Civil Liberties

Address: 878 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Ontario, M6G 1M5, Canada
Tel: +1 416 546 5634
Website: view Civil Liberties’ website
Instagram: @civlibto
Door: Open door/walk-ins
Style: Neighbourhood bar
Food: Tapas/plates & dishes
Established: 2014

Recognisable only by the pineapple sign outside, Civil Liberties in Toronto is a speakeasy style bar with an industrial and vintage décor. There is no cocktail menu, drinks are ordered by name, spirit etc.

Review

In a slightly sketchy area that is slowly gentrifying, a stylized pineapple is the only outer indication of the presence of Civil Liberties. Over the course of a year the three owner/bartenders took a grungy dive bar and rebuilt it with their own hands. In the last year, it has caught on with young people from the surrounding area, as well as becoming a last-call rendezvous location for bartenders and other hospitality workers.

This is a casual and relaxed place. The large bar and backbar take up a more-than-usual amount of space along one side of a long light-coloured room. On the opposite wall silent black and white films (Three Stooges, I believe) are projected. There is no cocktail list of any kind. One either orders a cocktail by name or by spirit and style, and it arrives, well-made by one of the three principles. The available consists of cheese or charcuterie boards with a couple other offerings.