WAYLA Lounge

Guys, it’s all about the Tuesday karaōke here! WAYLA is a no frills neighbourhood bar with a nice little back patio. There’s nothing that fancy or remarkable about the space, and drinks are reasonably priced and fairly standard. But the Tuesday night karaōke is pretty epic! There’s definitely a crew of regulars who are really good singers! The DJ is great and there’s no cover. It definitely makes for an entertaining weeknight out.

Faaaaaabulous! LGTB friendly. Great music, fun atmosphere, great drinks on tap. Beards of all shapes, sizes, and tickle zones.

I’m surprised this place is getting such good reviews. The sound system really sucks, drink selection is limited and any time I dropped by it is empty or they have a cover. The only place I have ever paid a cover and felt it was worth it was at El Convento Rico. This place just doesn’t have it for me. I just looked at the pictures and the place is empty in the pics lol

The owners and the space is chill as duck.
They don’t have a kitchen yet (coming up, next week). So instead, they provide you with menus of nearby places that will deliver for free. How awesome is that?
Pints on tap are also reasonably priced ($ 5.50 from what I recall). They have a delicious yet unpretentious selection (Keiths, Kronenbacher, Millstreet, and the like).
Inside is more loungey. Perfect for a date that appears shi-​shi but is in actuality, reasonably priced. Patio out back is small but cozy.

I hosted a private event here for about 60 people and can’t say enough good things about the venue, the service, and the overall experience. The layout is ideal for a party — lots of comfy seating but tons of room to mingle near the bar — and the décor is mod; «classy» but trendy at the same time. I worked closely with Brian, the manager, who was easy to get in touch with, answered all my questions, had some good ideas, and made sure his great staff was on hand to help out. We brought our own food and Noah and Heather helped us to plate everything (they provided platters and utensils) and cleaned up afterwards. I was able to negotiate a very good deal and got lots of compliments about the venue and the vibe. I enthusiastically recommend WAYLA as an event venue in the east end and am sure I’ll go back one of these days to check it out with some friends.

I really wanted to like this place. Heard the vib and the music were good. I am thinking that the place must have changed. I was disappointed to find yet another trendy Toronto gayish poser bar. The music was the usual over mixed stuff you hear anywhere. I would compare it to Byzantium on Church. The same crowd. Young, lots of girls and boys. Tons of attitude. Very cliquey. Staff were mediocre not friendly. Definitely not for the over thirties masc crowd.

Great spot for a drink, cool neighborhood. Nice looking lively crowd.

I’m an East Ender, and after much thinking about a dance and chill spot for my 25^th Birthday, and considering my mixed group of friends, I settled on Wayla. I’d been a couple times before. It’s never been packed, but I’ve always either gone with or met interesting people, and I thought it would be a nice change of space.
I was a bit nervous at the outset of the planning. The manager, when I called, told me that the crowd would be 90% gay, and my experience in the Village has been full of cheesiness. Wayla is not a gay bar, but is progressive and open-​minded, though it has some nights that are far more gay than others.
He also wouldn’t let me reserve 30 spaces (of the 150 capacity) — seemed pretentious for an East End bar. But when a friend reached out directly to DJ Alessandro (who was spinning at PriMadonna night), he said it would be fine for us to reserve these spaces, though we would still need to pay $ 10 cover, which was completely fine.
What a night it turned out to be! The drinks flowed, the music was awesome, and the dance floor had an electric, rowdy energy. It took the best vibes from the Village and eliminated the pretentiousness, occasional creeps, and gross odours. The Madonna music blasted, but it was mixed in with some great top 40. The patio was cute, and despite the noise, we could still interact and talk.
I got numerous comments on what a great time everyone had. I’ll be back.

I’ve been to WAYLA a few times. My first night was for a trivia night (that they have on Wednesdays) and it was fun. It wasn’t super packed which was nice. They give a prize at the end so your odds are pretty good: D
Recently, I went for a dance night called Girl and Boy: A 90s dance night for the start of Pride weekend and had a blast! The service was great and the music was fun. There was a guy that came over and introduced himself, who doe sTHAT in Toronto?! I I think that it was the vibe there that makes it fun. Everyone seems very nice.
When you walk by, it looks empty but all of the action is in the back. They have a full bar in the back and that is where the DJ is too. Did I mention that they have a clean bathroom? A place after my own heart.
They don’t serve food BUT I’ve heard that they have a deal with a nice restaurant down the street that will provide it and you can eat it there.
**If you around Queen & Carlaw with a group of friends and want to have some drinks, dance or test your knowledge, it is the place to be**

Good crowd, good vibe, good music. I’m biased because a lot of my east end friends go here but I recommend it, especially for queer girls looking for girls outside of Church St. or without going waaaaay west. Don’t be afraid of the hipsters, they don’t bite.

I started off my long weekend here on Thursday night. My brother and sister-​in-​law are going to be spinning here soon, so we did some reconnaissance work. In summation, I was pretty impressed with the space and I enjoyed my two pints of cider. The music was a tad cheesy, but the crowded that was slowly filtering in around seemed to be in good spirits. .
The place is quite nice and I like the quirky lay out. From the outside, I would never have guessed it would be so decent inside. The staff were very friendly too, and the drink prices were reasonable.
I’ll be back!

I’m not really sure what to think of this place anymore. The first time I came was for an Elite event, so of course I had a great time.
I came back last Friday with a buddy for some drinks. It wasn’t overly busy so we were able to grab one of the tables opposite the bar. The $ 3.50 Jäger shots were a nice bonus, so we happily downed a few of those. The bar staff were great. Quick to take our orders.
The only turn-​off for me was the crowd. I didn’t really get a good vibe.
Nov. 30-​day challenge ¹⁷⁄₃₀

*3.5 stars*
I really like this bar — it’s super low key, and everyone is really nice. It’s really hard to tell that it’s a bar from the outside, but they have a cute patio outback.
They have a few sections, and a reasonable variety of drinks. Their mojitos are pretty tasty. I love the laid back queen east style of this place, and that it’s a stone’s throw away…
The selection of eats is pretty limited…
I really like that they got new signage, so you don’t just think it’s the carburators place, and know that it’s an actual bar now.
Definitely worth checking out!

My friend and I were on a Queen East patio pub crawl and stumbled across this place. LOVE IT! It really doesn’t look like much from the outside. Our server told us WAYLA stands for «What Are You Looking At» because the old sign is still up that says Carlaw Carborators which tend to fool people when they hear live music. There is a small bar which wasn’t open at the front and a empty tables but once you get in and towards that back it’s really nice! The main bar, comfy couches, a nicely lit small patio, great service and atmosphere. We were there on a Thursday and the $ 4 Sangria is delish. We got there ~9ish and it was a little empty but by 10:30 it was starting to fill up. They serve cheese plates and apps but have a menu from Baldini’s (next door) on hand for those that want more substance. Takeout is discounted and WAYLA will provide the plates and cutler. Overall, check this place out! I will definitely be returning soon! :)

As a West Ender, I get nervous and sweaty any time someone asks me to go east of Yonge St. But when I end up a cool place like Wayla, I’m glad I crossed over.
Wayla doesn’t look like much from the outside but once you enter the long narrow corridor, it opens up into a very nice bar and lounge with a cozy back patio.
I came for awesome jazz trio that will be playing every Thurs. night for the rest of the summer (shameless promotion for friends’ band — Jeff Hewer Trio).
Service was friendly thanks to bartender Heather.
Thursday night drink specials include $ 6 martinis and $ 4 sangria. Being a school night, I stuck with beer and found another nice light summer beer called Kronenbourg Blanc which I had never tried before. Some really good beers on tap including St. Ambrose, Mill Street and Kronenbourg at $ 7.00/pint.
Crowd really picked up between 10:30pm to 11:30 with friendly patrons and regulars who are up for chatting.

This bar rocks, I’m really glad to see another great place open in the Queen east. Go go gentrification!
This club has a very intimate feel to it. It is very narrow and long so you are always close to someone. The staff is really friendly and poor some stiff drinks! Doubles all night! The DJ was great and he was attentive to the crowd and played requests all night.

This place was great, I went here for the Elite event, it was my first one so a lot of fun and I met a whole lot of people.
As this was a positive experience for me I just had to give it a good rating. The service was very friendly and fast. Drinks were reasonably priced and made well.
There is a great patio in the back with propane heater that keeps you warm and cozy while you are out there with your friends.
The wasroom was tidy and clean.
I do not live in the area, so it would be hard for me to go here again, but if I lived close by I would probably know the bar tenders children’s names.

I am definitely a fan. Not to mention WAYLA is soooo close to home that I can go home faster than queuing for the washroom.
Really nice, larger than expected, excellent location, and incredibly friendly staff. They have lounge nights, party nights with «queen west djs» and more latin/​fusion nights as well.
Drinks are super reasonable at about $ 6.50 on average with mammoth sized pints. Specials like $ 3.75 Jaggers and $ 5.00 Tank House in bottles.
Nice back patio that spills into the alley way between buildings, three or so distinct seating areas and a reasonable sized dance floor.
We went on a quiet night, but grilled Chris the bartender about the rest of the week. They do cater to the gay crowd on certain events (and in general) which is awesome if you have a mixed ethnicity/​religion/​orientation group like we usually do. You get a mixed bag here with open-​mindedness.
This place has a really great vibe, and is totally our neighborhood bar of choice.

I’d walked by a number of times and noted people going in and out. Funny, the sign above the entrance is still the previous storefront’s sign; Carlaw Carburations. I was walking by on Saturday on my way to Joy Bistro and noted that WAYLA had a dj playing Latin music. Sounded promising. After celebrating a friend’s «30^th» birthday (give or take a few years) at Joy Bistro I dragged ½ the group back to WAYLA. I’m glad I did. Great little spot that looks small at first but the bar/​lounge area is actually in the back with a small dance floor. Good times with a dj playing lots of latin music and then a mix of current popular tracks. Clean nice place with a big mix of people. Staff were super friendly. Nice surprise and made a great second spot for the night. Nights vary for music supposedly.
Worth checking out for drinks if you are in the area.

Cool place, way larger than it looks from the outside. The drink list is small but they’ve got a lot of unexpected stuff (I ordered a rum drink that was mixed with guava juice), and the staff was cool with me and my friend nursing our drinks for a while. (Hey, I don’t go all out on a Wednesday night.) The décor is nicely minimalist – like what everyone in the sixties thought the future was going to look like.

Great ambience, chill music, friendly staff and owners, creative cocktail ideas, patio potential out back once the weather improves. Definitely a plus for the boyz (and girlz) in the neighbourhood. Look forward to my next visit, maybe for Sunday T-​Dance! A great plus for the neighbourhood.