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Sweaty Betty's
Categories: Nightlife Bars Dive Bars Nightlife Bars Champagne Bars Dive Bars, Champagne Bars
13 Ossington AveToronto, ON M6J 2Y8
Neighbourhoods: Ossington Strip, West Queen West, Trinity Bellwoods, Beaconsfield Village
(416) 535-6861
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 5 pm - 2:30 am
Fri-Sun 3:30 pm - 2:30 am
- Parking:
- Street
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Music:
- Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Fri
- Happy Hour:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
30 reviews for Sweaty Betty's
Review Highlights
"I go for the secluded cozy back patio."
(in 7 reviews)
"Sweet jukebox, beautiful decor and cuuute boys (yep, my..."
(in 5 reviews)
"Decent beer selection at reasonable prices."
(in 4 reviews)
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30 reviews in English
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Review from Yuli S.
Toronto, ON
8/14/2011
At first I was a little put off by there being no table service for the patio out back, but now I think I prefer it that way. It just makes sense to serve yourself in a setting like this. No waiting around for a server, just get up off your butt and head in to the bar. While the space is small it's never been over crowded, and the decor leads you feel like you're at a salon or some dark and comfortable house party.
If you're in the area and just looking to relax with someone you'll be at home here. -
Review from Jennifer K.
Markham, ON
11/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
Sweat Betty's is good as a dive bar.
Imagine you having a drink or going to a house party with a bunch of your friends at someone's basement. Really homey and relax.
Everything is self served so help yourself and order a drink at the bar and relax.... especially if you are sitting in the back room or at in the patio.
Music is ear deafening loud... hmmm... I guess that's the way it is at a basement party just pump up the volume.....
I was getting a headache sitting near the speakers.......... -
Review from Rafi N.
Toronto, ON
11/27/2011 1 Check-in Here
Sweaty Betty's is a bar with not much going for it. The decor is very hipsterish. The beer selection is very limited. Service is quick but mundane.
*** DRINKS ***
I only ordered a pint of beer. The beer selection is very limited and the only food they have is chips. The chips are $1.25 for a small bag.
* Pint of Big Wheel | $6.25 *
The pint of Big Wheel was cold and not watered down.
*** SERVICE ***
Service was quick and no nonsense. The bartender didn't seem friendly and had a non-caring attitude. I wouldn't say that the service is bad but it doesn't even try.
*** ATMOSPHERE ***
The decor is very kitschy which most likely appeals to hipsters. The couches are old and there are strange black and white pictures on the walls. There is loud music playing, making it hard to hold a conversation. The bar is cold as if someone turned down the heat.
*** PRICE ***
The price for a pint is pretty good and even on par with other bars. However, other bars have better service, selection and atmosphere. I'm tempted to believe that prices at a place like this should be cheaper.
* Big Wheel [pint] | $6.25 *
*** EXPERIENCE ***
Sweaty Betty's is a nice place for a drink, but just about all bars are. There's nothing that puts Betty's ahead or even at par with other bars. The beer selection is too limited as well as the food options. I think my money could be better spent elsewhere. -
Review from Melinda M.
Toronto, ON
4/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
I really only go to Sweaty Betty's when it's patio season and then it is great! it's a small hip bar inside, but the patio is a good size and usually you can squeeze in to a seat.
Decent beer selection at reasonable prices. They have a limited menu of chips and snacks, but that's not why I go. I go for the secluded cozy back patio. the cheap beers, and the friendly vibe. It's definitely a West Queen West/Ossington scene, but people seem to be on their best behavior here, so they're friendly and they'll make room for you. I guess you can say that Sweaty Betty's brings out the best in our hipster neighbors! -
Review from Toronto L.
Toronto, ON
7/10/2011
the Toronto Lover system:
5 stars = Must visit!
4 stars = Really good. I take my friends here.
3 stars = Somewhat worth it... if you have nowhere better to go.
2 stars = Below average. Attend only when necessary.
1 star = Do not visit!
Sweaty Betty's really wants to be a dive bar. It wants it so bad that it doesn't have any waiters or waitresses, and there's not really any light in the interior, so it looks dark and dirty. It wants the patio to have a laid back we-don't-give-a-damn atmosphere, so staff comes back once in a while to grab empty glasses, and move around chairs, ashtrays, and coasters without attracting attention. It wanted to be a dive bar so badly it located itself at Queen and Ossington, before the area decided to become the trendiest part of town.
But, sorry Betty, you're not a dive bar. You can't pull it off. You have a well-designed decor in your interior two rooms, with a tastefully arranged bar and selection of beers on tap. You've concocted a lovely chill room that looks like a friend's living room, or a high school yearbook office, with carefully chosen "dive" furniture and cozy coffee tables. Your patio is well constructed, with seating that can suit large parties or intimate couples, and beautiful designer patio wood (cherry?) that brings to mind a lovely sauna. You're not a dive bar, Betty, you're a great bar. Good effort, though.
The only reason this bar isn't a 5 is because I know a lot of people like to be waited on, and you have to visit the bar to get your drinks. I have to be loyal to the readers (but you're a 5/5 in my life Betty!)
4 stars -
Review from Kate R.
Toronto, ON
10/13/2010
I give this 3 stars with mixed feelings. I love the venue, and the bartenders are always great... but the crowd. Hmmm.
The first few times we went it was laid back and easy going, but it seems to have now been discovered by that wonderful group of trendy people that cause a venue to die. Or maybe I'm being too harsh and we just chose a few really bad nights to go on?
Anyways. If you get a good crowd then it's great but, due to the small size of the venue, if you get a bad crowd it can be pretty terrible. -
Review from Angelica B.
12/16/2010
This place was pretty great. Dim lights, questionable furniture and a bartender with a shitty attitude who made great drinks. Can't ask for more from a watering hole. Music was OK, but it was a cold fucking Friday, so it gets my thumbs up still.
Please open a branch in San Francisco. -
Review from Kat F.
8/10/2009
The fact that Sweaty Betty's has three separate areas is actually news to me, because every time I've gone it's been SO PACKED I could nary elbow my way towards the bar without getting a dose of k-os' tequila breath or Stefan Brogren's shiny scalp. Yeah, a lot of Toronto "glitterati" hangs out here. What of it?
Anyhoodle, this past Friday I was actually able to get a full view of the place and for one reason only: I came just after 6pm. That's pretty much the only time this place isn't bumpin', and even then, there were a fair number of people lurking about. I observed a sweet living room in the back with couches and other loungey accoutrements, and the crown jewel: a beautiful, secluded back patio that escaped the noise of both Ossington and Queen Street.
Sweet jukebox, beautiful decor and cuuute boys (yep, my exes still qualify as cute).Listed in: The Dive-iest Dive Bars In…, The Ossington Strip
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Review from Chris P.
8/11/2009 1 photo
Based on the size of this place I can see why Betty would be sweaty when this place is packed. There's a front area which looks like a traditional bar, a rear area that's more of a lounging place packed with furniture that looks like it was picked up off the side of the road, and a patio that is partially covered by foliage.
Enjoy the pints at $1 off before 7:00 and don't forget to check out CD #48 on the jukebox, The Cure's Greatest Hits, I'm sure you'll love it. -
Review from Angela L.
6/30/2009
Sweaty Betty's is a good bet if you're wanting to rub elbows (and knees) with other sweaty strangers. The cozy back room furnished with regally beat down couches and assorted stools guarantee that your personal bubble will be reduced to the diameter of shrink wrap as another and then yet another friendly patron tries to squish onto the not-so-big comfy couch.
The atmosphere can go from lazy and chill to overly-excited and boisterously loud in the blink of an eye. As a general rule for the Ossington strip, I would recommend weekday visits.
For summer, the little patio in the back is open again. Like the inside, the patio is dark and lit with little more than the glow of an excited buzz from the drinking crowd, but larger tables and clusters of patio chairs can better accommodate groups.
The outdoor clusters of tables and chairs can seem a little segregated if you're used to the aforementioned packed room of the winter time, but the odd sprinkle of air conditioning drippings from the neighbouring building will make you thankful for the breath of fresh air that you won't get all year round. -
Review from Martin S.
Toronto, ON
5/12/2009
Like a few other bars on the Ossington strip, Sweaty Betty's seems to have (as a few other reviewers have noticed) garnered a reputation as a "hipster" bar. Besides the obvious fact that this is a basically meaningless insult generated from whatever zero point of cool you feel you and your friends occupy against a, I guess, less authentic, more affected, tryhard version of the same, there is also the fact that Sweaty Betty's is pretty much different every night of the week, so, if you went on a day full of whatever your version of 'hipsters' is, but liked the bar anyways, go back another night, it'll probably be drastically different.
Even better, go back with 6 friends, show up early, and hog the back room. The couches are sorta shit, but its really cozy and a fun place to be loud or quiet or whatever you are in the mood for. Those of us unlucky enough to show up too late for couches will glower from the bar, chat with the (very nice) staff, and mutter 'hipster douchebags' under our breath, but feel free to ignore it.Listed in: Favourite TO Bars
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Review from Jessie M.
7/1/2010
This is probably my favorite bar. Ok, so I've only been here once, and I probably won't be back for years since I live in LA.... but i swear to you, this bar belongs across the street from my apartment in Silverlake because my friends and I would go there every night.
I love the decor, I love the cheap drinks, I love the clientele, the location, the back patio--- it's all exactly what I like in a bar. I have heard that this place gets ridiculously crowded, but luckily I was there on a Thursday night during G20, so it was perfect. The end. -
Review from Dale M.
Toronto, ON
12/12/2009
On-site pre-drinking.
Stop #11 on the epic birthday bender was a quick one. My entourage and I (kidding!) stopped in for a pint before heading to a play a bit further down Queen W. The place wasn't what I expected for a bar at the bottom of Ossington (having only been to Levack Block previously), but it was early in the night and the place hadn't gotten packed yet.
This is a nice cozy place for a pre-drink if you're going out on Ossington - you're already in the area and don't have to fight for a cab or streetcar as the night progresses and everyone starts to head into the neighbourhood. It's a cozy place, with dark coloar and plush furniture, a nice place to lounge for a while drink-in-hand. We scored some sofa chairs around a little table in the back and four of us had plenty of room to down a pint. Bar service only (if you care).Listed in: Epic Birthday Bender
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Review from Steven G.
Toronto, ON
12/29/2010
This place has an amazing jukebox (although it is rarely in use anymore) and a pretty respectable beer selection. The couches are comfy and the back patio is great in the summer, but it has become overrun with hipsters. The boxcar style of this bar (long and narrow) unfortunately means there's no avoiding the other patrons. You can sit on the couches in the back room, but as the night goes on this tiny bar fills up quickly.
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Review from Ray N.
Toronto, ON
4/1/2010
For a local dive bar, Sweaty Betty's does the job. Went there last night for a last minute pint with a friend, and managed to find a couple of stools at the bar. The bartender seemed friendly enough, and even offered up a bowl of nuts which I don't think is usually the norm. The music was chilled out 60's and 70's rock which totally suited the vibe.
One thing, just be sure to watch your step on the way down to the restrooms after you've had a couple of pints. -
Review from Brian S.
Toronto, ON
11/7/2009
There's a whole lot of reasons to love this little Ossington dive bar. It was one of the street firsts - they were here before anyone else figured out how great this neighbourhood is. (or maybe the made this neighbourhood great). They also have a great selection of beers on tap, mostly local served by friendly bartenders who generally only serve from the front - (yep, you have to get it yourself, but the place is small and casual, so that's never a problem)
But really, one of the best things about this place is the patio. Head back there on a summer or fall evening, and it's quaint, secluded, and is set of for being social. It's pretty easy to start talking to another table and next thing you know you've met some new people, and generally the people you'll meet here will be interesting. Highly recommend.Listed in: Ossington Village
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Review from Megan M.
Toronto, ON
10/15/2008
I really love sweaty betty's, although it's really only worth four stars in the summer. it's got a very new york kind of patio - long, narrow, all concrete, but an amazing place to hang out and drink all night.
the one downside to betty's can be the crowd. it's generally pretty good, but there can be a high pretentious-hipster component which can get a bit annoying.
if the crowd is good, people get involved in each other's conversations, and i've never left without meeting new people and having a fantastic time.Listed in: places i hang out...
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Review from Melissa F.
Toronto, ON
3/4/2009
Nice intimate spot. Low key- come with one or two friends to have ea casual drink and talk to randoms.
Late 20s and 30sish scene, definitely like somebody's livingroom bar feel. -
Review from Melissa J.
Toronto, ON
11/6/2008
I actually like the atmosphere of Sweaty Betty's. Too bad it's usually packed with people and bartenders who are mostly rude and way too cool for the world (I kinda hate the word "hipster).
I've been ignored by female bartenders so many times there that I'm beginning to think it's a sexist thing. What, you think I'm not going to tip you because I'm not going to tip based on how hot you are? Sorry, it's still your job to serve me alcohol. And you'd be surprised to learn I'm actually a good tipper.
Not to mention one of the male bartenders stole my friend's hat from off the bar where she put it down for a moment. She phoned them the next day and asked if they had found it, they said no. Then, the next time she went, she saw the guy WEARING her hat.
The patio in the back is really nice as well, but good luck finding a seat, ever. And if you are waiting for the appearance of Broken Social Scene and Feist, keep on waiting -- you're more likely to find K-OS, who will probably try to hit on every single one of your friends in the span of 2 minutes.
That said, I do like the location, décor and ambiance of Sweaty Betty's -- but I can only put up with the people if I've already been drinking. And drinking a LOT. -
Review from Todd V.
Toronto, ON
9/14/2008 1 photo
To call this place a hole in the wall is a complete understatement. It's tucked away at the base of Ossington where it meets up with Queen Street and I'm wondering how many have walked by and not noticed it. I finally found it but it was a deliberate effort.
Sweaty Betty's is comprised of two rooms; the main bar at the front and the lounge area with decorative bordering-on-antique couches at the rear. The drink menu and list of beers is decent and once the space begins to fill (around 11:00pm I notice) you get to know why the place has "sweaty" in the name. People are pressed cheek-to-jowl as they order drinks and try to find their way to the jukebox with musical selections as diverse as the clientele.
It's a neat place to book-end a night with. If you go on the right night, you may see one of the bartenders doing curls with some dumbbells found behind the bar. Just how heavy are the pint glasses, then? -
Review from Vanessa G.
Toronto, ON
9/16/2008
Sweaty Betty's is the kind of place you want to call your own. You don't want to tell anyone else about it, mostly because it gets so freakin' packed, but also because it's got such a cool, untrendy vibe to it.
Located on the corner of Queen and Ossington, Sweaty Betty is difficult to spot from outside, but the inside is remarkable - a super small bar area which opens up onto a more open space that looks like my living room in college. That room then opens up to the patio which, in my mind, is the greatest place to be in the summer.
The clientele is that mix of West Queen West hipsters that revel in that quasi-unclean experience you'll have at Sweaty Betty's (the name just says it all). But the atmosphere and the patrons are what make this place so great - an escape from the primped and pimped out boys and girls that party over on RIchmond Street.
Service is fast and friendly and once you take a seat at Sweaty Betty's you might not leave for hours and hours (especially if you sit on those couches in the 'lounge,' they're kind of hard to get out of).
For a real scene that's particular to the Ossington area, you can't go wrong with Sweaty Betty's. -
Review from Connie T.
Toronto, ON
12/29/2008
I had the impression Sweaty's was an over-hyped haunt full of young 20-something American Apparel types, so on the recent Saturday I summoned the nerve, my friend and I braced ourselves for that "I'm too old feeling" before we even opened the door.
How bad of me to judge. I felt good right when I came in here: most people were in their late-20s, early 30s, in quiet twosomes on the couch and not-too-chaotic groups of 6 at neighbouring tables. Plus, the dark, livingroom-esque atmosphere made me feel at home, and completely okay about not having cool hair or sitting unlady-like in my grungy, ripped jeans.
With limited seating and small space (and no use of the patio in the winter), it does get super crowded here after 10pm, making simple trips to the washroom an epic, panic-ridden affair if you're anywhere that requires getting up.
PS. They don't sell sours! What. The. -
Review from Anna V.
Toronto, ON
9/11/2008
Sweaty Betty's was the first on the Ossington strip. So they started the growth of small dive, neighborhood bars with good/quirky DJ nights.
When you walk in the front, it looks like it holds max 10 people. But past the bar, up a couple of stairs and out through the back door and you're on a spacious back patio with 80s lawn furniture and low tables. To say it's low-key, is still saying way too much. All the TO musicians (Metric, Broken Social Scene, Sebastian Grainger and Bloc Party when they're in town) hang out here lik they're still starving artists buying 50 from pocket change. -
Review from Alejandro A.
Toronto, ON
11/24/2008
A cute little hole in the wall, Sweaty Betty's is extremely popular. Being packed may be a by-product of it's size (RE: not big) but more likely it's the fact that this place is totally awesome.
I was first taken here by a friend who had quickly made this his 'place to go.' With reasonable pricing, good music and a generally friendly crowd (important considering you really do physically bump into everyone at least once in a night) make this a fun place to be.
The bar itself, or rather what you can see (perhaps the owners are choosing to save electricity by keeping most of the lights off?) is a real homey feel. It's lots of wood, with old chairs and tables: an easy place to claim as your neighbourhood spot.
It's one of the bars on Ossington that seem to be taking over the area. This place has done a great job to change the face of Ossington and Queen, not through any sort of community outreach, but simply by providing people with a cool place to hang out, and through that showing locals that they didn't need to travel to other areas of the city for a fun night out. -
Review from Kevin F.
Toronto, ON
4/11/2010
Sweaty Betty's is a fun little bar along Ossington avenue. Try not to arrive too drunk before hand or you'll have a hard time finding the place. I arrived around 11 and the place wasn't so busy. By midnight the place was packed, just as everyone reviewed. I was warned it was a crowded hipster bar but I found that the crowd was a mix bag of friendly people, including the bar staff (say hello to Jonny for me!).
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Review from Karen M.
Toronto, ON
7/13/2009
An Ossington classic. A great place to go on week nights to have a drink with friends or listen to the guest DJ. The back patio is great and the neighborhood cats also like to hang out there. The bar has 3 areas, patio, back room with couches and chairs, and the front bar with a few tables and the juke box. The bar is lots of fun, you should go!
Listed in: Ossington Favs
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Review from Raggedy A.
Toronto, ON
5/5/2009 1 photo
I have never had a bad time at Sweaty Betty's. looking over the other reviews, i guess i have to admit that i like cranky bartenders, "hipster" patrons, etc. i love the juke box (eminem was playing when i arrived last night). they have a large-ish back patio, small-ish inside back room, crowded bar area. it's a "neighbourhood bar" in what is probably one of the more oddball neighbourhoods in the city. well worth checking out.
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Review from Jimi S.
ON
1/3/2009
for some reason this place reminds me of this bar in new york city called arthurs tavern. maybe its the narrowness and darkness of the place. i just careen around the bar up the stairs through the funny beads and into the love den in the back.
bowchickabow. the boomboom room. (maybe its bangkok thailand im thinking of and not arthurs tavern. right. ill stop there).
well i feel like ive had absinthe here at least once with the sugar and fire ritual and that was fun. theres a nice little couch and lounge area in the back and really cool pictures of people with body tattoos.
(oooh. look shes got her privates tattooed.)
um, hmm. where to go from there?
its fun. lots of fun.
good clean fun. -
Review from Roy A.
Toronto, ON
7/19/2009
Been there a few times and thought it was ok. Nothing I would get excited about. Had a weird tasting Amsterdam Blonde the other day. I think they need to clean their pipes more often...
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Review from Michael O.
Toronto, ON
7/12/2009
Sweaty Betty's is an island of neighborhoody-ness on the West Queen West/Ossington/Dundas strips that seem to get over-run by club kids, 905ers, and others on the weekends. Friendly bartenders, a typically animated crowd, and a good jukebox make it my favorite bar in the area. The beer selection, however, could be a little better.
