The Avro

It’s the final days of this place on account of rising rents. 3 years of righteousness that will leave a mark in the hearts (all the good ones at least) that had a chance to tip a glass there. Avro, you’ll be missed, but I’m glad a had the chance and the honor to walk through your doors and into your warm and boozy embrace.
Love,
Shane

So, I went here for the first time last night. Yes, I’m a bit behind the times. Cool place, very tiny; we lucked out with the couch by the entrance. Enjoyed this ridiculous Canadian Campfire shot.
Anyway: THIS PLACE IS CLOSING DOWN. Last day is April 26^th. See here for more:

This is what you would call A BAR. Like a real bar. The ones from the movies where people sit on a stool and swill beer for an extended amount of time. The one where there is no real drink menu. The one where they have pickled eggs in a giant jar on the counter.
I shall be honest — we only ventured here after being turned away at the Comrade which was full. I’m so happy we got turned away. The Avro is awesome. First off, it is TINY but the vibe is real. I felt like I’d walked into a time machine. Their drink list is concise and they make a delicious bourbon sour. The music was classic rock and the bartender wasn’t chatty, she just served up the drinks.
The bathrooms deserve a paragraph to themselves. Mannequin with no arm and a toque with a happy birthday balloon, a cheetah or leopard (choose your own adventure), kegs and air tanks with a paint can holding the paper towels. OH, and of course — the walls are chalk tagged.
I will definitely be back here again — a great place to sit and catch up with some good drinks, rad tunes and fun times.

This isn’t Ms. Lavigne’s Avro, but maybe you’ll find a skater boy or two (long boards only need apply).
The Avro’s traditional bar and rustic trendy furniture made from trees adds a prohibition feel without the illegality. Don’t come here looking for specialty cocktails, but do visit The Avro for a full bar of traditional drinks made right.
The background music was just how I like it, hiptster-​shazamable-​rock – but not weird high pitched man voices over a synth.
Do you like ordering a birthday? well good, you ego-​maniac. «Birthday Cake» is on the menu. Order the cake and come out a year older, wiser and … well… not really, it’s a cake — not a time machine. Avro is great.

The Avro is the _​perfect_​local. Even though I’m not *that* local.
Walking in on Saturday night, The Avro smelled like vanilla sugar and Stiegl beer and joy. So, basically: some of my favourite things.
The music was pumping, people were chatting (AND SMILING! LET’S PUT IN A COLLECTIVE EFFORT TO DO MORE OF THIS, K TORONTO?!), and we sidled up to the bar. An orange-​kissed beer was on tap. Vodka sodas flowed easily. We considered the food board: $ 3 slices of birthday cake, «meat sticks» and pickled eggs on offer. Another plus of The Avro: outside food is welcome, so show up with your tub of hummus, slice of ‘za, and bag of neon Cheetos… bienvenidos, all!
This joint is small, and chock-​a-​block full of delightful quirk. Cheeky signs, Backstreet Boys album covers behind the bar, and a big jar of the ‘forementioned pickled eggs. Come here: drink one, drink all!
Unilocal note: bring some chalk… you’ll want to mark your time at The Avro on the chalkboard-​painted bathroom walls (see my pics for visual confirmation).

Located right around the corner from my house, I pass by this little nook all the time and only realized it was a bar recently. I came in here w a girlfriend for a low-​key Saturday night to grab a drink, and were sitting at the bar. The very first thing that I noticed was that it was pretty much pitch black in here without the grace of a few dim lights behind the bar. It was about 11:30pm and this cozy place was rammed! When I say ‘cozy’, I mean you’re actually squeezing your way in between seats and people that you can barely even see in a low ceiling little nook (I keep saying «nook» so much that I might just start referring to Avro by it haha).
The music they were playing was not bad, but seemed really loud in such a small place. They have a few beers on tap, and a bunch of liquors as well. There is no kitchen, so what you see is what there is… I think (I didn’t quite explore, but it didnt seem like there was much to explore anyway). They do have FIVE munchies selections, and my friend and I ordered 3 of the five.
Pickled Egg: $ 1 (²⁄₅ stars)
Kept in a big cookie jar behind the bar, I watched bartender fish one out for me. It tasted like a hard boiled egg with vinegar, and I added tobasco to it.
Meat on a Stick: $ 1? (⁴⁄₅ stars)
Can’t really go wrong with spicy cured sausages. They were pretty much the thicker hot rods. I think they were kept in the fridge since it was served cold.
Toasted Fluff: $ 1 (⁴⁄₅ stars)
This was our fave! We watched the bar tender scoop up some marshmallow fluff with 2 teaspoons and then used a torch to torch it. That was it! We licked the toasted sugar off that spoon till it was clean! One of the regulars at the bar told us we should have gotten the Campfire Shot and chased it with the fluff. Sounds great! Maybe next time…
They also had mini packs of chips for $ 2 and birthday cake for $ 3 a slice!
Overall, this place is quite cute if you just want to come for a few drinks. I will probably come back again on a weekday sometime and check out the atmosphere then.

Came here for Comedy Nite Monday. There was a 5 buck cover for 7 comedians trying out new material. The quality of the comedy spanned between hilarious, awkward and gross, but the Avro served as a consistently wonderful venue. A kick-​ass way to handle the start to a new work week!
As others have noted, it’s a small space, which provided an intimate setting for the show. There’s a sofa along the wall, a bunch of chairs and then bar-​seating. It was packed, so we had to stand, which was fine… altho it did get hot in there, so I hope they have AC in the summer. I just had a beer and the service was excellent. Will have to come back for more drinks and more acts. This definitely fits the bill for a cool neighbourhood drinking hole. And these folks are definitely into the neighbourhood: they are currently running a survey to identify ways to improve the area. This sense of community earns a big thumbs up from me! In my books, community activism can always use a drink!

Tuesdays they have live music and the 5 or 10 times I have been, it’s always been a great band.
My absolute FAVOURITE part is when they pass the Star Wars hat after the second set plays and everyone is supposed to throw in a couple bucks for the band. The bartender even says «just a loonie or a toonie guys, come on» — then — if someone doesn’t pitch they are appropriately shamed.
«Hey you, yeah… guy averting my gaze… what’s amatta, you don’t want to throw in a buck? Seriously!»
I love it. I love it when good people shame dickheads in public.
Also the bands are always amazing, and keep an eye on their website for Nintendo tournaments and preserve swaps.
Best. Bar.

Very cute little bar with a neighborino vibe and a somewhat odd and cheap menu. Good place to unwind after work with a pal but wouldn’t go there with a group.
It’s the little bar that could!

Cozy, basic and laid back bar, great to hang out in before a show at the Opera House across the street. The only thing I would suggest is that the place was almost TOO dark. Some candles would be welcome in some of the darker nooks. Good music and friendly crowd! The brief menu included some intriguing «meat sticks» — does this mean jerky? I did not inquire.

Ever since I became a Unilocaler, I’ve noticed a pattern… I love divey bars.
So of course I had to come by here to try this legendary Canadian Campfire shot (it didn’t disappoint). It’s nice and dark inside, with awesome music but quiet enough to chat.
Here’s where the three stars rating comes in: I thought it would be busier? And more… convivial? The bartenders were super friendly and they have great beers on tap (and sell marshmallow fluff by the spoonful!!) but there was just something off for me. I will definitely try it out again, though.

VIBE
How did I not know about this place?! Stumbled upon it on boxing day of all times (one of the few places open this day and most of them happened to be in Leslieville).
So this is the Avro: I walk in and someone I know from Elementary School yells out my name. I then find out that I know the bartender, Neil, who used to work at the Mercury Espresso Bar. Then I had a girl come over to me and asked me if she knew me (she was on a bar crawl). That’s this place.
What I like about this place is that it seems that most of the activity is centered at the bar. I’ve never seen a place where’s there’s a bigger bar then there is room for seating. Neil’s in a band (two, actually) so the soundtrack here is great. The bathroom walls are a makeshift chalkboard so there are messages all over the walls in chalk. Love it!
I DRANK
I opted for the drink of choice when I was around 21: the amaretto sour. We then moved to whisky sours as they were out of amaretto (when does this happen?!) but I didn’t like it so it was comped and I got a double gin and tonic. Great alternative! Super nice of Neil to negotiate.
OBLIGATORY CATCHY REMARK
A true local. Row Row Row your boat over to the Av-​RO.

I went to the Avro for the first (but not last!) time last week end for some late night drinks with a couple friends. I’ll definitely be back.
I really loved the tiny, cozy space. And tiny it is! It’s actually very surprising how roomy and big the bathroom was compared to the size of the bar.
Mill Street Organic on tap was a BIG plus for my guy friends. And delicious $ 3 birthday cake was a bonus for me :) I also enjoyed watching the bartender dig the cake out of the back of the fridge from behind multiple orange juice cartons. I was a bit leery at that… ‘is this cake gonna be stale as an old toenail? yuck.’ Nope. It was a delight. And a sparkler topped it off. In fact, when i tried to take a pic of my yummy birthday cake and the sparkler fizzled out, he gave me a whole new sparkler for my birthday photo op. Thanks!
The gin and tonics were good too.

Amazing place, they’ve even make a new drink from a status update I made on Facebook. Total go to joint, tequila caesars, peperettes, prize night, super tiny but thats kinda better.

Totally worth checking out! The drinks are cheap and Rachel, the owner, is an absolute doll! I’m a big fan of how active she is in her community by organizing interesting events in the east end such as weenie roasts, guerilla gardening, and bike rides. Couple that with a cheap pint? Wicked!
The only downside is because it’s so small and popular, it’s sometimes hard to get a seat. But even when it’s packed, we’ve never had poor service.
And yes, the Caesars are legendary.

Cheap Beer/​Drinks and nice cool bar? Need I say more?
½ pint for $ 2.50 taxes in Happy Hour at The Avro can’t go wrong… and I don’t even Saturday from 7 pm to 9 pm would have be happy hour anywhere but here?
With the price, my Unilocal Drinking Buddy just order 2 and down it so fast… I always want to tell him that those were not juice! :)
The Avro has some strange deco… a bra in the Lady’s room? I wonder was part of the deco or someone left it that by mistake…

Went here on a Corktown pub crawl on a Saturday night.
LOVE that they have drink specials from 7−9pm (½ pints for $ 2.50! YES!) Happy Hours on a Saturday night are a rarity, so I thought this was pretty cool.
As mentioned by other reviewers, the Avro is quite tiny and dimly lit. Kitschy décor which appeared to have some kind of retro «aviation» theme.
Upon arrival, we discovered that the bartender/​owner happened to be old friends with one of our group. She appeared to be managing the entire bar by herself. She explained there was NO FOOD available at the Avro (we were hungry) but she brought over a stack of take-​away menus and told us we could have food delivered to eat in the bar. Pretty cool.
Overall, great bar and worth repeat visits. I wish I had a local hang out like this close to my pad.

This would be me on a daily basis.
My two vices are:
1) A dimly lit local where every nook and cranny has been planned to maximize comfort and cool.
And
2) Birthday Cake!
The Avro wonderfully fulfills both of these. Whether lounging in the comfortably worn in chairs or standing at the bar to vociferously defend that Of Montréal album your friend hated, it’s perfect! The fact that the wonderful bartender plays said Of Montréal album all the way through to get a rise out of him is just too awesome to ignore.
Well done, Avro!

What a great little bar The Avro is!
After recently remarking to a friend how the east end lacked a great local spot like those of the west end, I was emphatically directed to The Avro on Queen East.
Walking in, we were immediately greeted with a warm smile and a relaxed, comfortable environment. While small, the bar comfortably held around 25 people as the night went on.
While the draught selection is limited to two beers (Organic and one other), the bar makes up for it with quirky character and charm. Throughout the evening, there were a number of draws for free drinks, of which everyone was a part of.
Overall great crowd, great atmosphere and great service. I’m positive I’ll be back time and time again to enjoy this east end gem.

The Avro is a pretty relaxed, comfortable place to go for a drink. We decided to try it out Friday night — getting there for around 8pm it was already pretty busy. The bar is quite small with a couch at the front, a few tiny tables that sit 2 – 3 people and plenty of seats going along the bar. We were able to get a seat no problem but if we’d shown up at around 9, we would have been out of luck or needed to squeeze in on the barstools.
As I said the place is much smaller then what I thought from the photos I’d seen. Don’t let that deter you though! The Avro just might not be the venue to go if you have a large group. For 2 to 3, it’s quite cozy and intimate with a great atmosphere. Eclectic décor throughout, and warm low level lighting.
The bartender was really cool, very attentive and aware — so saw my short self struggling to be seen behind all the people sat at the bar, and was able to get my order through quickly. The beer is cheap and good, just how I like it, and if you’re feeling peckish they have birthday cake.
Apparently cheap pint nights on Thursdays if you show up in plaid and lots of events and live music regularly going on. If I lived East this would easily be my local and I plan on going back again in future when in the area.