- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Coffee & Tea |
- All
The Ossington
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Music:
- DJ
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Very Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- Yes
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
18 reviews for The Ossington
18 reviews in English
-
Review from Tee Jay R.
Toronto, ON
Updated - 5/16/2011
It's official: our trivial team is terrible. Like, epic fail. At the Brass Tacks last night, the hosts *openly mocked* us and our mediocrity. We're a living joke now. The fact that they remembered us and singled us out for a roasting really warms my heart -- makes me feel like I'm part of the community, even as a complete (and proud) misfit!
(and, no, I am *not* being sarcastic -- fun to be part of a place where everybody knows your name / you're lame :) )2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
-
5/9/2011
I went back a few weeks ago and tried the grilled cheese. It was pretty mediocre, so I decided to… Read more »
-
-
Review from neesa r.
12/9/2011
went here for pre drinks before a Promise Sparkle Party, since it's almost next door to the Great Hall.
nothing super special about this bar that would distinguish it from many others.
it was crowded like crazy on a sat night and it was hard to find even just standing spot next to the bar stand.
the baristas are pretty quick and attentive. the drinks cost around $5. -
Review from Danielle F.
Toronto, ON
9/17/2011
So I am here to comment on the dreaded (to some) Friday/Saturday night scene at The Ossington. To each their own! I went on a Friday night, arriving around 12:30 and walked up to old school hip hop beats blasting.
As far as first impressions go, the bouncer did not set it up to be a positive experience. He was unnecessarily dismissive of everyone, calling us out on not wearing jackets after some one made a comment on the colder weather and never took his eyes off his Blackberry. I don't expect a happy dance greeting me when I go out, but I do expect people to not be rude for no reason.
Inside, yes, it was pretty packed. But I loved the music! No official dance floor to be seen but there were pockets of dancing here and there. I had a vodka sour- tasted pretty watery. Nice bathrooms downstairs! It was there that my friends and I met a woman who was celebrating(?) what would have been her wedding day two years ago. Got some solid life advice!
Fun themed night, good crowd and despite the rocky start it all ended up being an excellent night out! -
Review from Vivek S.
4/4/2011 9 Check-ins Here
I've been to The Ossington a few times now. The mood of this Ossington Ave bar changes dramatically based on the crowd. (Did I need to mention this bar is on Ossington? Whatever.) On nights like Saturday there is a DJ pumping gratuitous beats while nearly 1,000 people squish violently to get drinks prepared with haste. I avoid such nights and you should too.
Other times however, it's a reliable local pump. There is a pretty spacious front room where you can cozy up to the bar, enjoy a pint at a window seat or sit at the long pew-like benches with a group. I liked the low-ceilinged den of a back room also, which is dimly lit and has a long table perfect for meetups with ne'er-do-wells or young neocons or whatever circle you travel in.
Foodwise: I've only ever picked at the meat and cheese platter when other people order it, and it's pretty decent. It comes with a HUGE (like seriously guys) pickle and a shot-glass full of dijon. No complaints there. I've heard that they have sandwiches here, but that could just be a rumour. I usually come here to do one thing and it rhymes with 'get crunk' so I'll have to report another time on their edibles. But as for potables: two shaky and dehydrated thumbs up.
Obligatory Title Pun: The wonderful wizard of OSS.
Menu Readability: I vaguely recall stuff scrawled somewhere.
Need to mention: Bottles of PBR and Labatt 50 are CHEAP here. Great for buying rounds for the posse.
What this place teaches me about myself: I need to man up on the meat/cheese platter next time.Listed in: Places to get crunk in the…, Ossington Strip
-
Review from Imran N.
5/1/2011
I've been coming here for a while now, and it's like the rest of toronto's got the memo.
The weekends are getting ridiculous, but during the week, it's nice.
The front room and back room have different vibes, but i find, if you do have to go on the weekend, the back room is less empty always but the music is dancey and louder. also, the back room bar only accepts cash.
With the packing of the place, it's starting to get like a meat market, and it's effing hot. I mean it. You will sweat.
Drink wise, certain beers are dirt cheap, but certain liquors for shot purposes get to $7. This is definitely not a good place to order jeigger shots for everyone .
Also, if you are going here, take a cab. I laughed when i saw every single car on Ossington get a ticket last night.
Moral of the story, i'm never going to the ossington on the weekend unless i have to. in fact, Ossington street itself is getting to be too much for the weekend. It's becoming a birthday weekened street.
sigh. -
Review from Erin B.
5/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
I was here around 9 on a Saturday evening with a couple of girlfriends. One of my friends had read in Toronto Life (or some such thing) that The Ossington is a hotbed of attractive and eligible men, so right away I assumed this wasn't really my kind of joint. I'm all in favour of attractive men, but I rather suspect that my idea of attractive and eligible runs a little bit less slick and moneyed than that of Toronto Life.
Predictably, while I totally dug the dark wood and gratuitous use of dead animals in the decorating scheme, I was otherwise underwhelmed by the Ossington. The beer and wine selections are meh and overpriced (I know it's Ossington, but that doesn't mean I have to like it). The snack selection is limited - we had chips, salsa, and beans, which was fine, but no better than that.
Toward the end of our time here the place started to fill up with the aforementioned attractive and eligible men, confirming my earlier suspicions. I think this would be a fine place for an early evening drink, but I wouldn't go out of my way to visit. And the idea of a whole night out here makes my skin crawl a bit. -
Review from Kent P.
Updated - 8/15/2011 9 Check-ins Here
Bar food value has decreased (smaller servings/ lower quality) while drink prices have risen ($5 for a PBR or Labatt 50 in a bottle - it used to be $3.50). Bar staff is still great, though.
Listed in: DRINKNG IS FUN
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
11/19/2010
Go here at least once a week.
PBR + 50 are both $3.50. Big space, big tables, coffee if you want, a… Read more »
-
-
Review from Justin B.
Etobicoke, ON
8/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
Cool, trendy and loud, the ossington doesn't provide the most comfortable ambiance but delivers on drinks and good times. I only ordered 3 beers and sat down at the stools with a few friends. The back part of the bar had a different Dj but smelt bad and was kinda like a basement frat party.
-
Review from Jay G.
Toronto, ON
8/8/2009
I really want to like this bar but every time I go I find that it just isn't the right vibe for me. Too dead or rammed full of people that probably couldn't get into The Drake and too cool to go to The Gladstone on karaoke night. It's a weird mix of pretentious pricks and hipsters here. I find it interestingly off putting as normally I enjoy the clash of different kind of people.
The front room has a laid back feel, this is where you go to sit, drink, and maybe talk to that person giving you the eye. Grey walls allow the ornaments to stand out like the black and white panoramic pictures, the alligator and deer hanging on the wall, and cool twisted metal light fixtures. Church pews serve as banquettes opposite the aluminum topped bar. Dark hardwood floors match the color of the bar stools lining the window while a deer stares at you, look on top of the entrance and you'll know what I mean.
The back room is much darker and seems would be a place to go if you wanted to talk with a party of friends. There's a long dark wood bar so you won't have to leave the area. One side of the room has dark blue walls while the other has exposed brick with white paint flaking off.
Overall, it's a bar. Nothing too different besides the interesting furniture pieces. The prices are decent. -
Review from Anna V.
Toronto, ON
9/16/2008
There has been much talk about The Ossington.
It's the newest Ossington Avenue strip bar, but unlike Baby Huey's or Sweaty Betty's, when The Ossington opened, it was featured in upscale local magazines like Toronto Life and the Globe & Mail.
Basically it's the cleaned up version of Sweaty Betty's. It's the Drake or Beaconsfield to Baby Huey's or Levack Block's Wrongbar.
You are not slumming it at The Ossington, just like you're not slumming it at the Beacs. You are merely pretending to slum it. You grew up with a good family in a good neighborhood and you have good taste in both art or furniture. You liked Feist better before she went pop and you drink Jack on the Rocks but you turn yoru nose up at anything single malt.
You are a Queen West hipster with money trying to appear like you just want a safe haven to get away from it all, but, let's be honest, you will NEVER leave the three block radius that is the West end.
The Ossington is perfect.
The owner's of Sweaty Betty's lament all these spots popping up and ruining their slum of a street, but c'mon, isn't this what we all wanted? A place to pretend we hate, while frequenting more than two nights a week.
Long live the Ossington expansion! -
Review from Chris P.
In this former art gallery / metal shop is an empty, dead, bar. When we were there, there was one other group. The music was good, until we were about to leave when it got way worse. You may like this place if you're a hunter, with all of the stuffed things around the bar.
One cool thing with the bar is that they have early 20th century photography hung on the walls that they have scanned and blown up which they rotate through every few weeks. -
Review from angela k.
Toronto, ON
10/13/2009
The Ossington is a decent fun bar. Not really worth a ton of hype but not really worth all the negativity and hatred some people seem to be spewing on here.
The space is cozy and warm, the staff are friendly enough, the music is fun and at a volume that still allows one to carry on a conversation with a date or a friend (shouting only a little, no need to scream). Overall I'd go back again. I found it less intimidating than Sweaty Betty's and just as fun.
Definitely a good option if you find yourself on Ossington and want to someplace where there is actually room to move about and where fellow patrons aren't sneering at you. -
Review from Katrina L.
Richmond Hill, ON
8/18/2009
I came here during the blackout party shindig and I thoroughly enjoyed everything. It might've not given me the right impression as it was more busier than usual and there were very festive things going on.
I like the fact that the music wasn't too loud because most bars are just like clubs, they pump the music so you are yelling at the person next to you instead of chatting. Drinks were alright, a little bit more than I would like to have paid but not ridiculously expensive.
I love the couches that are in the back that are super comfy and the pews that act as bench seating with tables and chairs. The stuffed dead animals were a little bit creepy but I didn't pay too much attention to them but the great thing was the ancient photos that lined the walls, they were pretty darn cool. -
Review from Justin S.
3/13/2010
I'm usually a major cranky-pants when it comes to going out drinking. I eschew über-annoying "ironic" hipster joints, so I was pleasant surprised with The Ossington, since my impression was that anything on Ossington Avenue would be hipster overload. It's just a great, casual place to have a couple of beers and enjoy the scenery.
There are front and back rooms and we ended up finding a place to sit in the back and just hang out. The crowd is very low-key with no rip-roaring games of Beirut to speak of, and they have a great selection of beers on draft and reasonably priced mixed drinks. I didn't have to scream to hold a conversation, which helps. Overall, a great casual place to enjoy your Saturday night. -
Review from hangover n.
Toronto, ON
1/31/2011
These categories are all out of wack. The Ossington is a fine bar, but it isn't a dive. Michael's deli and restaurant is a dive. This is a new, shiny, slightly uppity hipster bar. And for those purposes it is pretty alright. Bonus star awarded for the fine taxidermized zebra head.
-
Review from Brian S.
Toronto, ON
8/8/2009
I just don't get the Ossington, or for that matter Levack Block, but The Ossington doesn't even have any of the minor charm that you get at Levack. The front room is either bare and empty or packed with people you really wouldn't want to hang out with. The back room is okay, but there's really nothing here that has any appeal. It's busy, but I'm not sure why people come? It's not the friendly staff, nor is the the cheap drinks. They don't have either of those. Maybe it's the taxidermy on the wall? but that really isn't a good reason. You know, Americans elected Bush, Canadian elected Harper, so there's no accounting for popular taste.
-
Review from Tiffany G.
Toronto, ON
2/22/2009
Um, Ok. I am not really sure what all the hype is about in regards to The Ossington. It is really just a basic bar and there are many of those in the city. Had an interesting but good mix of music (50's, 60's and Hip Hop) and the drinks were decently priced.
-
Review from Sarah O.
Toronto, ON
7/17/2009
if you have the misfortune of stepping in here on a weekend, be prepared to be shoving past men wearing more haircare products than i would wear in a year.
the worst offence: the beer is overpriced.
