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SPiN Toronto
Category: Arts & Entertainment Social Clubs Social Clubs [Edit]
461 King Street WToronto, ON M5V 1K7
(416) 599-7746
- Hours:
Mon, Sun 11 am - 12 am
Tue-Sat 11 am - 2 am
- Good for Kids:
- No
19 reviews for SPiN Toronto
18 reviews in English
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Review from Susan G.
3/16/2012
While I'm not an avid ping ponger (that's probably not correct terminology), I do LOVE SPiN!
I've been to SPiN for two private events, and both were fabulous. They are such a great venue to work with, and the space is amazing for a networking / cocktail social event.
The space has three areas - one large room where there are 8ish tables, one smaller room in the back with about 6, and a private room with one table (it's beautiful!).
The food here is also absolutely delicious - bacon lollipops anyone? And I love the drinks in the mason jars. While the front desk girls are not always the most attentive, the catering staff are absolutely amazing.
I definitely recommend this place for a private event - also for a weekend evening out! Definitely a great alternative to a regular bar!Listed in: Throw Yo' Party HERE
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Review from Patio M.
Toronto, ON
3/25/2012
We ended up at Spin after bowling on a rainy Saturday and I left with three balls in my shirt. No, I was not drunk, there were balls flying everywhere.
Since it was our first time, we were placed in the corner with a bucket of balls and some paddles. The place was busy, the music was good but man oh man was it a sausage fest.
HINT: If you are a single lady, go here for a drink and you might just meet someone. I'm not responsible if you meet a jerk mind you, that goes for any bar.
We played boys against girls and as things do, balls started to fly everywhere in an aggressive fashion and nobody seemed to mind or care. It wasn't until we left that I realized that they put us in the newbie room. There were other rooms........
I would go back, it was pretty fun. -
Review from Devan R.
2/28/2012
As an avid ping pong player and aficionado this is one of my favourite venues in the city, on 3rd thought it just might be my absolute favourite. A few years back I visited SPiN NYC and was blown away by the concept of a ping pong social club. Ever since the TO location opened up I have been nearly weekly.
It is important to know the rates before visiting SPiN, see below for the details.
Walk-In Rates Before 5pm
General Public:
$20 per hour
$10 per half hour
Member Rate:
$10 per hour
$5 per half hour
Walk-In Rates After 5pm
General Public:
$28 per hour
$14 per half hour
Member Rate:
$14 per hour
$7 per half hour
So let's say you walk into SPiN with a buddy on a Tuesday night and get a table, you're looking at $28/hr which some may find it expensive. However, for the ambiance, atmosphere, chic design and notion that you never have to pick your balls up off the floor, other may find it attractive. I am one of those guys.
If you are a ping pong lover this will be your Neverland. There is a bar with both domestic and import beers on tap, various cocktails and solid grub to hold you over and great for sharing.
Be forewarned, trying to walk into SPiN Thurs-Sat in the evening looking for a table is almost impossible. Unless you are a member I highly recommend going before 5pm to take advantage of the special rates, or on Mon, Tues, Wed & Sunday evenings. I also always call ahead to make sure the venue is not rented out for any corporate events, of which they host many.
6/5 for me. -
Review from Rachael T.
Toronto, ON
2/1/2012 1 Check-in Here
I start my February food-free challenge with the ultimate SPIN GALACTIC only because I've come to realize that the LCBO doesn't qualify and I'm not sure if a yelp event involving food counts either. So I will really base my review on my two experiences I had ping ponging it up in the newest night life activity in the city of Toronto.
I think that ping pong tables speak for themselves. If you play and have people who want to play with you, I don't see how you couldn't give it 5 stars... but I'm talking about the establishment, the overall business and I have to say that it is lucky to be getting 3 stars at all. On two occasions, my experience was meh, although favoured towards me as the end result so I guess they will get that extra A-OK from me.
Experience 1 - came for a friend's birthday knowing that we were going to get the private room, only to get the call 2 hours before the event that they were double booked.... no they weren't - apparently, the Maple leafs players were going to show up later in the night so they moved our party out. As a result, I ended up playing underneath a leaking pipe. The manager propped a cup in between the dripping to prevent it from getting it on the table or the floor, but I really consider it a safety hazard, and increased no-fun points because the ball was splashing water every time it hit the table.
Experience 2 - finding out that I am getting charged $60 an hour for a table just to RESERVE a table!!!!!! If you walk in to play for an hour, it's $28, but if you want to secure your spot, that's double your money. I think that's a little too rich for my money. They are already making so much money off of food and drinks. Unless you get a huge group of people who won't get that much playing time, it would cost a fair amount just to have 60 minutes of play time.
I think they attract the corporate events at this place, which I totally give them kudos for. But I can buy a ping pong table for $100 and play until the cows come home.
I think this place is awesome, but just things that seem a little unreasonable. that's just my take. Now I wish I had more money :( -
Review from Sara K. P.
Toronto, ON
2/14/2012
Got to party it up ping-pong style here for an awesome Yelp event and really enjoyed my night at Spin Galactic. A word of advice getting here though, the venue is actually located on the cobble stoned King to Wellington lane way and don't get confused as there is an actual Spin bike studio in the same building, just walk by to the end of the building and down the stairway and you'll find Spin Galactic.
It's kinda weird picturing the idea of a ping-pong evening social club, as the combination of black lights and ping-pong balls brings to mind freak-show girlie bars in Bangkok, but there's none of that type of debauchery to be found here!!!
Like Daniel B says there is the usual "King street vomit" crowd playing Pong whilst wearing suits, platform pumps and Prada dresses, wtf? But there were also some nice folks here just for a good time wielding some mad paddle skillz too. It's also mega fun watching folks play pong whilst on the verge of getting sloshed and oh yes the drinks here are quite tasty (and $$) so it may be a challenge resisting the urge to lubricate.
Amazingly enough this place gets suitably packed as we were here on a Monday night and upon leaving around 10:30pm there was still a lineup about 10 deep queueing to get in.
If you're looking to change up the usual night out, and don't mind shelling out a little extra dough for the novelty of smacking some balls around, I'd definitely suggest getting your pong on at Spin Galactic.Listed in: Fevrier Sans Food
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Review from Natalie T.
East York, ON
Updated - 2/12/2012
Update on the VIBE
Not my favourite place on a Friday night. Mainly 905-er central. And to the douchebags who were trying to take pictures of us while utterly drunk: just remember when we left, you were literally on the floor by the end of the night. Stay classy.
Great Gin and Tonics though. Love the mason jar concept.Listed in: Unique Toronto
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/5/2012
VIBE AND THE PONG
Fun! It's not douchebag-central as many might assume especially with a fad like… Read more »
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Review from Bryn G.
2/25/2012
I just wanted to say how much fun we had at Spin Toronto last night.
The staff were all helpful, friendly and cheerful, especially our Aussie server Ben and other lady server whose name I never learnt. While some of the fellas looked a little glum (probably because they had to pick up balls off the floor all night while the ladies did the serving!) but not Biniman who was skipping about whipping ping pong balls into his specially made net with a giant smile on his face.
Apart from the fact my friend beat me at Ping Pong we will definitely be back (most likely for a rematch!)
Keep it up Spinners! -
Review from Marcus Y.
Toronto, ON
1/31/2012 1 Check-in Here
Looking for a cool hangout spot and you're done with the whole pool hall and darts thing? Then maybe it's time for some ping pong. (Note: I had the pleasure of visiting this place during a Yelp Elite event.)
Spin Galactic's angle is definitely being an activity-orientated place where you and your friends can gather from some food and drink. The main focus, of course, is the ping pong and it dresses it up with a lively background and some black lights.
While you can play ping pong in your friend's basement, it's not the same. Spin has a staff of retrievers who make your balls their business. Any missed shot or errant ball is gathered by staff and eventually returned into a bucket by your table. Taking away the need to retrieve a ping pong ball after a failed return adds a big layer of enjoyment to playing. It keeps the rhythm going and adds a considerable value to the hourly rate for the table.
There are better food and drink elsewhere, but nowhere else has ping pong like this. -
Review from Thaddeus M.
Mississauga, ON
2/19/2012 4 photos
SPiN is the hottest new place on King St W... awesome vibe, great music, full bar, friendly staff and of course some ping pong! They have frequent events and attractions such as their Dirty Dozen tournament where the best of the best face off in an exhibition style tournament to amaze the crowd. There's also a monthly open tournament for anyone to enter.
Tuesday nights are their Glow in the Dark pong sessions which are a blast!
Fridays and Saturdays the place is usually jam packed - so I'd advise reserving a table in advance if you want to play some pong... but it's always fun even if you just go for some drinks and spectate too. The crowd is pretty cool and I've met tons of awesome people here!
It's tons of fun and if you haven't been yet - you definitely should check it out soon! -
Review from Noel D.
I was a little skeptical of coming to this place for a recent birthday. Once I heard it was around the King and Portland area on a Friday night all I could think about was drunken 20 year olds all up in my grill. Plus I really suck at ping-pong. But I was pleasantly surprised, for a bit...
Showed up to the venue around 8pm and took a couple of minutes to locate it. There's a small sign on King Street pointing towards the alleyway but walking through there still made me confused. I kept going and sure enough I saw the Spin sign pointing down some stairs. They even had one of those sliding peephole things you see in the movies, though it wasn't being used. No password needed.
Walked in and the girls at the reception desk greeted me. I told them my friends had reserved a table and they smiled and said to walk right in. They had a stack of old television sets displayed on the ground playing The Big Lebowski. Nice touch. Also in the front area was a display case of ping-pong accessories. Another nice touch.
The place is pretty massive and it was cool seeing so many people deep into games of ping-pong. The black lights were in full effect, but from what I heard this isn't an everyday occurrence so not sure what the lighting is usually. Found my friends, said hello, and proceeded to the bar for a pint. They had a dozen good beers on tap (I counted) and a glass of Creemore was 7 bucks, which is decent. The bartender was very nice and polite. There was also an absolutely stunning server who would check up on our table and ask for drinks. She was so amazing I almost asked her out, which is totally not my style but I was pretty mesmerized.
They have these guys who go around collecting balls with this little net. It's pretty cool because you can basically just go about and play your games and not worry about stray ping-pong balls as they just swoop them up and drop them back into the bucket next to your table. Very cool. They even seem to have some sort of VIP ping pong table if you're fancy. Oh, and free coat check!
From around 8pm to 10pm they were playing amazing soul music. Stuff like Otis Redding and Smokey Robinson. The music definitely played a big role in how much I was enjoying myself. But when after that the shitty dance music started to pipe through the speakers. Started off with some wack remix of Notorious BIG and then I started to see the club kids slowly wander in.
We stayed for another hour and bounced at 11pm and the place was pretty bumping at that point, but the vibe had completely changed. I loved this place early on when the music and people were perfect, but I can see it becoming a questionable experience during late-night hours. I would love to come back and practice my pong skills but I'm going to do some research and find out the best times to come back when the music is tight.Listed in: Reviews of the Day
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Review from Roxy K.
2/3/2012
Avid ping-pong player? Expert cocktail sipper with a big appetite for shmoozing? Always getting turned away from F-Stop? You're in luck, Spin is just next door.
On the weekend this place is usually really busy and full of enthusiastic (drunk) folks losing balls, collecting balls - and working up the balls to buy you a drink.
If you're with a good crowd, you're probably going to have a solid night out filled with fun music and enough white man's overbite to go around. I've been there about three times now, never picking up a ping-pong racket (special name?), but still managing to have a fantastic night every time.
The bathrooms can be a little gag reflex inducing, but hey, the grosser the bathroom, the better the night.
Cheers! -
Review from C.B. S.
Toronto, ON
4/3/2012
For those of us who grew up in the 'burbs, with ping pong tables in our basements, this place is awesome! It's a fun place to play ping pong, with an interesting selection of beers on tap. They named two drinks after the episode of Entourage that takes place in Spin L.A., although one of those drinks has been removed from the menu. The only reason not to give it five stars is that non-members cannot book a table in advance on the phone, and the tables tend to be booked if you show up late.
Your friends who grew up in the city, without basements, will not "get it", and will probably be weak ping-pong opponents. -
Review from Daniel B.
10/24/2011
Who knew that douche bags liked ping pong so much?
It seems as though the bright orange balls attract their feeble minds like catnip.
Don't you dare call it a Ping Pong place. It's a "social club". If by "social" you mean "Ping Pong".
I couldn't figure the place out. You can probably buy your own ping pong table for your home at around the price of a round of beer here.
The aesthetic is warehouse-chic. The tables seem well lit. The crowd is a mix of "Bridge and Tunnel" and "King Street Vomit".
Everyone's so quick to let you know that famed Hollywood grandmother Susan Sarandon is an investor in this spot. I'm still not quite so sure why this is relevant. I have no idea what she has to do with either bars or ping pong. I mean, that's like saying that a plug-in electrical grill can be marketed based on it's loose connection with a former Heavyweight champ. Ludicrous.
I had the fish tacos. They were totally adequate, perhaps a notch above standard pub fare. I ate them while watching two people playing ping pong. Neither of whom was Susan Sarandon.
How did they think up this place? How did they convince a legitimate financial institution to back this ridiculous premise?
I truly left more confused than when I entered. -
Review from Rj P.
9/22/2011 ROTD 3/1/2012
SPiN Toronto is one of the newest and most exciting additions to Toronto. SPiN is a ping-pong social club - a place to play the game, meet new people, have a few drinks (and great food as well).
Ping-pong no longer needs to be confined to your uncle's dark basement - SPiN is a more like bar/lounge meets table tennis dojo. Sip back a variety of local, import and micro-brews while challenging you friends to a game (or 3). Full bar and menu means that SPiN is a place you can stay for quite a long time.
The minute I heard SPiN was coming to Toronto I joined the club and made sure I kept my ear to the ground for it to open. It is now open (yay!) and the grand opening event is scheduled to be sometime in October. For members the club will offer tournaments, ladders, clinics and other benefits. For non-members - you can still play, just show up and request a table (I think I counted 12 tables total). SPiN is open to the public!
Overall SPiN is a great time out! A funky/cool atmosphere, great drinks and food and ping-pong! What more can someone ask for?
I think SPiN is my new hang-out. I'm not that good at ping-pong (yet) but I'll be on the pro circuit in no time. -
Review from Prannay S.
Mississauga, ON
10/16/2011
Been to SPiN twice now, and def is the new spot to hang out in Toronto. It's neat, different and exciting. SPiN is a place where you can play ping-pong / table-tennis, enjoy great food and an amazing variety of beer.
Its kind of hard to find, so i will help you guys out, the entrance is on the right hand side towards the back in the same building that has firkin on king.
The game:
Awesome layout! as soon as you enter, the first section is where anyone can pick a table and star pinging. They also have the back side of this place that's usually booked out for corp parties. Also unlimited balls, so no need to worry if you aren't the greatest at the sport (yes it is considered a sport in may parts of the world).
The food/Beer :
Being vegetarian, I only tried the veggie burger so far, and it was different. They made a vege patty out of falafel mix, it was a good different. Some one having lunch a few seats down from me at the bar looked to be enjoying their food, and knowing I would come here and post this I had to ask. She had ordered something called a tiffin, it has three parts, bread, soup and salad. Here's the best all their food is served in Indian style metal cutlery.
As for beer, they serve hop city, that's all you need to know, just kidding, they have an odd variety which is good cause i tired of the same crap.
This place is awesome, love the music, the layout, the food, beer and of course the game! -
Review from Doris L.
Toronto, ON
11/12/2011
Brought my work crowd for a great Friday lunch and drinks 2 weeks ago. Was fun!
The Server was horrible. He was perhaps overwhelmed that there were 20 of us. Didn't seemed happy to be making the tips from being busy. I understand it's still their soft launch, but com'on, everyone was drinking and you're giving us an annoyed look for Friday? Then the server over charged me, gave me an event room charge when clearly I am paying for just the tables and my drink + food order.
The front desk tried to iron it out for me, but they really never got around to it. She tried to iron it out but her last correspondance to me was that the server didn't get back to her on the table/court time charges after I left thnking my coworkers didn't pay for it. Maybe I should be drinking there anymore. Give the $ to their competition by drinking elsewhere first, then go play, laugh, and enjoy the company you bring?
Great potential, but com'on service was down right horrible for a downtown establishment that's just launching. -
Review from Tara A.
11/1/2011 1 photo
I ventured to SPiN with a few friendly co-workers over a lunch hour for one of their birthday's. This adventure sure did beat the stuffy sit down lunch scenerio. Having just recently opened you would never know it. It was a bit of a slower lunch, but everyone was very one the ball (no pun intended).
The whole concept is to play some Table Tennis while enjoying lunch. Pretty awesome idea. We played a few rounds and then I enjoyed some Grilled Cheese with Tomato soup (very comfort for the cold winters coming). We also tried the pretzels, the onion strings and my co-workers enjoyed sliders and the veggie burger. It was all very simply well done.
I feel as though this place will only keep growing as the concept keeps building and the word gets out. It will be a great late night hang out ... at a price. During the day to rent a table for an hour is $20, at night it's $28.. not the cheapest evening out amongst friends but perhaps a great special occasion local or even a pre-drink scenerio. -
Review from Nayha M.
Toronto, ON
11/16/2011
Good: The hostesses were very nice.
Better: It was glow-in-the-dark night. I never realized what a toothy smile I have!
BEST: The badminton racket shaped thingie that they use to pick up the stray ping-pong balls. Best job ever!
Unfortunately, almost everything else was bad. Don't get me wrong - being there made me want to indulge in a bit of ping pong myself, but not at this particular locale. The price to play is atrociously high, and the experience is schizophrenic. Loud atonal music prevents any ping pong commentary from the peanut gallery. I'm not sure if Susan Sarandon and Co. intend the place to double as a club, but dancing between the tables sure is awkward. I'd rather get my drank and ping pong on at the Legion.
That being said, I think it's an interesting place for corporate events and probably worth it if you're really into ping pong and get a membership. The beer selection is decent albeit at standard King West prices, and the menu and cocktails look much more interesting than usual pub fare.
Dollars: $43 for an hour of walk-in ping pong and two pints.
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