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Bar Mordecai

Toronto

'Come for the interior design and romantic vibes and stay for the delicious food and drinks,’ is Bar Mordecai’s declaration. Designed to feel like a vintage hotel lobby from a Wes Anderson movie, and affectionately dubbed Mordy by locals, Bar Mordecai can feel just about as twee as its muse, with its resident hipster clientele and neon-signed basement karaoke rooms. But it’s not just Instagrammers drawn to this trendy stretch of Dundas Street West, you’ll also find serious drinkers thanks to Bar Mordecai’s community-building that extends beyond the bar. Bartender-owner Christina Veira – 2022’s winner of the Roku Industry Icon Award – has made a name (and raised many thousands of dollars) with community events that support causes important to women, people of colour and the LGBTQ+ community.

Cocktails here are fun and focused, with drinks such as Content Creator (mango vodka, amaro, passionfruit, lemon, glitter served with prosecco on the side) and New Rizz (Michter’s US*11 Small Batch Kentucky Bourbon, housemade apple soda, bittered sling lem Marrakech) are fun and crushable. It also offers a slick menu of snackable treats in the form of cauliflower fatteh and sea bream crudo and larger plates featuring a whole grilled branzino and roasted bone marrow with olive and tomato sehaweq (Yemeni hot sauce).

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