Zen and the Art of Partying

Queen West West’s newest hot spot breaks the hipster mould By Courtney Shea

Image credit: Ryan Szulc

Concept: Satori’s name is taken from the Buddhist term for enlightenment, a desire that is evident in the decor, a natural stone and wood interior bathed in neutral tones and illuminated by serene stained glass globes. Any further parallels, however, are purely accidental. After all, this is a place to party, not meditate: although the venue functions as a restaurant in the early hours—similar to resto-lounge predecessor Habitat—come 11 p.m. the kitchen closes, the lights go down and the volume goes up.

Crowd: Seemingly oblivious to both the Zen theme and the unofficial Queen West West dress code, this mix of spike-heeled party girls and buttoned-down boys look as if they’ve never heard of Value Village, let alone Broken Social Scene. Music moves between hip hop lite, R&B, house, rock and classic dance tunes, with nary a pleading guitar lick to be heard.

Cocktails: Despite the frosty weather, sun-soaked faves—mojitos, Satori’s signature Tropical Lychee Martini—have proven popular with sipping beauties. They’re the perfect accessory to the year-round tan.

Satori Supper Club, 735 Queen St. W., 416-860-1551. Wednesday to Saturday, 6 p.m.–2 a.m.

February 2008