Linwood Essentials

This place has 7 $ drinks on Sundays and Mondays. They are AMAZING. Free popcorn!!! Service is amazing, owner is the bartender. Their signature/​original cocktails are also amazing but more expensive. Also 25% off beers Sunday-​Monday!!’ This place will get packed soon.

Came here for a friend’s birthday and it was the perfect spot. The cocktail menu is overwhelming, but the waiter and bartender were very helpful in making recommendations based on your style or preference. The bar itself is small but still spacious and comfortable with big comfy booths and chairs and barstools, and dim overhead lights that keep the energy low key and relaxed.
Every drink was special, arriving with its own little story or customization. One came in a plastic hat, another in a toy truck, one in a tiki mug, one in a paper coffee cup. I had 3 drinks — pricey at around 15 each but very much worth it for the good service, ambiance and uniqueness that was included.
I am hesitant to refer others here as it feels like an undiscovered gem and I don’t want it to become too popular, bug honestly it was a great place and I would like to go back again.

I am kind of more than a little bit in love with this place. It has a speakeasy vibe — bartenders in suspenders and dress shirts with rolled up sleeves galore. It’s on queen west west — off the regular strip which is probably why it’s way less pretentious and more accessible than a lot of other bars of this caliber.
The beauty of this place is that you can order the fancy cocktails — signature drinks created with imagination, whimsy and interesting ingredients. Stand outs were the love elixer — served in a medicine bottle. I also had a cocktail served in a hat and one that was delivered on the back of a tonka truck. The presentation is always surprising and fun. If that’s not for you and all you want is a finely crafted regular cocktail — they have those too. The shocking thing is the price of the normal drinks. Completely reasonable and I would say on the more accessible side for downtown Toronto in an actual cocktail bar.
One of my favourite places for a drink in Toronto.

My drinking buddy introduced me to this hip, dim lit speakeasy bar last Sunday and I’m totally in love! Hidden on the second floor near Queen/​Shaw, Linwood Essentials is the perfect place for delicious cocktails with an unexpected surprise/​twist! I think it is essential to try them all lol.
‘Tree’ reasons to go!
1. The cocktails are seriously GOOD… and strong! I ordered 3 for myself and I enjoyed every one of them! There is something for everyone, whether you like it SWEET, SOUR, or BOLD with an attitude!
2. The mixologist who came up with these drinks is a genius. The unusual cocktail names and the unique presentation caught my attention. I see true passion behind each concoction.
3. Yes to complimentary buttery popcorn — go help yourself at the back of the restaurant :) They also serve a redneck hot dog and crab dip on the menu… not bad actually!
Spoiler alert
1. The Last Goodbye had a cute love note :)
2. Artisanal Middle Finger had a real pair of cute black glasses!
3. Dr. V’s Magical Quick Fixer Elixir came in a medicine bottle, kept it as souvenir: D!
4. There is one that came in a truck… but I didn’t order. Next time!
Check them out when you’re in the neighbourhood! Plus, there are special deals on Sundays and Mondays. Prices are reasonable. Our server was our mixologist… thank you for your hospitality :) For those who don’t drink… you can order soda for ‘tree fiddy’ lmao. I love this place!

I really, really enjoyed Linwood Essentials. The place really mixes everything I like in a bar: delicious cocktails, good music, a not-​too-​pretentious attitude, and a casual, yet intimate atmosphere. You can make reservations on Unilocal,but it ended up being unnecessary, as there were quite a few tables free. That isn’t to say it wasn’t busy, because it definitely was, but it was cool to see that it wasn’t terribly crowded.
We got a couple of the drinks, very creatively named, and presented as well:
— Riding Through a Live Minefield on a Bicycle Built for Two: Thai-​chili infused Famous Grouse scotch, green apple, lemon, simple syrup, egg white, and orange bitters. BOMB. This mixed just about everything I like in a drink, with the addition of egg whites for richness. Very spicy and spirit-​forward, and the sliced green apples were actually quite sweet and delicious, perfect in offsetting the spiciness.
— Moonrunner: Dillon’s White Rye, Buffalo Trace bourbon, blood orange, tonka bean, lemon, and Memphis BBQ bitters. This was pretty great, as it had a smokey, sweet taste from the BBQ bitters, and was presented on a large green Tonka toy truck. There’s only one truck, so we felt quite special that we ended up with it for our order.
— One Wild Night in the East Village: Cazadores Reposado tequila, mace-​infused Bols Genever, Linwood Amargo blend, PX Sherry, yellow chartreuse, yuzu, lime, Flanders Red Ale. Served in a large green porcelain tiki skull, the mix of flavors were much more sour, but still delicious.
— Freak Gasoline Fight Accident: El Dorado 12 Rum, Young’s Double Chocolate Stout, cold brew coffee, orange, egg white. Served in a styrofoam cup marked «Derek», this was a delicious, rich coffee-​like tribute to Zoolander. Gotta love it.
The cocktails were pricier than at most places, but everything was very unique, well-​mixed and we liked everything we had, so I’d say it’s worth it. Service was excellent, and we got water refills quite quickly. Easily one of the more unique bar experiences I’ve had in a long time, even with the hotbed of cocktail bars in New York. Will definitely re-​visit the next time I’m in Toronto.

We came for drinks last night and had a really great time. As die hard Simpsons fans who could resist drinking A Single Plum, Floating in Perfume, Served in a Man’s Hat?
I won’t give too many details about the cocktails because it’s part of the experience, and that’s what I loved about this place, they deliver an experience.
They have a comprehensive cocktail list without the attitude. They have a Speakeasy theme, without being trite or try-​hard. Above all the service was excellent, drinks strong and tasty. The result? A fantastic evening and a massive headache this morning.
We’ll definitely be coming back.

What’s not to like about this place! Great service, friendly staff, very helpful with explaining and going through the menu. Limited food selection but honestly come here first then hit County General next-​door for dinner. Can’t lose with that combo. Will def be back!

I feel bad writing this because I wanted to hang out here so badly, but when we went in on a Saturday night, the place stunk of stale grease. Either the kitchen fan was broken or they have no ventilation… we couldn’t stay to have a drink — it was hard to breathe.

Classy, friendly bar where you go with people you already know! Patrons were in large groups OR with 1 other person, everyone was seated. I didn’t witness any ‘single’ scene here.
There was comfortable seating in the front, nice large booths for big groups, & then padded stools at the bar.
Just like the atmosphere, bartenders were friendly and unpretentious, as were the patrons. Bartenders will also offer to «free style» a drink for you if you’re not feeling anything on the menu.
Cocktails had inventive names and were ~$ 14. They also divided their drinks by categories like «Fruity», «Crisp», & other helpful adjectives. In addition, there was an extensive list of beers, but I came for a cocktail, so I didn’t really look at what kinds.
The next time I’m in the Trinity Bellwoods area, I would happily go back… especially during their happy hour!

They have the craziest names for cocktails. I had «Riding through a live minefield on a bike build for two» cocktail and it was amazing (spicy and sour). Dont be scared away by the names, they can be surprisingly good.
The service was amazing, our waitress went through the menu for us and was knowledgeable when it comes to the drinks. They have wide selection of beers as well, you wont be disappointed (beers from Europe, Asia etc).
Great place to hangout with a group of friends and or date.
Price $$, avaerage price for cocktails.

Nice Bar with a very chill vibe. Would recommend to anyone looking for a proper drink. Music selection was a little weak.

Amazing cocktails, amazing service. If you’re on Queen you have to stop in. 100’s of beer, crafts and imports but the cocktails is where the Linwood shines.

The owner is quite a chemist. He makes a mean drink and is very knowledgeable and accommodating. The space could use some more atmosphere, I think in time it might acquire it like a fine brandy.

You have to come to Linwood for the experience. Their passion for cocktail is seen. The presentation is outstanding and the cocktails are well balanced! One of the best I had in the city.
The bartender was so friendly and watching him make cocktails was mesmerizing!
I got the Dr. V’s Magical Quick Fixer Elixer! I would have litres of it if I could! I will be coming back for more for sure! I absolutely fell in love!

I just got inspired.
I loved the concept, the passion I saw, the speed and accuracy for fixing such well thought drinks, and the taste: perfectly balanced and with «wedding presentation».
The master mixologist decorates your drink with some funny, cute notes. The names and description of the drinks were poetic, the menu made me think that my beloved Oscar Wilde would’ve attended this joint.
The skills of JAke, the bartender, are unusual. They come from a truthful passion. I was REALLY impressed, and I felted lucky to had the honor of drinking 2 of his deep thoughtful creations…
If you consider yourself a drinking «diva». I challenge you, stop the shots and come here to taste art.

Found this place by accident… We were walking east on Queen Street from dinner, and we were looking for a place to have drinks. So as we were walking I checked out what bars came up on Unilocal and this one came up with 4.5 stars so we thought this would be a good choice. It was early so the place was empty, but boy did it fill up later on in the night! The drinks were awesome! Great cocktail bar! Such care was put into every drink! The waitress was awesome, I’m always overwhelmed by such large drink menus, so I always ask them what they recommend (I like really sweet and not to alcohol tasting) and she picked the perfect drink! My friend asked for a nice boozy sipper, and once again, she was bang on! The food menu was extremely small, like hot dogs or something, so luckily we had eaten already, but later we noticed the popcorn machine in the back. You just have to grab your own bowl and take it yourself. And it’s good popcorn! Nice and salty and buttery! Will definitely come back!

Solid experience that met expectations.
I liked the space — it had an ambiance but was, at the same time, almost «hole in the wall» feeling. We had a reservation (they take reservations via text message quite easily) and they placed us at a big booth, but due to bad backs in the group, we asked to move to the tables. Well, that turned out to not work so well, so we actually moved back to the booth — all done with ease and smiles from serving staff, no questions asked.
Menu can really please all palates (and if you don’t find something you’ll like, they’ll make something up for you). Big marks for presentation; creative, cute, picture-​worthy. The Magical Elixir was outstanding, just really delicious and well balanced. Bartenders know what they are doing here, and it shows.
Our waitress, however, was (let’s hope) clearly new — she couldn’t answer a lot of our questions, and one of the people in my party gave his credit card slyly to her earlier in the evening to make sure he was the one that picked up the tab, but when I tried the same move later, she actually accepted my card! in that situation it should be first manipulate, first serve — so then he rushed over and tried to remedy the issue going on.
I’d definitely be back, a really fun spot. We didn’t eat any hot dogs, so I can’t comment on he food!

A very cute cocktail bar. A lot of thought went into a lot of the details. The bar has hidden shelves that look great. A lot of attention to detail in the cocktails. Loved the cute props. Our bartender was so friendly and nice. Would definitely return!

The cocktails here are gorgeous. Their cocktail menu is very extensive and quite fun to read.
I would recommend that you sit at the bar and watch the bartender craft his cocktails. You will see that a lot of love goes into every drink.
Don’t be shy to ask the bartender what his recommendations are. The staff are super friendly and very knowledable.
I think that if they improved their playlist, this could be a bar where you can hangut all night.
Looking forward to going back to try more yummy cocktails.

What a great gem to get your night started, or spend the whole evening. Rolled in here around midnight on a Saturday and the place was busy, but not packed. We were able to grab a few seats at the bar, which ends up being a great spot as you can see the bartender do his work.
The names on the menu are hilarious and the drinks are extremely brilliant. You can tell they spent a lot of time see what works and doesn’t. If you’re a rye/​bourbon/​whiskey/​scotch fan and like your drinks a little hard like me, go with «The Arcadian» or «The Righteous One». Both keep the bite while adding subtle sweet flavours like maple syrup. The «Lion in a Coma» an interesting concoction and a bartender favourite. It combines thick IPA foam on the top, making it mealy, and a spicy note from jalapeño. My friends tried a couple of others and we concluded that this is definitely a big step above your typical restaurant cocktail list. They have a bunch of craft beers too, but why bother.
Service was top notch. The bartender was extremely courteous and personable, making recommendations along the way. The level of detail that goes along with these drinks really impressed me. I have never been a big fan of places like barchef, but am already excited to bring my friends back here.