Hidden Toronto club turns 30, spills on celebrity clientele and iconic talent

A hidden Toronto club loved by celebrities is turning 30, and it wants the whole city to celebrate.

The Reservoir Lounge is an enduring slice of real estate tucked away in the St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood, bordered by the hustle and bustle of the downtown core.

A favoured haunt for icons like Prince, Drake, and Michael Bublé — who famously got his start playing the club — the lounge has seen modern tastes develop as countless guests have come and gone in its decades of operation.

However, as it enters its proverbial ‘dirty thirties’ (having opened in 1997), can The Reservoir Lounge still pull a young crowd (with discerning tastes and wallets) and maintain its collection of regulars who are just as important as the bricks that hold the building together?

“Over the last 30 years, we have never really had to change that much; there has never been a looming need to reinvent ourselves. As a base, that has really worked out, because people these days are really looking for an authentic space, and when you step into here, it feels like a different era but in no way outdated or fake,” Hess Chung, longtime owner of The Reservoir Lounge, told yourcitywithIN.

[Wall of icons, at The Reservoir Lounge] 

The nose the current dining generation has for gimmicks has worked in the lounge’s favour; while other venues sometimes try to brute-force vibes, The Reservoir Lounge has so much significance that it is impossible not to realize you are standing in living history.

As a result, a trickle-down effect has taken hold, with Chung noting that she’ll often see three generations—grandparents, parents, and their kids—sitting at the same table, all of whom she’s seen come into the lounge of their own accord over decades.

“What we do here defies both age and even social barriers; it’s just a great place, built on great music and great food, which we always joke about: people come to catch a show, but often end up staying for dinner,” says Chung.

Programming at The Reservoir Lounge is always mixing foundational figures and new players; the venue is putting the current spotlight on Xavier Solis, a huge up-and-comer in Toronto’s jazz scene, and Janice Hagan, a swing powerhouse who has played the club for nearly as long as it has been open.

[Hidden on Wellington Street East, is your ticket to one of Toronto’s best supper clubs] 

This combination of enduring talent and young blood is — according to Hagan herself — essentially the skeleton key that keeps generations seeking the venue out.

“The bones of this building make you feel a particular kind of way. It’s below street level, and it’s mostly hidden; it makes you feel like you’ve discovered something just for you. For those kids coming in, they love coming back to it; they gel with the whole experience. They love how close the band is to the audience, and they get to feel not removed and a part of something,” Hagan told yourcitywithIN.

As Toronto succumbs to an invasive cost-of-living crisis, colliding with a new generation choosy about their leisure time (and limited leisure dollars), Chung notes that The Reservoir Lounge’s reputation as a space that won’t bleed its clientele keeps the lights on just as much as its ambiance.

Fresh oysters are half off for literally half the week, and robust appetizers built on Black Bird Bakery sourdough cost as much as matcha at some places, and entrees are dynamic, shareable, and won’t leave your wallet feeling deflated.

[Some of what’s on offer at The Reservoir Lounge. Photo courtesy of Daniel Neuhaus]

Chung went as far as to share an anecdote about Prince ordering fries, which at the time were not on the menu, and waiting patiently in his limo while the whole kitchen fresh-cut the potatoes, fired up some oil, and then ran some spuds to the proverbial ‘High Priest of Pop’s passenger window.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. My chef and I have conversations sometimes about modernizing it, and what our approach ends up being is how we take care of the building itself. We’ll revamp some menu items, the same way we make sure this place never looks beaten down — we give it some polish when the moment calls for it,” says Chung.

This, in tandem with the vibes brought by figures like Hagen and her backing band, is what has kept The Reservoir Lounge untouchable for three decades. As other venues and restaurants often have to reinvent themselves or shut down completely, this humble little nook has been having a 30-year-long dinner party — essentially uninterrupted.

[If you like martinis, you’ve found the right place at the Reservoir Lounge]

Hagan notes that atmosphere and menu are only two of three pillars, and that the most load-bearing one, naturally, is the music. While The Reservoir Lounge on paper is a jazz club, the location often dabbles in swing, Motown, and just about any genre that fits within its walls.

Beyond that, Hagan, who has been playing that stage since she was a kid (now with a daughter of her own who works there), relayed that when she goes on stage she is equal parts performer and speakeasy schoolteacher.

“Part of my job is education; as with jazz, things are a bit different, and individuals are involved in the music. Presenting the music, letting the audience know it’s okay to clap and holler during solos is crucial. If I notice people are uncomfortable or don’t know what to do, I go to help them, and before you know it, a few songs later, they’re already getting up to dance, says Hagan.

[Hagan bringing down the house on her ‘Swing Tuesday’ events]

The Reservoir Lounge will be celebrating its 30th birthday in the new year, and has no signs of slowing down, with Chung stating, “I think anybody in this town who knows about music knows about The Reservoir Lounge, knows that there are no free rides to the top, and knows that we have the best homegrown talent in Toronto playing this stage.”