Owls Club

Legion halls are like greasy spoon diners: they’re a dime a dozen and a rare sight to see in Toronto.
There’s something comforting about them. OK, maybe there isn’t any comforting about seeing older men or other unsavoury people hanging out there. But legion halls are a great place to host a dance party or a small concert, and the Owls Club is like that.
I was there last Friday for my choir’s Christmas party. The Owls Club was a perfect venue for a large group to gather to nibble on treats and dance/​sing the night away.
Like a lot of legion halls I’ve been to, they’re huge spaces. They usually have two separate rooms, one upstairs and downstairs. I couldn’t tell you what the downstairs looked like but the upstairs was quite big and booked for our party. The décor is simple and very Canadian: wood-​panelled walls, flags of Ontario and Canada, and a picture of the Queen circa 1952.
Another great thing that the Owls Club has is cheap booze. My imported beer (Corona) cost me $ 3.50. Don’t expect draft beers from local microbreweries; you are sold no nonsense alcohol here.
Nowadays, the people who love legion halls as much as the patrons who visit it every week are hipsters. And you know what, that’s OK. They seem to be the only type of people who crave a venue that’s authentic and unpretentious, void of anything fake. And A legion hall ain’t fake. My choir is already planning our one-​year anniversary in February at the Owls Club. I can’t wait to go back!