Huge new country bar to replace Toronto beer hall this summer
Saddle up, all you wannabe cowboys, cowgirls and cowtheys: Toronto will soon be home to a massive new country bar.
Fans of the country music genre are spoiled for choice here in Toronto. You've got Rock n' Horse for mechanical bull mischief, Badlands for a slightly more refined take on the genre, and Paris Texas for, well, whatever Paris Texas is good for.
That doesn't mean there isn't room for more, though. If anything, it's a sign that Toronto, despite its metropolitan environs, yearns for wide open spaces (or bars that play songs about them, anyway), and we should get even more.
The Hnatiw brothers, the dynamic duo behind the Old Spaghetti Factory and newer concepts like Eloise, seem to agree, which is why, this July, they're expanding their Esplanade empire with an enormous new country bar called Dolly's.
With a name that invokes images of Dolly Parton's sky-high, platinum blonde hair and glitzy, rhinestone-encrusted costumes, Dolly's approach to the country bar format appears to be one that's unapologetically feminine, even sharing an Instagram post proudly announcing it's "for the cowgirls."
The bar is taking over the sizeable space left behind earlier this year by Bier Markt, a longtime neighbourhood staple for casual pints and bites.
While Dolly's will be more about line dancing than low-key after-work drinks, it's still filling a nightlife gap that's been increasingly evident since the beer hall closed down, so, regardless of whether you're a certified country stan or subscribe to the ABC (anything but country) school of thought, a win is a win.
The official opening date for Dolly's has yet to be announced, but posts on the bar's Instagram account assure it'll open this July.
Dolly's will be located at 58 The Esplanade.
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