Much-loved Toronto dive bar is closing after almost a decade

A Toronto dive bar with a past life as a neighbourhood cafe is bringing its nearly 10-year stint in the city to an end this month.

Though there's no end to the shiny, new nightlife haunts that beckon Toronto residents whenever the weekend rolls around, there's something about a tried-and-true dive that always hits the spot.

For the past four years, one such go-to for many has been Brockton Village's La Piscina.

A stylish spot that spins disco and serves up creative, carefully-crafted cocktails, La Piscina is the sort of unpretentious spot that acts as a magnet for the cool kids of Dundas West. It's no surprise that, in its four years, the bar has seldom seen a slow night.

Before its time as La Piscina, the Dundas West space was home to Safehouse Coffee, a venture from La Piscina owner Tyler Kostman, for five years. Suffice it to say, it's been a storied run for both Kostman and the cozy corner piece of real estate.

Still, the winds of change are blowing once again, and, after teasing an impending closure on the bar's Instagram account, Kostman confirms to blogTO that La Piscina is soon to be no more.

"We are indeed closing — our final service is on New Year's Eve," Kostman tells blogTO.

Owner Tyler Kostman, photographed in 2022.

Sad as the news that La Piscina will soon be a thing of the past may be, Kostman actually describes the reasons behind his decision to step away from the bar after four years and the business as a whole after nine as "bittersweet."

"I recently had a baby girl, and I felt it was time for a change," he explains. "The space gave me so much. I met my life partner there when I had a coffee shop."

Beyond that, Kostman explains, "Toronto has changed in recent years." Operating a business in the city, he says, just isn't the same as it was in a pre-COVID world. People aren't going out as much as they used to, the economy is in a tough spot, and there's more red tape for business owners than ever.

"There isn't an environment that promotes small businesses to thrive anymore, in my opinion. Businesses can be successful, but it is much harder than in years past," Kostman contends.

Following the bar's last service on New Year's Eve, Kostman tells blogTO that the space's new owner plans to transform La Piscina into a venture called Bad Angel, though he doesn't have many details about what, exactly, the concept will look like.

Though the story of La Piscina is coming to an end, Kostman tells blogTO that he'll deeply cherish his time at the bar and "give all the credit of the place's success to the entire team."

"I know I am biased, but it was a unique venue that pushed the micro club, cocktail bar model," he says.

La Piscina is located at 1615 Dundas St. W.