A back alleyway may not seem like the best spot to find a stellar dry martini and late night tapas in this city, but this seems to be the case with Bar Bowie, a new basement-level bar that recently opened on Ossington Ave. in the heart of Trinity-Bellwoods.
Bar Bowie was opened by Adrian Juan Jose Joaquin, who is also behind Toronto’s iconic Lakeview Diner, Better Gift Shop and French bistro Milou.
Publicly branding itself as “not a speakeasy” given its lower-level, kind-of-secret location beneath a laundromat, Bar Bowie’s snug interior includes mirrored ceilings and a dimly-lit atmosphere that invites guests to sit back and connect with one another over shared cocktails and light bites amidst good music and a good crowd.
“A while back I thought it would be a good idea to take over a laundromat; I didn’t really know what I was doing with it but it just felt right,” reads a post on Joaquin’s Instagram page. “Once again I managed to convince a few friends to open a bar with me and what feels like years later, the basement of that laundromat is now Bowie and it’s finally open!”
According to Bar Bowie’s Instagram page, the spot was named after “a formal yet silly piece of attire, typically worn at specially (and hopefully fun) gatherings, the bow tie.”
On the menu, which was designed by Michael Kim (Milou, and previously Uncle Mikey’s Inc.) you’ll find drinks and eats reminiscent of a no frills snack bar — beer choice is limited to a house Bowie lager, Stella Artois and a cider, and guests can have their pick of one red, white, rose, sparkling or skin contact wine by the glass or bottle.
The food menu is broken down into bar snacks and small plates that range in price from $8 to $15, which include things like a classic charcuterie board, garlic prawns, sea bream crudo, cucumber salad, hot crab dip and more. A sole dessert, the pistachio tiramisu, can also be added for $8.
Bar Bowie is located at 180 Ossington Ave. (accessible through the back alleyway and downstairs) and is open daily from 6 p.m. until 2 a.m.
