Whether it’s sipping a smoky cocktail in a moody, dark-lit room or sharing a full-bodied bottle of wine with friends after a long workweek, these Canadian bars bring the vibes and the pours for every sort of occasion, according to Canada’s Best.
Canada’s Best 50 Bars for the year have been revealed. Which ones in your city made the cut? Whether it’s sipping a smoky cocktail in a moody, dark-lit room or sharing a full-bodied bottle of wine with friends after a long workweek, these Canadian bars bring the vibes and the pours for every sort of occasion, according to Canada’s Best.
The annual ranking from Canada’s Best has been revealed, highlighting the top 50 bars across the country from moody cocktail lounges to raucous local pubs. This year a total of 21 Toronto bars made the list. Kate Dingwall, the bar editor of Canada’s Best, tells CTV News Toronto that a judging panel of around 100 experts rooted in the country’s bar scene sends in their votes for what they believe are worthy of being one of the best.
Once everyone has submitted their votes, Dingwall says they then compile them.
“We run into an algorithm and all voting weights are also balanced across the country according to population, just to make sure we’re getting a good representation from coast to coast,” Dingwall said. So what bars made the cut? Here’s a look at the top 50 bars across Canada this year. This dive bar has been a staple to Ossington Avenue since 2004.
Canada's Best inducted this bar to its list this year, noting it for its teenie pickletini shooter and dog-friendly vibe. This west-end bar once acted as a waiting room for the now-closed Black Hoof and continues to serve an array of unique cocktails like Fever Dream, made with cachaca, milk oolong, “akavit,” yogurt, peach, jalapeno and black lime.
This sleek bar highlights seasonal produce on its cocktail menu, serving beverages like Dirty Tomato their take on a dirty martini layered with tomato distillate, fino sherry and olive brine. Calling itself “your friendly neighbourhood cocktail bar,” Lonely Diner ambiance transports guests to the '70s while sipping on cocktails with a modern twist, like Into the Mystic made with dill-infused whisky, green chartreuse, Riesling cordial and cold-brewed genmaicha tea.
This neighbourhood bar is a new induction to Canada’s Best 50 Bars. The magazine applauds this bar for its unique cocktalis, like its Cafe au Lait layered with anejo tequila, tonka bean, chicory-root coffee and toasted milk. Right in the heart of the Prairies is this natural wine bar, which boasts a menu of low intervention wines and a rotating cellar.
Canada's Best says this spot boasts"all the trappings of a Parisienne boite," due to its cheese, oysters, and caviar service. Good Thief’s cocktail menu serves an array of whimsical and bespoke beverages, like the Breakfast of Gods infused with cereal milk and pho spiced tea, and the Jules Bel, mixed with a distillate of Laughing Cow cheese.
Behind the horse-race bookie front lies a speakeasy, touting itself as the embodiment of the “opulence of Victorian India" while serving drinks with inspirations from Bombay to Bijapur. Inspired by the Parisian Art Nouveau era, the cocktail menu at Prequel & Co. feels like it's been handcrafted by an oldtime apothecarist. Tucked inside the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac, guests can sit at a circular brass bar and feel like they’re transported to another time.
Perhaps to the time where Winston Churchill strategized the end of World War II, as he had done so at 1608 years ago with a cigar in hand. There may be mounted deer heads and wood panelling lining the walls of this restobar, but Canada's Best says rest assured, this spot offers a vast variety of natural wines, microbrews, ciders, classic cocktails and housemade concotions. Looking for fun cocktails in a vibrant space?
Simpl Things has a unique menu including “seriously fun” drinks that are enough to make you dance but “not text your ex. ” A long-time local favourite on Bathurst cracked this list for the first time ever this year. While there's no cocktail list, Canada's Best says the restaurant is well-equipped to serve favourites.
Starting off as a hotel that opened in 1927, this historic bar serves cocktail classics and the option to add some white sturgeon caviar to martinis. Craving a cold one? Rain Dog Bar has an expansive list of local craft brews and international beers .
Posing as a thrift shop in Mount Pleasant, Canada's Best says this neighbourhood bar wil make guests feel like their a kid again through its mezcal slushies and loaded hot dogs served in tin lunch boxes. Leaning into nature’s elements, the cocktails at Humboldt Bar are ranked by “approachability” through a cyanometer.
Though this typically measures the blueness of the sky, the lower the number and lighter the blue on the scale reflects the approachability of the drink. Nestled in a restaurant basement in Calgary’s Chinatown is this Vietnamese-inspired speakeasy, serving an array of tropical drinks. The menu at this Old Montreal cocktail bar serves cheekily named libations like Joe Peachi, mixed with gin, cinzano rosso, campari, peach, osmanthus, cream and caramel.
By day, 915 Dupont serves coffee, and then come nightfall, the space transforms to a hi-fi lounge and cocktail bar. Canada's Best notes the drinks here are"sessionable, seasonal and rooted in Japanese traditions.
" Anyone craving an Italian aperitivo may want to step inside Bar Bello, which boasts an expansive selection of amaro and vermouth. Canada's Best says there's even a vintage vending machine that dispenses bottled negronis. This cocktail bar is stocked with an extensive variety of spirits, organizing the menu from uisge beatha to"mother's ruin" .
Those who want to feel like they’ve stepped onto a Wes Anderson set may want to stop by Bar Mordecai, where they can sip on wine or a cocktail while belting karaoke. Behind a barbershop on Ossington is this golden-hued speakeasy, which boasts a strong list of classics and house originals. Canada’s Best suggests the Lycheese Martini for the adventurous type, as it’s mixed with vodka, shochu, lychee, vermouth and, oh, Parmigiano Reggiano.
Instead of drawing inspiration from New York’s Prohibition era, Laowai says it modelled its libations after the “illicit extravagance of 1920s Shanghai,” with its menu explaining what each cocktail was inspired by. Cafe by day, cocktail lounge by night. This establishment, located in the Junction, can make martinis just how the guest likes it, down to the ‘fixins. ’ Looking for an aperitivo bar in the heart of Old Montreal?
Guests can choose from a variety of apertifs, digestifs, and alcohol-free options. Right beside the Fairmont Pacific Rim’s esteemed hotel restaurant, of which they share the same name, is this chic bar that serves experiential cocktails. This cash-only, rockabilly bar in Toronto's west end slings a variety of Japanese sake, using the spirit to concoct whimsical cocktails like a saketini.
At the back of a local sandwich shop, guests looking for a cocktail after work can head to this Inglewood bar and sip on one of their unique alcoholic beverages. Though its ceiling is adorned with incandescent lightbulbs, this dimly lit speakeasy serves a cocktail menu that blends the past with the future. Canada’s Best also bestowed Shelter with the Innovation Award this year, for bar manager Ryan San Diego's keen understanding of flavour.
Those looking to sip on a classic cocktail while listening to vinyl can head to Lala, a 40-seat bar tucked steps behind velvet curtains. This sleek cocktail bar is tucked inside downtown Vancouver’s Rosewood Hotel and boasts a menu that draws inspiration from artists, musicians, poets and writers. There's even live music on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Opening within the last year, Numéro is a modern cocktail bar where guests can flock for a post-work martini . Civil Works overlooks a bustling food hall in downtown Toronto. Their menu, On Cutting Rug, currently pays homage to Toronto's Garment District and pairs each beverage with a history lesson.
Right in the heart of Dartmouth is this intimate cocktail bar, which boasts an oyster happy hour on the daily and serves alcoholic beverages with care. Also new to Canada’s Best bars list this year, this Ossington spot serves handcrafted cocktails and has a notable sake, shochu and Japanese whisky menu. No Vacancy was also named the Best New Bar this year, with bar editor Kate Dingwall applauding it as a"freshman bar with senior swagger.
" A new addition to Canada’s Best bars list, this hidden cocktail bar slings a unique cocktail menu. The Tiny Savouries, for example, is a trio of savoury cocktails inspired by saltier food items, one of which comes with a mini charcuterie board. With live music on the weekends, guests can step inside this Victorian home for a pint of hand-pumped cask ale and feast on traditional East Coast plates.
An oyster-meets-cocktail bar boasting a travel-themed menu and wine list that feels like it is ever-flowing, with more than 175 bottles to choose from. Guests can feel transported to the heart of Barcelona at this neighbourhood bar in Toronto’s Little Italy, snacking on pintxos and sipping on a Spanish fizz. Perched above a convenience store, Missy’s This That is an unassuming bar with impeccable service and an eclectic mix of cocktails.
Canada’s Best also named this Beltline joint the best wine bar across the country this year. Nestled below Little Sister, a Dutch-Indo restaurant on Portland Street, is XXX, a cozy and warm speakeasy that can seat up to 20 people. A neighbourhood bar boasting a unique cocktail list infused with housemade syrups and hand-picked spirits, including those by small-scale producers. Beyond an art gallery’s walls in Toronto’s west end lies this moody, golden-lit cocktail bar.
Tucked inside of the Fairmont Royal York in downtown Toronto is Library Bar, where cocktails are inspired by novels and literary greats. Canada’s Best also named this cocktail den the best hotel bar in Canada for 2026. Though a major flood closed this Bloorcourt bar for the better part of last year, Canada's Best says it"never lost sight of its soul.
" There's no menu, but the bartender can guide guests through its various house-made liqueurs. An apothecary-inspired cocktail bar right in the midst of Vancouver’s Chinatown that serves a variety of cocktails, including seasonal “prescriptions. ” And, to boot, the bar’s Kate Chernoff has been awarded Bartender of the Year. This cocktail bar is slinging cocktails infused with French flavours right in the heart of Toronto’s Little Italy neighbourhood.
This speakeasy can be a tough ticket to get into as there are only 25 seats at this bar, located in Montreal’s Golden Square Mile. Cloakroom says it takes particular pride in its collection of vintage amari and bourbons.
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