Yorkville has seen its share of ambitious new openings over the years, but TOKI Listening Bar — the new Japanese-Peruvian cocktail bar and lounge inside TONO by Akira Back — may be the most distinctive yet. TOKI represents something genuinely new in Toronto’s nightlife landscape: a space that treats music, drinks, and late-night dining as a unified experience rather than a series of separate transactions.
The concept borrows heavily from Japan’s listening bar culture, where high-fidelity sound systems and carefully curated vinyl records are treated with the same reverence you’d give the cocktail program or the food. The result is a room where the music isn’t background noise — it’s central to the experience in a way that you feel before you consciously register it. The sound is warm, present, and immersive without being loud enough to prevent conversation.
Visually, TOKI is striking. The interiors are moody and considered — dark materials, layered lighting, and design details that reference both Japanese minimalism and the earthy warmth of Peruvian aesthetics. It manages to feel intimate despite its Yorkville address, a neighbourhood that doesn’t always reward subtlety.
The cocktail menu draws from both Japanese and Peruvian traditions: think pisco-based drinks with yuzu, umami-forward highballs, and rotating specials that change with the season. Late-night bites skew toward the snackable and flavour-forward — things designed to complement a second or third drink rather than anchor a full dinner.
TOKI operates as a late-night concept, making it an ideal destination after dinner in the neighbourhood or as a deliberate evening out for anyone who likes their nightlife a little more considered than the average club. Visit TOKI and experience one of the most unique new nightlife concepts Toronto has opened in years.