Cheers To The Best Wine Bars In Toronto

There’s absolutely nothing better than an excellent meal paired with an equally excellent glass of wine.

Restaurateurs are now cluing into the growing demand for a combination of both variety and knowledge when it comes to vino.

Because of this, wine bars are popping up all across Toronto, and I’m determined to wine and dine at as many of them as my wallet will allow.

This means being able to identify the good ones, and weed out the not so good ones.

So, here are a few of my favourites across town, perfect for the skeptical taste bud on a tighter budget.

1) Local Kitchen, 1710 Queen Street West
After months of waiting to eat at Local Kitchen in Parkdale (its small space has been full on several occasions when I’ve dropped by, and they don’t take reservations), I finally got my chance this week - and it was well worth the wait. At first I was slightly annoyed by the air of pretension, but I got over that as soon as the beautiful bottle of red was brought to our table. The space, though tiny, is beautifully decorated, made to look rustic; and, to be honest, their bathroom is probably my favourite semi-public bathroom in Toronto. The food is just as good as the wine (don’t miss the caponata, an eggplant salad made by the chef’s mother); I strongly recommend the meat platter as an excellent appetizer to go with your first glass of wine. Local Kitchen opens at six, so I’d suggest going on a Sunday, and getting there a bit early to ensure that you get a table.

2) Ezra’s Pound, 238 Dupont Street
Located at Dupont and Spadina, Ezra’s Pound is coffee bar by day, wine bar by night (from 6:30 onward). Its space is comforting, as a good coffee house should be, and you don’t feel like you and your outfit are being judged upon entry. The cheese platters, featuring cheese from both Ontario and Quebec (mostly Quebec) and the  desserts, which are made in-house, are unique. Unlike Local Kitchen (or most of the city’s wine bars for that matter), Ezra’s offers you the choice to bring your own bottle (for a 15 dollar corking fee). It’s a great way to feel relaxed in an environment that’s not your home, and drink the wine you personally choose with a delicious platter of cheeses and meats.

3) Yuzu Sushi and Sake Bar, 236 Adelaide Street West
Though not included under a traditional definition, I still consider Sake one of my favourite kinds of wine. Few sushi restaurants in Toronto offer a superb and lengthy sake list; mostly they have just one or two options, about which little real information is given. Yuzu is different. The drink list is amazing - ranging from premium Japanese beers, to a delicious sake called “Tokkuri” (served cold or hot), to something I’ve never seen before: a list of sake cocktails. Mmmm.

4) Swirl Winebar, 946 1/2 Queen Street East (Pictured above)
I love Leslieville; in the past five years, it’s become such a delightful place to spend time. As soon as the Queen streetcar begins to pass through this neighbourhood, I become absorbed in staring at all the shops and bistros passing by my window. Swirl Wine Bar is yet another little gem that has recently opened in Leslieville. As soon as you enter this wine bar, you’re thinking, “I wish this was my apartment.” The thought makes sense –the space is in fact is a one-bedroom apartment. The wine selection is small and un-intimidating, but it’s a fantastic, discerning list - and quite inexpensive as well. Though there’s no kitchen, chef Joan Olsen has put together a menu of items that come in little mason jars, which go for $6 apiece. Among the delights found in these mason jars are marinated goat cheese, stilton and caramelized apple, and duck comfit. And the advantage of there being no kitchen is that you can order food right up until when the bar closes.

5) Enoteca Sociale,1288 Dundas Street West
Like Leslieville, Dundas West has recently been transformed into the home of a plethora of excellent bistros and boutiques. Both Brockton General (which is more of a cocktail/snack bar, but which I highly recommend dropping by) and Enoteca Sociale are among my new favourite places on Dundas West. When you’re in Enoteca, which is located in a wine cellar, you truly feel as if you’re in a small village in Italy. The lighting is superb and the atmosphere is cozy and familiar (even if it’s your first time dining there.) The food philosophy of chef Rocco Agostino is “simple, flavourful, passionate”; those words do equally well to describe this entire restaurant and wine bar (and, much more generally, Italian – especially Sicilian – cuisine). The selection of wines is huge, and yet it isn’t overwhelming – because a wine pairing is suggested for you beneath each dish on the menu.

Nicole Simon
		About the author:
		Nicole is a Toronto native, who somehow weaseled her way into the Fashion Institute for Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. There, she majored in Fashion Marketing and Merchandising. Her greatest accomplishments include working as a fish monger for one memorable summer when she was eighteen, and getting scowled at by Judge Judy in line at a restaurant in Manhattan.
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