Top live music joint in the TO. There is live music in the front and sometimes a cover charge for…read morethe band in the back. Friendly service , affordable dranks and always fun music.

The Cameron House is exactly as advertised. It is not trying to be anything more than a memory of…read morewhat Queen West used to be. If you have any interest in experiencing a call back of old-Toronto then you should stop in for a pint or two. But, be sure to bring cash because they don't accept anything but. A throw back to a before-time that is all part of the experience. Don't go looking for a place to sit down either; but there's enough wall space for everyone to lean against.

Such a fun bar! Drinks are cheap…read more The music is great. The staff is friendly. I had a blassssst being here and will definitely come back

This place rulessss. Great bartender (Zack) and the ambience is perfect for a Saturday afternoon…read more Highly recommend!

This is probably one of my favorite music venues it's the place to be in Toronto…read moreWalking in the bar area is just really cool and then you go back to where the actual stage is and you just don't expect a whole other room. The stage is super small which really makes the experience better in my opinion. It feels so much more intimate with the band. I've had so many good nights here Like that they have a bunch of sitting areas with tables right behind a standing area in front of the stage. Saw and fell in love with many bands here and many more to see in the future hopefully

If your standard for live music involves walking through a metal detector to enter a sterile,…read moremulti-tiered corporate sports arena - where you sit in a numbered plastic seat, look at a massive digital screen because you are half a mile from the artist, and pay forty dollars for a warm, low-bitrate lager in a branded plastic cup - stay on the Gardiner Expressway. You are a consumer of commercialized culture. You are participating in the systematic flattening of the sonic experience.

Very fun place in the middle of Queen St. We stopped in for late lunch after learning about the…read moreRivoli in the movie "Nirvanna, the band, the show, the movie". We were greeted very warmly by the wait staff and seated at one of the indoor tables. We each got delicious burgers and split an order of Wookie Balls. Everything was perfectly done right down to the lightly grilled brioche bun. The pool room upstairs is really cool too. Lots of history in the place but still feels clean and cared for. Everyone was so nice that we encountered. Can't wait for our next visit.

In late October, on a Sunday, I had lunch with a few friends at Rivoli Toronto, an iconic venue…read morenear the downtown core. I had a great time. I parked on Queen Street West. It's Green P parking. I recommend paying for parking through the Green P app if you need to add more time. When you walk in, there's a flight of stairs and a main floor: - The main floor has a restaurant, bars, and Back Room for concerts - The second floor has a full bar, stage, pool tables, and arcade games I entered the main floor. I was greeted by John, the owner. He was super nice and hospitable, leading me to where my friends were. We were a party of six. Main floor We feasted. We got a lot of food. We divided, shared, and conquered. We ended up boxing leftovers home. I ordered a Diet Coke. It was cold and perfect. I ended up getting another one later on. Balls menu The balls menu consists of appetizers that are sharable with friends. I can also see having a few for yourself to enjoy. It's good finger food eats if you want variety or something lighter, especially before a show. We enjoyed the following ballsy items: - Wookie balls - Beefy Danish balls (frikadeller) - Fish ball fusion - D'oh balls - Garlic mashed potato All the balls were scrumptious and filling. The Wookie balls are one of the Rivoli's signature items. They are rice balls with mirin, sesame oil, and herbs, coated in black and white sesame seeds. They were crunchy and yummy. The beefy Danish and garlic mashed potato balls are comfort in ball form. I dream of this combo still. I was fortunate to have been invited into the kitchen, to check out where these talented chefs make all their food creations. Every order is made fresh. I could tell how much these chefs love what they do. They cooked and plated everything so effortlessly and with such precision. It was impressive! I got to see them make these offerings for us: - Blackened burger - Korean chicken lettuce wraps They were delicious and full of flavour. You can get the lettuce wraps made with veggies if you're vegan. Noodles We got the vegetarian pesto linguini. I loved the roasted red pepper and garlic cloves, with pesto that was fresh and bright. You can also get this dish with chicken. Rivoli's classic pad thai has been a staple since Rivoli opened in 1982. Pan-seared chicken and shrimp are your proteins. Egg, scallions, peanuts, and bean sprouts, and the proteins are tossed with rice noodles in Rivoli's signature pad thai sauce. The sauce is ketchup-based, which may offend pad thai purists, but they are missing out on yumminess by knocking it. You can also get this dish made vegetarian with veggies and tofu. Flatbreads Flatbreads are part of the Sound Bites appetizers at Rivoli. We enjoyed the following flatbreads: - Spicy thai - Spicy thai sauce base, with baby shrimp, marinated chicken, green onion, bean sprouts, ribbons of egg, roasted peanuts, cilantro, and fresh lime zest - Korean BBQ - Korean BBQ sauce base, with marinated chicken, red pepper, red onion, carrot, cheese, cilantro, and green onion - Love from parma - drizzled extra virgin olive oil on the flatbread, with thyme, sea salt, cracked black pepper, prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted garlic, shaved parmesan, arugula, and flat-leaf parsley - Blanco - drizzled extra virgin olive oil on the baked flatbread, with fresh thyme, cracked sea salt, gouda cheese, and bufala mozzarella All flatbreads were perfectly toasted and made to order. They were both chewy and crispy where they should be. Scrumptious! Back Room The Back Room is the main stage. Adele, Amy Winehouse, Gord Downie, The Kids in the Hall, Mike Myers are some folks who have performed here. It was cool to look at the stage and sit on it, to soak in everything. I'll need to return and check out a show or more. Second floor I took in The Empty Glasses play a live set at 3 pm on the second floor. The stage is by the bar. This band plays every other Sunday. It felt like being in Nashville, visiting a bar, knowing that there is good, live country music playing as you grab a drink and a bite to eat. The difference is that you save a bit by soaking up country vibes in downtown Toronto. It's a tight-knit community of talented country musicians that can play or sing anything on a Sunday afternoon. It was special to witness. I instantly became a fan, as attending live concerts and performances is my thing. There's also a pool hall with games on this floor. It was a throwback to my undergraduate years learning how to play pool with friends over drinks. There are a decent number of pool tables. I counted eleven. The purple one in the middle is the largest one out of the bunch. The oldest one is over a century old. It's like being in a pool hall museum, but you can touch the artifacts. You can also play video games. I saw Pac-Man and other great 80's arcade games. They made me happy. I had a great time. The food and drinks, and live music were excellent. (436)

Met some friends here for a catch-up and drinks. I was a bit worried about the reviews about…read moreboisterous burlesque and was concerned about the noise level. But it was a Wednesday evening and Heidi was playing piano. We all arrived at the same time and were greeted immediately by the bartender and Heidi! We shared an enormous plate of delicious nachos. They weren't just slapped together but almost every single chip had a topping. Delicious and addictive. It was a great evening and the decor prompted more conversation. Interesting pictures and a laid back decor with exposed brick walls.

Their happy hour time changes on daily basis depending on the scheduled show on that day. They gave…read morean event every night and some of them have free admission and the other ones require buying tickets. They have live band or DJ nights (check their website). They gave great vibes. Usually the bar is packed and the staff and bartenders are very quick with providing service.

Last Thursday, I was at Hugh's Room Live to see Melanie Doane perform. It was a benefit concert to…read moresupport the Doane Music School, which provides music education programs to Canadian youth through the ukulele. Where should I begin? Let's go with the original Hugh's Room. It used to be at 2261 Dundas Street West. It was founded in 2001 by Richard Carson, in memory of his brother Hugh, a musician who died of cancer. Hugh's Room Live moved to its current location on Broadview Avenue in July 2023. It is where the Broadview Faith Temple Church used to be. It makes sense that a music venue would take over a defunct church. The acoustics are fabulous! It is kind of weird returning to this venue. I used to stand in front of this church, be it talking to my mom or chatting with friends before we parted ways. I spent a lot of time in this neighbourhood, especially on Saturdays taking Cantonese classes a few blocks away. The concert was at 8 pm. I drove down to the Riverdale area and parked on Broadview. It's free parking after 6 pm on weekdays. Otherwise, it's Green P paid parking. This concert was general admission. Considering that most Melanie Doane fans would be my age or older, I didn't see this show being standing room only. I was right and relieved. There were seats, but you nabbed them when you arrived. The day before, I travelled home through Chicago. I walked for twenty minutes at Chicago O'hare airport to get to my gate. At Pearson, I walked for ten minutes from the plane to customs. My legs did not want to stand for this show! It is an older church, so there are stairs. It wasn't built for accessibility, but there aren't a ton of steps. If you use a cane or walker, you'd be fine here. Otherwise, it's not the venue if you have complex mobility issues. A woman at the front table said hi. I reciprocated and showed my ticket's QR code on my phone. She scanned it and let me know that I could sit anywhere that wasn't reserved. I asked where the washrooms were. They were downstairs. I used the women's before and after the show. There were three stalls. The washroom was quaint and clean. No complaints. I sat on the main floor. I tried a pew initially. It felt like church. There was no back support, so I moved up to a chair with some decent back support. Perfect! The front rows were reserved. There was seating on either side of the walls. You could also go up to the second floor for more seating. I love Melanie Doane and her music. My first experience was taking in my first Jann Arden concert at the National Art Centre in Ottawa in the late 90's. Opening for her was Melanie. I was floored by her singing and her playing multiple instruments, such as the mandolin, ukelele, and violin. I loved seeing her at shows when I lived in Winnipeg and when I moved back to the greater Toronto area. She doesn't perform often these days. She made giving the gift of ukelele playing to youth her commitment. I was pleased that she held a benefit for her music school. My first instrument was the ukelele in grade 3, so I get it. I went on to play until I was in grade 6. Melanie put on a terrific show. I last saw her a decade ago at, yep, the original Hugh's Room. Insane, right? I had a wonderful time here. Good memories came flooding back. She brought some special guests. Her children, Rosie and Theo, joined her on a song. The former is a singer and the latter is a drummer. They are products of the school and they frankly are blessed growing up with two musical parents. Kathryn Rose and Emilie Claire Barlow joined Melanie to sing a couple of songs. I loved that they covered Depeche Mode's Personal Jesus. They offer the best harmonies with edginess. It was nice seeing Gill Deacon there. I used to listen to her on a CBC music podcast years ago. She helped get the word out on donating to the school. Madeleine, a student of Doane Music School, sang and displayed her uke skills. She was sweet and talented. This venue does not have any food for purchase. It does have beverages, including alcoholic ones. Debit and credit cards are accepted. I liked coming to this former church for a fine evening of Melanie Doane music with her friends and family. I'd return again to take in another concert. It's the perfect venue with the best acoustics. (382)

This is an institution that holds the history of folk, blues, country and soul. I was blown away by…read morethe EPIC Samantha Windover and the indomitable Tandy Joy playing here tonight. It's a simple and comfortable venue--an old church--feels like you're in your friend's living room. It's a chance to meet the singers and song writers and other music aficionados. What a fantastic evening! Thank you.

Ya gotta love Lola! It's a neighbourhood spot that looks…read moresketch enough from the outside that you won't find flakes or tourists inside that's for sure! But once inside it's cozy and warm just like going to mom's place with a friendly bartender to serve you. They advertise some drinks in the window but probably best to avoid and stick to beer. Cheap beer too! The added dimension to Lola is the back room with a weird layout, long and narrow with a makeshift looking stage along the long side rather than at the end. But here's the thing, it's a punk venue and one of the last of its kind, as far as the original Toronto-style plain and simple no-judgement spots. You never know who you could see here but it's always worth a shot to peek inside. Long live Lola and down with corporate rock and keep annoying the religious right! : )

Who knew a dive bar would serve sandwiches, let alone a peameal sandwich! We had never tried one so…read morewhen we saw a sign outside the bar we had to come in and try. We were able to customize toppings, and it came out fairly quickly. The sandwich was what you expect- basically a ham sandwich. Nothing special but glad we tried! Very nice and friendly bartender.

Dakota Tavern has the look and feel of a hundred year old Toronto bar that has rock n roll coursing…read morethru its veins. A quick google makes it look like it's been around since around 2009. And probably that was the last year they cleaned the floor. People joke about sticky floors but this is the real deal. What The Dakota lacks in finesse and class, it makes up for in raw talent and good sound. There is something about basement bars that just feel right when it comes to live music shows. Sure, you can't see anything with people standing in front and no raised stage, but it sounds great in there. The bathrooms are right beside the bar, which makes sense if you think about Jim Morrison drinking beer in the bathroom saving a lot of time wandering back and forth. I met up with friends here for an early show, which was around 7 pm, yeah that's early! But when you see how few people can actually enjoy a show, the double bill just made sense. Beer was easy to buy at the bar, without any problem getting the barkeep's attention as they can seem to read minds there which is fantastic when loud music is playing. Even though I forgot my earplugs that night, which was a Canadian Tribute to Tom Petty, the sound was not an assault. But it was sold out, so I do not recommend going to a bar like this without earplugs on hand. In fact, most bars like this have earplugs at the bar, so do ask!

Easy to get to, great little spot for live music. Bluegrass brunches on the weekend were a fond…read morepart of my 20s. Nice to see a venue like this stand the test of time!

I haven't been here in years, but I was so happy to see its personality is still top-notch…read more My partner Todd and I went to see Wang Chung perform. It was a personal, intimate concert with great sound - the band was awesome - a real blast from the past! Ah, memories... But I also have to mention the staff - particularly Michael (Mike). As someone who has had to adjust to being slightly disabled (I have to use a walker), it can obviously be a challenge. Mike was professional, but also very charming, while he took us to a comfortable spot by the stage for the show. He was very attentive, and even checked back on us a couple times before the band hit the stage - he was such a pleasure. He is truly an asset to the ElMo. He was definitely one of the highlights of the night for us. Thank you Mike! You're a Rockstar...we can't thank you enough.

An icon in the city We almost lost it recently…read moreTough times for concerts compared to the glory days I saw Mike Myers here in early 90s, he was alone and people left him alone, that was nice