A beloved Toronto bar is closing permanently after 15 years
A Toronto bar that’s been a staple among scores of local partygoers for the past 15 years just announced that it’ll be closing for good.
By the time the late 2010s rolled around, there were few so-called “hidden gems” in Toronto more iconic than (then) Kensington Market’s Cold Tea.
What originated as a hidden speakeasy, tucked away at the end of a hallway in the heart of the neighbourhood, grew to become one of the city’s most sought-after nights out over the course of its first decade in business.
When the bar’s lease ended in 2020 — a time when, as you may remember, more than a few local institutions succumbed to unfortunate global circumstances — it looked, for a frightening moment, that Cold Tea’s tenure on the party scene would be ending.
Instead, owners Stacey Welton and the late Oliver Dimapilis simply packed things up and transplanted the bar onto West Queen West, where the good times continued rolling for the years that followed.
In a grave loss to Toronto’s nightlife scene, Cold Tea has announced that, fall of 2025 will be last call for the bar.
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“Friends and family, the time has come…” a post signed by Welton and the Cold Tea team to the bar’s Instagram page reads. “This will be Cold Tea’s last summer as we will be closing our doors come the fall.”
The team goes on to thank everyone who supported the bar over its lengthy run, from regular patrons and staff to market neighbours and industry friends. “It’s really been everything,” they write.
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It’s not all bad news, though. In the post announcing the bar’s impending closure, Welton also teases a potential future concept — or potentially even a future remount of Cold Tea.
“This isn’t the end of the story,” the caption of the post reads. “Just the end of a really great run.”
At the time of publication, the Cold Tea team hasn’t responded to Dished Toronto’s request for further details on what the future of the bar might look like, so the city will simply have to patiently wait for whatever’s next to reveal itself.
While the official last day for Cold Tea has yet to be announced, you can rest assured knowing that there are at least a couple more weeks left to party it up at one of the city’s most iconic bars as the summer rolls along.
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