Think about the world’s best bars, and the same cities usually jump to the top of the list: New York, London and Singapore. Or, depending on your worldview, it could be Mexico City, Barcelona or Hong Kong. But over the past decade, one major North American city has steadily crept into the conversation, and today Toronto has an enviable bar scene to rival those in almost any other city.
What sets Toronto apart isn’t a single style or signature drink — although there is a classic Toronto cocktail (rye, fernet, bitters) that may or may not hail from Canada. Instead, it’s the city itself. As one of the most ethnically diverse metro areas on the continent, Toronto’s bars increasingly read like a map of its neighborhoods and demographics, with bartenders folding global flavors into menus that still feel distinctly local.
Toronto currently holds four places on North America’s 50 Best Bars list, with six more on the extended 51-100 list. It’s enough to keep you busy over multiple visits. But nowhere captures the convergence of old-guard hospitality and new-guard experimentation better than Fairmont Royal York. The historic hotel is home to the lauded Library Bar as well as Clockwork, Monogram and Reign, so it’s serving some of the city’s best food and drinks under one sprawling roof.
Inside Fairmont Royal York
The hotel opened in 1929 and has more than 1,300 guest rooms and several event spaces, and it’s a major downtown gathering hub for visitors and locals alike. The food and beverage outlets are a big reason why. Library Bar is the elder statesman of the group, and a Toronto institution, but it feels as relevant as ever. The lushly decorated lounge has private club vibes, but it’s more fun than stuffy. Try the Birdbath Martini, a now-famous Library Bar original. It features your choice of gin or vodka, plus a house vermouth blend,
Clockwork is the good-looking lobby bar with seafood towers, afternoon tea, great cocktails and 97 Champagnes to celebrate the hotel’s 97-year legacy. Reign is the flagship restaurant, with big cuts of steak, fresh fish and an extensive wine list, perfect for testing the bounds of your corporate card. And Monogram is a moody lounge with a 50-foot wraparound bar pouring classic drinks like Martinis, Old-Fashioneds and Daiquiris alongside snacks, sandwiches and a great burger.
Meet James Grant
Leading the charge is beverage director James Grant. He joined the hotel in 2023 after more than a decade in the industry, and after a couple of major accolades — he was named Diageo World Class Global Bartender of the Year in 2021 and Canadian Bartender of the Year in 2022. He set up new operational procedures, trained staff and crafted menus, and turned a stretch of unused basement into a high-tech cocktail laboratory.
“We looked at how we could centralize a lot of our prep and production to ensure that we increased consistency and speed of service for cocktails,” Grant says. “We have one of our most senior bartenders now running our prep lab, and he looks after a lot of our R&D and innovation, allowing us to improve our garnish programs, our prep methods, and our overall level of complexity in our drinks.” All this behind-the-scenes work allows the front-facing bar staff to spend more time with their guests.
Grant explained that having multiple bars makes it easier in the long run to hone their individual identities. The team develops drinks all year, and during the process it often becomes clear that one drink may work best for Library Bar while another fits better at Clockwork. “We’ve found that the different outlets benefit from menus that are quite different,” he adds.
Toronto’s bar scene is good, and growing
In July, Fairmont Royal York welcomed Tokyo’s Bar Benfiddich for a pop-up, where famed bartender Hiroyasu Kayama created on-the-spot infusions for guests. (He made me a drink featuring wormwood from his own farm.) Prior events have featured other respected international venues, including Dublin’s Bar 1661 and Edinburgh’s Nauticus Bar. Grant and his team have good relationships with lots of Toronto bars, too, and you can feel the collaborative nature permeate everything they do.
“It’s incredibly exciting and fulfilling to see Toronto (and Canada) finally getting attention on the global stage,” says Grant. “People are recognizing what we’ve known for years: Toronto has a cocktail scene that is incredibly diverse, operating at a very high level, and offering something distinct for everyone.”
A few top-notch bars outside of the Royal York include Bar Pompette, Mother, Civil Works, Civil Liberties and No Vacancy, among others. Yes, there’s more than one way to explore a city this big and diverse, but we can’t think of a better way than to do so one drink at a time.
