irst of all, save yourself potential embarrassment: It's pronounced "pie-eeez," for those of us who didn't spend a semester abroad studying diaeresis. And come to think of it, this bar has a couple things in common with that cheeky foreign metaplasm: They both assert a certain exotic aesthetic, and they both can cause some confusion on your first read-through.

There's nothing particularly distinct about Päaeez on the outside, other than the clever brushed aluminum overhead logo. But on the inside, a dazzling nightspot with a sexy ambiance has risen from the carcass of the greeting card store that it once was. Päaeez, which means autumn in Turkish, is more streamlined than you’d imagine from the street.

Designed as an autumn retreat, Päaeez has a cosmopolitan look and feel. Distressed leather booths line one side of the room while white brushed leather ottoman-like seats and palm trees fill the back “drink lounge” area making it a great rainy-night bar.
"This lounge project was a year in the making," says owner Hamed Afshar. “We wanted to build not just another bar, but a room that we would want to hang out in again and again.”

And that they did; Precipice Studios - designers of Toronto’s SpaHa, the just-opened Lobby, and the New York Wallpaper* offices - are responsible for the Päaeez design, right down to the custom-made, stainless-steel light fixtures that hover over the front seating area.

Päaeez is a martini bar and not a place for the brewski lover: You need a menu to order a drink. Sure, they have the safe old standbys, like Cosmopolitans and the classic dry martini with an olive, but Päaeez is a place that just screams, "Try something new."

The more than 20 designer martini drinks are listed in two separate menus. On one of those lists are six fresh fruit signature martinis, which are mixed in a blender by barstaff. Each drink is titled the colour of the headlining fruit - “Red” is strawberries, Southern Comfort and vodka; “Orange” is, not oranges, but fresh Mango, Godiva and vodka - and so on, using exotic garnishes such as skewers of fresh fruit, Godiva chocolates and crystallized ginger.

The three week old Päaeez is too young to have a regular crowd hammered down just yet, so it's different on different nights - sometimes you’ll find College Street hipsters, some nights staff from neighbouring venues and industry types have moved in, and sometimes you'll find it surprisingly empty. The music on any given night is a blend of energetic lounge and dance friendly beats, your basic Buddha Bar mix.

It may be too soon to tell what the club's long-term potential is, but it's already made a good first impression.

Upshot: As you suck down some raspberry apple tobacco from Päaeez enormous hookah pipe, you’ll know it's gonna be a rockin' night. - Don Ellis, Martiniboys.com


Review this Place
Reader Reviews

toronto nightlife is picking up
Shaun Majumder, Montreal
December 2, 2003
Just a quick note to thank martiniboys for the heads up on PAAEEZ. I was in from los angeles for a couple of days and ended up at Paaeez last Saturday. I'd heard from a few of my friends that this place had a montreal/newyork feel to it. I wasn't dissapointed!! Great vibe,(nice touch with the live trumpet) really friendly staff....a little too packed for my liking....but it was saturday night. I'll be back for sure. It's nice to see toronto nightlife picking up!


NOT recommend
Anastasia Beaverhousen, Toronto
November 23, 2003
I planned a surprise party for a friend at Paaeez, I spent over $600 on food, reserved the 'middle' section for the 40 guests. Upon arrival I was told that there was another 40 guests 'sharing' the same space, from another birthday party. Paaeez did not see this as a problem, even though we had been warned that the ‘middle’ section only held 40 people and as the other guests from the other party started to eat the food that I had paid for and provided, it was up to me to stop them. I would strongly NOT recommend Paaeez; they seemed more concerned about making money and less concerned about the contentment of their guests.


Omar, Toronto
August 29, 2003
Well here goes my story.
I was looking for a nice place to have a bachelor party for a friend of mine. So I called Paaeez and spoke with the owner. I told him the date I wanted the place for and he said that everything would be ok. I even went in to talk with the owner and manager in person. He assured me that he would be able to provide me with food for the party. One week before the party I started calling Paaeez to confirm the reservation. I left four messages and not one was my call returned! At 8pm the night of my party we all showed up and were told that they did not plan on opening until 9pm (despite the fact that I had made reservations for 8pm!). Then we were told that the room we had booked was reserved for another party! We were also told that there was no food. We had to bring food in from a pizza place nearby! As well, the owner claimed he had tried to call me to tell me all this. I find this interesting since I always have my cell with me and not once did it ring! I know that this is a new place... Perhaps they should learn how to retain customers! Because I will never go back again!