It was a cold, rainy (maybe romantic?) and wet Thursday when I found myself in the cozy, candlelit bar of Alo.  A few good friends and I had just finished a gluttonous dinner of authentic Chinese food and we were looking for a place to indulge in a few tasty libations.  We started to make our way towards People’s Eatery when suddenly lightbulbs went off in our heads and we changed directions towards Queen and Spadina.

If you aren’t looking carefully you will absolutely miss the door to Alo which is tucked right next to the Basil Box with a barely there sign outside.  When you do find it and walk in you again doubt that you’re in the right place as you are greeted by a sole maitre’d standing behind a podium.  You cautiously approach her and then happily realize that you are indeed in the right place.

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We let her know that we just want some drinks at the bar and she promptly sends us upstairs via elevator.  When the door opened we felt like we got transported into a very London/New York Style Bar.  Dark walls with floral murals, brass fixtures, an ornate and magnificent glass bar holding up every delicious concoction and my favourite, built in seating IN the window.  Too cute.

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There were no free tables so we started off in a window seat and before we could even take our first sip a table opened up.  We indulged in a few cocktails from their extensive menu – I had the The Vodka Fizz and a Bourbon based drink that I can’t remember the name of now.  We then followed up with some delightful white wine that their sommelier Christopher Sealy helped us pick out.  We of course had to top off the night with glasses of bubbly after which we were treated to a tasting of a special bottle of brandy.

Right off the bat we got a little bit of a snobby vibe so I was pleasantly surprised at how welcoming, knowledgeable and likeable the staff ended up being.  By the end of the evening we were videotaping John Bunner at the bar mixing his drinks and almost asking the waitress to join our table.

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I’ve read only the highest praise for their tasting menu but I’m not sure if my palette is sophisticated enough to really enjoy it.  Maybe one day, but for now you can definitely find me at the bar sipping on some delightfully grown-up cocktails.

Discover Alo
Address:  163 Spadina Avenue
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/AloRestaurant
Instagram: @alorestaurant
Twitter:  @alorestaurant
$$$ – $60 – 2 cocktails + glass of bubbly