BATL – The Home of Axe Throwing

What’s more fun that dart throwing? Why AXE throwing, of course. And leave it to the Canadians to come up with this fun take on a team sport!
Wait. Are you telling me you never heard of AXE Throwing? Well you have to get yourself to Canada, my American friends, as this is the most fun you’ll have sober! (yeah, the liquor commission there ruled that it might be dangerous to drink and throw axes so they banned the BYOB policy that used to be in place…go figure!)
This location, there are 6 more I think, is located by the wharf and is in what used to be an old ammunitions warehouse. Picture tall ceilings, wood walls, not fancy but very functional. The logo for BATL will guide you to the door as it really looks like you have come to an abandoned building as signage is at a minimum.
You check in at a table where you will get a wrist band, pay your $ 40 for 3 hours of good fun, and be directed to your area. The staff here is super organized and very friendly and nice!
There are a few practice rounds and if you listen to the instructors, you will be throwing like a pro in no time. The mini hatchets are used for the regular rounds, but wait til you see what happens where there is a tie. They haul out a full sized axe, cordon off the area and then you pitch the full sized axe toward the target. Did I saw this was crazy fun???
Our group had about 25 people in it and everyone got to compete 3 times at a minimum, more if you made it to the finals. There is also a refrigerator by your area so bring soft drinks, water and snacks as axe throwing works up an appetite.
Too soon our axe throwing time was done (takes about 3 hours) But for this axe throwing virgin, the fun lived on in my memory AND my sore arm and core muscles for a few days to follow.
AXE THROWING? Sure. Doesn’t everyone do this in Canada???

Lots of fun, way more than I expected. I can be a cynical pessimist and thought this would be kinda lame. Not at all. The hosts/​guides/​instructors were helpful and hilarious. We started off with 20 – 30 minutes of practice and training so that everyone became semi-​competent and familiar, and then dove into our «playoffs» and «tournament». Everyone seemed to have a good time, although I worked up way more of a sweat than I expected; apparently hurling axes at wood targets is a better workout than one might imagine. I recommend this for a group activity or outing… although I’m secretly happy that drinking was no longer allowed, as it’s already somewhat terrifying to have your friends (and strangers) whipping axes behind their heads to aim…

Went here during the Friday walk-​in hours and had a blast! Wes was the main guy instructing us, and he was really nice, offering tips to us as complete beginners. The staff clearly took safety seriously, but also wanted everyone to have fun. I can see how this place would be attractive if you’re with a large group, but it was fun even with just three of us throwing axes for an hour or two.
One warning — be sure to stretch first! (Especially your shoulders and sides/​core.) It’s more athletic than you’d think. Also, they have a water cooler where you can get free cups of water when you’re not throwing. You’ll definitely need it! We were really thirsty after our session.
Definitely check this place out if you’re at all interested. You’ll have a great time!

This review is probably overdue but we went two years ago to this place. We had a party of about 20 people and we had a blast.
At that time we were allowed to bring our own alcohol such as canned beers or boxed wines. The whole event took about two and a half hours from training on how to throw an axe using both of your hands and how to be safe throughout the event so you chop off any fingers. Next thing you know you’re in a tournament with your buddies and you’re fighting for the championship. It was a lot of fun because you could drink while you’re watching and it actually got quite intense.
If there’s a tie, which I did get into, you get to throw the big axe, which was awesome!
The coaches and trainers there at were very strict to keep everyone safe but they also were there to instruct us on how to get better and improve our technique. axes aren’t heavy and if you get used to it, you can doing it with one hand.
Overall, it was a lot of fun there but I recently heard that they changed the policy on the alcohol so you are no longer allowed to bring alcohol. If I had to write this review again I would not give it 5 stars because the BYOB policy give it a star just by itself. Beer and axes are a great combination!
It is still a great place to celebrate a party with your friends for a special occasions such as a birthday though.

BE WARNED — THERE IS NO BYOB. BATL is not a stand-​up business. I reserved a time months in advance for a bachelor party and received an email less then 48 hours before my event (event is booked for Saturday afternoon I received an email at 10:30 pm on Thursday night) informing me that the venue’s policies had changed and that BYOB was no longer permitted. I was shocked, especially considering that I had been on BATL’s website earlier that same day and it still advertised the ability to bring your own drinks. The email claimed that the policy had only come into effect the day they emailed me, which is a ridiculous claim considering there is no way a city-​ordinance would go into effect that quickly and that they probably knew about it months before and chose not to inform their customers. They basically waited until the last possible minute to tell me about this change so that I would have no other options. This is a bad way of doing business and I would strongly advise you take your business elsewhere.

We had a large work social/​event at BATL just a little while ago and we took up 90% of the place the night we went. I was hesitant with the whole idea of BOYB and hacking axes around but it turned out better than expected.
Although we were a large group (80+ people or so), the team at BATL was very organized and managed to get us separated into teams without much confusion. We then got to do practice rounds after rules were explained.
A large competition was then done for our group with a round-​robin tournament followed by a playoff round to crown an overall champion.
It was a lot of fun overall and I would definitely like to go back but with a smaller group to have more chances to throw!

Love this place! I first came here for my work Christmas party, then I had my birthday here in the summer. Most recently, I decided to join one of their leagues. It’s super fun, and I’ve met some awesome people. The staff are fantastic and really helpful. I even get to bring my dog along (they love well behaved pooches) and she gets more love in a night from everyone than anywhere else. It’s a great way to spend my Wednesday nights! Thanks guys!

Amazing experience! It’s always been on my bucket list to try axe throwing. A friend’s surprise birthday party made that happen. Right off the bat the staff were friendly and welcoming. They took their time to explain everything and gave us tips along the way. It’s harder than it looks bit so much fun! Malachi and Michael made our experience enjoyable and had a great sense of humour that fit with our group. It will definitely be something I will be doing again! You can’t go wrong with throwing axes at stuff!

This place is wicked. You would think that beer and axe battles would be a dangerous combo… Well you’re not wrong. But these guys know how to have fun and I’m not arguing with that logic.
The breakdown is you need to book in advance and have a group of at least 12 people. It’s $ 40 per person and its roughly three hours of axe throwing shenanigans. Best part? BYOB is in full effect.
You get your own little area with a counter and fridge, so bring lots of food and drinks with you. This place is smoker friendly, just right outside you can spark up (and bring your beer with you! Amazing.)
They teach you how to throw, you practice, and then the battles begin. Compete against your friends for the title of champion axe thrower and manliest of men.
THE STAFF ARE AWESOME I want to be their friend. Seriously they made our axventure like a million times more fun just by being so inherently cool.
So much fun, I wish it could last longer than it does. One tip though, it’s best to keep the group as small as possible; big groups means less action for each of you. Great for birthdays, I’d even think it would make a cool bachelor party, it’s just refreshing to do something so different for a change.
Only complaint I had was that after my first visit I wanted to go again but it’s very hard to contact BATL, your only option is to email them pretty much.

Went with a group from work for a little after hours fun. This place is fantastic. Bring your own booze (cans only, or wine with plastic cups), order in pizza, and spend three hours having a blast heckling each other in a well-​organized and hilarious tournament format.
Each pair of lanes gets a coach who will run everyone through the basics of axe throwing, the rules of the game, and how it all goes down. They’ll then organize round robin games until they figure out brackets for a tournament which concludes with a final showdown complete with a great photo op at the end.
League play sounds awesome, I’m now on the list to join either here or Pickering, because it seems like a whole lot of fun.

We celebrated the earlier portion of a friend’s bachelor party here. It was loads of fun. It takes a while to get the hang of throwing the ax, but you get several practice runs. You throw at targets, the closer to the bull’s eye, the higher the score. Sounds easy, in theory. Each individual then goes on several head-​to-​head competitions against opponents and a judge keeps score. By the end of the night, a winner is declared.
They allow outside food and beer, and provide a fridge to store it. You might think that beer and axes don’t mix, and you’d be absolutely right. But they make sure that you follow safety rules.
Don’t think this place is for men only. There were large groups of ladies as well.

Celebrated a buddy’s 40^th here a couple weeks ago and had an amazing time. Bring your own booze (wine/​beer) in cans and plastic and store in your own fridge. Order in pizza or bring take-​out.
The staff are down-​to-​earth people who had a great sense of humour and patience. They stick with you through the whole experience, teaching you the basics (harder than you think) and then running a tournament for your group.
Seems counter-​intuitive to drink and throw axes but the environment and staff make sure it’s all very safe. Our three hour session flew by and I can’t wait to go back.

I suck at this. And yet this is the funniest thing I could do in the city. I love being a part of my league, the staff is cool as f, and you never know who you’re going to see throw a bullseye or a big axe.

Fantastic place to go as a group.
Located by the docklands area in a warehouse type environment and not easy to find the first time round.
The guys who work here and keep the competitions style games going are pretty cool guys, fun and professional.
It is too bad they do not have some sort of onsite vending machines or snacks, the next best option was ordering pizza from the nearest pizzanova shop.
Would definitely go again.

I’ve been twice now for special events and loved it each time. Axe throwing is really cathartic and it’s not too difficult to pick up (though it is really hard to do consistently!) We brought our own food and drinks each time and there was more than enough room for us to spread out. Definitely a great plan for a birthday or team building event!

I organized my husband’s birthday to be held here with 20 friends. You have to book 6 – 8 weeks in advance for a weekend slot. The place was a bit hidden and unassuming from the street but we found it. We had a great sized area for 20 people and it had a fridge perfect for the food and drinks we brought. It’s great you’re allowed to bring food and drinks! The lessons were done in pairs and then we went on to a tournament. All our friends had a blast and kept saying how fun it was. It’s a very fun group event that we highly recommend! $ 40/​pp for 3 hours!

I never knew such a place existed! Want to work out your frustrations? come here! Just want some plain old axe throwing fun? This is your place! There are 2 locations — I went to the one on Villiers St. We had a group of about 13 (groups over 12 are $ 40 incl tax… not sure the price of a smaller group). You can bring your own drinks (no bottles) and food as they have fridges at each area. We booked for 3 hours and it was an amazing time! They have 2 guys (Stefan and unfortunately I have forgotten the name of the other guy we had) explain to us how to throw the axe (you didn’t think there WASN’T a technique involved in did ya??) and let you get some practice throws in before the round robin competition starts. They are very good about giving instructions on how you can improve your aim. Such a fun way to spend a day with friends. Next time I might just bring in a pic of a person I don’t like to put on the target — might help me get more bullseyes that way!

Went here for a birthday party activity before going out later at night. Incredibly fun. I think they charge about $ 30 a person for a group as they provide training for about an hour to everyone then setup a knockout style tournament for your group. You can bring beer (and drink in moderation given you are throwing axes!). Was a lot more fun than I expected and I do plan to go back!