Hidden listening bar now open inside a restaurant in Toronto

Toronto is known for having lots of semi-hidden concepts secretly tucked away in every corner and cranny of the city, and now one more has popped up inside a restaurant.

Toki Listening Bar is now open inside a restaurant, which itself is located inside a swanky hotel.

Toki draws inspiration from the listening bars of Japan, serving top quality whisky and playing a highly curated selection of music just like they do.

The official website for the hidden listening bar says that Toki is all about “whisky-forward cocktails, vinyl, and Japanese ritual.”

As such, naturally the menu revolves around a list of highballs, available in a classic version as well as flavoured with tangerine and strawberry.

“At the centre of it all: the Toki highball. Impeccably cold. Precisely carbonated. Built the Japanese way, every time,” reads the official website for Toki Listening Bar. “A focused spirits program. The selection is deliberate.”

From there, Toki Listening Bar serves a thoughtful selection of cocktails based on different flavour profiles.

In the “Fruity Expressions” section, there’s the Spring Wind made with Toki whisky, grapefruit, honey, vanilla and strawberry, as well as the Green Samurai made using Toki whisky, Fino sherry, melon liqueur, aloe and citrus.

The cocktail menu continues on to a section entitled “Umami Layers” with the Yellow Yurū made out of Haku vodka, pineapple, ají amarillo, agave, lime and cilantro oil, and then the Sōya Harbor with shiso-infused Roku gin, Lillet and sake.

A “Foundations” section has cocktails that are intended to be riffs on more traditional and recognizable cocktails. This includes the Noir 1982 with Haku vodka, St-Germain, orange liqueur and chocolate, and the Tamari Blossom made with Roku gin, sherry and sparkling sake.

“In Japanese, toki (季) means time, the invisible element that shapes music, service, and ritual,” reads the official website for Toki Listening Bar. “The city runs at its pace. Toki runs at its own.

Toki Listening Bar is hidden inside Tono by Akira Back, which is located at the rooftop area of the W Hotel in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood.

Akira Back is a well known chef internationally, and Tono is his ode to Nikkei cuisine which blends together Japanese and Peruvian influences.

While walk-ins are available at Toki Listening Bar, reservations are highly recommended.

You can find Toki Listening Bar within Tono by Akira Back at the W Hotel in Toronto, located at 90 Bloor St. E.