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Wide Open
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 5 pm - 2 am
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Music:
- Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- Yes
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
18 reviews for Wide Open
18 reviews in English
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Review from Prannay S.
Mississauga, ON
10/30/2011
Found this place about 2 years ago, its frEaKing amazing! I finally decided to write a review about this place after the recent visit last friday? or saturday ? I can't remember and THAT'S exactly the point!!
They had one of their nights, mixed drinks only $2.50!! The best part is the mixes are more than fair!
Shandy at this place has the best music, don't hesitate asking her to plug in her phone.
It's dark, music is amazing, and the staff is awesome, you cant go wrong stopping by this place for drinks.
Tip #1 - Their debit/credit machine barely ever works, so take cash.
Tip #2 - Not a bad idea to get your drinking started here before a night of partying, as all club's are walking distance from here. -
Review from Zig S.
City Place, Toronto, ON
1/12/2012
So the bartenders are cool and they have great prices on beer and Amsterdam blonde. but the pitchers are often luke warm and served with suspect glassware.
There is also the problem of the owner...the owner is a douche! He basically hangs out his own bar and makes you feel uncomfortable for drinking there, like when I go out, I'm going out so I don't have to deal with anyone else's issues, but in this case scenario, you have a loud mouth bar owner who hangs out at his own bar screaming his ass off. I gave two stars for the bartenders only, but seriously boycotting this place! What's funny is that I work next to there and have a lot of friends in the area who are doing the same. Look around there's drinks specials elsewhere. like ballroom or the office space etc...
be forewarned! -
Review from Chris G.
Whitby, ON
9/5/2011
Finally stopped in here for a pint after the missus finished work the other day. Had walked by the Wide Open a number of times this summer, and had read about it on Twitter a few times. But last week, when I was informed that @wideopenbar was now following ME I thought they deserved some of my holiday money.
I was the first to arrive - it was sometime after 4 - and was pleasantly greeted at the bar by the actress bartender (overheard her convo, that's how I know). While the chalkboard out front usually advertised the drink specials, today it was empty. Still, I asked and yup, $4.50 pints TAX IN! Deal. Excellent deal.
No patio but sat by the window to watch the after work crowd go by. I was halfway through my pint when the missus made it over so, as we were uneven pint wise I think we downed 3 before we finally got going.
The place filled up quickly but comfortably. The music was current of 102.1Edge playlist variety, the washrooms were amazingly nasty and if they had a menu I wouldn't know.
Worth a happy hour drop in. -
Review from Heri P.
Toronto, ON
1/7/2012
Yes 12 dollar the pitcher.. wonder why?
Yes, they serve you the beer warm, really???? and the tbest the servers can do is give you ice, really????... not coming back thanks. -
Review from Lauren M.
7/29/2011 5 Check-ins Here
This place is so cheap I can barely believe it. $2.50 mixed drinks from 5-8pm, WTF?
I've tried & failed numerous times to pass by on my way home without stopping, but when I see the $2.50 mixed drinks sign it GETS ME NEARLY EVERY TIME!
I can't believe reviewers are complaining that it's ghetto inside. Of course it's flippin' ghetto, how do you think they have money for renovations when they are charging such low prices?
Wide Open reminds me of a lot of small town bars. What it's doing in downtown Toronto on Spadina is baffling. -
Review from Vik K.
Toronto, ON
8/10/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I love this place, it's a great hole, just beware of prices changing after 8pmish.
Staff is friendly & great! -
Review from Vivek S.
3/17/2011
Every time I mention this place, someone nearby is quick to mention that they think it closed down. Well, they're wrong. The Wide Open is exactly that. Open for freaking business.
I generally end up at this Spadina Ave joint on Tuesday nights where -- as coincidence would have it -- drinks are cheap. How cheap? Sheesh. I DON'T know. The prices here fluctuate like my feelings on Rihanna (her hair is the real issue) and (somehow) friendly gentlemen like Elaine K's husband-a-roo end up picking up the tab.[1] But believe me, they are affordable.
OK. I'll level with you. I'm already three pints to the wind as I write this review, and frankly, that's the only acceptable way to discuss or even think about the Wide Open. 'Tis not an establishment to hold a baby shower, or schmooze a client (that isn't a Goddamn impoverished hipster), or enjoy a bloomin' onion and wiggle in giddy laughter with your girlfriends about what little Tyson (or Dakota) said last night whilst watching a re-run of Two and a Half Men. Screw that little brat. Tyson. (But especially Dakota.)
This is a bar-hole to get really-really drunk. Come and imbibe bottles, pitchers and pints for barely legal prices. Don't ask persnickety questions about the décor. In fact, I imagine the Wide Open would be offended by the very notion of an accent aigu. For that reason alone I am granting them an extra star.
Obligatory Title Pun: OPEN WIDE for cheap boozy thrills.
Menu Readability: What?
Need to mention: They have a TV. Don't use the washrooms. Bad for groups. No reservations and I mean that in every sense of the term.
What this place teaches me about myself: I'll have another please.
______
[1] He's real!Listed in: Places to get crunk in the…, Dirty Dives
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Review from Myrem D.
Mississauga, ON
5/13/2011
I have a thing for grungy little hole in the walls. This place is EXACTLY that.
Wed night, after Pho, we wander and find this dark sketch spot wide open (literally)- It didn't look like they have doors?? the chalkboard reading $4.50 pint was enough for 1 girl/tomboy and 5 beer loving, loud belching, human garbage disposal consuming Y chromosome teddy bears to agree.
We walk in and somehow in this tiny spot we find a booth all the way at the end that fits us all, comfortably. Huzza!!!
The bathrooms are all the way at the end. Once you pass the last booth,it's to your right.
A pitcher ($16) and 2 pints (we ordered x2)
not bad, split between 9( 6 + 3 randoms friends I made. I assure you, its normal).
This is a very chill place to go for a few beers and talk lots of smack. Luckily we were all the way at the end, I can't imagine how painful it would be for someone to hear us insulting each other with anime characters. The crowd confused me for a bit, so I assume its a stomping ground for EVERYONE who wants cheap beer.
Ladies, beware of wierdo's here. At the bar, I was blowing simultaneous bubbles at once, waiting for my Hieni and a suite on my left decided he should yell out "WHAT THE F*&K WAS THAT??". I replied " mad skills". He persuaded to ask stupid questions... While I would like to believe it was the natural effect my skills have on the opposite sex, reality told me this is what happens when you mix cheap beer and suites = random blusters.
Oh and next time you go, ask Shandey(sp?) (bartender) to play her play list. (This girl has THE dopest play list) if you happen to not like it, you clearly should be harpooned.
xoxo
M. -
Review from Laura T.
Toronto, ON
2/19/2011
Love this hole in the wall for a few brews! I was there on a Friday night with some fellow yelpers, and I think we were all impressed by the $12 pitchers. $12! I felt like I was back drinking in Windsor, ON...where the good ol' days boasted $1 bottles of beer!
Luckily for us a table left as we were coming in, so we cozied up around a cool wood table near the door. It was packed! We had great service and were able to bring in food from outside. We had a such a good time, our plans to start off a Wide Open for a mere drink, turned into 7 pitchers later, and quite a few drunk yelpers. Thumbs up! -
Review from Rian D.
Montréal, QC
10/21/2010
A grimy little bar perfectly wedged in between two buildings that kind of envelops you as soon as you walk in. When I want to hit happy hour after work but desperately need to avoid the downtown stushy places this is where I go.
Beer on tap is lacking, bottled isn't adventurous either but whiskey is cheap and the gritty n hot barstaff are friendly.
Jukebox-style playlist of music; what's coming on next nobody knows but mostly of the old school rock persuasion... I've never heard Lady GaGa there, thank jebus.
An Interior mural done by a recognized graffiti artist whose work is usually found in west end alleyways adds bonus points for me :)
Bathrooms are shady-looking but clean and the overall ambiance is that of a beat up bar with a tough guy attitude. It does tend get crowded Fri and Sat nights, but it's a nice enough down to earth gathering.
Good place for beers with peers, not really a place to take someone to impress them on a date... well, unless you're me ;pListed in: Watering Holes
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Review from Kara M.
Toronto, ON
4/13/2009
This is the only bar in the city where I am guaranteed to strike up an...interesting...conversation with another patron at the bar. Whether it's the North York bunny slumming it downtown, or an ex-Boomtang Boys rocker, everybody here is a regular, even if its your first time.
Because the place is tiny, Saturday is jam-packed. But for us locals, during the week its a dark, grimy place to come as you are. Complete with busty blond bartenders who sometimes "forget" to charge you for all your drinks. -
Review from Eric F.
Calgary, AB
9/24/2010
Good: Really great atmosphere. Is it actually an alley? Conveniently tucked right between Queen West and King West.
So-so: Music mix is a bit erratic. Do you like your MIA with a side of Guns N' Roses?
Less great: Only Amsterdam Blonde on tap.
Really not great: How Amsterdam Blonde sneakily catches up with you and you crawl out bleary-eyed. I guess that's not the bar's fault. -
Review from Michelle A.
Toronto, ON
2/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
An awesome little bar for many rounds of beer. Amsterdam Blonde or Big Wheel pitchers are $12 - all night. The bar is tiny - it's essentially one narrow little hallway and a few tables near the door. It was packed when we first arrived, but a group was leaving as we walked in, so were able to grab a big comfy table near the front door. No food - but they're cool with you bringing in your own pizza slices from Momma's.
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Review from Emily T.
Toronto, ON
12/17/2008 1 photo
On a balmy summer night, a group of friends and I stumbled into Wide Open and I discovered what was to become one of my favourite little bars in the city. Little is quite the understatement though. Wide open stands wedged between two gigantic, high rise type apartment and commercial buildings in the Queen/Spadina hood.
(Think of that one-story home in the middle of the city that refused to sell to a big condo high rise development and looks a little out of place now)... Wide Open is about 50 square feet of fun and awesomeness; a tiny package with a lot to offer!
It is a definite come-as-you-are watering hole, fun for a girls night out or a couple of drinks after a long day of work. Saturday night has a great ladies night special; $20 for all you can drink! Wide Open can get pretty crowded as its so tiny inside but it has a great intimate feel.
Inside Wide Open, you will find a long bar that takes up about 75% of the place, some seats at the front, and a couple of lounge chairs wedged into the back. All in all, Wide Open is a tiny, fun bar that serves cheap drinks. It's a great place to unwind and get a night started!Listed in: Funkify your Friday Night
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Review from Rob D.
11/17/2010
As an absolute shit-hole DIVE bar ... it gets 5 stars. So if that's what you're looking for, reverse my 1star to an absolute 5/5.
I'll tell you my experience with what is trying to be a local dive bar, and failing. I've lived in Toronto and GTA for 10 years of my adult life ... 4 of them with 50 meters of Queen and Spadina and the good ol Wide Open bar.
I'm gonna have to take you back, ohhhh, about 8 years ...
My first experience upon seeing this place open its narrow ass door ... was a random Tuesday night in December, when we'd stuffed 40 people into our 1350ft condo for a Christmas party, had a sensational night, opened random gag xmas gifts, and 25 of us ventured out for last call at 1:35 ... now I understand the dude, who I see unloading cases of beer out of the beat up old jeep parked on the sidewalk of spadina, had just got a liquor license and was just opened and trying to figure it all out ... but at precisely 1:40am, we were refused last call. I was astonished to see that a) as a local and b) with 25 people basically filling up the bar surely to spend an immediate bar + shot each ... to a new business that should be trying to win over new customers. Ugh --- thank god for the Rivoli and Cameron House is all that turned into.
Being so insulted, I had not stepped foot into this shit hole I hadn't seen change much in the 8 years I'd walked by its narrow ass door. However ... it was approaching midnight of my birthday the other night. A friend had just dropped by with a bottle of 100 proof belvedere ... and it was fitting to pop out for a local quick Monday night drink. After a long day and being out for dinner and drinks for hours already, arriving back home but being (easily) convinced to pop back out for one last one cuz it was officially my birthday . . . seemed all very logical and fair to me. My objective was honestly to stay as close to home as possible, and I opened up my heart and mind to give "wide open" another shot.
We walked in noting a standing chalkboard outside on the street stating "everything 1/2 price happy hour" ... grabbing one of the 4 tables up front, all of which were empty ... the (easily) counted 8 patrons lined up along the bar, all with full drinks ... attractive yet not hot gal bartender had literally grabbed empty glasses from the table as we'd walked in and sat, so 100% saw us .... and yet for a good 5 minutes she felt it just to chill and chat behind the bar, even hand wash glasses and not take an order. We chuckled at the novelty of her authenticity of being a quality dive bar bartender ...
Yes, only Amsterdam on tap.
One of these, "I'm too cool and busy" attidudes where even upon walking up to the bar to order, and she doesn't even pause her chit-chat with others to promptly take an order. my friend also notes "well, it surely isn't happy hour".
We enjoy ourselves amidst the modest and although artistic, outright ratty interior ... watching sportcenter highlights on mute and an odd mix of music.
Bartender chica even popping out front for a smoke. I get it. Dive bar ... like I'm a bartender okaaay ...
Upon leaving ... I notice a small chalk writing in the corner of the sign stand out front above "everything 1/2 price happy hour" .... "ends 11pm".
Dive bar or not ... something is just off with the service and vibe of this joint ... and I wish with all my heart I could've written a raving review for the bar that could've been my local many years ago, for many years, or even had another recent chance ... but failed miserably.
Go straight to the Cameron House, Rivoli, hell even Horseshoe. Anything but this.
Suck it. -
Review from Eric M.
4/14/2010 5 Check-ins Here
Wide open deserves more of a two and a half but I can't justify a three. With just one tap (sometimes two but rarely) and a selection of beers that make Red Stripe seem like Deus Brut De Flanders (I love Red Stripe by the by) it's kind of hard to get excited by their drink menu.
I believe Tuesday is cheap drink night for mixed drinks but the place is generally packed most nights of the week when the office crowd clear out.
Having said all that, I do like the place. It's got character that you just aren't going to find in other bars. It was an alley originally and someone decided to put a roof between two buildings. That's as hole in the wall as it gets.
Speaking of holes in the walls, the bathrooms have seen one too many swift kicks and what couldn't be fixed with duct tape was left to it's own devices. The walls are thin back there so if you're the type of person that has less than flattering things to say about people when they're in the head, don't be surprised if they call you on it when they get back out. -
Review from Vic H.
Toronto, ON
1/29/2010
I've gone to Wide Open for a few Thursdays. The place is certainly an "authentic" dive bar. Meaning they didn't try to dress it down, it really is cheaply made. The bar itself is an old counter top, with the base made of 2x4's and plywood, you probably wouldn't notice if I didn't mention it though. I wouldn't dare look at the place in the daytime! The bartenders try hard, but they are not "real" bartenders; get you a pint of blonde or vodka soda no prob, but don't go asking for no fancy barbook drink. Honestly should you even tip a bartender that is not qualified to make drinks?
The owner here is chill, but is there such a thing as being TOO chill? Happy hour on Thursday ($2) is now only until 8pm instead of 10pm, he said due to people punching holes in walls and such. Music is now country. Atmosphere reminded me of high school at 5pm, when they were trying to get everyone out of the building with show tunes.
It's a lot less busy then it used to be, but it's "safe" now I guess...
(2 and a half stars if I could) -
Review from Anna V.
Toronto, ON
11/4/2008 1 photo
On Spadina just south of Richmond is a tiny bar that's basically a hallway. I swear, at 30 people, it's rammed. Wide Open is a good local joint, no frills, friendly family-like staff and decent prices. I often get people to meet me there before I have to go into the club district for work. It's a good spot to get away from the hustle and bustle that is Queen and Spadina on any given night.
