Detour Bar

Good music, great vibe, cheap drinks. The place is smaller then most bars downtown but it’s usually packed for a reason.

This bar is exactly what me and my man needed on our vaca to Toronto. We’re from NYC and this bar was straight out of Brooklyn. Amazing sound system, good music and excellent people watching. You can tell this is a local hangout. The copper bar was a nice addition.
My boyfriend definitely wanted to do the bartender, if that helps any of the men out there decide if they want to attend or not.

Let’s start with the good: funky décor, decent booze prices for those needing to party on the cheap, ample seating for a smaller bar (my disabled self appreciates it), and nice people who support the local music scene.
The bad: poor booze selection if you’re gluten-​intolerant and beer’s off the menu and… well, I can tell you from my experience that they improperly store their wine, which means FOOD POISONING. I learned this the hard way in 2006 and last night, after I and multiple patrons complained about both the red and white tasting «wrong», I realized the tell-​talle signs and had to cut my night very short. Not cool. I’d rather they not serve wine if they can’t handle it properly. And no, I was not drunk. I felt sick on my second drink of the night and I’m someone who can do three bottles of wine and a dozen mixed drinks and walk myself to bed without any spins.

Cool spot. We stopped in after simmering in the Red Room’s oppressive lameness for way too long. Detour is deep in the heart of Kensington Market, right by Tom’s Place (if that helps you), and is pretty nondescript. It’s about as long as a school bus and twice as wide; it’s covered with natural wood, has scattered motes of lighting and is less a dive than you may think.
There’s not a tonne of seating to be found, but the raw-​wood topped tables along the side are nifty. At any rate, this is a stand, drink, and dance kind of establishment. Down your very-​reasonably-​priced cocktail or beer and wait for the DJ to kick in.
This place racks up points for the following:
— Labyrinth[1] was being projected on the wall
— They will mix a mean mojito and/​or sangria for you
— The cute tender of bar Ashley shared my love of the aforementioned Labyrinth AND Jennifer Connelly movies
— They take credit cards
— There is a small patio out front
— The bathrooms aren’t a disaster
— DJ Shyguise literally resembled a Shyguy. I mean, I guess that’s the point.
— Discoball and the manual set up thereof
This place loses points for:
— The faintest hit of dubstep I heard that evening. (
)
As I stated before, this is a cool spot.
Obligatory Title Pun: For a CHANGE of direction…
Menu Readability: Just talk to the kids behind the bar.
Need to mention: I believe they have Mill St on tap.
What this place teaches me about myself: I can’t wait until Paul Bettany screws up. Your ass is grass, Fake Albino.
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[1] This is not the first time I have linked to Labyrinth in a review. And I’d do it again.

Detour bar in Kensington is a timely new place in an older space (used to be Rear View Mirror). Impressive redesign by two brothers, Paul and Peter. Had Jay and Ian on tables for a funky groove-​funk evening. Going to be a good place to check out for a music scene — groove funk electro house afrobeat — that needs an open canvas. Got that int’l feel — not a dive bar.

Detour serves my needs perfectly.
The boys (Peter and Paul) worked hard on this spot and they put together a really nice bar using reclaimed wood. It also has a great copper bar counter top. It’s small and intimate and perfect for a night with your friends. Sound system is big. The guys who run it have been working in the bar industry for 10 years and have been involved in a lot of the successful stories over the last little while.
Detour is a very nice and welcome addition to Kensington. Sorry, Ronnie’s, I have a new local.