The late-night food at west Toronto’s Happy Child (Image: Renée Suen)
Not long ago, late-night food in Toronto was served by a small culinary cartel: fast-food restaurants, fluorescent-lit noodle shops and decrepit diners that made all their money between midnight and 4 a.m. Toronto’s more respected restaurants stopped serving by 10, and night owls were forced to make compromises: sloppy cheeseburgers, limp all-day breakfast platters and, worst-case-scenario,
deep-fried mystery meat from 7-Eleven. Over the past year, though, late-night food in Toronto (or at least Toronto’s west side) has become the foundation for its own scene—one that’s exploded with new after-hours options. The snacks are still greasy and informal, but the ingredients are fresher, the flavours more complex and the surroundings way cooler than the post-bar haunts of yore. Here, our 15 favourite places to eat and drink after 11 p.m.
Late-Night Food in Toronto: A Guide
BAR VOLO
The ultimate beer geek hangout offers 125 bottled brews, 13 rotating draughts and three taps devoted to beers from the bar’s on-site nano-brewery.
Suggested Snack Pairing: Design-Your-Own Charcuterie + Gucci Brown House Ale. Wooden boards come piled with things like Thüringer Polish sausage, three-year-old cloth-bound cheddar and pickled turnips fermented in beet juice. To drink: a rich, medium-bodied brown ale with notes of coffee and chocolate.
Hours: M–Th, 2 p.m.–2 a.m.; F–Su, 12 p.m.–2 a.m.
Bar Volo, 587 Yonge St., 416-928-0008
ARCHIVE
Not a natural oenophile? No worries. The knowledgeable barkeep at this bluesy wine den will help you pick the perfect pour.
Suggested Snack Pairing: Assorted Cicchetti + Wine. The array of bite-size Venetian snacks includes crunchy arancini balls and crostini topped with salt cod. They provide the perfect hit of salty sustenance during an extended tasting session.
Hours: M–Su, 5 p.m.–2 a.m.
Archive, 909 Dundas St. W., 647-748-0909
ODDSEOUL
The Ossington dive is a modern-day enigma: no website, no Twitter account—not even a phone number. What it does have are excellent bar snacks, cheap tall cans and strong bourbon cocktails.
Suggested Snack Pairing: Squash Poutine + Rum Punch. The All-Canadian bar snack gets an Asian makeover with Japanese curry and kimchi. House punch comes in a shareable pot and packs a serious wallop.
Hours: M–Su, 6 p.m.–2 a.m.
Oddseoul, 90 Ossington Ave.
GERALDINE
A turn-of-the-century taproom where bow-tied waiters sling absinthe cocktails and 1920s-style collations. It’s the ideal spot to break in a new fur stole or set of suspenders.
Suggested Snack Pairing: Welsh Rarebit + Sazerac. The British version of cheese-on-toast comes on thick-cut bread oozing with cheesy bechamel—the ultimate cocktail-sop. A classic Sazerac matches the sepia-toned surroundings.
Hours:
Su–M, 6 p.m.–12 p.m.; W–Th, 6 p.m.–12 p.m.; F–Sa, 6 p.m.–2 a.m.
Geraldine, 1564 Queen St. W., 647-352-8815
BAR ISABEL
Grant van Gameren’s new College Street tavern is suited to languorous late-night snacking—provided you don’t mind shouting over the intense din.
Suggested Snack Pairing: King Crab + Bullfighter Cocktail. The giant crustaceans are roasted and served by the glorious half-dozen. Wash them down with a refreshing mix of rye, Campari and lemon.
Hours: M–Su, 6 p.m.–2 a.m.
Bar Isabel, 797 College St., 416-532-2222
A-OK FOODS
The South Asian street food emporium is lodged above a Queen West convenience store. We strongly suggest paying a visit before it closes next month.
Suggested Snack Pairing: Bulgogi Torta + Demon Slayer Sake. Soy and guac sound like a weird combo, but the addictive K-Mex sandwich deserves all the love it gets. To drink, go for hard-to-find Wakatake Junmai Daiginjo, a full-bodied sake with hints of melon and lychee.
Hours: Su–Th, 5:30 p.m.–10 p.m.; F–Sa, 5:30 p.m.–12 p.m.
A-OK Foods, 930 Queen St. W., 647-352-2243
THE LIBERTINE
A modern-day speakeasy with a secret entrance and an in-house medium who reads fortunes in a candlelit booth.
Suggested Snack Pairing: Fried Chicken + Oda Mae Brown Cocktail. The updated KFC is crispy on the outside, moist on the inside and served with a pile of crunchy pickled veggies and lettuce leaves for wrapping. Pair it with an intriguing mix of root beer, cognac and lemon verbena.
Hours: Tu–Sa, 7 p.m.–2 a.m.
The Libertine, 1307 Dundas St. W., 647-748-8288
BELLWOODS BREWERY
Beer geeks and hipsters come for the rotating list of house-made drafts and unconventional bar snacks.
Suggested Snack Pairing: Grilled Duck Hearts + House Grognard Stout. The brew’s roasted chocolate notes pair well with the jalapeño-spiced offal—an adventurous take on the beer-and-wings equation.
Hours: M–W, 5 p.m.–12 a.m.; Th–F, 5 p.m.–1 a.m.; Sa, 12 p.m.–1 a.m.
Bellwoods Brewery, 124 Ossington Ave., 416-535-4586
(Image: Renée Suen)
 | BAR VOLO587 Yonge St., 416-928-0008
Click here for suggested snack pairing
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 | HAWKER BAR164 Ossington Ave., 647-343-4698
Click here for suggested snack pairing |
 | 30303030 Dundas St. W., 416-769-5736
Click here for suggested snack pairing |
 | THE FEDERAL1438 Dundas St. W., 647-352-9120
Click here for suggested snack pairing |
 | ODDSEOUL90 Ossington Ave.
Click here for suggested snack pairing |
 | FOOD AND LIQUOR1610 Queen St. W., 647-748-7113
Click here for suggested snack pairing |
 | BELLWOODS BREWERY124 Ossington Ave., 416-535-4586
Click here for suggested snack pairing |
 | ARCHIVE909 Dundas St. W., 647-748-0909
Click here for suggested snack pairing |
 | HAPPY CHILD1168 Queen St. W., 647-748-1599
Click here for suggested snack pairing |
 | GERALDINE1564 Queen St. W., 647-352-8815
Click here for suggested snack pairing |
 | HOOF COCKTAIL BAR923 Dundas St. W., 416-792-7511
Click here for suggested snack pairing |
 | BAR ISABEL797 College St., 416-532-2222
Click here for suggested snack pairing |
 | THE LIBERTINE1307 Dundas St. W., 647-748-8288
Click here for suggested snack pairing |
 | A-OK FOODS930 Queen St. W., 647-352-2243
Click here for suggested snack pairing |
 | 416 SNACK BAR181 Bathurst St., 416-364-9320
Click here for suggested snack pairing |
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