Reviews
TRIPADVISOR.CA:
'The Painted Lady is really original...'
Jen Czarnota, Astoria, New York
"Had a fabulous time - great DJ, fun atmosphere and a burlesque dancer"
'...In
under twenty minutes was the first conga line! The DJ was super
awesome, playing a mix of 80s and 90s dance hits. Then, right when
you thought it couldn't be more fun a burlesque dancer...started
dancing... this club is so so fun and I can't wait to go
back. Easy to
get to as well...'
Megan M., Toronto, Canada
"Absolute best time ever!"
'I was looking for a place to go with some of my girlfriends to
celebrate a birthday. We are all in our 30's so we wanted a place
that wasn't full of 20 somethings, was different then your average
bar and you could dance your a%# off. Well we found it at The
Painted Lady. Amazing dj, great atmosphere and non stop fun. You
want good times this is the place to go!!'
Jane D., Ottawa, Canada
OSSINGTONVILLAGE.COM:
"One of the hidden culinary gems on Ossington is the menu at The Painted Lady...
...The pulled pork is cooked for hours on end using a tangy sauce which makes it perfectly tasty. It is served on a fresh, local Portuguese bun with fresh greens on a wooden board. It's both rustic and delicious...
...The amazing thing about all the food at The Painted Lady is that they make everything fresh with real ingredients. If you order a drink with sour mix at the bar, you can be sure it wasn't store-bought, but that the citrus was juiced by the staff..."
TORONTO LIFE: "If Dita Von Teese had a TO hang this would likely be it..."
TODAY MAGAZINE:
Toronto's Best Live Music Venues
Toronto’s original rock and roll, funk and soul burlesque bar, the Painted Lady is unlike any other musical venue. Established in 2008, this diverse bar is always evolving, shifting and catering to the latest trends and fan favourites. From classic rock to 90s hip hop, the floor is always packed with fans of all ages crowding together to eat sexy finger food, dance to great music and add to the overall electric bar vibe.
A frequent venue for Toronto Jazz Fest and Canadian Music Week, the
Painted Lady also hosts weekly special events for its faithful
patrons – including their Open Mic Mondays for
both electrified and acoustic musicians looking to take the brave
jump into live performances.
YELP.CA: Ossington's coolest club for diversity is: The Painted Lady
This place has EVERYTHING: Lights, vintage pin-up prints,
pimped-out DJs, a small dancing man ensconced in leopard print, a
bar-top burlesque dancer, nipple tassels, a dusty mirrored disco
ball, and hot damn good mojitos. There's no password: At the door,
just do the Cosby face.
Okay, that last bit was pure SNL Stefon. Out of any bar in Toronto,
it's this place that lives up to the spirit of Stefon. I had fun;
TPL isn't excessively terrible in any way. It's actually a little
bit amazing. Highly recommended if you want to have fun without
trying too hard.
Janna S., North York, May 1st, 2014
INDIE88: "One of my faves is The Painted Lady on Ossington... the sound and feel of the room is incredible. ...They even have a burlesque dancer..."
ZOMATO.COM: Great, albeit crowded, bar!
This is pretty much the only place in the city that you can find me dancing. I love the fact that despite the djs and dancing and crowds it doesn't have a gross clubby feel. The bartenders are great, and the drinks they pour are even better. People dance right up until the bar closes and I never feel uncomfortable. When you need a break there's also a small little sitting area with vintage looking couches up at the front, which somehow are always miraculously empty. The entire downstairs is one massive, unique bathroom and as weird as this sounds, I really love it. The only downside of this place to me is oh my god is it ever squishy and crowded, it is small and constantly filled to the brim (or at least that's been my experience). You almost have to assault people to get up to the bar to order a drink and if you want to move anywhere you better be ready to be pushy. To finish it all up though, the best part: they always have a burlesque dancer on the bar and whoever she is she is always gorgeous, talented, and so much fun to watch. This bar is definitely a favourite of mine.
more YELP.CA:
"What a great surprise
The Painted Lady turned out to be when a couple of friends and I
came in here to cap off a mini Ossington crawl on a Friday night.
The cool looking crowds, loud music and what we saw peering in drew
us in here. Little did we expect it to be a full on party here,
drinks were cheaper than expected, there was good music being spun
(perfect for dancing away) and a burlesque dancer doing her
thing... Initially it was a "wtf" moment as it was very unexpected
but she was amazing and gave this place a nice added touch. The end
of the lounge was occupied by a good number of people dancing away
in front of the DJ so if you want to get your dance on they can
accommodate you.
This does
seem like a place that needs to be visited when its less crowded to
really appreciate the deco because the bits I saw I really found
interesting, and I can just see this place being a very cool spot
to lounge around in.."
~~~
"Saturday Night, no plans in the works and the sound of TLC
out the door drew us into The Painted Lady ...an awesome
night!
The DJ was great, the music was dancey and loud, but the standouts
were the bartenders and the drinks. The guy remembered my order
(shocking in such a busy bar) and then made us the best Burt
Reynolds shots of our life, I'd like to call them the Ryan Reynolds
of Burt Reynolds.
Definitely a return visit is in order!"
~~~
"Every time i go to this bar, it's completely different. The place always remains the same, but what's going on inside changes. Classic rock, to jazz to hip hop. And it's always packed with ppl who've come specifically to see the band/DJ play. i.e this place is one of those little institutions that you're going to catch someone really good play at. The key idea being that live sets are getting harder to find in this city - stop by here and check it out before deciding to go to another place if you're in the area. Find out what's going on that evening."
~~~
"Such a cool bar! Great spot to grab a beer while waiting for Libretto. Staff is super friendly (the girl with the glasses is cute) and it was just really cool. Call me a hipster but I call myself one open minded SOB!"