby Hueys, Underground Garage
Tuesday- Queen Street Warehouse
Wednesday- Crocodile Rock, Fiction
Thursday- Any, but for students- Gracey O'Mallies and Madison Pub
Friday- Any
Saturday- Any
Some other events/places to consider:
AGO First Thursdays- tickets sell out to this, great spot for the artsy people. Starts again in February
ROM Friday nights- drinks and dinosaurs with music, how cool is that. Starts again in February
Ward's Island Beach or The Beaches/Ashbridges Bay on a Saturday/Sunday in the summer- At around 1 or 2 in the afternoon, the families leave and the hungover 20s and 30s come in. They aren't strict on drinking and it's quite social. My last trip out there was a SDL I brought home, as well as another lay 2 days later with an Aussie girl I met the same day. Be social and bring a speaker and a bunch of beer.
Lawns seats at the Molson Amphitheater to Country shows in the summer- Hot girls like country music. And these shows will be about 65% women from my experience. Try it once, you'll be hooked.
iYellow wine club- This untapped resource in Toronto was so overrun with women that the employees were required to start inviting single guys to the events. They normally throw about 6 events a year and $45 will get you all you can drink wine plus some food for about 3 hours. 30s is the average age, so don't be expecting many students or anything.
Couchsurfing- The CS meetups in Toronto are a bit on the weak end with regards to girls, but set your place up to host. It is an endless stream of cute au pairs requesting to stay with you for the weekend.
Toronto Beer Festival- This event is too easy. It's a joke. Just go, and go again Saturday, and go Sunday too.
Boots and Hearts Festival- This is probably the 4th or 5th time I've mentioned country girls on here, but Boobs and Darts is a whole different machine. Imagine camping with 15k girls dressed in tanktops, booty shorts and cowboy boots that start drinking at 10am for 3 days straight. Last time we went, between 4 of us we slept with 13 girls. Honorable Mention - WayHome festival
Distillery District Christmas Market- One of the top Christmas markets in the world, this is an really good place to chat up girls. There are some sectioned off areas where you can grab mulled wine as well. Easiest conversation starter is to ask them to take a picture or offer to take a picture.
Suits and Staches, Boobyball - These galas will have the girls looking their best. Tickets are cheap, but it's open bar all night long.
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If anyone has Tuesday night advice let me know, I'm at a loss.
Also, would be great if another local who goes to the clubs would add to this data sheet- ie Cube, Muzik, Union, Coda, Nest- not my scene.
City Vibe
A lot of people compare Toronto to Chicago, which I'll accept under the visual standards. It is slightly larger, however many aspects I would compare more to a laid back version of New York. It is the most diverse city in the world, with 230 nationalities and 51% non-Canadian born residents. It hosts the headquarters of the biggest 5 banks in Canada, as well as other large corporations such as Canadian Tire, Shoppers, and Rogers. It is a very safe city, and any part of the city I will be mentioning below can be walked to at any hour of the day. It houses one of the top ranked universities in the world, University of Toronto, as well as Ryerson University and York University (and a few other smaller schools). We also have 4 professional sports teams, 3 of which made it to at least the semi-finals this past year, and one which was the worst team in the league.
There is something for everyone in Toronto, although it's a pretty condensed city, each neighbourhood can be very different from the next. There are so many people coming alone to Toronto from different countries, I find it pretty easy to meet people. I recently went on a trip with 6 of my best friends from the city, with each us of born in a different country.
Women
You will find many posts on the forum complaining about the women in Toronto. Visually, there is nothing to complain about. Toronto is an extremely attractive city, and even as I travel to some of the likes of Eastern Europe, it's never a complete let down to get back home. There's a catch. Most Toronto guys have no game, and the women here know it. To use an overused PUA term, their bitch shields can be up here. Luckily, if you aren't from Toronto that doesn't apply. I normally let them know I am from the USA very early on in the conversations.
Since you have a 1/2 chance of meeting a non-Canadian, it helps to have traveled a bit so you can talk to the many foreigners that live here about their countries. You'll meet lots of French and Germans, as well as Australians, Brits, Ukrainians, and Russians. A lot of them are here on Visas, and you don't get nearly the amount of weekend tourists as the other big North American cities. I find it crazy how many people going to Niagara Falls but not Toronto.
It's not normally to hard to get Toronto girls into bed. There isn't a heavy religious influence here, and the women are highly independent. If it's not date 1, it's normally date 2.
I don't think game is too complicated in Toronto. The main thing is to talk to the women before you are incredibly drunk. The typical Canadian guy will wait til 1am to make an approach, and by that time he's normally pretty sloppy and it quickly becomes a shootout for the girls who aren't paired off by then. Asshole game can do well in the right neighborhoods and clubs (King West), but nice guy game does fine as long as you make moves. If you ask a foreign girl who has lived in Toronto about the guys here they will laugh, normally with some story about how they were talking to a guy and he didn't make a move.
Where to live/stay:
I would suggest the following corridor: West of Bathurst, South of Bloor, East of Jarvis. The best place for quality of women is going to be either Liberty Villiage or City Place. Rent will set you back about $1,600 for a one bedroom, or $2,300 for a 2 bedroom, as the buildings in these neighbourhoods are all relatively new with good amenities. There are older buildings in the above corridor which you can rent for around $1,100 for a one bedroom. The cheapest you'll be able to find would be $400-$500 for a crappy shared apartment. Girls are used to going home in uber/cabs here, so as long as you are in that relative area, you probably won't have any logistics issues.
If you are here for a weekend, best bet is to use AirBnb. There are 2 hostels downtown worth staying at if you are on a budget- The Planet Traveler -kensington market with an awesome rooftop, and the HI on Jarvis- Good location with a bar under it. Also, give Couchsurfing a try, there are a ton of hosts in the city.
Bars I like, by neighbourhood:
Kensington Market- Eclectic Hipstery Neighbourhood
Cold Tea- This is a speakeasy in Kensington Market that makes a perfect date spot. Expensive, but expertly made cocktails in an intimate setting. In the summer they throw Sunday-Fundays that can't be beat. They have a DJ, rotating restaurants supplying food each week, and a normally at capacity outdoor patio. It can be a hipster crowd, but there is always talent to be had there and I've seen some weird stuff go down.
The Boat- Fun, open dance venue. Great place to grab some drinks on the weekend, can be hit or miss but when it's good it's a fun night out.
Sneaky Dee's- Legendary place in Toronto known for cheap drinks and massive food plates. Downstairs can be tough to pick up since it is all seating, but upstairs is wide open. Busy on the weekends, but they also do karaoke nights, trivia nights, and host live bands.
Queen/King St West
Crocodile Rock- Cougar bar by weekend, but probably your best bet on a Wednesday night in Toronto. Cheap drinks, and lots of drunk students. The downstairs is probably the better of the 2 floors to pick up, but both can be alright. Gotta make your move early, it's a shit show by 12:30am.
Queen Street Warehouse- If you are a looking for party on an off night, this is going to be your last chance venue. It's a very hipster bar, but you can get the non hipster girls in her occasionally, sometimes those in the industry. Always fun music, girls dancing on bars, and generous bartenders. $5 food for everything on the menu.
Rockin' Horse Saloon - One of 2 country bars in Toronto. The talent here is always good, busy Thur-Sat. The mechanical bull and line dancing make for a fun vibe.
The Porch (summer only)- Amazing rooftop patio with a view of the CN tower. Expensive drinks and food, but great place to meet beautiful women and enjoy your summer nights.
Gracie O'Malley's - Irish pub with cheap drinks and a great student crowd. Really easy place to pick up and good looking 19-21 y/o sorority type girls. Live band alternating into a dj on the breaks. Student night on Thursday is a gold mine. I've gone here in a blazer after events before and it definitely helps with that crowd.
The Cameron House- Amazing date spot, live music every night of the week and never cover for the main room. Tough place to pull, but it can happen if you get lucky. If you aren't looking to pull but just want to have a fun night listening to live music, give this place a go.
Wide Open- Probably the cheapest place for drinks in Toronto. Small, skinny dive bar. Best bet here is to pop in for a drink to pregame at the beginning of the night. Sometimes there will be a couple girls to chat up. If not, the bartenders are normally good looking so enjoy that and move on.
Bar 244- This cheap club has $3 drinks on Saturday nights. Bar is typically really busy, 2 floors and lots of girls. Definitely worth a look.
The Drake- 3 level venue with 2 dance floors and a rooftop. Quality girls, good music. If you have some dance floor game this place can be really good. I do better meeting the girls outside of here, then walking back in with them.
Dog and Bear- I've done really well here in the past. If you don't get here early enough, you'll be stuck in line for a while. The women are typically good looking and the set up of the venue makes approaches easy. A lot of times we will got to The Ossington bar early, get a stamp, then head here until the Ossington gets busy.
Bier Markt-A beer menu that goes for ages, and live bands on the weekend. Great place to pick up, once again, normally a good crowd of girls but a lack of men hitting on them.
The Addisons- Not on King West, but close, this venue is set up to resemble a house party. The outdoor patio will have all sorts of games to play, and inside looks like a big house party, to the extent that they bring in free pizza for everyone throughout the night. Beautiful women, approachable, and easy to pull.
Oasis Rooftop (summer only)- This place brings out the best Toronto has to offer. Expensive drinks, but a fantastic place to have some Coronitas on a hot summer day. Good place to meet girls before heading somewhere else with them later in the night.
Bar Hop- Another great date spot. Awesome beer menu, intimate bar.
Underground Garage-[/i] If you want to go hard on a Monday, this is your best place. There will be some talent for sure, but you'll have to work for it. Weekends can be good too. Half bar, half dance floor, sketchy decorations.
UG3- A newish venue in Toronto, great for picking up. Here you get the King West girls that aren't slutting it up at the Clubs. It's a live music venue that's entirely open and easy to meet people. Good looking girls, fun music, and PBR tallboys on special. What more could you ask for?
Thompson Rooftop- You'll need to dress well for here, and sometimes the face control can be a bit strict. Top tier talent, and a pretty approachable venue with nice views of the city.
If you struck out on King Street West, don't give up yet. Thursdays outside Gracies you can easily pick up last minute on the street. Friday and Saturday Walk between Bathurst and John anywhere from 2-3am and you'll have an alright chance. Also, if you head to Smoke's Poutinery or Burrito Boyz, there will be a bunch of drunk people ordering food and waiting for their orders. Can't count the amount of times I have pulled from the above tactics.
The Gay Village-
Coming Soon: Bar Volo- Unfortunately this 20 year staple, and the perfect date spot in Toronto, had to close in October. They are reopening in the Village early next year. 32 beers on tap, and the candle lit atmosphere is perfect for dates. No chance at picking up there, seeing as it will be 10 couples on dates and maybe a couple guys have a beer.
Aside from that, if you have been out in a gay village, you'll know what to expect. The two best places here are 'Crews and Tango' and 'Woodys'. Also the after hours in the gay neighbourhood can be fruitful, but you'll have to ask around as to the location.
Note: Gay pride is probably the easiest weekend to get laid in Toronto. No straight guys, yet probably 30-40% women, tons of whom are straight and drunk with their guards lowered. First week of June.
The Junction- Charming, small-town feeling neighbourhood
Note- it's a pain in the ass to get to, you kind of have to commit to the night there. I'd recommend this if you are going for an all out date with a girl. You can visit the following bars in this order:
Indie Ale House- Brewery located on the corner where the bus drops you off. Awesome beer, some good snacks. The parm bacon popcorn is golden.
Hole in the Wall- Capacity 20 or so, the name basically says it all. Well made cocktails and pricey, but good food.
3030 Dundas West - Large, open bar with arcade games and live music on the weekends. Can definitely pick up here, but to go all the way out to find out it isn't busy would be an expensive mistake.
There are few other bars along this street. If you are doing the date night, just bounce around and hit whatever is busy.
The Annex- The Fratty, UT area
The Madison Pub- You will feel old here if you are older than 25. That's ok. It's a bunch of hot 19-21 year old students/sorority girls. It has endless rooms in a 3 story house, dance floor, piano bar, irish pub style bar with a live band, huge patio, you literally have no excuse in the venue because it has everything. My pickups normally happen in the piano bar, but upstairs can be good as well. Once again, make your move early, plant a ton of seeds, and bite when you have the chance because if you miss the window of opportunity, it's a shit show.
The Green Room- Busy Wed-Sat, this hidden bar is popular with students, and occasionally foreigners. Really cheap food. Logistics are weird for picking up since it's basically all seated, but on the busy nights there will be lots of people standing and it's normally a pretty relaxed crowd.
El Furniture Warehouse- Sister to QSW- If you are a looking for party on an off night, this is going to be your last chance venue. It's a very hipster bar, but you can get the non hipster girls in her occasionally, sometimes those in the industry. Always fun music, girls dancing on bars, and generous bartenders. $5 food for everything on the menu.
Ossington- Hipster cool
Get Well - this unique bar has a good beer menu and arcade games going all around the edge, all of which are free. Great first date spot as you can distract yourselves a bit with some friend competition on the arcade games. Also, wed-sat there are opportunities to pick up here. There may only be a handful of girls, but no competition.
The Ossington- Great place to pick up on Fri and Sat ($5 cover). Front half is a bar, where you can easily talk to girls. Back half is a club to bring the girls back to dance, or if you have good dance floor game you can make some moves.
Dakota Tavern- This small live music venue is normally busy on the weekends. It's a bit of a roll of the dice on picking up, but I have a few times before and worst case is you a pay a little cover and enjoy some good bands. It wasn't too long ago the Strumbellas were doing a residency there.
Communists Daughter -I always take dates here when I'm bar hopping on the Ossington. Capacity is about 15, friend bartenders, cheap drinks. Quirky events ranging from Russian story telling, to bring your own record night, to this band that plays songs on Saws and slinkys. Definitely not a pick up spot.
Baby Huey's - This recently relocated bar can be great to pick up. Top tier talent, busy on the weekends. They do industry night on Monday which can be decent as well.
Bellwoods Brewery- Not the perfect place to pick up- but it can be done on the patio or in the line up. Always a busy place, great place to get the juices flowing to a delicious beer.
Little Italy
Track and Field- Definitely on of the best in Toronto for bar game. They have 2 bocce ball fields and 2 shuffleboards. Can be busy Wed-Sat, and normally a more King West crowd, but not the pretentious types. Good DJs, good cocktails, and normally quite a few options of girls. Line can be bad, so it wouldn't hurt to get there before 10 to get a stamp.
El Convento Rico- Although it is a very gay friendly bar, some of my friends swear upon this place. Probably helps a lot to have some dancing abilities, but if you are looking for hot latin women, apparently this place is golden.
This is another neighbourhood you can just bar hop around it. Hit or miss depending on the night.
The Danforth- Greektown
Only Cafe- This divey beer is situated under a hostel, which helps with the international cards. There will be quite a few old people there, but sometimes you'll get lucky. They do 4 2-day beer fests every year, which are typically great, not only for girls but for your wallet.
I'm not going to get into to others on the Danforth, but there are a ton. The best week out here is the first week of August, where 2.5 million people come out to the Danforth Festival.
Queen Street East
Boots and Bourbon- Another one of my favorites for picking up in Toronto. Busy Thur-Sat. Country girls, live music, and easy to approach. Lot's of my Toronto pulls have come from here. The bar area is where I do the best, but the dance floor routinely has groups of 2-4 girls dancing with no guys attempting.
You can check Prohibition as well, but I normally stick to Boots if I come over here.
Yorkville- Fanciest neighbourhood
This neighborhood is where you will find the celebrities hanging out in Toronto. There are ok bars- Hemingways, Proof, but I don't normally go out of my way to go out here.
Day by Day Recommendations:
Sunday- Cold Tea (summer)
Monday- Baby Hueys, Underground Garage
Tuesday- Queen Street Warehouse
Wednesday- Crocodile Rock, Fiction
Thursday- Any, but for students- Gracey O'Mallies and Madison Pub
Friday- Any
Saturday- Any
Some other events/places to consider:
AGO First Thursdays- tickets sell out to this, great spot for the artsy people. Starts again in February
ROM Friday nights- drinks and dinosaurs with music, how cool is that. Starts again in February
Ward's Island Beach or The Beaches/Ashbridges Bay on a Saturday/Sunday in the summer- At around 1 or 2 in the afternoon, the families leave and the hungover 20s and 30s come in. They aren't strict on drinking and it's quite social. My last trip out there was a SDL I brought home, as well as another lay 2 days later with an Aussie girl I met the same day. Be social and bring a speaker and a bunch of beer.
Lawns seats at the Molson Amphitheater to Country shows in the summer- Hot girls like country music. And these shows will be about 65% women from my experience. Try it once, you'll be hooked.
iYellow wine club- This untapped resource in Toronto was so overrun with women that the employees were required to start inviting single guys to the events. They normally throw about 6 events a year and $45 will get you all you can drink wine plus some food for about 3 hours. 30s is the average age, so don't be expecting many students or anything.
Couchsurfing- The CS meetups in Toronto are a bit on the weak end with regards to girls, but set your place up to host. It is an endless stream of cute au pairs requesting to stay with you for the weekend.
Toronto Beer Festival- This event is too easy. It's a joke. Just go, and go again Saturday, and go Sunday too.
Boots and Hearts Festival- This is probably the 4th or 5th time I've mentioned country girls on here, but Boobs and Darts is a whole different machine. Imagine camping with 15k girls dressed in tanktops, booty shorts and cowboy boots that start drinking at 10am for 3 days straight. Last time we went, between 4 of us we slept with 13 girls. Honorable Mention - WayHome festival
Distillery District Christmas Market- One of the top Christmas markets in the world, this is an really good place to chat up girls. There are some sectioned off areas where you can grab mulled wine as well. Easiest conversation starter is to ask them to take a picture or offer to take a picture.
Suits and Staches, Boobyball - These galas will have the girls looking their best. Tickets are cheap, but it's open bar all night long.
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If anyone has Tuesday night advice let me know, I'm at a loss.
Also, would be great if another local who goes to the clubs would add to this data sheet- ie Cube, Muzik, Union, Coda, Nest- not my scene.