THE SPARROW 92 Ossington, 416-537-0134 Rating: NNNNN
VIBE A warm and cozy restaurant/bar on Ossington run by the same folks as Sweaty Betty’s, the Sparrow is just approaching its first anniversary but has already changed up its menu and opened a back-room lounge. Look for a fairly wide variety of DJs, from rock to funk to electro to French pop, depending on the night.
PAST LIVES It was previously a karaoke bar, but a 2003 shooting ended that chapter. You wouldn’t recognize the place now the neon, black lights and tinted windows have been replaced with raw wood, chandeliers and candles.
BATHROOMS There are a couple of small, generally clean bathrooms downstairs, but you might have to wait a bit on a busy night.
CAN YOU DANCE? In the front room there’s not much room, but the new back room, with more floor space, louder music and a disco ball, lends itself to ass-shaking.