Touring the city’s hottest nightclubs
Four clubbing experts take Star reporter Daniel Otis for a wild night on the town
Toronto’s big-box nightclubs may be a thing of the past, but that doesn’t mean the clubbing scene is dead. With four clubloving professionals as tour guides, our uninitiated reporter followed the party to three King West-area nightspots. The Addisons Residence Music: Eclectic Vibe: Sophisticatedly loose Capacity: 500 Jay Strut, who introduces himself as the “unofficial queen of King St.,” wastes no time. Within seconds of arriving at The Addisons, he’s ordering round after round of tequila shots. “You said you wanted an authentic experience!” he laughs.
With no dress code, The Addisons attracts a diverse clientele. Besuited bankers with salt and pepper hair mingle with university-age dudes in shorts and button-down plaid. The women wear everything from denim to cocktail dresses. But the atmosphere is sophisticated.
“Everyone is welcome at The Addisons; it doesn’t matter who you are,” Rob Loschiavo says. It’s his favourite place to start, and end, the night.
Occupying a space on Wellington St. that once housed C Lounge, Addisons is designed to be a non-stop house party. There’s an immaculate kitchen area with a long stool-lined counter, a living room with armchairs and board games, and even a game room with vintage arcade titles, foosball and stick hockey tables. Each of the three rooms has its own bar. With no booths, patrons are encouraged to mingle. In the kitchen, a DJ spins an eclectic mix of oldies, hip-hop, Top 40 and rock.
Lia Macri, who’s here for the first time, loves the music and the houseparty vibe.
“But the foosball table is just throwing me off,” she frowns. Wildflower Music: Hip hop Vibe: Urban exclusive Capacity: 215 It’s a short stroll down Wellington to Wildflower, a nightclub in the depths of the happening Thompson Hotel. There’s a long line snaking out the entrance when we arrive shortly be- fore midnight, but as veterans of the scene our crew is immediately waved in by the door staff.
Several flights of graffiti-adorned stairs bring us to the tiny, dark venue, which has artificial flowers dangling from the ceiling’s fluorescent light tubes. Booths line the mirrored walls and bottle service comes with flickering sparklers. The vibe is hip urban casual: black shirts and ball caps dominate. A DJ spins a set that leans heavily on edgy hip-hop.
“For me, it’s the underground spot all the cool kids go to,” Rob says.
Jay wrangles drinks from someone he knows at a booth. Wherever he turns, he seems to recognize someone.
“This does not work for me,” Lia says. “It’s small, it’s loud, it’s too young.”
“For a mainstream nightclub, it’s a little bit edgier,” Tran Pham pipes up. “It’s definitely a destination for people in the know.” The Everleigh Music: Top 40 Vibe: Wild Canadiana Capacity: 500 Tran gets us waved past the long line. Inside, the place is bumping, with Top 40 tunes blaring as people dance and grind under purple strobe lights. With its antique furniture, hardwoods, exposed bricks, a flock of wooden geese dangling from the rafters and the odd Muskoka chair, the King St. venue might look like a bar but definitely feels like a club. It’s one of the largest venues in the new King West club area. Tran hops into a booth where they’re pouring glasses of vodka and Red Bull.
“It’s a club that doesn’t discriminate,” she says. You can see that with suits, denim, cocktail dresses and summer shorts all on display. Tran thinks that the place might be a bit too inclusive, though.
“I think it kind of derails the purpose of being out at a hot spot; you want to go to a place that’s a little more exclusive,” she says.
If people aren’t dancing, they’re eyeing their smartphones. I keep getting asked why I have a pad of paper.
“A reporter?” one guy says. “I’ve got a story for you.” He points to his date. “I’m going to murder this girl tonight!” She laughs. I grimace. It seems like Lia likes the place, though — she completely disappears into the dance floor melee.