The Emmet Ray Whisky Jazz Bar in Toronto

Bartender had some solid whiskey recommendations

The best

Awesome, rein concert was awesome awesome and food awesome awesome

Been going for years. Lovely spot in the city that fills a nice niche - live jazz and whiskey galore.

Had a great experience there with a stellar jazz band playing as well, would definitely come back again

We did not have a reservation but they made their best to accommodate us! Amazing staff and great selection of whiskeys with reasonable price

Good beer selection, nice neighborhood spot

One of my favourite places in Toronto for live music. Love it here.

I was living with one of the bartenders until he stole bank cards from my room and used them at this establishment (the end of a long rope). Extremely unimpressed with how it was handled on the Emmets end, and by the employee who became increasingly abusive following this occurence. It is my understanding this employee still works there. Thankfully the banks Fraud Department was able to verify what happened quickly.

I ve been going to this place for a while now- staff is welcoming, food is great, music is always a fantastic vibe.

Amazing atmosphere, amazing music.

Great pub with live music and good service. Nice mix of different generations as well which is rare in Toronto.

Loved the food, atmosphere and overall vibe

Excellent musicians, amazing staff, and great food.

Came in alone on a Saturday evening and thoroughly enjoyed my Paper Plane and the live jazz. Will definitely come back next time I am in the city! They only charge cover for the band if youre in the back room but recommend adding a tip for them to your bill anyway as you will get a great sound from anywhere in the small venue.

I can appreciate the attempt of the owner to save face for his business. But in all reality, if you had any integrity at all, you would not be willing to risk your reputation and jeopardize the livelyhoods of musicians and employees alike. If they were that important to you, like you claim, you would not be protecting an employee of yours who was caught using stolen bank cards in both of your establishments. Now for the claims of hostility, I would like to cordially invite you to involve the police in the matter, there was no hostility whatsoever. By all means, please call them and have them come in. Id love to see how this all pans out. As for the case of fraud, a full investigation has already been opened. You will be hearing from a legal team shortly. It is a true shame to see an atmosphere and reputation tarnished by one dishonest employee. At the end of the day, you are liable. Not only are you protecting an alcoholic, abusive, thief employee. But to turn around and make false claims of hostility just to try and flip the script and salvage whatever reputation you can, while also blatantly lying to your valued customers about how you do business speaks volumes about YOUR true character. My legal team, bank, and police alike will be in touch with you. For the record myself being the card holder. I was not once asked for my name at The Emmet Ray so that is also another false claim. Im sure a lot of honest hard work has gone into the establishment. Any business owner with any integrity or respect for said business would not risk all that work to protect a dishonest thief. I suggest vetting future employees more in depth. Good luck in the future. I want to see the businesses succeed throughout this situation. Truly a shame to leave your hard work vulnerable over a thief. *Update. You can change your responses as much as youd like. Just proves again that you try to pull the wool over the eyes of your valued customers more than you care to admit. Frantically editing responses also speaks volumes about your true character and how you conduct business. Very concerning and blatantly dishonest for the public to see. Suggest Looking into hiring a PR team If this is how youre going to answer reviews could help you in the long run. Food for thought.. Best regards

Great place, amazing music and vibes

Great place. Extensive whiskey menu. Good food. Spectacular service.

Great selection of whisky, beer, wine, cocktails as well as foods! Live music is on 7 days!

The jazz band was awful. Sounded like yoko ono was singing. Lol.

Perfect for an after hours chat with an old-time friend!

Great service, great drink selection, great live jazz and a great atmosphere. Cozy, dimmed lighting, loved it.

Everything was great. I need to come here more often. Food

Amazing food and atmosphere

Great staff. Great tunes.

Music was really great. Amazing place if you like live music.

Live music and the staff were lovely

Great service, cozy atmosphere, and great live music!

Incredible music, food, drinks and experience. The bartenders are always kind and look out for the customers. The Emmet Ray is a Jazz staple and nothing can beat how great a place it is.

An impromptu trio played Saturday evening!

Best place to relax were here tonight to relax after busy day at work it is amazing and relaxing

Stopped in for live jazz session and a few pints very quaint no frills local bar no complaints good service Parking: On a major artery i suggest transit

Great local bar food is a plesant suprise i highly recommend it

The food was good. Due service was really slow. I m guessing a lack of staff. We had an appetizer and it was an hour before we someone returned to take our dinner order. Not blaming anyone, may have just been the night. Lots of customers and staff shortage, I m guessing

The waiter was soo knowledgeable about whiskey! The service was amazing and the food was sooooooo good. Best baked chicken and steak

a new favourite!!!

Great Jazz spot in downtown Toronto!

The Brussels sprouts absolutely hit. Might be the best I ve ever had

Great whiskey selection and classic cocktails. Food was fresh and yummy. Jazz band of the night helped create a welcoming and vibey atmosphere.

We all love it here! We had a group of 5 (+1 cardboard cutout person) and enjoyed the atmosphere, music and especially the food! The staff was also very responsive and helpful when we make the reservation through email. Highly recommended!

I love this place. The place is a huge supporter of local live music. (Especially Jazz)

Great live jazz music and the most friendly staff

Food was actually quite good. The atmosphere was very flat considering there was live music. Obnoxious service. I wasnt drinking as it was a dry January do I can remember the interactions perfectly. There was a Scottish server that was rude, tense, and extremely hostile. Simply not good enough.

Fantastic place with a great vibe and real heart. They accommodated our big group of 10 at very short notice and were so understanding via email, especially given it was a Friday night. Ace vibes, amazing Disney jazz tribute, super friendly staff that were really attentive despite how busy it was. Hope to visit many a time. You can tell they actually care about the artists and the guests. Highly recommend the kimchi poutine.

Cozy, good place to see live music, friendly staff.

Lovely venue and great selection of jazz artists. Super friendly staff.

Amazing staff and food! Went last night and thoroughly enjoyed the live jazz music.

Keeping Live Music Alive!!

Lovely place with great live music and awesome food! But otherwise, great vibes all around!

My fave spot for some nice jazz and scotch, highly recommended. If you can, sit at the bar and chat with the extremely knowledgeable bartender and hell help find the perfect scotch for you at very reasonable prices

Good vibe, good food and good music!

Great place to hear some jazz music and have a drink.

Amazing staff! I teased them about food order delay & all of us had a laugh. But they took stuff off my tab & even gave a discount, all without asking. This is very rare these days! Best is I spoke with 3 staff members & all were very friendly & polite & my Reuben sandwich was very good. I will go again.

Good vibes and good jazz. Reasonable prices across the board.

Loved it went on Robbie Burns night and had a fantastic time thx Kip the food was delicious service was five star definitely would go again

Great cozy jazz club

Everything goes along together. The food, music and especially the drinks. The only thing that doesnt let me go there from time to time is the prices, although the quality is the best. But cant go there regularly

Great atmosphere and service. Id definitely go back.

The place looks very very run down. Not sure if its the estetics but the website photos look nothing like the place in real life. Me and my fiance just wanted to grab a bite and couple drinks but the bartender did not let us enjoy our stay. He kept bothering us every 5 minutes to order more to drink. I am 56 110 pounds drinking double whiskey. Do you think its wise to push more alcohol on me every 5 min? Smart serve..no? This is whiskey bar abd its made for sipping not not to shoot shots. That place has no class. Also when we got out food this bartender kept just standing next to us the whole time. Like I know we are at the bar and the place is incredible tiny but could you not lean into my food. Every time I raises my eyes while eating he would just stare at me. That was very strange and very creepy. The last thing that was a cherry on top is that we got COVID after visiting this place. I dont get this I did not get covid through out the whole pandemic and after visiting this place next day we both were incredibly sick. Will not return

Amazing service by all the waiters while I was there! They are so warm, friendly, helpful & accommodating. The food is delicious & great quality, made from scratch. The washrooms are clean.

Probably my favorite bar in Toronto. Mike the bartender is great. Live jazz every night. Great whiskey selection. Good food. A bar with a soul!

Great atmosphere, food, and cocktails. Enormous selection of whiskeys! Which made me visit in the first place. Would highly recommend!

Great Music.

Cozy spot

Love it

Tom turns whiskey into an Art! The smokey flavors he creates are perfect! Mike is the best bartender.

Awesome atmosphere and the bartenders and waiters were excellent

The music was very nice, friendly manager But was expecting much better food for a bar with a very high rating reviews.

Amazing vibe and local favourite. Jazz music every night which always sounds so good (but you can also just chill up front if you choosers ). The staff is awesome and will easily remember the regulars and their orders which is a plus. Definitely check them out if youre in College/Dovercourt and want to see live music.

Best whiskey, jazz bar in the city

The music was underwhelming and the food and drinks were just ok

This place is a real gem! We brought a large group here and they absolutely rolled out the red carpet! We loved the food, drinks and atmosphere.

Yyyy

Great atmosphere, friendly staff, excellent music, delicious food... Very recomended ;¬D Food

Awesome food and lovely live jazz, very fabulous spot.

A great bar with great live musicand excellent service.

Great selection of craft beer, chifded to find the St Bernardus ABT 12 on tap. There was live music playing of a Sunday evening and the vibe was bery relaxed, definitely recommended

God I like this place. Laid back cool on the College Street scene with a wonderful selection of beer, wine, spirits, and cocktails ... Very friendly and welcoming staff. Great place for a date or small group. And definitely go see Opera Revue there ...

The place is really nice, and the atmosphere is great. Theres live music, comfy chairs, and good food. My only issue is that I ordered the hummus, which was listed on the menu for $15 and supposed to be served with either toast or side veggies. However, it was served with a side of pita instead. I didnt complain because I prefer pita over toast, but I was charged an extra $3 for the pita, and I didnt receive any veggies or toast with it. This left me feeling a bit salty, as I ended up paying over $18 for a bowl of hummus when I was expecting to pay 15$ and the server never mention an extra charge.

Burger and fries were excellent

Comfortable atmosphere

One of the best bars in the city. Been coming here for years. The food is so, so good. Better than pub food should ever be. And the drinks are great too. The staff are all so warm and welcoming, and there is live music almost every night. What more could you want?

A really cool place if you love jazz and whiskey.

Best place to stop by if you re in the mood for live jazz. Every single day is another incredible talented artist.

Great whisky selection at reasonable prices, great atmosphere, great music. A lovely little spot.

The Emmet has evolved their menu in the last month. We were there on a busy night and the chef personally apologized that our food wasn t instantly ready (I didn t think it was late at all) - and comped us an amuse bouche of the new Orzo salad, which has layers upon layers of flavour. The Out and In burger, brick chicken and the Cubana are DEADLY! Staff always super friendly. Might want to make a reso on busy nights. It s a nice spot to end a crawl, too. Strict 2am cutoff but the people around at that hour are super nice.

Nice place with a great selection of Canadian whiskey and American bourbon and pretty good of Scotch, Irish, and international whiskies. They are offering good tasting options - selection of 3-4-5, - for some of them. Food selection is very limited, but whats really missing is coffee - even basic coffee could add a lot (no need for fancy options, just freshly brewed coffee).

Amazing food, great cocktails, beer, and whiskey selection, and the friendliness and best service. I love It here!

Live music twice a day

One of the best jazz group I listened in Toronto, the quartet, a big applause to saxophonist

I visited in 2019 while at a conference. Was a great place to have a martini and enjoy the music. Service was amazing and the food was very good.

We went here because of all the good reviews but I should have paid closer attention. We went to the Friday night show and the entire band was too under the influence to perform. The drinks were also substandard.

One of the best hidden gems in Toronto. Amazing whiskey selection, new kitchen menu is great, and still doing live music after all these years. Ive been here at least a couple times a year for over a decade (sometimes a lot more frequently) and have some great memories, especially since they are open when most other spots arent.

Out n In burger slaps, cocktails are great, chill vibes abound.

Great spot for live jazz music. This establishment promotes Humber College jazz musicians. Fun.

Awesome place. Great food, booze, and music. Wonderful owners and staff.

I love Jazz bars and havent been to one since Covid. I was very happy to take a friend who shared the same love for Jazz. Decided to check out Emmet as I had never been and I wasnt in the mood for the downtown scene and parking. We had a great time. The service was par excellence. The food, WOW! So very tasty and very homey. The staff were also on point. Ill definately be back just for the food :-)

Great live music, friendly staff

Great atmosphere, good menu, reasonable price for Belgian beers in Toronto and nice staff!

I tried to enjoy this place but the atmosphere is oppressive. Absolutely do not want to drink whiskey and hear Christmas music. Depressing bad location. Staff was pleasant. Would rather go hungry and thirsty than visit again.

Food drinks and atmosphere was all great. Even better was being able to play Crokinole!

Good music, good drinks, good food.

Nice venue, lots to do with a wide selection of drinks and very helpful staff.

Service was excellent and the live music fit the restaurant very well! There isnt a huge variety of food here, but what they offer is well prepared and presented. I would recommend this place for a casual date, a small get-together with friends, or for a solid solo experience to just try a new place out.

My second or third time out. Very cozy. Food is outstanding. Great drink choices, including quite the selection of whiskey. All staff, from everyone in the kitchen to wait and bar staff, are super nice and go out of their way to take care of you. This venue is an hour away for me, by transit, but well worth it.

This was excellent! Good atmosphere and great service

Great experience if youre a jazz music lover. If not, plenty other places to quench your thirst. The staff are friendly. The drinks are good. Food not so much. We had wings and fries. Both were below mediocre and didnt feel fresh. Good place for sitting down, listening to music and having your drink. Otherwise, not a good public gathering as you wont be able to talk to your friends. That is after 8pm or whenever the show starts. Overall, theres nothing special about this place.

Love the music, the staff, the furniture, and the awesome tap selection

I normally dont leave reviews, or at least I havent done so in awhile. This time though, I felt The Emmet Ray deserves all the recognition! Ive been here twice now. The staff are all very friendly and inviting, and not to mention they have wonderful tastes! I was recommended a beer called Duchesse De Bourgogne, and oh man, it just hits perfectly after a long day of work. The live music is also fantastic! Very encaptivating. I cant wait to come back! Great job guys :D

Great place for drinks and music

Great selection of whisky/scotch, and we come for live Jazz bands.

Food was average. But the service and jazz was great. Our server, a Scottish lad made the evening a ton of fun. He Recommended many great whiskey and scotch options that we loved. Whiskey menu was impressive. Prices fair. Will return.

Awesome whisky selection, great place to see live jazz!

Sick

Delicious food and great ambiance!

I visited here to get inspirations for my writing. I ordered double Irish whisky and it was such a nice time to enjoy the drink with lovely jazz music. I think Ill be loyal in the bar.

Great place for live jazz and whiskey, excellent service and good vibes!

Wonderfully friendly and great music. Brought my two boys here and we had a great time as an introduction to live music. Plus I loved the burgers! Thanks

Great jazz performances, impeccable service. High recommend!

Great ambiance, good jazz and interesting food.

Good vibes, music, and cocktails here. Nice date spot and definitely would recommend.

My go to jazz place! No nonsense straight up good music and service

Enjoyed the venue. Staff were very friendly.

Local and cozy bar/lounge. The atmosphere is relax and friendly. Food and drink taste great, host is friendly and the price is reasonable. Highly reccomended