Home to one of the world’s largest annual Pride parades, it’s no surprise that Toronto has a plethora of queer-friendly spaces. I mean, have you been to The Village? While the city’s historic Church and Wellesley neighbourhood is a place where rainbow flags fly and queer parties happen year-round, we wanted to highlight some other fabulous queer hotspots outside of The Village.
So, what makes “gay bars” so special? While they are nightlife venues often full of socializing, dancing and drinking just like any other, these establishments are different from your typical bar. For one, they are often the first place queer people can be their authentic selves, and sometimes the first place they form community connections.
From “Queer West” to a bar opened as a haven for Toronto’s 2SLGBTQ+ community, here are some queer-friendly hotspots outside of The Village!
Three Dollar Bill
Where: 1592 Queen St. W.
Located in Toronto’s Queen West neighbourhood, affectionately known as “Queer West,” Three Dollar Bill is a unique space with a chill vibe and fun decor.
“Our goal for the bar was to create a community space where the queer community would be able to gather and host any number of events,” Co-owner Meaghan Murray told Queer & Now.
Opened by three members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community with experience in Toronto’s hospitality industry, Three Dollar Bill has a variety of drinks and food on their menu and also hosts special events. From dance parties to fundraisers and trivia nights, there is something for everyone.
Murray explained that the trio opened the bar with the goal of creating a fun and inviting atmosphere for queer people to enjoy themselves safely.
“Queer bars and gay bars have always been spaces of resistance, especially now that we have kind of cycled back to a very intolerant worldview of queer and trans folks,” Murray explained.
“Oftentimes, there are queer people who are masking in their everyday life six days of the week, 24 hours of each one of those days, and the only place that they can truly be themselves without fear of repercussions, whether it be professionally, familial, societally, is a queer bar.”
Tammy’s Wine Bar
Where: 1662 Queen St. W.
Thanks to the rainbow bench parked proudly out front of the Queen West establishment, it’s hard to miss Tammy’s Wine Bar. Located in Parkdale, this hotspot is a community favourite, hosting popular queer events and socials.
Tammy’s, which has a sister location on Dundas St. called Tommy’s, frequently hosts fun events and showcases different DJs, making it a great place to meet new people or hang out with friends.
In addition to serving up cocktails and bar-fare, Tammy’s is also a cafe by day! This means you can stop by to grab a hot drink or do some work before getting your groove on in the evening.
Also, calling all sapphics! In addition to other special events, Tammy’s is home to Vu Event’s monthly sapphic nights. They also host the bar trivia contest “Almost Jeopardy” every Wednesday evening.
Find out more about Tammy’s here.
Peaches Sports Bar
Where: 1554 Queen St. W.
Also in the Queer West area, Peaches Sports Bar is a fan favourite among sports fans in the city. While you can catch different sporting events at Peaches, the queer-friendly bar proudly highlights women’s sports year-round.
Named after the Rockford Peaches, an All-American Girls Professional Baseball League that played from 1943 through 1954, the bar features themed decor, including a poster of the team and other sports memorabilia. With a vintage feel and tons of screens for checking out the game, this spot is popular for catching a game, or catching up with friends.
Peaches also hosts special events like drag brunches and trivia nights, and since the beginning of the league’s inaugural 2023/2024 season, has become an increasingly popular place to watch Professional Women’s Hockey League games during the season.
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Find out more about this iconic sports bar here.
Sweaty Betty’s
Where: 13 Ossington Ave.
Open seven days a week, this Ossington Bar is no-nonsense when it comes to being inclusive for all.
“If you are sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, or just an a*****e, don’t come in here!” reads the iconic poster on the front window. And the vibes inside match that energy!
Self-described as a “small, unpretentious dive bar,” the downtown space is full of eclectic decor, a plethora of cozy places to sit, and a patio in the back. In addition to being a classic hangout spot, Sweaty Betty’s regularly hosts different events for the queer community, including fundraisers and drag shows.
Also, if you happen to have a furry friend at home, this dog-friendly spot has a space for pooches to rest and rehydrate while their humans enjoy the bar. You get a drink, Rover gets a drink, and everyone is happy!
Find out more about this Ossington staple here.
El Convento Rico
Where: 750 College St.
Located in the heart of Little Italy, this College Street spot has been a long-time favourite of the queer community. This Latin bar first opened as a safe place for queer people to enjoy themselves in the 90s.
“In 1992 El Convento Rico nightclub opened its doors as a haven for the LGBTQ+ community, and we have been breaking down barriers ever since,” reads the bar’s website.
Known for dazzling performances and its electric dance floor, El Convento Rico visitors can look forward to busting a move on the dance floor and taking in a combination of Latin, techno and top 40 music. This space is usually only open on Friday and Saturday nights, but they do special Sunday events for long weekends.
Find out more about special events happening at this legendary bar here.
Bi Bi Baby
Where: Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander St.
Bi Bi Baby is a bi-monthly party series created to amplify bisexual visibility and create a space for community connections. Hosted at the Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, the series was created in 2022 by Something, a creative collective founded by a trio of queer women in the city, and started as an immersive art and dance party that happened twice a year on Pride and Bi Visibility Day.
“The straight spaces we were going into, we felt too queer to be there. But then in the specifically queer spaces in The Village, there were some lesbian bars at the time, we felt kind of unwanted there as well like people were looking at us and thinking that we were straight,” Co-founder Megan Apa told Queer & Now.
Apa shared that the parties always include fun themes and feature immersive elements like drag artists, go-go dancers, burlesque, tattoo artists and tooth gem techs. She explained that the goal was to make Bi Bi Baby “a feast for the eyes.”
Apa added that it was important to curate a space with bisexual people in mind.
“I think the bisexual community was really underrepresented for so long, and there’s a lot of biphobia going on. I mean, in straight communities, of course, but then also, unfortunately, like within the queer community too.”
Apa also added that this is not a sapphic event.
“We’re trying to open it up more to the bisexual male community as well. Just because you don’t see a lot of men in spaces, [it is] usually assumed that bisexual men are just gay, which is unfortunate. We open it up to everyone like we have gay men, we have allies, we have lesbians, we have anyone under the umbrella who can come to Bi Bi Baby.”
The next Bi Bi Baby party is scheduled for Bisexual Visibility Day on Sept. 20. Find out more about Bi Bi Baby and other Something events here.
Beyond The Bow
Where: Various locations around Toronto
If hitting the club or bar is not your vibe, don’t worry! Beyond The Bow is a Toronto-based organization that works on events like the Pride Picnic and Queer Boxing Night.
“We like to define ourselves as a queer community hub, and we amplify intersectional voices of the 2SLGBTQ+ community,” Co-founder Chanel Attema explained.
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Beyond The Bow was founded by Attema and Kat Zlatanovic in 2016 to both create queer events and promote other 2SLGBTQ+ functions in the city. At the time, the duo was living and going to school in Peterborough, ON and noticed a lack of queer spaces in the town. Since then, the organization has evolved, moving to Toronto and helping queer people make community connections.
“I think these spaces are really important in helping people discover and find and find a place where they may fit,” Attema added.
Other Beyond The Bow events include game nights, beach days and clothing swaps.
“I would say that most, if not all, of our events, have been collaborative on some level between different event organizers, and like different DJs. We are just big on the collaboration, and that stems from our values,” Attema shared.
Find out more about Beyond The Bow here.
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