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- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Best Nights:
- Tue, Fri, Sun
- Happy Hour:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
12 reviews for Comedy Bar
All Reviews
Comedy Bar
11/27/2009
I was once a stand-up comedy virgin til my friend brought me to one of those Stand-Up Showdown things and I found myself laughing til I cried, even though I didn't really understand what was going on.
I also don't get Improv. It's hit or miss for me. I sometimes feel really awkward when people are doing that sort of thing. When I'm feeling awkward, I like to slump down in my chair and the chairs at Comedy Bar are REALLY uncomfortable. But that is my only complaint.
Comedy Bar is the place 2 B! I'm glad this place exists because without this sweet refuge of comedy, I'd solely be surrounded by the sounds of frenemies complaining and gossiping. Why complain when you can just yuk? That is my motto.
Also, if you don't understand what's happening on stage at Comedy Bar, fake laughing also turns into real laughing, FYI.
Comedy Bar
5/4/2010
Comedy does have an interesting layout.
Here's how it works. When you go down the stairs into the venue there is a ticket both to your left. Most of the show info questions can be answered there. The bar is right in front of you if you walk to the left of the bar you will find the entrance to the theatre portion of the bar. If you continue past the doors and turn right you will find the hallway to the bathrooms. This same hallway can be followed to the sitting portion of the bar. Basically comedy bar is a circle with a bar in the middle.
The beer selection is pretty good and reasonable priced, the food is good too, i like the chicken burrito.
The comedy can be hit or miss(comedy is subjective after all), but go on the right night and you can see some of the Toronto's best talent. Actually some of Canada's best after all people from all over the country come here to perform.
If the staff seems unhelpful just ask a patron, comedy bar has a lot of regulars because affordable drinks and laughs is an addictive combination!
Comedy Bar
4/9/2010
This place I am a fan of. It's close to where I live. Fun thing to do on any night of the week. I like all kinds of comedy.
There was a crazy lady laughing veyr loud at everything which was funny in itself. I recommend checking this place out on a Friday when they do more of the Improv (Catch 23) but I would also want to check it out on other days to see the things they have to offer.
Comedy Bar
1/18/2010
This is not a review for comedy, as I didn't get to see any, but a review of food and venue.
The layout is confusing and the staff is none-too-willing to help you navigate the place. As Karl R has said, "it's confusing for the first time visitor and the staff seems to assume you know the setup." Staff was decidedly unhelpful and I saw more than a few people milling around trying to figure out what the etiquette was. I overheard "What time does the show start?" "Where is the stage?" "Do you guys have food?" etc.
You walk in (basement) and there's a bar. You can sit at the bar and order food. To the right there's an area with tables, where you can eat said food. To the left (unseen) there is a corridor that leads to the secluded/soundproofed comedy area with stage. I learned this by essentially giving myself a tour and wandering through the place and opening every door possible and poking around. It's pitch black in the comedy room, so if the show has already started, STFU and stand wherever you can because finding a seat in the dark is obtrusive to the performance and the room is tighter than a...I don't know.
I asked the bartender what time the next show started, but she didn't know. I accepted the fact that I would not be enjoying any comedy that night, and since I was famished, I ordered food - Mac & Cheese. It was not good.
I must not have been the only person who thought so, because just now when I went to check the website for the exact price (I recall it being ~$9), it was no longer on the menu. Thank you, Comedy Bar, for removing this underwhelming version of a dish that should be difficult to fuck up from your menu. It was watery instead of creamy, lacking salt and any semblance of cheesiness despite (reportedly) containing three types of cheese. I would even say it was offensively bland, but I was so hungry I plowed through exactly 1/3 of it - and I don't exactly scoff at anything with the words "baked" and "cheese" in the description.
Comedy Bar
1/12/2010
3 photos
This place was packed on a cold Friday night in the dead of a Toronto winter when most people would just rather find some place warm and quiet after a week of work and slogging it home every day in -18 c weather. So that's a good sign.
The concept is pretty simple. There's a bar side and a small theatrer side. You can congregate with your friends before the show in the bar and then bring your drinks and foods into the theater for the show.
It's a mite confusing for the first time visitor and staff seems to assume you know the set up.
Food and drinks, there's nothing too surprising save for Sapporo beer on tap (Go University of Sapporo Vikings! Victory over the Shimamatsu Red Skins forever! Boys, be ambitious!).
Foodwise the menu offers a surprise: a Montreal-style steamie ($5 including slaw). I don't get out much but this is the first time I've ever seen that Montreal delicacy on a Toronto menu.
More about steamies here:
http://en.wikipedia.or...
The theater seating is pretty minimal. Mostly low rent banquet style chairs and a few bar type tables. You probably want to finish your grub.
The entertainment appears to be mostly small improv acts cutting their teeth in the world of stage comedy. It's a mixed bag but always refreshing to see comedy not ready for the Comedy channel.
The crowd is young and are mostly there to laugh. It's a pretty supportive atmosphere over all for the young comedians.
Comedy Bar
9/24/2009
When I have a guest come to stay with me and they ask what can I walk to that is fun - The Comedy Bar is the only place that comes to mind. The people are great! The comedy can be hilarious, and sometimes terrible - but they always try. And new forms of comedy aren't afraid of this platform either. Like the improvised re-imagining of John Hughes' Some Kind of Wonderful!
The prices are fair, the beer is cold, and even if you're not going to a show the lounge area is a place to come and relax. Definitely my favourite place in Dovercourt!
Comedy Bar
4/13/2009
This place is the best. The comedy and improv is the best. The people are the best. Everything about this place is the best.
I need not say anymore other then just go already. Cus it is the best.
Comedy Bar
1/11/2010
Probably about 15% of what I saw was funny. If the show wasn't free I would be giving this place one star. Did I maybe hit an off night, possibly, I guess only a return trip will tell.
Comedy Bar
12/5/2008
One of the newest places in Toronto to go see comedy, this place lives up to both ends of its handle. It is a beautiful bar, and a great place to see comedy. Found in the up and coming neighbourhood of Ossington and Bloor, Comedy Bar is a below street level lounge, restaurant, and place where comedy and improv abound.
Began as a brainchild of the team that brought Toronto "Sunday Night Live", Comedy Bar was erected to provide a dedicated performance space to sketch, improv, and sometimes stand-up in the same vein as Second City (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...) and the Bad Dog (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...), providing comedy seven days a week. The comedy theatre itself is a small long room akin to many improv rooms designed to pack people close together and close to the stage to engage in an intimate setting. It totally works.
Comedy Bar also provides a sit-down bar and a lounge as well with dark tones, leather couches, and a fireplace (remote controlled, but a fire place nonetheless). A fantastic place to sit down and enjoy a drink before or after a performance. The menu is fantastic as well with surprisingly tasty food for a comedy shop. Normally comedy food is not funny but laughable. This is not the case here. You'll have as much fun as a team of monkeys performing "Spamalot!"
Comedy Bar
11/20/2008
1 photo
Comedy Bar is a gift to the Bloorcourt neighborhood. With comedy shows of all different flavors - improv, stand up, sketch, and more - there's a little something for everyone here at Comedy Bar.
The business has been "unofficially" open since the late spring, but only had its official opening in November 2008. But in the short time it has been open, Comedy Bar has already managed to wriggle its way into the hearts of comedians, comedy lovers and reviewers alike.
With a full stage and versatile performance area that can go from cabaret style to straight seating to open space for dance or Rock Band parties, groups have flocked to book their shows here. Even while renovations were still going on, the bar had shows nearly every night of the week. Now that the kitchen is open and the bar stocked, it is set to be a great venue for the long haul.
The kitchen hasn't been open long enough for me to get a full sample of the menu, but I can tell you that it is both ambitious and impressive, and nowhere near your usual "pub grub" type offerings. The staff at the bar are all friendly and funny to boot. Be sure to ask for the bar's signature drink, the Sexy Hangout.
Not only are troupes performing nightly, but some of the city's best festivals such as the Fringe Festival, the Toronto Improv Festival and the Toronto Sketch Festival all call Comedy Bar home for performances.
Listed in: My Neighborhood, The Places I Go Out
Comedy Bar
1/20/2009
Oh, Comedy Bar. If I had to raise my thumbs up any further, I'd probably pull a groin muscle.
Comfortable and fun. It's a cavernous room full of friendly people, a place that lends easily to hobknobbing with other comedy fans but, if standing in their main room near the bar feels too network-y, there's a nice loungey space tucked away in the corner to hide, too.
As for comedy? The performance room is great, albeit a little long and maybe a bit difficult for people to see if packed to the gills. And the program? Fantastic, varied, and amplifies the awesome improv, sketch, and stand-up scene that already exists in the city.
PS. They sell Amsterdam KLB Raspberry Wheat beer on tap!
(Gee, I think I'm gushing.)
Comedy Bar
2/17/2009
I suppose there is a common trend building with my reviews here on Yelp. But when a girl likes comedy...she really likes comedy!
I'm super happy to give Comedy Bar hi-fives all around. The food is cheap and cheerful (who doesn't like coleslaw now that our parents aren't forcing us to eat it?), and the kitchen is open late. There are comedy shows (often two) every single night, and space available for rent for rehearsals or pow wows during the day. I like the peeps that hang around (some girl I didn't even know bought me a pint last night just because), and love that the space was built by most of the people who perform there now. I like a community! Call me simple...but I totally dig it.
Check out Sunday Night Luve (on Sundays...obviously), Catch23 (Mondays), Project! Project! (Wednesdays), Impromptu Splendor (Thursdays), and other special events like the Oscar Party this Sunday (22nd), and The Subway Series on April 26th (a co pro with GhostJail Theatre and Sunday Night Live)!!!
