1161 Queen St E, Leslieville · Open from 4 PM · 2 PM Thursdays
Cocktail Bar in Leslieville
A full bar on Queen Street East, not a drinks list bolted onto a dining room. Smoked old fashioneds, a gin and tonic with olive brine in it, sangria we batch ourselves, and every spirit priced honestly by the ounce.
The bar sits inside a French-Italian kitchen, and the list reflects that: it leans European rather than tiki, spirit-forward rather than sweet, and it stays short on purpose. Fifteen cocktails, none of them priced above $17, all of them things we can build properly during a full Saturday service rather than only when the room is quiet.
You are welcome at the bar without eating. Walk in, take a seat, order one drink and leave — that is what the bar is for. If you want a table on a Friday or Saturday evening, book ahead.
How the Drinks Are Built
What we will commit to in writing: citrus is squeezed, not poured from a carton. The whiskey sour is built with egg white and given the shake it needs rather than the shake we have time for. Spirits are measured at a full ounce and priced at a full ounce, which is why the spirits list below shows a price against every bottle instead of hiding it inside a "premium upgrade."
The Ones to Order First
If it is your first time at the bar, start here
The most unusual thing on the list and the reason to trust the rest of it. Olive brine in a gin and tonic is a savoury, martini-adjacent move that almost nobody makes — it turns the most ordinary drink in the world into something you have to come here for. Order this one to find out whether this bar is for you.
Smoked to order at the bar, which is a two-minute drink in a service that does not always have two minutes. Sit at the bar for this one — half the point is watching it happen.
The bar's honesty test. There is nowhere to hide in equal parts, and it is the drink to order if you want to know whether a room measures properly. It is also the natural aperitivo before the pasta.
Made with egg white and the long shake it requires. Plenty of restaurants have quietly dropped the egg because it costs time; we have not.
The Full Cocktail List
Fifteen drinks · nothing above $17
The Caesar and the Espresso Martini are also on the brunch list. If you are here before 3 PM on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, they come with the brunch menu rather than dinner.
Spirits, by the Ounce
Every pour is a full ounce, and every bottle has a price against it
Most bars quote a house price and then charge you an unnamed premium for anything better. We publish the number for every bottle we carry, so you can decide whether the Glenfiddich is worth six dollars more than the Jameson before you order it rather than after.
Wine is a separate conversation and a longer list — French and Italian, by the 5oz, the 9oz and the bottle. See the wine guide, or the full drinks menu for beer, cider and everything above in one place.
Happy Hour
From opening, at the bar, at tables, and on the patio in season. We open at 4 PM Monday to Wednesday and 2 PM on Thursday, so Thursday is the long one. The bar is at its best in that early window — unhurried, and the person making your drink has time to talk about it.
Questions
Is NOLA a cocktail bar or a restaurant?
Both. There is a full bar with its own seating and you can come in for a drink without eating. The kitchen runs alongside it if you want something with the drink.
Can I sit at the bar without ordering food?
Yes. Bar seats are walk-in and drinking only is entirely welcome. For a table on a Friday or Saturday evening, book ahead.
How much are cocktails?
Between $15 and $17 — nothing on the list is above $17. Spirits are poured and priced by the ounce, from $7 for the house pours to $13 for Glenfiddich and Hennessy VSOP.
Do you make non-alcoholic drinks?
Yes. Mocktails are $8 and built to order rather than poured from a bottle, and there is Heineken 0.00% and a non-alcoholic Pommies cider from Ontario.
Can I book the bar for a group?
For a few people, walk in. For anything larger, see group dining or private dining — bar seats cannot be held.