mperial Public Library's lack of any discernible identity works in its favour. Here the regulars come in two kinds: those who gaze silently into their drafts, and those who conduct loud, never-ending sports arguments despite the fact that no one’s actually disagreeing.

Despite the close proximity to Ryerson, regulars tend to be a mixture of an older crowd, many wooed by the two jukeboxes (a big draw at "the library"), and the wacky and off-kilter (Ryerson Students). Stripped of other options, the people at the Imp usually lean to the side of friendliness -- which means it's a great place to go if you want to hang out and meet people, and a very bad place to go if you want to brood over a SoHo Martini.

This is one of those bars that simply do not change what’s always worked - from the wood-panelled walls to the air vents made to look like logs. The centrepiece of the establishment is a large circular bar resplendent with a glowing rainbow of horizontal stripes behind the glass-bricked counter and backlit fading posters and old ads framed above. The jukebox pumping out old jazz and crooners like Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee and Patsy Cline.

The Take
The Library is a hangout for Ryerson students looking to combine drinking and thinking over the school year. But after exams, the Library gives way to the patio with it’s breathtaking view of the construction in progress (?) at Yonge and Dundas.