One of the questions we get most at the front desk is "where should we go for a drink?" It usually comes around 5pm, from someone who has just come in from a long day out and very much deserves one.
The good news is that Collingwood has a bar for pretty much every mood, and most of our favourites are right downtown. A pint in the afternoon, a proper cocktail before dinner, one last drink somewhere a little secret. Here are the five we send people to, roughly in the order your evening might go.
An Afternoon Pint
If the afternoon calls for a beer, Side Launch Brewing Company on Mountain Road is where the town goes. There's a taproom and a beer garden, and it has that easy, nobody's-in-a-hurry feel that turns one pint into two. Dogs are welcome, so bring the whole crew. Right now our pick is the Baked Fresh Chocolate Chip Cookie Stout, a collab with Craig's Cookies. It's rich, a little malty-sweet, and tastes like their classic chocolate chip cookie in a glass. Beer and cookies, together at last. It was made for exactly this time of year.
Then there's 1858 Caesar Bar on Hurontario Street, which has built an entire menu around the caesar. Yes, the whole menu. If you've only ever had the one you make at home, prepare to learn there are a lot more kinds than you thought. It's dog-friendly too, which, let's be honest, is half the reason we love it. Our order is the Tennessee Hollar: Nashville hot sauce, a Jack Daniel's rim, and a Nashville hot beef and bacon skewer on top. It's basically a drink and a snack in one. Get the dill fries on the side anyway.
Cocktail Hour
When it's time for a proper cocktail, Low Down on Simcoe Street is just steps from us. It's a cocktail and Asian-inspired snack bar, and it's the kind of place where you come in for one drink and end up staying for dinner. Our order is the Birthday Suit: Tag 5 vodka, Galliano, soursop and a little cardamom, with a foamy top. And no, you don't need a birthday to order it. We say this to every guest who asks: the ramen is the move.
A few doors' worth of walking away on Simcoe Street, Bar Bijou leads a double life. By day it's a coffee and pastry spot where the neighbourhood gathers. By night it turns into a speakeasy-style cocktail bar and jazz lounge: warm, a little artistic, and not a single TV on the walls. It's the one we send couples to when they want a proper date night. Order the Bijou, the classic the bar is named for. It's gin, sweet vermouth and green Chartreuse, and it's strong, so sip it slowly. You'll want to anyway.
The Nightcap
For the last drink of the night, there's Bar Gondola, a speakeasy on Hurontario Street. It's walk-in, it stays open late, and it's where we point anyone who isn't quite ready to call it a night. Get the Gondo Whiskey High, their house highball. It's crisp and easy-drinking, the kind of thing you want after a long day of hiking. On a cold November night, a speakeasy is exactly where you want to end up.
Trust us on this one.
Back at Somewhere
At some point you'll want to come home. Brooky's Wine Bar is right on the property, which makes it the easiest first or last stop on this list. Natural wine, local craft beer, a cocktail if the night calls for one, and no one counting how many stops you've already made.
And when you check in, ask. We always have one more spot to send you to.
From the Front Desk is our ongoing series on the places we actually send people. Written by the team at Somewhere Inn Collingwood, who live here, ride here, and eat here. We love our backyard and can't wait to share it with you.
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