Hard Luck Bar

An average dive bar to see a band:
Hard Luck is a little out of the way but not too bad, about a 10 minute drive from Dundas Station. You could also take the 505 Dundas streetcar westbound from Yonge and Dundas to Dundas and Bathurst and its right there.
I had ever heard of this place until they booked one of my favorite bands, Craft Spells. I’ve been following him since pretty much the beginning and I knew that I HAD to go see them live. Hard Luck’s a really small bar, capacity is about 200 half the size of the Horseshoe.
Hard Luck mostly books local metal/​hard rock bands so I was surprised to see them book a touring indie pop band like Craft Spells.
The sound wasn’t the best, there were a few technical issues during Craft Spells set but nothing too major.
It’s a really small place but great if you’re a fan of the band. The show was really intimate. The drinks are pretty much the same as any other venue, overpriced, $ 7 for a tall boy of PBR.
After the show met Justin from Craft Spells and we talked the show, and about his records for a good 10 mins.
I’d never come here just for drinks but if they book another great band I’d go.

Eh, it’s an okay place if you’re going to a small show. The location is convenient with a McDonald’s, Subway, and Tim Horton’s nearby, and it’s easy enough to get to, though the staff isn’t very friendly and there was a lot of issues with the sound system.

I’ll echo the other reviews.
Decent enough space to see some live bands but not the place you’d go just to have a drink.
There’s room to mosh and it gets dirty sometimes!
Perfect 3 stars. Nothing special about it, nothing wrong with it.

Love this place, I can’t lie, and it’s perfect for any of Ontario’s Punk Rock, Death Metal, and Skinhead bands, 8D Large enough floor/​pit for slammin’, a well-​stocked bar and good-​sized bathrooms make going there a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Heard they serve food now, too. Thought it best that I add some pics so people will get a good understanding of what goes on there most of the time. 9 outa 10 I rate this dark, dingy dive.

It’s a lawsuit waiting to happen!
Having to walk up three flights of stairs isn’t a good start in my books and, after many beers, having to walk DOWN three flights of stairs could have been a painful end!
I don’t think Hard Luck is trying to change the world, nor are they trying to be anything but a local watering hole supporting the live music scene. And for that I upped my 2.5 stars to a full three.
Like Kristyn P suggested, if you’re not hitting up Hard Luck for music, I think there might be a few other places in the city to enjoy sights, sounds and suds but, if you’re looking to roll the dice with a lawsuit, get yourself a fake cast and throw yourself down those stairs.

The bar itself I wouldn’t go to on any other given day unless I was going to see a band perform live.
Anyhow it’s a cute little intimate place that is right off of Bathurst and I’ve been there a few times.

According to their Facebook & Twitter pages they just moved to this location in November and they used to be further west on Dundas St W. You can almost miss the place if you don’t know what you’re looking for as the signage isn’t the greatest on the outside. I myself drove past it the first time I went by.
I have been here for Jason Rolland’s Karaōke on Tuesday evenings twice now. It is a really cool spot for karaōke because it is also — I’m told — a live music venue and so it has a large stage that is well positioned. You lose a little in terms of the intimacy of the karaōke at other places I have been to but it is still a blast.
Sort of sucks that it is up 3 flights of stairs but what can you do. The beer is cheap and the people who frequent the bar (aside from the people who come for Jason Rolland’s show) seem to all be really good people and nice. The actual bar itself is towards the back of the room and it is a pretty simple kind of place.