What’s on the menu at Civil Works, a gorgeous new cocktail bar inside Waterworks Food Hall

Including drinks inspired by tom yum soup and al pastor tacos

By Lindsey King| Photography by Shlomi Amiga

| September 16, 2024

A spread of oysters, pizza slices, tacos and cocktails at Civil Works

Name: Civil Works Contact: 499 Richmond St. W., @civwrksto
Neighbourhood: West Queen West Owners: Nick Kennedy and David Huynh (Civil Liberties, Vit Beo, Electric Bill, Miracle) Accessibility: Not fully accessible

The velvet-laden 120-seat cocktail bar perched on the mezzanine level of Waterworks has been serving up expertly crafted cocktails and downright nerdy water (more on that later) since the end of July. In comparison to Civil Liberties, the bar Nick Kennedy and David Huynh opened almost a decade ago, Civil Works embraces a polished, urban sophistication while still capturing the Civil team’s signature creativity and warmth.

Civil Works co-owner Nick Kennedy, bar manager Elise Hanson and co-owner David Hunyh — Co-owner Nick Kennedy, bar manager Elise Hanson and co-owner David Huynh

When the developers of Waterworks Food Hall approached the Civil team about a joint venture, they were hesitant. “I didn’t think we’d want to work downtown, so originally I declined their offer,” says Kennedy. “When they asked a second time, I sent a long list of things we’d need to consider. They agreed to talk through all of my points, and they’ve done a great job of meeting us in the middle.” The new location follows a growing trend of independent restaurateurs opening spacious, big-budget locations in the downtown core. But the bigger budget hasn’t led to bigger egos. “Civil Works is an exciting new chapter for us, but it will be largely guided by the staff, the environment and the working relationships that we have with our vendors. We’re trying not to force anything—we’re like hands-off parents who have just said, ‘Raise yourself!’ and we’ll be proud any which way,” says Huynh.

Bar manager Elise Hanson (Bar Raval, Pretty Ugly Bar) had admired Civil Liberties’ “no-menu” cocktail program and always wanted to work with Kennedy at some point in her career. This past June—just one month before the bar opened—Kennedy floated the idea of hiring her to manage Civil Works and create the cocktail menu. Hanson welcomed the challenge and designed the list of 21 cocktails now featured in Civil Works’ 14-page menu, which also pays homage to the building’s history.

The Drinks

In creating the drink menu, Hanson gave herself a few parameters. “If there’s an ingredient listed on the menu, the guest has to be able to taste it,” she says. “I also put a lot of effort into incorporating a range of colours and creating at least one cocktail to suit every type of drinker.” Hanson’s cocktails are the main draw, but there’s also a short list of beer, wine and the nerdiest water this city has ever seen.

Civil Works' bar manager Elise Hanson at the ice well — Here’s Hanson using Civil Works’ fancy ice well. “All of the pieces are interchangeable,” she says. “Often wells are a one-size-fits-all that don’t work for left-handed people or taller or shorter people. Our well is customizable to suit everyone’s needs, and it can ebb and flow as our menu changes, helping us with efficiency in making the drinks”

Civil Works demineralizes Toronto tap water, rendering it completely neutral, then remineralizes it with different levels of salt, magnesium, potassium and other minerals to replicate water from different regions in the world. The idea is that a guest can drink a world-class spirit alongside its counterpart in world-class water. For example, a guest can get an order of Hibiki Harmony whisky with sparkling Chichibu Mountain water. Skeptics may be wary of the novelty, but it’s more than a mere gimmick: the minerals interact with the spirits, bringing out different aromas and flavours to create whole new profiles. Currently, guests can sample dupes of water from Bardstown, the River Spey, the Chichibu Mountains and Les Borderies (with or without a boozy sidecar).

The hydration station at Civil Works, where guests can sample water from around the world — This is the water bar, where all of the mineral magic happens. $8 for all the water you can drink

The Equilibrium, a take on a sour apple martini — In April, Hanson was the first Canadian to win Bombay Sapphire’s Most Imaginative Bartender award with this drink, the Equilibrium. It’s a riff on a ’90s sour apple martini that uses ingredients she could conceivably forage in Toronto—gin, calvados, manzanilla sherry and house “forage cordial.” It’s finished with a spritz of balsam fir aromatics and a calvados-soaked cherry garnish that mimics an Ontario crab apple. $22

The Forager's Flask, a rye-based cocktail garnished with a cherry — The Forager’s Flask—composed of toasted coconut rye, dry vermouth and sour cherry oleo—is a Toronto take on the Brooklyn cocktail. This slow sipper is finished with expressed orange peel oil and a fresh cherry. $19

The Woolnough is a scotch-based cocktail named for Toronto architect John James Woolnough — The Woolnough was named after the Waterworks building’s original architect, John James Woolnough. It may appear fruity and floral, but it’s surprisingly woody, smoky and stiff, made with Talisker 10 scotch, aromatized wines, haskap berry, vetiver and sandalwood. $19

The Finished Pipe is a savoury cocktail that was inspired by tom yum soup — Hanson loves savoury cocktails, and after having a ramen-inspired cocktail in France, she wanted to create a boozy ode to tom yum soup. The Finished Pipe is made with wakame seaweed distillate, sake and house tom yum cordial (tomato, mushroom, lime leaf, lime juice, lemongrass, ginger and vegetable stock). $24

The Pounding Sand is a cocktail inspired by an al pastor taco — Here’s the Pounding Sand, the only cocktail Hanson didn’t design herself—Jose Rodriquez, Civil Works’ head of prep, invented the margarita-like drink. The ingredients are inspired by an al pastor taco: corn husk–infused mezcal, Hesperidium (an alternative to Cointreau made by sister company Civil Pours), achiote seasoning and lacto-fermented pineapple cordial. It’s topped with a piece of dehydrated corn husk and masa foam, a plant-based palate cleanser that tastes like coconut ice cream. $24

A pint of Guinness — To say Kennedy has a special relationship to Guinness is an understatement. At this point, it’s fully intertwined with his identity. “When my Irish grandmother passed away, I got really into Guinness culture, and I just realized that I have to have it at all of my bars,” he says. Given his obsession, Guinness will be forever perfectly poured at Civil Works. $10

The Food

The short, snacky food menu highlights other businesses in the food hall by offering skewers from Vit Beo, tacos from Taco Lupita, pizza slices from Pizzeria Popolo and oysters from Island Oysters.

Grilled chicken skewers — Skewers from Vit Beo come in beef, chicken and cabbage options. Pictured here is the chicken skewer: fried morsels tossed in caramel-fish sauce with garlic and lime. $10

Square slices of Roman-style pizza — Roman-style pepperoni and margherita from Pizzeria Popolo are also available. $9 each

A prawn taco — Guests can also order a selection of Taco Lupita tacos. This is the prawn taco: marinated Argentinian prawns with chipotle crema, radish, cilantro slaw and chili threads. $8.50

A chicken tinga taco — And here’s the chicken tinga taco. Spicy shredded chicken is nestled in cilantro crema and topped with salty cheese, jalapeño and cilantro. $8.50

Flank steak taco — For the carne taco, marinated flank steak and herby chimichurri are topped with diced onion, scallions and microgreens. $8.50

The Space

Eve Lewis, CEO of Woodcliffe Landmark Properties, dreamed up and began implementing the elegant old-world hotel bar aesthetic of the space shortly before bringing Kennedy and Huynh on board. She worked with Toronto-based Future Studio to include as many textures as possible—exposed brick, colourful carpeting, velvet seating, mirrored tables, gleaming brass fixtures—and squeeze glamour into every corner.

About halfway through the build, Kennedy and Huynh began collaborating with Lewis and sorting out the more pragmatic needs of the bar, which included adding a fancy Tayer ice well from Behind Bars (one of only two in Canada). They also put a few special seats on the bartender’s side of the bar for guests who like to be part of the action. “We want people to be able to see what we’re doing and even learn how to do it,” says Hanson. “We have a dream to hand a guest a shaker one day”—but they haven’t chosen that lucky person just yet.

The Civil team balances the luxurious atmosphere with a touch of hospitality realness by sporting a down-to-earth uniform. “It’s a dishwasher’s top—which is the most affordable and casual piece of restaurant equipment—chef’s pants and the colourful Civil Works shirt. We’re going for a pirates-took-over-the-yacht look,” says Kennedy.