Introducing: Drift Bar, Bloor and Dufferin’s affordable new hangout
Bloordale? Dufferin Grove? Blandsdowne? Dovercourt Park? The local boundaries may be in dispute, but the area is on the rise. Two years ago, the list of hangout options near Bloor and Dufferin looked like this: dive bar, Portuguese dive bar, dive bar, Disgraceland. Then came 3 Speed and Holy Oak, Starving Artist and Calico—edgy places that toy with the concept of “dive” without actually being uninviting.
Joining the fray now is Drift. When partners Matt Michrowski and Damian Gaughan were setting up the bar for its grand opening last week, they did what any good bar owners on Ossington or Dundas West would have done: they went antiquing. Key finds include vintage church pews, bowling alley wood for the bar top and a dilapidated, barely intact cigarette billboard from the 1920s that was fished from the bottom of a river.
The presence of reclaimed wood often means a bigger tab at the bar, but Drift sticks to dive bar prices: pints are $5, and a shot of Macallan 12-year sits pretty at $8.50. A Quebec-heavy beer selection (including McAuslan apricot wheat, Blanche de Chambly and La Fin du Monde) is topped off with a rotating soup-and-sandwich-oriented menu. The sandwiches—one creation includes prosciutto, melon and aged cheddar ($7)—are made with bread baked in house. For those looking to snack, sweet potato frites with lemon curry yogurt dip are $4.
An eclectic soundtrack is heavy on the jazz and funk, and a schedule of DJ nights is in the works. In other words, Drift fits in perfectly with the other hipster-approved watering holes just a few blocks from its front door.
Drift Bar, 1063 Bloor St. W., 647-352-5335.
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-drift-bar-bloor-and-dufferins-affordable-new-hangout/&title=Introducing: Drift Bar, Bloor and Dufferin’s affordable new hangout&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Drift.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_36473" align="alignleft" width="400" caption="Follow their Drift: Matt Michrowski and Damian Gaughan's new Bloor West bar (Image: Jon Sufrin) "][/caption]
Bloordale? Dufferin Grove? Blandsdowne? Dovercourt Park? The local boundaries may be in dispute, but the area is on the rise. Two years ago, the list of hangout options near Bloor and Dufferin looked like this: dive bar, Portuguese dive bar, dive bar, Disgraceland. Then came 3 Speed and Holy Oak, Starving Artist and Calico—edgy places that toy with the concept of “dive” without actually being uninviting.
Joining the fray now is Drift. When partners Matt Michrowski and Damian Gaughan were setting up the bar for its grand opening last week, they did what any good bar owners on Ossington or Dundas West would have done: they went antiquing. Key finds include vintage church pews, bowling alley wood for the bar top and a dilapidated, barely intact cigarette billboard from the 1920s that was fished from the bottom of a river.
The presence of reclaimed wood often means a bigger tab at the bar, but Drift sticks to dive bar prices: pints are $5, and a shot of Macallan 12-year sits pretty at $8.50. A Quebec-heavy beer selection (including McAuslan apricot wheat, Blanche de Chambly and La Fin du Monde) is topped off with a rotating soup-and-sandwich-oriented menu. The sandwiches—one creation includes prosciutto, melon and aged cheddar ($7)—are made with bread baked in house. For those looking to snack, sweet potato frites with lemon curry yogurt dip are $4.
An eclectic soundtrack is heavy on the jazz and funk, and a schedule of DJ nights is in the works. In other words, Drift fits in perfectly with the other hipster-approved watering holes just a few blocks from its front door.
Drift Bar, 1063 Bloor St. W., 647-352-5335.){kind=link}
I spent my Tuesday night there and I have to say, this place is great. Great food, great vibe, great prices!
The sweet potato frites are INSANELY good. And the average attractiveness score for clientele was 8/10. I will be returning.
Uggh. I moved away from the neighbourhood and now all these good places are opening up!!:(
Had dinner there tonight. Delicious fresh pakoras — recommended!
I can not wait to visit.
Anyone know the capacity of this place? Want to meet up with a bunch of friends here, but not sure if it’s right for a 10-15 person gathering.
Was there on Friday – the place is great. The owner is super nice, the prices are amazing and the menu looked delicious.
@sohana – I think if you went early a 10-15 person gathering would be no problem.
It’s Blansdowne not BlanDsdowne.
when’s the best night to go? music wise and crowd wise… ?
Nicole the cook is CUTE – is she single??
Great Vibe. Great People that work there. Have been a true fan for a long time now. I like the tweeks to the menu at times, although right now I find the menu a little lacking. I hope they consider bringing back some of their popular dished like the peameal sandwich (apple slice, great touch) and chopped chicken sandwich(maybe when the weather gets warm again, eh?) So for now I will enjoy my pint but maybe hold off on dinner till it gets tweek’d again.
Enjoy!
Best way to spend a Saturday night after Ethiopian food