I came here for the Hitched event where they married 3 couples in front of everybody! It was a fun…read moreand unique experience. And insanely huge I wasn't expecting that. I would totally come back again! There wasn't food but they had drinks at the bar and a bunch of vendors selling their items, and they played jazz music. Staff were friendly and helpful with my friend who was vending there - felt incredibly safe because they looked out for everyone's safety.

I review historical markers and here's a cool one though it also includes the nearby structure. The…read moremarker is in good condition (as is the building) and includes some pictures from their performances. It reads: "Buddies in Bad Times is the largest and longest-running queer theatre company in North America. "Founded by Sky Gilbert, Jerry Ciccoritti, and Matt Walsh, it staged its first play, Angels in Underwear (1979), in a former brewery on Queen Street East. Early theatrical successes included Gilbert's plays Lana Turner Has Collapsed! (1980), the controversial Drag Queens on Trial (1985), and Sonny Mills' Dyke City series (1994-1998). "At first without a permanent home, Buddies staged its plays in many locations. In 1991, it moved to 142 George Street, which was home to the theatre's infamous alternative events, including its provacative dungeon nights and its 1993 Femme Ejaculation Pyjama Party workshop. Despite attempts to have its government funding revoked on moral grounds, Buddies moved to this building in 1994. "Buddies in Bad Times has won multiple Dora Mavor Moore Awards, Lieutenant Governor's Awards for the Arts, and an Michael Lynch Award for Queer History. Today is is an international leader in the development of queer voices and stories for the stage." [Review 10947 overall, 719 of 2019.]

Lovely time here:) The atmosphere is great, and the wine…read moreglasses are filled to the max! I would for sure come back here! Great for groups and date nights!

First and foremost. Totally wheelchair accessible. They have a lift from the back alley. Call ahead…read moreto let them know. I had my walker so they were kind enough to carry it down for me. About 10 steps which I could do holding the rail. Nice cozy vibe downstairs. Wine, beer & cocktails are available. Prices are fair. Staff are friendly and accommodating. Accessible washroom.

It's kind of crazy it's taken me this long to check out Comedy Bar, given that I'm a pretty big fan…read moreof stand-up comedy. But when I learned about a show featuring a group of comedians, including one I'm a fan of, I figured the time was finally right to check the place out. I arrived about 20 minutes before showtime, and after checking in at the front, I wandered over to the bar to drink a beer while I waited. (The beer selection is surprisingly robust and the price was decent.) Finally it was time to go in, and I was a little disappointed that I was asked to sit in the very last row. Fortunately I was moved a few minutes later to the middle of the theater, which afforded me a pretty good view of the stage. The show itself was pretty hit and miss, and I wound up leaving about halfway through, but I do feel like I got my money's worth. I feel very confident I'll be returning the next time a comedian I like is rolling through town. Hopefully I'll get a better seat next time, though.

Decided to try a new comedy place and to be honest maybe that wasn't the best call…read more The line up was okay, the comedians seemed to be a little underwhelming and very obviously following a script, personally I like comedy shows to be more engaging rather than reading off a script. We ordered drinks which were average comedy club drinks, nothing special. What bothered me is my partner ordered a whiskey sour and they gave him an old fashioned. When he went to tell them they brushed it off and said that's what he ordered. So basically he was forced to drink this old fashioned now and pay for it, pretty bad service in my opinion. I also didn't like how all the seats were leveled so you could see the comedian, except the 3 back rows. We also got to the table first which had better seats, but due to the check in process, someone else got a hold of our table so we had to sit at a worse spot even though we got there first. It's usually first come first serve at comedy shows or you reserve your seats in advance. This left me with a bad taste in my mouth, including my friends that joined me and I'll probably just stick to yuk yuks going forward.

So I played my first gig at this venue and let me say, it was a pretty nice beginning. The sound…read moreoperator was very helpful, offering us mics and a stereo set for better balance and we were given a decent amount of space to play. The drinks were reasonable, the audience area was roomy and it was nice that we were given a table to sell merch. I will say the bathrooms were in a bit of a state of dismay but that's pretty common for dive bars and venues such as these. The new owner was very nice and if given the chance, I would like to play here again sometime!

This is one of those places that is really just as good as what's going on inside it. Otherwise it…read morewould just be a shell. A really grubby shell. When I went I had a great time because I saw my friend's band play and they rocked the smile off of Buddha's face like no one's business. It's a basic place. Not much to say other than that really. Bottled beer mostly, not a whole lot of option there. BUT! They have really cool lights and lamps in the place that will make you feel strangely at home.

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.

Great service! We…read morewent on a Saturday night and we laughed non stop! The comedians were great! Highly coming here for a date or a friendly hangout

I've been to this place before. The comic line up was pretty good the night we went. I didn't try…read morethe food but my friend said the wings and fries were very good. Like any other comedy clubs, there are not much leg room unless you are sitting at the aisle. When I went to the lady's washroom almost none of the toilets were flushed, I'm not sure if the water pressure was bad or slow or if it was the users, management should check it out.

Love this place! It's amazing for live entertainment. They do comedy, magic shows & even live band…read morekaraoke here. I haven't been for karaoke but have seen comedy and magic plus a live Michael Jackson impersonator performance. The staff is amazing especially Steve and Khel. I got to meet one of the owners (Dave) yesterday & he is going to do a hypnosis show on December 17th! Can't wait! The only reason why I deducted a star is because they have gotten their organization to a tee yet. We ordered their nachos yesterday & watched it being brought out and back twice as they couldn't figure out which table ordered it so by the time it finally arrived, the cheese was cold and hard & melded everything together so it was difficult to separate (had to literally stab the pile with a fork). I also asked for a separate bill in the beginning as we were 2 couples but that did not happen. I asked for it to be corrected and told her exactly what we had but it still came back incorrect. I just paid for my friend's beer, no biggie. I'm sure they will get better with time and getting used to extremely busy nights which is what I'd like to see. The people (staff) there is the reason why it has easily become my favorite place! Also without having to drive all the way downtown and find/pay for parking.

With its infancy comes growing pains, which stemmed from a malfunctioning printer, so the kitchen…read moreand bar weren't aware they were receiving orders. Ultimately, this resulted in a 20-minute wait for drinks and over an hour wait for food, during a July visit. At first, we didn't mind waiting for food as their martinis ($15 each) were so satisfying. The French martini was dangerously smooth thanks to the sweet Chambord and pineapple juice mixed with the vodka, a lovely summery drink. The Lychee Loves Lips martini was a bit stronger with the addition of lychee liqueur to the vodka. Although, I was a little disappointed to a lemon slice garnishing the drink instead of lychee. Even a canned lychee would really add to the experience. As much as we loved the drinks, after waiting 45 minutes, we finally asked someone to check on the food. It was then they discovered the kitchen hadn't received our order and quick fired a complimentary bruschetta (not offered on their regular menu) to keep us satisfied while our meal was being prepared. We were thankful to have something to tie us over. I imagine they were rushing to send out food as the frito misto ($19) needed better draining to remove the excess oil and create a crispier flour coating. At least they were well seasoned, and the first bites super crispy and wonderfully hot. Being a frito misto, or a mixture of fried seafood, ideally the appetizer should contain more than a few shrimps. Alternatively, Jokers should consider dropping the scant crustacean and relabel this as fried calamari instead. With two simple tweaks, the burger ($19) could shine as it was tasty and incorporated fresh ingredients. Firstly, cook the beef to medium so the thick patty isn't so hard. Otherwise, if pink beef is not in the cards, chefs should form looser patties (so they are less dense) or switch it up and use two thinner patties instead. Secondly, nix the romaine (or at least the rib portion of the lettuce leaf) as the hard and uneven surface area causes the patty to slip and soft brioche bun to break. There's a reason why ice burg is so widely used. At least the fries were hot and crispy. My friend noted her steak was cooked to the requested medium rare but had a burnt taste. We figure it stems from two causes: either the pan/grill wasn't properly cleaned between uses (in this case, make sure they are cleaned) or the black pepper sauce covering the steak was burnt. If it's the later reason, to ensure the steak doesn't cool off or overcook, present the steak at the table first and let the customer know the sauce is being prepared again and will be brought separately. I would much rather wait for the sauce than have burnt tasting steak. Hopefully, as the restaurant matures, they will develop stronger front-of-the-house management or staff will become more cognizant of operations and communicate better. Indeed, businesses are reliant on technology, which causes havoc when there are issues, but seasoned personnel can mitigate or reduce the aftereffects. For example, I'm surprised it took us checking on our food for Jokers to figure out the kitchen wasn't getting orders. When they are approaching a busy dinner period and food isn't being ordered or coming out of the kitchen, shouldn't someone notice - either the kitchen, our server, or management? With the drinks, even after technology issues were resolved, we noticed my friend's second martini sitting at the bar for ~10 minutes before it was finally brought over. Our server was helping serve the Le Petit Chef dinner, but there were other people milling around the bar. Given Jokers operates two venues in one, management needs to be on the lookout for ready-to-serve drinks and food and/or servers need to communicate and ask others to cover when they are serving during Le Petit Chef periods.

it's legitimate atmosphere something that you can really appreciate if you ever travel to Chicago.read more

Been coming here for around 20 years. The Main Ingredient, Dj Starting from Scratch, Back in tha…read moreDay, Break for Love, Sky's the Limit Charity events, off the top of my head. Chances are if you are reading this you have looked at an event and want to see what this place is all about. Solid classy place. Not your typical nightclub. Bouncers are cool. Front doors are welcoming. Staff is good. Owner has done a great job overall in keeping good events that attract the right crowds coming here. See an event you like, go freely and most of all Enjoy! Great spot!