Bar 244

Bar 244 is the Entertainment District's cheap-drinks pre-game: two floors, $3 drinks every night, Top 40 upstairs and a hip-hop basement, and a young, casual crowd. It's a bar with a club room downstairs, not a high-end King West club. Here's the honest rundown, plus the free guestlist so you skip cover before 11.

Bar 244: the full review

Bar 244's main appeal is the cheap drinks, so it always pulls a younger crowd looking for a cheap night out with friends. If you're a university student, that's a feature, not a bug. We've been here plenty over the years, and it's a solid spot to sit down, celebrate a friend's birthday and drink beers without arranging a party at a high-end King West club. It isn't our favourite venue in the area, but it does its job as a pre-party spot to get buzzed before hitting another room or heading to King Street. Upstairs runs Top 40 and 2000s pop-rock throwbacks; downstairs is a mix of EDM and hip-hop. If you're in the student-aged crowd and want a casual night, it's decent. If you're not, you can probably skip it.

Address & location

Bar 244 is in Toronto's Downtown Core, in the Entertainment District at 244 Adelaide St W (M5H 1Y3), on Adelaide Street West just west of University Ave. It's easy to spot on the corner, with a big red sign out front.

The room

Capacity is about 250-300, a medium-sized venue across two floors with a bar on each. Upstairs is a single large bar, the main dance area, and a few seated tables and high-tops to the right, plus a room that leads to the bathrooms. The basement is a dance-cave that plays different music, with a booth area in the back, two main dance floors, one bar on the right, and a second set of bathrooms. There's no patio and no smoking area, so get stamped if you want to step out front.

Who's there

Mostly a casual, university-student-aged crowd drawn by the $3 drinks. It's mainstream and young. Like most bars in the Entertainment District, it leans casual, so come for the energy and the cheap rounds, not a dressed-up scene.

What's great

• Super cheap drinks. $3 drinks every night of the week. Mixed drinks and bottles of beer run $3-5, shots $6-7 and up.
• Great pre-drinks spot. A casual bar that's perfect for getting the night started before King Street.
• Two floors. Top 40 and throwbacks upstairs, a hip-hop and EDM dance cave downstairs, so there's a room for the mood.

What to know going in

• It can get stale. Fun for a stretch, but spending the whole night here wears thin.
• Long line if you're late. The line forms early because the place is popular and cheap. Show up early.

Move like you know

• Get there early to beat the line and lock in those $3 drinks. It fills fast.
• This venue has stamped re-entry, so get stamped if you plan to step out and come back.
• Birthday? They do birthday specials, so let the door or your host know.

The music

Bar 244 plays a mix of Top 40 and pop-punk-rock upstairs and a mix of hip-hop or EDM downstairs. We found the mixes a bit inconsistent, but the upside is they aim to cater to everyone, so there's usually something for your group between the two floors.

What to wear

The dress code is casual and lax. You shouldn't have any problems getting in as long as you dress decently. Streetwear is fine, security is easygoing on this one. Just don't roll up looking like you rolled out of bed.

Age limit

Strict 19+ on a normal club night, no exceptions. Ontario drinking age, so bring real ID.

Where Bar 244 is

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