The Hartly is a sleek lounge on King West that also sports a small stage for nightly performances. 

The same people who own bars like Lobby and Daisy on Queen West, came together to open up The Hartly. 

Owners Reza Abedi, Josh Herman, and Sam Reznick wanted to take the opportunity to show off local musicians and performers from Toronto, while also offering glamorous cocktails and easy shareables. 

Performances happen each night Monday through Saturday at 9 p.m., everything from burlesque dancers, DJs, to live musicians grace The Hartly stage. 

Feel comfortable to gather with coworkers or friends you haven't seen in a while, a long table winds down the centre of the restaurant allowing for seating space of at least 10 people. 

The music in this intimately-lit space doesn't overpower your dinner conversations, and would make for good background on a date night. 

The food menu at The Hartly was curated by chef Daniel Ken, who was previously the executive chef at Lavelle, a classic King West rooftop. 

The Crispy Rice ($16.00) is a light appetizer that comes in four pieces, good for sharing. Rice puffs is the base for this dish with a small pile of salmon tartare and a sliver of jalapeno to garnish. Crunchy and easy to eat in one bite, you'll want to try making them at home afterwards. 

By far, their coolest drink on the menu is the Thousand Paper Cranes ($18.00). Passionfruit flavour and Aperol are combined with Sake and two ounces of lemon, then the drink gets topped off with bubbles. 

The circular puff of vapour that's sprayed on top of this cocktail vanishes into smoke once you touch it, making a unique entrance to your table. 

The Chipotle Wagyu Sliders ($18.00) are a different take on the meat compared to plain sliders. These ones are house-made wagyu patties on a potato bun. They're topped with smoked gouda, Boston lettuce, pickled jalapeno and roasted bell pepper.

The Hartly Mai-Tai ($18.00) is your classic tropical cocktail, mixing both Wray and Nephew white rum with dark rum. Mango and Guava juice are added, along with coconut flavour, and a freshly garnished basil bunch. 

For a main course, try the Branzino ($29.00), a charred piece of mild white fish is served with roasted tomatoes still on the vine. I recommend using the basil dressing and lemon while eating the fish as it provides a little more flavour. 

Goldie was once the host of the building that The Hartly occupies now. There's a second floor on the top where The Hartly plans to host more nightlife based events in the future.