When choosing from Toronto’s happy hour options, I look for good atmosphere, great value and tasty dishes and drinks. These are my favourites:
General Public is a new meat-forward resto on Geary, featuring $6 lagers, $8 G&Ts, $12 house wines, margs, martinis and negronis plus $21 cheeseburgers for the first 21 lucky diners. Daily from 4-6 p.m.
The Rhino has a huge, sunny patio on lively West Queen West. The $5 G&Ts, rails and craft beer go great with their $7 tasty pretzel loaf and pierogi platter. Available Mon-Fri, 3-6 p.m.
Hit Blanco on Bloor in the Annex from 2-5 p.m. and after 10 p.m. daily for half-price tequila, $7 margs and $3.5 corn or flour tacos stuffed with garlic mushroom, crispy fish, mojo pork, braised beef, baja shrimp or chicken tinga.
Constantine on Charles East is home to Top 30 Under 30 chef Adam Lafleur, serving Mediterranean snacks. Za’atar chips, salmon crudo, maitake mushrooms and more are in the $4 to $16 range. House reds, whites and craft beers are $8, and vintage cocktails are $16. Mon-Fri, 4-6 p.m.
Smoque N’ Bones on Baldwin, with its cute front porch, offers a BBQ feast of tacos, sliders and hot sandwiches topped with charred fruit or veggies, and signature cocktails for $10. Crafts on tap are $6. From 3-6 p.m. daily.
This article appeared in the 2025 Summer issue.
