s you sit in the car, stopped at the intersection on Clinton Street one block south of the hipster hub that is the College Strip, a hum interrupts the quiet of the car, yielding a frozen moment of stillness in which the sounds of cultures surround you. You decide to roll down your window. The voices of strolling couples on the sidewalks trail off into what appears to be a neighbourhood bar. A sign remains fixed, glowing and singing its neon buzz. The Monarch, it says. But look again, there’s another sign; not as big, but that’s the one you want.

That sign directs you into Lounge 88. Enter, and time is erased with a warm, all-comforting presence that conforms to you and your all-consuming needs. With dark-stained beams and a solid oak bar, this piano-bar was modeled after the fuzzy naughehyde Rat Pack-type lounges that used to dot the city 40 years ago.

Lounge 88’s owners - Louie Cristello and James Russo - took a chance and began attracting young adventurers back to the piano-bar life. Over its three-year existence, the bar managed to maintain a low profile, but the piano-bar thing proved to be too simple, too tame for those adventurers.

Without missing a beat, the owners kicked things up a bit by bringing in seasoned djs to spin everything from ë70s to almost-recent funk and soul. They also kept the ëlive’ contingent up by bringing in Michael Clarke and his five-piece band, “Grooveyard,î which, on Saturdays, rock the little place in Otis Redding proportions.

That bit of tweaking is what the little bar needed; currently, Lounge 88 is pure cocktail lounge, even though sometimes it can be too playful for words. It has the perennially naughty childlike quality particular to that retro lounge group, a quality we, the customers, understand and come to expect.

Because of this quality, I always feel slightly voyeuristic while at Lounge 88, settling into ëcrowd watch’ mode: quietly scrutinizing the room (cute couples canoodling in the velvet maroon banquettes at the back of the room: “Come, Darling. It’s our own little world back here”), or the more public types getting pleasantly smashed and dancing to a Marvin Gaye cover tune, never for a moment noticing there isn’t a dance floor.

Its low-key attitude allows Lounge 88’s bartenders, like scrumptious Helga Rossi, to treat their clientele like friends at a house party. They attract a wide-ranging group of customers - folks who just want some cocktails and conversation. Music is kept mercifully low for easy talking. Like the kind you see in old Los Vegas type movies. On non-band nights, DJs pump lounge beats, 80s hits, and even a bit of French popóa sure sign that the hipsters have come of age south of College Street.

Upshot: In a city where many lounges feel like a test marketing campaign filled with models crudely imitating real life, Lounge 88 stands up as a real place with real people, and hence, may bum many people out. But most find it the best damn lounge in Toronto. DE

Review ths place

Reader Reviews

This place wasn't that great.
lounge 88, Toronto, ON
February 26, 2004
The girls that work there are good-looking but service is pretty slow - it took forever to get some drinks. The crowd is older, mostly couples and drunk cougars making fools of themselves dancing to covers of "Moondance" or some other ancient song. There's plenty more places on College to go to - this place probably won't last much longer.


Underage Drinkers
January 26, 2004
James Witnall, Toronto, ON
Terrible! It could have been one of the coolest bars in Toronto. But no. There used to be good lineup piano players to give the ‘piano bar’ effect Now, not. Now, it’s just a dive with underage drinkers (some the goofy patrons irritated the neighbours by urinting on their lawns and being generally disrespectful). Lounge 88 makes me very sad.


Annoying People
January 24, 2004
Yanick K, Toronto, ON
I stumbled into Lounge 88 on a Saturday night expecting to find a nice bar. Instead I found a place full of annoying people! Cheap crowd. The bar could have had potential, but as a whole, it was boring and we left for College Street.


Mike Mattiussi, Toronto
December 31, 2003
Tucked away on a side street off of college is one of the greatest lounges in the city. Small but full of atmosphere and a great crowd. Busy in the cold weather with a wide range of ages. Live music usually on saturdays with a great house band. Great for a casual night out. Been open for a couple of years now.


Slamin
Randy l, Toronto, ON
October 27, 2002
Great place. Lounge 88 is packed on Saturdays with the loungiest scene in the area, depending on the night (I’ve been here on a few bad ones). The music is funky, and the sound is solid!


Just okay.
kelley brooks, Toronto, ON
October 26, 2002
This bar, Lounge 88, was very mediocre. The only saving grace was the music. While not particularly progressive, the piano player was nice and very into playing what the crowd wanted to hear, which is fun.


making me feel like Lana Turner
andrea bodnar, Toronto, ON
October, 21, 2002
I knew when I walked in I was in for a treat. It seemed I was searching for this place my whole life. The place you see in the movies where Michelle Pfeiffer sings to Jeff Bridges on top of a piano. Lounge 88 is that place, (minus the stars). If velvet was a mood you would find it here. The lighting is dark and cigarette smoke turns blue in the air. Marty, the manager, greets me at the door making me feel like Lana Turner in the forties. The martinis are perfect, dry, large and holds the right number of olives (3). Tory Cassis of Reservoir Lounge fame played that Friday night. Unlike the Reservoir there is no stage so you can get more intimate with the crooner. I felt welcomed at Lounge 88 (thanks Marty) and my wallet was not at all abused.