Magical decor, festive cocktails and treats await at these holiday bars and Christmas-themed pop-ups.
Holiday-season cocktail pop-ups and bars in Toronto are a joyful treat, regardless of your status on Santa’s naughty or nice lists.
So bring your festive spirit, SO or bestie, and raise a toast at a limited-time-only Christmas bar decked out in twinkling lights and over-the-top decorations. What’s on the menu? Outrageous cocktails, mocktails and cozy hot drinks, of course!
Miracle on Bloor Street
Miracle Toronto is a sparkly Christmas-themed pop-up cocktail bar on Bloor Street West in up-and-coming Dovercourt Village, just west of Koreatown.
Touted as the best office party you’ve (n)ever been to, it is characterized by unapologetically cheesy holiday decor (think inflatables and plastic wreaths), which creates an unpretentiously fun vibe and contagious laughter.
Say cheers with fancy cocktails like the Christmapolitan, Santa’s Little Helper, Nice and Naughty shots, mulled wine and spirit-free hot apple cider and hot cocoa, created by Civil Liberties a few steps away. One dollar of every drink sold is donated to Nellie’s Shelter, and $40,000 was raised last year.
Stackt Market Holiday Hills
The Holiday Hills festival returns to downtown’s innovative Stackt Market this season. Stackt is the largest shipping container market in North America, and it goes all out during the holidays with ever-evolving community programming and entertainment.
Get your groove on at Disco Mistletoe. Take photos inside the sparkling 120-foot Tunnel of Lights. Check out the colossal holiday tree. Hurry hard at the outdoor curling lanes. Chill out to live music.
And finally, enjoy a festive drink with stunning views of the Toronto skyline at the outdoor Champagne bar. (Psst: there’s also a Speakeasy Whiskey Bar hidden inside a yurt with cozy glowing lights.) For something sans alcohol, enjoy a cup of tea or hot cocoa while watching the sun set over the city.
The Thirsty Elf
The Thirsty Elf, an annual holiday pop-up bar inside the Fairmont Royal York hotel, has a cute retro cabin vibe, making it a perfectly hygge place to mingle with friends out of the cold. Sip and savour festive cocktails under a canopy of colourful bells and kitschy decor.
Sip on cocktails like Chestnuts Roasting (with whiskey, tequila, chestnut and black walnut) or Gingerbread Beach House (with rum, gingerbread gin and agave). Their spirit-free option, The Nice List, is a steaming hot beverage created with apple cider, spiced maple and chai.
Don’t leave without checking out the Fairmont’s magnificent sparkling Christmas tree and scrumptious royal Gingerbread Way, a path made from 8,500 gingerbread bricks, real icing and 12 types of candy.
Java Jingle Holiday bar at Little Sister
Dutch-Indonesian food bar Little Sister has transformed its uptown and downtown locations into a Java Jingle Holiday extravaganza. The Java Jingle theme this year is described as National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, the Grinch and the movie Elf all rolled into one. Expect colourful lights, nostalgia and tons of festivities.
Start the party at this holiday bar with shots like I Saw Mommy Twerking Santa Claus and Resting Grinch Face. Festive cocktails include Apple Kris Kringle with bourbon and spiced apple cider and Hot Girl Winter with gin, red wine and pomegranate.
Papi Chulo’s Mistletoe’s & Margarita’s
Papi Chulo’s Mistletoe’s & Margarita's on Ossington is back for a third holiday season.
This local-fave Mexican restaurant in trendy Ossington Village serves tacos, tequila and salads, transforming their already fun decor into a glittering Christmas wonderland with shimmering lights and festive ornaments.
Entry is walk-in only, and Mexican-inspired holiday cocktails include White Peppermint Martini, Abuelita Espresso Martini and Eggnog Martini. If you want something without alcohol, their spirit-free margaritas or mojitos will 100% hit the spot.
Start practicing your Spanish, and get ready to take a selfie with an inflatable life-size Santa and snowman. Ugly Christmas sweaters and Santa hats are encouraged at this Toronto holiday bar.
