Bambi’s

Great but SMALL venue for some of the very best electronic events and dance parties. For the serious house /​techno heads.
Slightly grimy bar/​club vibe, but that’s what you want for this music.
The only problem: it’s too small.
When it hits capacity you simply can’t get it. It sorely needs an expansion, but I don’t think that will ever happen.
Bouncers have the terrible job of telling people that they’ll never make it inside. They do this do this honestly and respectfully.

I had a great time last night — Karaōke night. I’ve been to a few places in the west end and this is the best so far. Mics are right by the door which isn’t great — there’s a trip hazard with all the cabling. And I echo S Ls complaint about the DJ (s) taking way too many singing turns — literally 3 or 4 turns each for 3 DJs. Excessive. Draft selection was skimpy — one pale ale (good) one vanilla porter (weird) and nothing else (?). Song list wasn’t very deep but then I’m a geezer and I like the old stuff. Oh yeah, if you want to read the song list bring a mini flashlight — dark as a tomb in there.
Very hipster but a very nice friendly vibe — which isn’t as common as one might like in Toronto.

Love this place! Good vibe. Only complaint is that on karaōke Wednesdays that the host take up singing spots!!! Hello! It’s supposed to be for customers, not for DJ’s!!! Leave it for everyone else!

This is a weird one, Its right below a portugese sports bar but seems to attract the hipster club crowd. They had one bartender who looked like a metal dude in his anthrax muscle shirt. They had a weird selection of sexually themed shots and meh beer. Seems like it has a very particular crowd in mind.

Lots of fun to come with a group of friends! Free licorice that double as a straw for your drink, if you’re into that kind of thing (I am). Fun dancing area, cheap drinks, friendly service. Great on Tuesday nights, and fun on the weekend also. The only problem I would say is that I went here this past Saturday around midnight and it honestly didn’t even look half full and yet some of the people in our party couldn’t get in because they were supposedly at capacity, which seemed very strange considering the fact that it didn’t look it at all. We asked the manager who said that capacity was 30 people which seemed really odd, I know it’s small but really 30 people? Anyway my friends waited 5 minutes and got in. We were considering going to Get Well instead but the line was down the street.

It’s actually a really fun spot with an amazing rnb/​hip hop night on Tuesdays.

Came here for karaōke on a Wednesday.
VIBE
Basement bar. More people were wearing tuques than not; interesting choice given it was pretty toasty in there. Patrons were super friendly and down to share the mic with basically everybody else. Bartender was smiley. Karaōke dudes were nice, even played one more song after they were about to pack up when we pleaded ‘It’s his birthday!” Lots of good will going on.
LIBATIONS
On tap, they have only Mill St Organic and Mill St Tankhouse. Interesting choice. Pints are a reasonable $ 6.

This is going to be a lazy review because I don’t think much of Bambi’s.
The bad:
Small
Dank
Cash only (with a conveniently located ATM near the bathroom to increase revenue)
Limited drink selection
Bad music
Worse «DJ»
Did I mention dank and small?
Possibly a «goth» bar but I’m not sure if they’ve self styled it that way or it’s just local chatter. If it is supposed to be then it’s about as goth as a rainbow.
The good:
There wasn’t any.
Caveat:
Anna V. and I have drastically different tastes in pretty much everything so if you like the places she recommends then you will probably like Bambi’s a lot. If however your tastes are more aligned with mine you will probably hate this place and never go back. That’s not meant to be a shot at anyone I just want to put my review in context.

There’s a new bar on the every growing Dundas strip. Bambi’s is downstairs on the Southeast corner of Dovercourt and Dundas, across from the 24 hour 7 – 11 and just on the edge of the strip of bars that spills over from Ossington. Owner, Mikey Apples, has been a fixture on the Queen West scene for years and Bambi’s has been packed since opening as a result.
It feels pretty cavernous for a small, dank bar and the dance floor forms easily and early. It gets really hot in there, like sauna hot, but it just keeps the crowd drinking. They have a nice selection of micro beers and a never ending supply of Jameson. It fits in nicely with Red Light and Camp 4 just down the road and it’s a hop skip an a jump to Unlovable on the Dundas West shuffle.
No cover, no bullshit. Just good music and good peeps.