Rush Lane & Co

Great vibe, cocktails and snacks.
I have a handful of favourites that are off menu — just get the crew to create something for you based on what you’re feeling. I do however, love The Kenhattan — named after a friend of mine.

I’ve been here a few times.
Sloooow service.
Sloooow. The drinks aren’t bad once they arrive.
Seating is uncomfortable (wooden chairs and booths) minus one sofa on the «upper level» and a padded arm chair.
Vibe is meh. Lighting is brighter than it needs to be. And the front is cold and drafty. Brrr.
I know I’ll be back only because of the location and it’s easy.

Good cocktails. There’s no criticism there.
The place has the potential to be excellent. But there’s just a frustrating serving shortfall going on here that prevents this place from really living up to it’s full potential. Minor things that add up like — staff busy with themselves rather than their guests — staff not explaining drinks — staff not interested in settling up tabs — staff not clearing glasses — staff acting quite arrogant and boasting about a $ 1,500 ice cube maker. It all ironically leaves a sour taste in your mouth. It’s just not the right vibe at all when you’re ok spending New York prices on drinks — thank-​full that you’re in Toronto and don’t have to deal with a New York attitude — and then realize your bartenders behave like they are in New York.
I’d chalk it up to one off experiences, but sadly it’s been pretty consistent on my recent two visits, both midweek on slow nights.

Amazing cocktails with a casual vibe.
I came here with 3 friends on a Saturday night and we managed to sit by the window with the large, open garage doors right on Queen Street. I ordered 2 drinks:
— Sex Panther ($ 16): Although delicious with strong lavender flavours, I found that there was a little too much egg white topping off the cocktail, as compared to the lavender cocktail from Bar Chef.
— The Last Word ($ 14): One of my favourite cocktails to date. It was refreshing and sweet at the same time, filled with a large cucumber/​apple garnish inside of the cup. Definitely recommend this if you like light and fruity cocktails.
The bar is definitely busier in the first part of the night (around 9PM — 11PM) with groups of people pre-​drinking before going out. During this time, it was hard to get service from the waitresses because of the large groups. However as the groups started to clear out, the service improved a lot.
Overall, Rush Lane has some of the best cocktails in Toronto and the atmosphere isn’t too formal.

Been twice. Two stars for quality cocktails. Five stars in fact. Minus those stars for mediocre service.
If I’m sitting at the bar, paying $ 40 for two drinks, I’d like a bartender who is interested in my presence. The two behind the bar were far more interested in their crew, and were disdainful of my attempt to engage them in a discussion on drinks — which is why I’m willing to pay this much FOR a drink in the first place.
The space is cool, the spirits great, but I can make great drinks at home too, and have better conversations by myself.
The cocktail lab is pretty cool as well.

Terrible service, takes 30 minutes to receive a drink. Come here if you have an extra 3 hrs to spare. Bartenders all extremely rude.

This place is place is a lovely atmosphere. It is a little too pricey for it to be a spot I go on the reg but if it’s a special date or intimate night and you can afford it it is quite nice. The setup and design are very chique and modern. Service was very attentive and conversational too. It’s just waaY to out of my price range I’m willing to pay for a cocktail.

I came across this bar on BlogTo’s 2014’s to Bars. It’s a trendy hipster place which a large array of cocktails. A good place to go when you want to hang out with friends. i don’t usually drink cocktails but since I was at one of the top bars in Toronto, I decided to have my first Old Fashioned Cocktail and it was delicious. They take a lot of care when making their drinks and are extremely knowledgeable over a variety of drinks they can recommend you.

Ask for a Smoked Tobacco Old Fashioned. Trust me. Told the server I was a big Manhattan drinker, and asked for something ‘different’. After bringing the drink, he proceeds to explain how he made the drink in exceptional detail, including resting the glass over a smoking cedar plank before pouring.
This is where you can appreciate the art of cocktail making. An artist made my drink. And his name is Zak.

Came here with a group for a friends birthday and had a great experience. The cocktails are amazing, they may seem pricey at first but the bartenders don’t skimp on the alcohol and they also taste great. I tried the ‘a trip through the slums’, ‘sante’, and ‘that night’ cocktails and they all tasted yummy. We also tried a couple of the food options which were all snack sized and perfect for sharing, I recommend the potato wedges, chicken bites, and meatballs. The only thing I wasn’t impressed with was the slow service but our waiter was very nice nonetheless.

I checked this place out bc of Kevin Santos’s post!
it was good — came on a rainy evening so was kind of quiet
but we got seats on the leather chairs near the aquarium
staff was super nice!
we had the taters and another app — both were decent
the cocktails were strong — lots of options
the manhattan on top was not the best IMO — but cool concept!

Came to this place because a friend wanted to check it out and I am very impressed with the quality that they offer. They have manhattan’s in tap which are pretty good and they make some very interesting cocktails. I would recommend this place as a starting point or as a date spot as it is really spot.
The staff are really friendly and they know what they are doing.
You need to try this place and let me know what you think.

Had high hopes for this place as I love a good cocktail but unfortunately it didn’t live up to the hype.
Super slow service (and rude). Not to mention I ordered a Martinez and received some weird drink with absinthe in it. The hell?!

Straight up reason for 3 stars: expectations exceeded reality.
For a place that has «bespoke cocktails» and a lab to perform «cocktail alchemy», which are backed up with an appropriately bespoke price, and a bartender with a beard and suspenders, this place falls a bit short.
Don’t get me wrong, the cocktails are good. But the selection when I went was waaay too sweet. Maybe it was the recipe or the bartender — don’t know. The driest cocktail they had that night was the Siege of Troy, which while tasty was still close to cloyingly sweet. Overly sweet was a consensus with our party.
I can say that it did not taste like something concocted in an alchemists lab by a Gandalf amongst mixologists. I don’t mind choosing from a fixed menu, but if I do, the drink better give me a mindgasm.
Or maybe they need a bartender with a waxed moustache and arm garters.
If décor is important, it looks like they spent money on the place, but somehow lost sight of what they were going for, and ended up with the a-​bar-​in-​downtown-​Toronto look.
The actual bar where drinks are made is pretty gorgeous, and the lab looks cool, but would be cooler they went with an open concept look.
On the plus side, the large format beer selection was excellent, and our server was friendly, fast, and attentive without being intrusive, even on a busy Saturday night.
The doorman was pretty awesome too.
So long as the company is good, I’d probably give this place another shot, but for anyone else: come here or don’t. If you like it you’ll stay, if not there are plenty of other bars nearby.

This is a bar that any good bartender would appreciate. Very sophisticated drinks with lots of depth in flavor.

Sophie was crude rude and charged us for hot water will never return. No wonder there was no line and no cover

Finally an actual cocktail bar with awesome drinks AND awesome food.
Love how the cocktail menu evolves and changes keeps me wanting to try new things. Not only are the cocktails amazing (a beet cocktail with gin? What? Yes it’s delish) the food is stellar too!!!
Snack style food but so insanely creative and delicious. Rush Lane just explodes with flavor, creativity and uniqueness. Try the halibut, the «wing» which is really a medieval drumstick and then the crazy pogo stick thing.
Just wish there was a patio!

RushLane has been open just a few weeks and I am already really excited to see what they do next. The staff is enthusiastic and clearly love what they do… most of the bar staff are RushLane owners, so they really care about your experience and are always keen to know how things can be done better.
If you are looking for a safe bet for a date or a meet up with friends, RushLane delivers with great atmosphere, and amazing drinks and food. They also experiment with new cocktail and food creations regularly, so the adventuresome person will not be disappointed! I myself am not a great lover of fish/​seafood, so I was pleasantly surprised to find I LOVED RushLane’s fish dish when I sampled it with my girlfriend.

Yes, they’ve got an interesting cocktail menu and a relaxed lounge-​like vibe, but what impressed me most about Rush Lane & Co was the staff.
The staff and managers extremely down-​to-​earth and helpful — which is often not the case for most Queen Street West bars.
I hosted a 10-​person birthday party at Rush Lane & Co on a Thursday night. I contacted their staff in advance to make a reservation and the service I got was really top-​notch .
I initially chose Rush Lane because of the space. I wanted a patio experience without having to worry about rain (Toronto weather can be unpredictable). At Rush Lane, they open the giant garage-​like doors at the front so that you feel like you’re on a patio even though you’re indoors. It’s great for people watching.

Well that was a let down. Came here with my friend Wednesday night looking for a great cocktail. This place looked cool from the outside and it’s definitely true what they say– never judge a book by its cover.
Where to begin? How about when we first walked in and were judged by the 5 guys sitting… or should I say hanging out the window. I felt like I was 20 and back in university. In fact, everything about this place screams «look at me” — from the empty fish tank to the drunk girls sitting on the couch pounding back beers. Or how about the bartenders who insist on shaking their shakers like shakira shakes her hips (and watching themselves in the mirror while doing it). I feel like this place was filled with people who wanted to be seen but couldn’t get in anywhere else.
Looking around I should’ve taken the hint: every person in there was drinking a beer– but this is a cocktail bar, right?! So let’s try these «great» cocktails. My friend asked for a bourbon based cocktail– the waitress was quick to say they didn’t have any (nor do they offer to free style you one or suggest an alternative). So we ordered the «beat it» and… because I can’t remember it we will simply refer to the second cocktail as «morning after in the streets of New Orleans»…Believe me– if you smelled or tasted this cocktail you would completely understand.
Both cocktails were undrinkable (ok, the beat it was a little more tolerable) and we left with half our drinks sitting in the glass (and no one asked if we enjoyed the cocktails or acted surprised when we asked for our bill so quickly). Mind you, this was 45 min after entering the bar because it took that long to get our drinks. Oh– and perhaps the undrinkable part had to do with the fact I didn’t see 1 bartender do a quality check.
Speaking of bartenders– my favourite quote of the evening– «the aromatics are sweet– you just gotta smell ‘em» as he wafts the smell of burnt hair into the patrons face. Amazing.
If you are looking for 905– style crap cocktails– this is the place for you! My advice? Avoid at all costs and spend your money elsewhere– this place won’t last long!