The Lounge at the Drake Hotel — Restaurant in Toronto

The Wyck Recommendation: Drake Hotel Lounge Rating: 2.8/5 The Drake is Dead. Long Live the Patio

Intro Scene I used to bring first dates here. Back in the day, the Drake had charm. It wasn’t trying so hard. It didn’t need to. Everything flowed. The vibe, the drinks, the music, the people. Now? You walk into the lobby and feel like you’ve accidentally shown up to a movie set after filming wrapped. The lights are still on, but no one’s home. You stand around until someone finally acknowledges your existence, usually by mistake.

What Was Ordered Hanky Panky. Bitter, confident, and the only thing here with real soul Drake Lager. Ice-cold and criminally underpriced at five bucks Aperol Spritz x 3. Fizzy, fun, and emotionally distant, like most of the clientele We didn’t order food. I’ve eaten here before. I’ve healed since then

Service Commentary You walk in, and everyone avoids eye contact like you’re an ex they ghosted. Unless you go through the proper ritual, lobby to clipboard person to escort guy to patio, you’re invisible. It’s not rude. It’s emptier than that. It’s like being mildly tolerated by retail mannequins. Sunday morning, we just wanted to drink. Instead, we got vibes that said you’re not curated enough to be acknowledged

Vibe Check This place used to hum with quiet chaos. Now it feels like an open-concept showroom for curated cool. Everyone’s dressed for the photos they hope will happen. Giant sunglasses. Expensive sandals. People pretending they’re not watching each other. It’s loud without energy. Stylish without substance. The Drake is still trying to be the party, but now it’s the one throwing itself

The Space Itself The patio is the last survivor. Still sunny, still dog-friendly, still kinda fun if you’re tipsy and squinting. But inside? The bathroom has visible grime and layers of dust caked onto the chrome. No one’s cleaned the ledges in years. It’s not edgy. Just lazy. The urinal photo of a guy peeing in the woods is still more sincere than anything else here. The lounge and club? I avoid them. They feel like Spotify ads in physical form

About the Neighborhood Queen West was once chaos with eyeliner. Now it’s all curated edge and essential oils. The Drake fits right in, pretending to be what it once was. You walk past the street art, the overpriced candles, the vintage shops selling repurposed sadness, and realize the neighborhood didn’t evolve. It was staged

Hits and Misses ✓ Hanky Panky still delivers. Bitter, balanced, perfect ✓ Five dollar Drake Lager. One last gesture of generosity ✓ Patio is dog-friendly and easy on the eyes ✓ Bathroom urinal art still weirdly comforting ✗ Service is robotic and borderline evasive ✗ Getting seated feels like auditioning for a bar ✗ Bathrooms visibly neglected. Dusty ledges, grime on chrome ✗ Club and lounge are husks of better nights ✗ Used to flow. Now it’s forced, branded, broken

Final Verdict The Drake didn’t crash. It calcified. Back in the day, it had flow. Now? Nothing moves. It’s like watching someone you used to love recite a script of who they think they are. I’ve spent a lot of time here. I don’t say this lightly. The drinks still hold up. The patio still gives hope. But the magic? It’s buried in dust, somewhere above the urinal pipes

Rating: 2.8/5

Perfect For

Sipping Aperol while processing abandonment issues

Watching Toronto's cultural memory fade...

We’ve been loyal patrons of The Drake for 18 years, living just up the street. It was always a fantastic spot for anything—whether it was breakfast, a tasty lunch, an afternoon snack, dinner, or a late-night drink. The food was consistently excellent, the service was great, and the ambiance was unbeatable.

They even used to have the best burger in town—but sadly, not anymore. A few months ago, we noticed the burger recipe had changed. What was once outstanding is now just mediocre—edible, but nothing special.

Yesterday, we decided to try brunch at the newly renovated café. The décor is fresh and inviting, but unfortunately, the experience didn’t match. The service was flat, bordering on rude, and the food was simply inedible. We both ordered eggs Benedict, and it was a disaster. The hollandaise was a runny yellow sauce, completely unset. The peameal bacon was undercooked, and the English muffins were cold. My partner sent their plate back, while I, starving, ate the eggs and left everything else.

What was most disappointing, though, was the server’s response—there was no apology, no concern, just indifference. She took the plate, charged us for the rest, and that was that.

For a place that was once a neighborhood gem—known for its warm service, vibrant atmosphere, and consistently great food—this was deeply disappointing. I truly hope management sees this and makes some much-needed changes.

Something has clearly shifted, both in the kitchen and among the staff. The fact that such poorly prepared dishes are leaving the kitchen—at a place like The Drake, in a city like Toronto—is shocking....

Brutal service at the cafe side this morning. Ordered coffees, huevos rancheros and the Benny. Waitress seemed annoyed and disinterested. Food came out surprisingly quickly but that's because half the meal was probably cooked hours ago. Peameal bacon on Benny's and eggs on rancheros were obviously old because they were straight up cold in between the other warm ingredients. It didn't help that the food sat there getting cold in the breeze for 5 minutes while we had to catch our waitress to ask for cutlery before we could even start eating. We didn't have coffee yet so we asked for it then. She must have missed it when we initially ordered which is just a genuine mistake. Regardless, we were done our food before coffee even arrived and she took our empty plates after setting down the mugs. Coffee was great, and we enjoyed the patio. When she brought our bill it was initially $55. Then she said oops and came back with a $67 bill. I think she added the coffees which absolutely should have been complimentary at that point if there were any human decency or consideration for the absolutely brutal service experience. We were then presented with the minimum tip option of 18% which of course is insanely on top of tax. We tipped 10% even though a nickel would have been appropriate. Food was good regardless of temperature. I don't think this is a typical experience here but maybe take this as feedback for improvement. No acknowledgement of any mistakes, no sorry I'll get the coffee and cutlery right over. An apology and quick remediation or ANYTHING at all would have saved the experience. We did not...