- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Coffee & Tea |
- All
Alleycatz Restaurant Jazz Bar
Categories: Restaurants Mediterranean Arts & Entertainment Music Venues Nightlife Music Venues Restaurants Canadian (New) Restaurants Greek Mediterranean, Music Venues, Canadian (New), Greek [Edit]
2409 Yonge StToronto, ON M4P 2E7
Neighbourhoods: Mount Pleasant and Davisville, Yonge and Eglinton
(416) 481-6865
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 5 pm - 2 am
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Music:
- DJ, Live
- Happy Hour:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Very Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
20 reviews for Alleycatz Restaurant Jazz Bar
20 reviews in English
-
Review from Bobby N.
Toronto, ON
3/25/2012
Came here on a Friday night around 11pm with a group of friends.
Turned out to be a great choice of destination especially since there are not really many other options that I know of around this area.
The cover was $10 which I thought was a bit too much since the place was not completely busy and once inside the drinks are very expensive for an uptown location.
However you will soon forget about this once you hear the music. That night there was a live band playing and as mentioned in a previous review I do not think I heard any jazz at all.
The band and DJ rotated every half hour and if I had to rate this place on music it gets a total five stars! The DJ was good and the band was awesome doing covers of various tracks to keep the crowd dancing. My favourite track of the night was Lady by Mojo and they did it complete justice!
The place itself is nice, has adequate seating and a small dance floor where you will just have to find your space and claim it.
Bar staff are best I have experienced in Toronto since I arrived just wish the drinks were not so over priced.
The crowd was fairly mixed with mature and young.
Would love to experience the same sort of music in a proper club venue but I doubt that would happen.
I would definitely go here again. -
Review from Jennifer K.
Markham, ON
2/29/2012 1 Check-in Here
Close to 1230 AM on a Saturday, looking for somewhere close north of the city to chill.. we ended up at Alleycatz.
$10 cover and $2 coat check and $7 for beers....
Live Band sings some R&B, not exactly dance music or Jazz but is quite entertaining.
Crowds are a little older most of them over 30s and mostly guys......
Watching the mating rituals is an entertainment in itself! -
Review from Meena A.
2/16/2012 1 Check-in Here
This is the place we would go to if we decided to go out dancing at 1am and it was too late to take the subway anywhere. I always came when there was a live band playing, and it is so much fun! They play everything - covers of Lady Gaga, old school Doo-wop, country classics.
If coming dancing here, get semi-tipsified beforehand because holy crap the drinks are expensive. I remember a double rum and coke being over $20 for one! The crowd is people who live in the area, so young professionals in their late 20s to mid 30s, and a few divorcees tossed in between. It's kind of hilarious because I feel like the level of dancing from men in their mid 30s is the same as their Junior High sons. Just terrible.
The bartenders are nice. The dance floor is small, but no big, because quiet a few people just stand around and drink or chat with their friends at a table. The only thing that is annoying about coming here is that you're stuck. If you aren't having a good time, tough luck, there is absolutely no other place you can hop to. -
Review from Erin F.
Toronto, ON
1/28/2012
After reading thorough dozens and dozens of Winterlicious menus, a friend and I chose Alleycatz for our long overdue get together. We walked in and liked the atmosphere, but once we met the hostess, my opinion changed.
Story was my friend booked our reservation online (thorugh their website mind you), and the hostess freaked out at us. Telling us to take it up with Dine.To about the reservation, and how they were fully booked for two weeks and that we were SOL. She could not have been ruder about it. We told her we'd wait to see if something came up for us. Ten minutes later, we had a table.
We both ordered the soup, chicken and each had different deserts. The soup beat our drinks orders, and while I found mine to be a bit unevenly heated, it was just okay tomato soup. Then they brought our food out just as my friend was still finishing her soup, some mix up in the kitchen, but it made me feel like they were rushing us out. The chicken was over done, the sauce they had with it was kinda weird, (I kept tasting mint in the sauce). The sweet potato mash was okay, but you can't really screw that up.
Desert was good, I had the brownie, but my friends Tiramusu was kinda blah.
However, we will say that the two bright spots were two male busboys/waiters. One graciously showed us to our seats like we were VIPs and the guy who brough our meals was funny and nice.
We left the bar with a shrug, it was okay, but we'll never do it again.
BE WARNED WINTERLICIOUS FANS! -
Review from Linda M.
11/26/2011
I was lucky enough to be invited as a date for a private party here (okay, by the boyfriend so kind of a compulsory invite, but still). Reading some of the reviews now, I'm glad I didn't know where the party was going to be or I might have come in with some preconceived notions - none of which were true on my visit.
There were servers wandering around happily carrying huge trays with scrumptious appetizers, and I tried to sample as many as possible. The crowd favourite was a crostini with deep fried cheese and berry compote - a friend described it as a grown-up pop tart. Delicious! They also had mushroom crostinis, melon wrapped in proscuitto (didn't taste, melon is evil), shrimp and seafood sauce... lots of really tasty snacks to start the party right.
It's always a plus when the drinks are free, especially when they're as delicious and generous with the booze as these were! We started with a glass of champagne, then moved on to cocktails. Three of us had the genius idea to try and work our way down the list. We got about halfway. I tasted most of them, and almost all were delicious. The ones that weren't were still good, I didn't have a single one that I wouldn't have finished (on another night).
Then came the buffet dinner, which was like no buffet I've been to before. I tried the arugula salad, giant ravioli, stuffed chicken breast, seafood linguine, steamed mussels, green beans, and the roast beef from the station where it was freshly cut for each person. Everything was fantastic, with the exception of the chicken. It wasn't anything special so I put it to the side - but everything else was absolutely delicious. No complaints. The desserts were also great, not outstanding but very tasty.
The servers and bar staff were all super friendly, which isn't always the case at a free-for-all event like this. We left very happy, and probably a little tipsy. -
Review from Yvonne T.
**1/2 stars
th3hungrycat eating at Alleycatz - it was just bound to happen! You will be confused by which door is the entrance but eventually you will figure it out.
Unfortunately we didn't come on a jazz night so I missed out on some live music. However, it was salsa night, and by the time we left they were already setting up for it.
We were pleasantly surprised to find they were still offering up their Winterlicious menu for $25. I personally loved the décor of the restaurant (save for the neglected painting that hung askew). The walls are made from textured stone with pot lights beaming from below to create a slight glow, there was another wall that was painted red which contrasted the black chandeliers. If I could describe it, I would say boudoir chic? Think Moulin Rouge?
Dinner tables serve as the border to the focal points which are the bar and dance floor/band stage. Unfortunately, due to the airy corridor that is exposed to the outdoors, the restaurant (and the food) were cold. You might not want to wear that strapless dress after all!
On this particular Monday evening, there was but 1 server holding down the fort, which would suffice for the grand total of 5 occupied tables. The service was swift - our water glasses were always refilled, and our server checked up on us at various intervals during our meal.
From the prix fixe menu I opted for the Roasted Tomato Soup, the Braised Short Ribs and the Berries Parfait.
The Roasted Tomato Soup definitely packed in the zing and acidity of the tomatoes - perhaps even a little too much. Cue the whipped cream, which served to tone down the tang just a tad. Be it the actual temperature of the restaurant or the consequence of having a dollop of cold whipped cream in my soup - it was cold. It should have been more appropriately dubbed as a vichyssoise. This was a thinner soup as opposed to a creamy soup.
The Short Ribs were promising as they melted off the bone. It was served with a side of creamy, sweet potato mash, and zucchini and red peppers. While the texture of it was bang on, the flavour was not as condensed as I would've liked. I usually look for a bit of mesquite coupled with a hint of sweetness in my short ribs. Though this may sound rather odd, the sweet potato mash and vegetables were more memorable than the ribs. The vegetables were perfectly salted and were "simply" delicious.
William T. had the Stuffed Chicken Breast. I got to steal a bite and it was not your usual dry chicken breast. It was served with the same sweet potato mash, and a white cream sauce. But of the 2 entrées, I think the Short Ribs stole the show. There was just something missing from the chicken breast in terms of flavour. If anything it still erred on the side of bland, but that's okay - the sauce made up for it.
Dessert was nothing special and most probably store-bought. The brownie had a layer of chocolate glaze on top and is accompanied by berries, a miniscule spoonful of vanilla ice cream and a chocolate drizzle. The Berries Parfait was nothing but whipped cream and berries - so its kind of hard to screw that one up.
Verdict:
Most people don't come to Alleycatz for the food, but for the live jazz and for things like Salsa Night. If you're looking to have amazing food, you should go elsewhere. The food here is comparable to the likes of your fancier national chains (think Moxies or Milestones). They do win points for ambiance and service. The food comes out quick (although cold).
Martinis here are 3 oz. martinis, for a pretty decent price (about $10.50 each). I had me a Crazy Catz which consisted of lychee liqueur, lychee juice and vodka. Bonus points for the piece of lychee fruit that ended up in my drink. I have been to far too many restaurants that come sans this delish garnish!
I could see myself coming back to Alleycatz for group functions as the space is very accommodating for that and I believe that things like jazz night and salsa night would add a bit more activity than just being sedentary and eating. -
Review from Lynn C.
12/11/2011
To start, it's not a jazz bar. Yes it always has a live band, but they never play any jazz. Not once have I been there and actually heard jazz music. No.
If you go there early for dinner, you don't pay a cover when it becomes a club. Is the food good? Yes, I gotta say, their in-house made lobster ravioli was really good, their wild mushroom risotto tasted like gasoline, which means they're real mushrooms, and the butternut squash gnocchi is great. But is the price worth the food? No, not at all. $20 for lobster ravioli, $9 for casesar salad (no meat), $18 for gnocchi...really? The place isn't fancy either.
The bands that come in after dinner are usually pretty good, although i can never tellw hat kinda music they are focusing on (Anything they feel like from pop to rock to oldies). In between the band, the dj plays anything from the 70s to the early 90s and no later than that.
For the two paragraphs above on how expensive the food is and how old the music that they play is, you can imagine the crowd to be fairly old, on average ranging from their early 30s to early 50s--not to say there aren't a small percentage of ppl in their late 20s.
It gets ridiculously busy after 10pm. I don't know why. -
Review from Anton K.
Toronto, ON
9/6/2011
Oh Alleycatz, I try to get away but you're just so convenient.
This place has been my first and last option on many occasions when I was just too lazy to get on the subway, or too fearful of dealing with the B.O. and life threatening experience that we call a cab ride in Toronto.
The $10 cover is average. It makes it easier to swallow since there is almost never a line-up when I do go. The dress code is enforced randomly, although on most nights I just wear sneakers and never have a problem. The best part about this place is the live band on Saturday nights. They really get the crowd in the mood and they play old school R&B and hip-hop regularly.
The drinks are on the pricey side and it can get VERY crowded sometimes. They don't offer bottle service for some reason. It can take a LONG time to order drinks from the bar. I've seen a bartender throw a tip (not mine) away because he considered it "cheap". I thought it was pretty rude. They're not the friendliest bunch in my experience.
Despite the $10 cover and expensive drinks, I'll still keep coming back. The routine has been to get drunk at Alleycatz, go to Mars for some corned beef hash, stagger home, and pass out. You can't put a price on that! -
Review from Matthew M.
Mississauga, ON
6/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
I went to this restaurant with my wife and and a friend. We were looking forward to the dinner, as we had purchased a voucher for this location. Based on my impressions from this first visit, Alleycatz is a nightclub that also happens to serve food. Very little emphasis is placed on the creativity and variety of the menu.
We arrived relatively early as the restaurant had yet to fill up with customers. After looking over the menu, we all decided on different pasta dishes. We were surprised (and somewhat skeptical) to see that our food arrived 5-7 minutes later. At this point, I realized that this was going to be a very short visit. Sure enough, we finished our food and in roughly 35 minutes we were in and out of the restaurant.
My final verdict on this place boils down to this: If you're looking for a place to just have dinner, then maybe Alleycatz isn't for you. But if you have every intention of staying for the dancing, then you may want to consider a dinner and dance evening here. -
Review from Keith C.
1/6/2011
In an area that does not have a lot of bars and nightlife, Alleycatz is one of the hole in the wall places that actually gives people a chance to just hang out and get drunk instead of going to a sit down restaurant. I first came here a long long time ago. Like almost 6 years ago when the decor was absolutely terrible. When I recently came back, I was hesitant about going because I hated it the first time but was in for a shock once I stepped in. The decor is a lot nicer now. We sat down for dinner and planned on staying the night to just get drunk and dance with a couple of the girls.
For appetizers, I had the alligator. I've eaten this before in Southern USA and was blown away by it down there. Here, I guess it's just not that good. I mean seriously, are there even alligators in Canada nowadays? The Lobster ravioli was my main course and it was pretty good. I could have probably eaten another order of it because it did not really fill me up. However, I knew if I did, then I would not be fitting anymore alcohol in so that idea went out the window. One of my friends got the stuffed chicken supreme which looked absolutely delicious. I may have to try that if I ever come back. After splitting 2 bottles of wine, I made an executive decision to hit up a nightclub so we actually never got to see how good or bad the night here was. -
Review from Jay E.
Markham, ON
11/22/2011
Place is ok for a bit of fun. Gorilla at the door could do with a personality transplant and it's sometimes way too packed. A decent place to go once every 3 or 4 months though. I would NEVER eat there since it doesnt really strike me as a 'real' restauraunt. Live music is a nice touch sometimes, but the DJ music may as well be a CD since its exactly the same songs EVERY time i've been there.
-
Review from Jannies L.
Brampton, ON
5/28/2011
One of the more obvious differences btw alley catz and a classy restaurant is the waitresses dressed like they're going clubbing, black short dresses all stomping around the empty dance floor like they're doing runway.
Red flags:
When our food arrived with 3-5 mins of ordering looking like it came out of a jar! And my waitresses thigh is on my chair as she offered parmesan/pepper for our food!
Asked my husband how much parmesan he would like and after he replied just a little, she proceeds to dump a scoop full of it in the center of his pasta.
Quick facts:
Decor is nice, you can see it used to be a jazz bar, feels like a night club that sells food! If it was a night club I would have said nice night club set up, bar is right in the center, with tables and booths on the other 3 sides. Though the dance floor looked small. You would definitely enjoy it more if you stayed for the dancing.
Penne alla vodka ($17) tasted like my favourite classico rose sauce, but for $17 with a few pieces of bacon I could have made it at home!
My best friend's orgasmic pesto penne $17 was also strangely similar to my less fav supermarket pesto sauce cuz I can actually make it fresh myself. The only taste was oil and parmesan she luckily asked for.
My $10 strawberry, brie and pear spinach salad was good except for the skin... But its not hard to mess up on that salad.
Arrived at 740 and it was empty, when we left at 810 it was filling up... Yes it was a half hour dinner.
Menu wasn't innovative or creative, but can't be because they can't even do the basics right.
We went with a deal getters voucher and with out my consent and its not stated on the voucher my server (owner) proceeds to add a 15% tip and swiped my creditcard before showing that to me... Really? I generally tip 12 as a base but being obliged into it is never a good feeling! His answer "oh because of the voucher" our response "did we get better service due to this voucher?"
Was looking forward to this place but really disappointed!
At Demetres @ Yonge and Eglinton for dessert because somehow I feel Demetres will do prepackaged cakes better.
Btw as a quick tip, this place is besides Spacco in an alley, not exactly at 2409 Yonge! -
Review from Austin H.
Toronto, ON
11/11/2011
Rude bouncers, crappy service at the bar, crowd is immature and sleazy. And I've been here at least 4 times so it wasn't a fluke.
-
Review from Christine L.
North York, ON
2/8/2012
Service was good, food was disgusting. I had the seafood linguine in tomato sauce and it tasted like the seafood had been sitting in dirty water and had been plopped on a bed of linguine and canned tomato sauce. Server was nice about it and offered another dish but I resisted and stuck with my coke. This seems to be the experience when using these dealfind, groupon etc ...
-
Review from J B.
Toronto, ON
10/23/2011
Reservation was taken incorrectly so our group had to squeeze extra people on the end of the table; When asked about coat check they said they would probably do it that night but weren't liable for the jackets security; various errors were made on our orders (probably 5 out of 15 people); bread was delivered after we finished our entrees despite asking a few times; portions were small and uninteresting for the cost. Service was generally unapologetic about the multiplw errors; Music was good.
-
Review from Elaine Y.
11/27/2009
"This is a supper club, so that means I cannot tell you how long you have to wait, maybe 5 minutes, maybe an hour, I just don't know"
This is what the waitress said to me five times when I asked her how long I had to wait for a table on a Friday night at 9pm. Yes, it was packed. But there were empty tables in the back. Yes, I understand she was stressed. But I'm sorry, that was just not professional.
As for the food, it's classic American-Italian flair, like upscale bar food. You can find spring rolls, fried calamari, salds, pasta, risottos, and steak on the menu. The service was quite lousy - music was so loud and the waiter was taking care of way too many tables. But the food came quickly which was a pleasant surprise.
I guess I have always assumed that it's kinda a jazz lounge because of the trumpet thingy on their logo - when the band came on, they sang a little bit of Norah Jones and stuff - which was great. But then they proceeded to sing Amy Winehouse and MILEY CYRUS. That's when I knew I had to leave ASAP. -
Review from Tom P.
Vancouver, BC
7/12/2009
Alleycatz is cool - so cool that it's hot, to coin a terrible phrase. We were actually here for some dancing (swing lessons on a Tuesday) but we were early, so we ate. The food was nicely prepared and well presented, the beer was cool and the staff were great - but the prices were a little high (I understand the place looks very nice and wants to foster that slightly exclusive feel but does that always mean increasing the cost of your plate?).
Maybe I'm just expecting to never pay more than $12 for gnocchi, but then maybe to sell gnocchi for more than $12 is expecting a little much, no? Having said that, it was good, as was the stuffed portobello mushroom starter - again slightly pricey but very tasty.
This place is hip, no doubt, and the food is worth the seat, but the price is just above what I would say you should be paying. -
Review from Jenny T.
6/27/2010
I went here last night for a friend's birthday party and I can see why she picked it - it has a lounge area, live music and a DJ. But boy was it packed, mainly because of the G20 Summit downtown cause everyone to go midtown.
Couldn't even dance, people were just pushing their way through the dance floor, I wished they had a path off the dance floor where the stage people and people needing to get by can use. The live band was good though, no idea who it was, it was just chaotic. A club would have been less chaotic. -
Review from Steph L.
6/27/2010
I found myself here for a birthday dinner.
I have been here a bunch of times for dancing, but I never noticed that they serve food!
[ FOOD ] 2.5 stars
I expected the worst... but it wasn't that bad!
We had a reservation for dinner and all the other tables were full.
They had a strawberry and pear spinach salad topped with brie and almonds. It was very nice! Fresh and arranged nicely.
For my main, I ordered the seafood risotto that came with scallops, shrimp, mussels, and calamari. The tomato seafood broth was passable. I was hoping it would be a bit spicy, but it wasn't.
Alright, we were having dinner there, but it still felt like I was in a club. While we were eating, people kept trying to put empty glasses on our table because we had an extra spot. Someone even left their umbrella and a martini glass on the table while we were still eating.
Alleycatz is not a place to have a fine dining experience.
There is a small dining section where people are pimped out in club gear and able to scarf down a meal while being loud, obnoxious, and well, a bit ghetto.
[ CLUB ] 3 stars
The one great thing about Alleycatz is the live band (that alternates with a DJ). They play some old favorites and covers of popular tunes.
Now, the music may not appeal to everyone, but I really enjoy the music here. They play a lot of hip hop, RnB from the early 90's. Old Biggie, Dru Hill, Skee- Lo, classic Mary J. Blige... fun times!
My one major complaint is the club is small and freaking hot.
As in, you don't want to touch anyone because you'd stick to their sweat. It got so hot we had to leave and go to the bar next door, Spacco.
Alleycatz is a fun place for dancing and live music.
There are some nice restaurants down the street if you want dinner first... -
Review from N Y.
Toronto, ON
4/25/2010
What an incredibly disappointing first impression we had received from Alleycatz's service and staff members last night. My friends and I had never experienced such disorganized, disrespectful and uncommunicative staff like we had last night for my friend's birthday.
I had made reservations about a month and a half ago online, and the staff who communicated with me (John C.) had said that the e-mail was sufficient to make the reservation for seven people on April 24th at 7:30pm and that no call was necessary. On April 23rd, I received a phone call from a male confirming the reservation for the next day and of course, I confirmed it. No other information was exchanged.
On April 24th, my friends and I arrived at Alleycatz (for all of us, it was our first time making reservations to eat there). One of my friends and I walked in to the lounge/restaurant and asked one of the servers if we could place our cake in their fridge for our friend's birthday. Here is where the lack of communication comes in between staff members:
Waitress #1 says sure, but there would be a cake-cutting fee. (?!??!!)
So I explained that it was okay, because our cake didn't need to be cut since they were mini bite-sized cakes, we just wanted to know if we could put it in their fridge.
Waitress #2 comes by and was nice enough to say sure, you can put it in our fridge, that should be fine, and we'll just take it out to your table once you're ready. (Great!!)
Waitress #1 cuts in saying "but there's still a cake-cutting fee." (?!!!??!)
A random male staff member standing several feet behind them says yes, there's a $20 cake-cutting fee applied regardless (I heard "$20" as he was far away and didn't bother taking a few steps closer to us to explain it clearly).
So, annoyed as we were, my friend and I said "Fine, then we'll just leave it at our table instead." They said okay. I also explained to them that their website did not show any dessert menu, and they defended by saying that their desserts are different every day (which was also not stated on their online menu).
A minute later, Waitress #2 follows us to our table (as we place the cakes down) and tells us that they cannot even let us EAT the cake in their restaurant due to their policies/rules. Meanwhile, most of the party had already arrived.
Even MORE annoyed than we already were, my friend and I had to bring the cakes outside and dispose of them. Just to reiterate, I had to dispose of the cake that I had bought my friend for her birthday because Alleycatz would not allow us to eat it in their restaurant.
We were already quite disappointed at this point. However, reservations were made, people were sat, and it was our friend's birthday, and we wanted to make sure that she was happy and having a good time. So we try to let it go.
We return to the restaurant and the manager came by several minutes later attempting to appease us by offering my friend a complimentary piece of cake for her birthday. She explained how this was a 7-year policy and that they only get desserts from this one bakery. Now, I understand that some restaurants have contracts with certain bakeries and stores from where they purchase their desserts, but to not be informed of this beforehand and not given flexibility for our first time being there was ridiculous. Now that I think of it, why were we told that there would be a cake-cutting fee if no cakes were allowed to be brought in from outside of the restaurant to begin with? I guess that was something that I had missed as I was too frustrated at the time. She continued trying to smooth-talk with us as if she remembers what it's like to turn 27 and 'how exciting it is'. This woman had very poor interpersonal communication skills as a manager and we felt her approach was very insincere, artificial, and dissatisfying. She left after talking with us for about 3 minutes.
Afterward (by this time, it was about 7:55pm or so), our table was annoyingly approached by our waiter several times to see what we wanted to order. We finally decided and a friend of ours ordered the Apple Salad from the appetizer menu because she had already eaten dinner earlier. The waiter explains that there's a policy/rule that we MUST order either two appetizers or a main course if reservations are made. Ridiculous?!? YES, that is just absolutely beyond ridiculous. NO WHERE did it say on their menu or were we informed of this absurd money-grabbing restaurant policy! This was definitely the last straw for us. Our friend, the birthday girl exclaimed, "That's it, we're leaving." The waiter couldn't care less, and said "Okay!" We stormed out of the restaurant while passing by the other staff members, including the manager who just watched us leave. We ended up going to Sushi Rock down the street, which had great food and service.
We are definitely not returning to Alleycatz, that's for sure.
