Cold Tea

Do I review? Don't I review? Sigh. That's how awesome this place is. The cat's out of the bag though so I will. Geez, on their first night they apparently had 140 people at the bar and it's not super easy to find. That's the fun part. I think I might put a photo tutorial on my blog. But do I contribute to the masses coming here? Again, sigh...

VIBE
Amazing. Hidden. You feel like you're in a secret club when you come here. Cold Tea has all the nuances of a speakeasy and when you find it you want to bust out a holy hymn. The decor is phenomenal and was the brainchild of the owners. You're greeted by a dim sum cart when you pass the red light leading through the mall. Ripped printed green wallpaper and a cool font with the bar's name is on one wall. The Chinese lady preparing the dim sum wears a tuxedo-esque outfit complete with red bow tie. Inside the back area of the bar is encased with a leather banquette. Chairs and tables are removable for dancing; a cool mural by artist Mango Peeler adorns one wall and on another the letters "TBD" b/c the walls of art will rotate monthly. Tonight on the decks was a DJ from Colombia who plays Latin music from CIUT. She was great! People from out of town are already hearing about it. The guy next to me at the bar was from New York! The back patio is going to triple its capacity in the summer and it's a cool little Kensington Market secret. Serious score on that patio. And Oliver, the owner whom I got to talk to is really great. A true genuine guy who really has a creative eye and an ear to ground in what's happening elsewhere so he could make it happen here.

I ATE/DRANK
I had the "Sake To Me." Great drink! Ginger, Beer, Sake and Blood Orange are all mixed into a flavour punch yet it feels like a speak easy cocktail. All cocktails are $10. The Rolling Rock was refreshing and that was $4.75. 475 ml of PBR is also $4.75. A note about the Dim Sum: It says 3 for $5. You CANNOT get 3 of each choice (shrimp; shrimp and pork; or vegetarian). 3 for $5 is under one option (i.e. 3 veg dumplings). Kind of sucks because it forces you to pay more. Because of the miscommunication, I ended up having to pay more for the dim sum but that's fine. It was dinner! The pork buns (2 for $3) are delicious and worth it, especially if you are drunk or hungry.

It also took about 25 minutes on a slow night for the dim sum to come; not sure how it would work on a busier night.

OBLIGATORY CATCHY REMARK
This place is the opposite of cold tea. It's like really good molten lava hot chocolate with marshmallows on top. The owners took something that didn't exist in Toronto and they made it happen. I'm hesitant to talk about this place but I think it's already becoming a big hit with the downtown set.

Asked for $10 cover at 6 pm on a Saturday with empty tables. It used to be cool... Prepare to get frisked too. Not worth it.

Friday night, downtown Toronto, what can go wrong?

Apparently, Cold Tea. With such high expectations, a girlfriend and I took the time to head to Kensington and check out the place all of our friends have been raving about.

Through the doors of the Kensington Square, pass a second hand shop, you'll find a black door at the end of the hallway. That's when you've hit Cold Tea! Follow the music, that usually helps.

Greeted by the host and seat in a table amongst others. It is a smaller space so everyone ends up being squished together, but that's the experience you go for. Accompanied by loud r&b/hip-hop music, to get you in the zone!

MENU:
I feel as though Cold Tea's menu tried too hard to be creative or unique. The random combinations of food and flavours, drove me away rather than intrigued me. But that could be just a personal preference.

FOOD:
Tofu guacamole was probably the only thing that seemed appetizing to me and my best friend, because who doesn't love avocados?

DRINKS:
Wide range of beers and selective cocktails!

BAD NEWS:
My best friend was seated near the coloured wall on the bench area. 20mins into being at Cold Tea, I noticed a cockroach crawling behind her (as seen in the photo). I didn't want to make a scene and concern other customers, so I pulled my friend away from the wall. I lost my appetite and felt the urge to get up and leave. I've never been to a place where I've seen a cockroach mid meal. That was an instant NO.

SERVICE:
Whether our waiter had a bad day or not, he came off a bit too strong. He was quite aggressive with taking our orders, and only smiled when it came to the bill. Maybe it was due to the loud music, rough day or who knows what? I understand it happens, but it was just unfortunate that this happened all at once and during our first time here.

Not too sure if I'll ever come back, but I hope management is able to improve the place! Better luck next time?

Super hidden and hip bar! Check it out if you want to impress friends with your local insider knowledge of the Kensington market bar scene :p

DIRECTIONS: on the opposite side of the street from 7 lives taco, walk along Augusta until you reach a clothing store with lots of African prints. Enter the doors that lead to this shop front but keep walking straight. You'll see an empty hall with a red light close to the end. There's a door under that light which totally conceals the entrance into Cold Tea!

//THE ATMOSPHERE//
Modern & hip with blue and pink lighting all over. The servers there look like part-time rappers (lol) and are extremely chill and treat almost everyone like they're buddies. However, their food service is SO SLOW. So be prepared to chat a while...at least they made sure our water pitcher was never empty though!

//THE FOOD//
Overall the food portion were snack size, but the prices weren't too ridiculous ($7-$15).
Shime Samba (3/5) - torched mackerel seasoned with just the right amount of soy sauce. I liked the pickled vegetables since it broke up the fishiness.
Steak tartare (3.5/5) - once it arrived, the server mixed up the quail yolk into the beef tartare and the wasabi octopus. I found that it holds the 'surf & turf' elements of the dish nicely. Under all that is a crispy tostada that adds a nice crunch.

If I could give zero stars I would. The most disrespectful staff I have ever experienced at a club in Toronto. Once on the patio we were unable to use the bathroom and return to the spot we had only just vacated. Instead were made to wait in a line in order to return to the patio even though it was not busy. Security were extremely rude and up in my friends face when she tried to return to us on the patio. When we informed club staff of our experience we were asked "do you want me to solve the problem or do you just want to complain?" Have some good memories at the Kensington location and the new location is absolutely nothing like it, do not come here. There are more than enough clubs on Queen Street.

Visited Cold Tea on a sunny Sunday last month for a private party.

The bartenders were lovely and they also set up a BBQ in the back space (not sure if this is an every weekend thing)?

Vibe was super cool, very laid back. As the sun went down, the lights in the back patio area added to the ambiance. The DJ was also fire - kept playing all of the hits to keep the crowd moving.

For sure I would return again, maybe later this summer ;)

Here's another place I went to for drinks then see all the great review and I wish I tried the food!

You have to walk through the Kensington Market then there's a door on the left leading to this place. It's a smaller bar with cool bartenders and a nice feel. I like the little hidden underground vibe. Iridescent wallpaper and a cool light up sign with an anime/manga character on the wall.

We just had some beers here. I was stoked to find a local sour since it's usually hard to find sour beers to begin with. I just really like the feel here and will be back next time I'm in town.

Hidden away in an alley of shops in Kensington market is Cold Tea. The entrance is a black door with red goal light above after you pass through a number of shops. Inside there is a bar plus a few tables to seat about 20.

We waited at the larger table in hopes for a spot in their patio that seats roughly the same number as inside. I only had drinks so I could not comment on the food. They have a few beers on tap and bottle / cans, mixed drinks and wine. The patio is nice but there is a wait.

Staff are super friendly but not sure if I will return anytime soon.

Cold Tea's ambiance is bling, as in Hotline Bling... felt as if we walked into a music video for Drake in the main room. White spaces well lit, like many of the patrons.

The hands on multitudes of lucky-cat figures rock back and forth in gold and white against a dark wall, as if welcoming patrons to the hip place. The kitchen is gangster af and japanese inspired. The quail eggs on the cart where once only steam buns could be purchased symbolize the leap toward a more exciting extra experience.
Lets get real for a minute... I miss the old Cold Tea with the bright red wall, quirky collage, dance floor with hiphop remix tracks pumping. Oddly enough i also miss the holes in the seat of the trendily dilaputated space. But grunge is gone, gentrification is now. Maybe it's not all that bad... It sure tastes delicious.

For food, the steak octopus wasabi taco was killer. Fried fish bigMac-esque steamBun-ish snack was a treat. Someone we didn't know at the giant shared table got the taro chip fish dish. It looked amazing...

Regarding drinks, the sochu elderberry spicybasil cocktail was a hit. Great balance. Highly recommend.
As expected, overpriced pbr was a good basic crisp complement to the food. Their craft beer draft list was impressive and local: kompaii to that.

I hope CT has a patio in the summertime.
I hope the food of hanmoto makes more food around the six, aka Toronto.
I hope the Hotline Bling tune will stop playing in the back of my mind over the next few days as I bask in the glow of my Cold Tea experience.

A bar with a cool vibe. Situated in the kensington mall at the end of the hallway. Security let us in and when we got inside we had to wait about 10-15 mins. It's a small place with about 3-4 communal tables seating about 10-15 people each. Prices were average compared to other bars and clubs but still pricey (~$8 for beer and ~$12-15 for cocktails). It's a cool place to grab a drink and hangout with a few friends so would definitely come back for a chill laid back vibe.

Pretty cool place to hang out on a Friday night. It's one of those places with an inconspicuous looking door. The place is pretty small so they wait can be long if you have a good amount of people there.

Once we got in, we were seated in a long table. The area has neon lights and some cool music playing. They have food and some good drinks. Servers will either take your order at your table. It's a chill spot to hang out.