Montauk Bar

A solid lounge in a solid strip. The cocktails are made with effort and expertise. Had to fight for a stool at the bar, but got there eventually.
Best manhattan on Dundas.

Montauk in name only but a relaxing spot. Any of you who think this has a Brooklyn hipster (should I mention hipsters are worthless pieces of empty space) vibe should have a lobotomy and force fed geography class on NY state (Montauk is about 120 miles from Brooklyn.). Having grown up frequenting the real town many times I can deduce that some Torontonian wanted to create a chill out bar that sort of is the vibe of Montauk (Montauk NY is really more New England and thankfully not even remotely close in vibe to the Hamptons). Honestly, I sort of wonder if the owner of this bar has spent more than a weekend in Montauk… nothing remotely nautical or anything outside of some NY themed drinks. As a bar however on face value it was a pleasant spot. PS. a Manhattan cocktail on tap is kind of tacky (think Jagermeister).make them from scratch.

Love the ambiance of this gem of a bar. Dj Illacuts (aka Ben) was playing 90s rnb throwbacks and the supa fly cocktails with fun names made it just right.
Giving it a 4 star only because the bartender took forever to take our order + get us our bill; typical TO arrogance.

The most appealing thing about this place was the drink menu, charmingly hand written on the wall. We ordered the tame impala ($ 9), which was very tasty. A little on the sweet side, but who’s complaining? Also, the Manhattan on tap (VERY cool idea), fell short of our expectations. It felt unbalanced.
First come first serve seating style, no food available, DJ up top who played some decent music. Call me grandma but it was a bit loud and everyone had to yell to converse. But that’s bar life I suppose.
The bartenders seemed indifferent to our presence. You have to go up to the bar to order and even that took way longer than it should. When one guy cleared our empty glasses off the table, I thought he would offer another round. But not a word. You’d think they would try to pump out more booze to guests. Our experience wasn’t exactly customer service oriented. That was the most unappealing thing. Although the cocktail was yummy, there are many other spots in the city where you can get great cocktails AND great customer service that makes you want to go back. Unfortunately, this place didn’t make the list for me.

Really cool spot on Dundas west. Great cocktails and great music. A bit pricey depending on what your poison is — but it’s totally worth it. Bartenders know what they’re doing too.
Gets super busy on certain nights and can be a lot of shoulder bumping. So be sure to get there early

cool spot, solid drinks, good service, nice ambience

I came here after work to meet a friend and I really like the ambience there.
It’s just steps from the corner of Dundas and Bathurst and very easy to miss.
It’s pretty small and comfy and it definitely feels like a stereotypical hipster bar and I surely stood out from the other people there as I wasn’t sporting a beard, very skinny pants, lumberjack shirt, boots and chunky eyewear.
I sampled a couple of their popular cocktails which were ready in no time. I like the combination of ingredients but I found them to be a bit on the sweet side and not boozy enough. They went down like water.
I was surprised to see Manhattans and Sazeracs on tap, but when I asked the bartender how were they he said that they were okay. So as much as I like my Manhattans, I decided to skip this on tap despite the novelty factor, though it’s reasonably priced at $ 7.
I really like the fast and friendly service and will come back again to try their other cocktails.

This place has the coolest ambience! My husband has a thing for trying new bars and I love it when he finds these little gems. Montauk is not little. its very popular but I say little gem because my husband and I are new to Toronto and are still exploring these places.
We went here after dinner at Queen Margherita Pizza (thats another review I did but do check it out if interested) and Montauk is very close to it. We walked up to the door and they have a doorman (looks more like a bouncer type). Now we knew that you don’t get to reserve a table here, its first come first serve and luckily for us we found a table right away. There is this tiny mezzanine level where the DJ has a setup and the music is really good. One entire wall has a menu on it, you go open a tab at the bar and get the party started.
Some of the drinks we had were the Toronto, Endswell, Tame Impala and a few more which I don’t remember cause I was pretty tipsy by then. All the drinks were good but my least favourite was Endswell (which seemed to be everyone’s favourite)
The place was crowded and the vibe was cool. And maybe it was this vibe but the people at bar was really friendly and its an easy place to start a conversation with strangers.
Will definitely go back!

This places is the bee’s knees. Such great vibes and good drinks to boot. Service is on point and the crowd is great. You can’t just come here once. I visited some friends in Toronto and am so glad they showed me this spot.
Order a Tame Impala, you won’t regret it!

I like this place. Small, intimate, great cocktails, comfortable seating arrangements, attractive, slightly older (+30) clientele. I’ve been twice — two separate birthdays — one was for a 30^th that had rented out the place during a snow storm and we still packed the place. Delicious cocktails made with care by the staff and a fun space to have to ourselves. The second birthday was a 35^th on a Saturday night and while it was packed it was a lot of fun, good music, good crowd and same delicious cocktails.

Came here with a group of friends at opening time. I had one of the featured cocktails and it tasted like a whisky sour. Not going to lie, they have some pretty creative names for their cocktails. Only if they taste just as good! None of my friends tasted anything special/​different with their cocktails either. The atmosphere probably would have been much better later in the night. But since we went at 8pm, I can’t really comment that the vibe is not good.

Sick of waiting in an hour and a half line for Uniun, my boyfriend and I stumbled upon Montauk.
We didn’t know what it was, we just saw lights and hoped for a bar.
Wow. No line, no cover. I’d take that over waiting in a 2 hr line any day!
The place was small and busy. We liked the music the DJ was playing.
I guess this is a hipster bar? I looked very different in my leather heeled sandals and white, backless dress.
Most people were dressed in jeans and boots. I thought it was odd for summer, but it was cold so I was probably the one that didn’t get the memo.
To drink my boyfriend and I had tallboys of Steigl ($ 7 each).
Speaking of drinks, I think I saw the drunkest people in all of Toronto at Montauk.
Seriously.
They were doing the wave.
Everyone was friendly, striking up a conversation with me.
The bench running along the wall was comfy and possibly velour.
The bathrooms are back behind the bar, past the dj.
It looked really sketchy… like peeling paint, half-​hazard black drapes hung up. I was a little scared.
The single person bathrooms were okay though.
Neat place, good beer. I wouldn’t be opposed to going back.

Montauk Bar (incongruously named after a small beach town at the tip of Long Island) is a pretty good bet for a decent cocktail in a very nice setting.
Atmosphere: After coming from a crappy dive bar, Montauk was an oasis of clean concrete and filament bulbs. There’s a nice bar area with a bunch of table seating as well. It’s not huge so I can imagine it fills up as the night goes on. We were there a bit on the early side of a Saturday night and the vibe was pretty laid back.
Drinks: Cheaper than the aforementioned crappy dive bar which was a definite plus. They were all kind of a little weird though… not bad per se… but just different. We ordered a couple of classic cocktails (a Sazerac and the Last Word) both of which we’ve had many many times before. The Last Word was relatively true to the original, but the Sazerac was… strange… again… not altogether bad… just not as expected.
In any case, we had a good experience here and would for sure come back if ever we’re in the The Great White North.

If there was only a 6^th star, I would be all about giving Montauk Bar this high honour right now.
They’ve mixed me the craziest cocktails. They’ve named whiskey menus after Robyn’s Call Your Girlfriend (I’m listening to it right now). They’ve seen me at my worst and still always treat me like I’m the best. They’re all really strapping men.* I just can’t find enough good words to say about this place, above all else they’re creative, scrappy and good for the hood. I just asked the owner if I could bring a confetti cannon in tonight for a celebration,** and he obliged… like come on. Does it get any better?
This summer when you’re finished at the hipster pool nearby, just come here for a drink. Don’t go all the way back to Ossington or Parkdale. You want The shit, not the Same Ol’ shit.
*Seriously. Dustin. Do you require headshots with resumes? The ladies (and many boys) thank you.
**Don’t do this to a bar owner. It’s mean.

What’s all the fuss about? This place is just okay.
The space is small, the drinks are small, the prices are high. I didn’t LOVE any of the cocktails I tried… they were just okay.
There are better cocktail bars out there.

Josh made a couple great drinks for me and my friend, had it not been for whiskylicious I would have never made it into the place. Now, I’m upset I live too far away to visit frequently.
Loved the atmosphere and the bartender was extremely friendly and knew his booze.

I had high hopes for this place based on Blog TO’s review so I decided to check it out.
First impressions are important so when a customer walks into your bar, don’t ignore them. Neither of the bartenders (who did not seem busy) acknowledged me until I asked for a table and a drink menu. The menu is on a chalk board on the wall and the print was so tiny & smudged that it was not visible to the human eye. So I just ordered a martini. It was good. They should really consider getting a printed menu.
I sat at the front end of the bar on a stool that was far too short for the height of the bar. I felt like a child who couldn’t see what all the grown-​ups were doing. After my companion arrived, we moved to a table and the music became obnoxiously loud. My friend and I were shouting at each other. Not ideal. They should considering lowering the volume.
That said, the place itself is just fine (standard hipster cocktail bar but not fancy by any means which is what I expected based on «$$$»). The wooden table was chipping away and it put a hole in my stocking! If I’m in the hood, I will stop by again. Sure. But next time I’ll wear pants.
As for the name, I can’t say that this place is reminiscent of Montauk itself. Oh well!

I love this place, I wish I was there right now. Here are the things you need to know about Montauk —
1.) It is a warm port in a storm
2.) They have Manhattans on tap
3.) They have delish nuts and nibbles behind the bar
4.) Their bartender is a wizard among men with cocktails. Just give him a liquor and and he can make magic happen.
5.) Décor is awesome!
6.) They have Manhattans on tap.
Go there, go on!

Cool vibe. Dark interior with wood, pipes, and light bulbs.
I hate it when a drink is on the menu but is no longer available. That’s always a disappointment. Rub off the chalk and replace it with something else, please.
The votive candles seemed very ironic. Irony for the hipsters I suppose?
I saw photos of this place on BlogTO and the bartenders looked way happier than they did last night.
Don’t order the house wine.

Came here Friday night on a recommendation from a friend who thought I’d like it. Well, I’m glad I have friends who know me well.
Favourite part was definitely the décor. Very charming woodsy atmosphere, almost rustic. Wood everything, chalkboard walls, and an antler tap. (?) The bar is small but my group managed to snag some tables. I’d guess there’s seating for maybe 30 people inside, plus another 5 – 10 at the bar on the bar stools.
Props for a clean bathroom, which is always a plus at a bar. The bartenders were very nice and knowledgeable– as an ultimate test, my friend (who was several drinks in at this point) asked for a «sweet drink a small Korean girl would enjoy» and they delivered. I wish I knew what the drink was, but I guess it’ll serve as an excuse to return until the mystery is solved. Their beer got thumbs ups from my friends who ordered beer.
I wasn’t aware there was space upstairs until I saw the other reviews, so now I guess I have even more reason to return!