The Bowery Toronto - Tumultuous Tuesdays!

The Bowery Bar

55 Colborne St.
Toronto, ONM5E 1C6

The Bowery Toronto

I was feeling a little lethargic. Having gone out the previous five days in a row for food and drinks had me a little beat - both my liver and wallet have been taking left right combinations lately. The Bowery bar is a semi-posh restaurant / bar in the St. Lawrence Market area of downtown. Located on Colborne St., this old stone building seemed to be the perfect place to house this drinking spot.

The Review:

After a full day of indecisions and confusion on where to go, we miraculously agreed on The Bowery. It's 8pm - we're thirsty. The friendly hostess with big glasses wearing a dress that looked like it was made from the skin of a zebra seated us at a nice half circle booth near the back. Happy hour for the win. All pints and bar rails are ($5) from 7 - 10pm. Perfect. Round 1.

Onto the food. The Bowery menu is an eclectic mix of meats and appetizers. With none of us having the appetite for a full entree, we opt to go with apps and a pizza to soak up some of the free flowing wobbly pops we start eagerly guzzling back. One of the group went with the Lamb Ribs ($9) and Frites ($5).

Lamb Ribs

The rest of us snacked on one of the two pizzas ($16) on the menu. A chewy thin crust with a simple tomato sauce with fresh tomatoes, spicy salami, mozzarella with some fresh strips of green on top. There was some balance of saltiness from the salami and sweetness from the tomatoes, but overall I found the pizza a little bland. To be honest I'm not sure what the mountain of green strips on top were... at first I thought basil - but they were totally flavourless. Anyone want pizza with their green leaves?

Bowery Pizza

I found the open glass concept wine cellar in the back a nice touch. Since it's not in the cellar, does that mean it's just called a wine room?

Tuesday nights they have a dj playing a mix of house and r&b / hip hop. Around 9pm people start filing in, and by 11pm they were packed in like sardines. Thankfully we had our spacious booth! With the music cranked up to club like levels, I was starting to lose my voice having yelling conversations with my friends. We decided to call it a night at midnight.

The Verdict:

This restaurant / bar had a nice, relaxed atmosphere (until it turned into a club). Coupled with good drink specials, a small - yet selective food menu and good music makes this a place I'd definitely come back to on a Tuesday. 7 out of 10. I'll be sure to try some of the entrees next time to get a real taste for the food here.