Goodnight! Bar

Good friends S and G were the gatekeepers to Toronto’s latest underground spot last night: Goodnight! Bar.

After some excellent Persian food at Sheherzade (beside Pomegranate on College) and fine coffees on the genteel terrace of La Palette, we walked to the Richmond/Spadina area and then proceeded down an alley beside a small pop-up clothing store to a nondescript metal door. Upon ringing the bell, we were greeted by a young woman who confirmed our reservation and showed us into the bar.

Goodnight! is an extremely comely locale. It has a manufactured broken-in feel that truly works and the end result lies somewhere between Brooklyn and Barcelona. Recycled radiators make up the base of the bar, which is finished with a raw exposed wood top. Packing skids placed vertically create peek-a-book divisions between sitting areas to facilitate the people-watching that will definitely happen here. A small wood frame staircase propped against the far wall gives a sense of depth that is then played upon further by small half-steps that continue along in a vertical slant. My favourite part of the decor has to be the sewing/tailoring patterns on the walls – an original idea that highlights the bespoke nature of boutique spaces such as this one.

For my Red friends (Alex, Jen), I should mention that there is a “Communist Corner” below the faux stairs that sports portraits of famous Enemies of the West (and oddly, John F. Kennedy).

Drinks-wise, Goodnight! boasts an extensive, although certainly not cheap, cocktail list – parts of which the young bar staff working last night were still evidently learning. Service, though, was amiable and friendly and with no trace of attitude. The idea that Goodnight! should be a television-free bar in which conversation and meeting people should reign appears to be working. The music, as mixed by the owner, was eclectic and good and contributed well to the overall vibe of the place. 

All in all, a very fine place to spend a few hours in good company or simply to watch the beautiful people. Current load restrictions will keep it intimate but one assumes that with TIFF just around the corner (and now centered in this neighbourhood), Goodnight! will become quite the hopping place, indeed.

Drink: Gimlet or Manhattan Dry if you want something even more lip-smacking.