Dolce Social Ballroom

King and Bathurst. An up and coming area for nightlife in Toronto. Or rather, classy nightlife. Staying true to its location, Dolce Social Ballroom doesn't disappoint. As I try to explain to the taxi that "647 King Street West" is just east of Bathurst, momentary concern about how we're actually going to find this place sets in. But it's quickly replaced by the hard-to-miss red lights that are illuminating a good portion of King Street. We pay the taxi and proceed to stand in line. Compared to all of the other clubs we just drove by on Richmond, it looks like we won't be waiting too long here. We aren't even in front of the nicely polished door before a professionally dressed woman comes running towards us. "Guestlist or bottle service?" "Neither" I reply timidly, convinced that I have just bought myself a 45+ minute wait in a line full of guestlist and bottle service customers. We step into the queue, but I'm happy to be wrong for once. The bouncers immediately ask for our IDs and in we go.

This classy nightlife comes with a pricetag. It's a $20 entrance fee, which isn't really too bad all things considered. But if you are a student like me, you'll probably be extra cautious in these kind of situations (or if not you, there's bound to be that one friend who'll make a big deal). All of those thoughts go out the window once you step inside this place. My first impression was honestly: "Toronto, we FINALLY have hope for our nightlife!" The wooden staircases lead down to a huge dancefloor, with plush lounges and polished bars to really give the place that extra spark. If you're going into a club that has "Dolce" in the title, you're definitely in for a treat. 

Once the initial shock factor has set in, I take a moment to admire the crowd. There is not one person in this place that hasn't gone all out in their attire. In addition to this "dress to impress" factor, the 4 to 5 groups that are already there have marked their territories for the night. Sort of like that awkward first hour at a high school dance where everyone is standing in their cliques, too chicken to make a move to get the party going. The music is pretty chill at this point, something in between techno with a side of house. 

At this point, I'm pretty overwhelmed with it all. The flashy decor will make any clubber initially self-conscious. I need a bit of a pick-me-up to enjoy what I've got myself into, so I order my first drink of the night. The bartender stands off to the side, engaged in a staring contest with the party scene before her. Great for her, bad for me. 30 seconds later a fellow bartender to the side notices me waiting, and gets her attention. She approaches the bar, gives me a once over and asks me what I'd like. I order my drink of choice and ask her for some salt (in which she simply replies "Nope, we don't have any honey"). A little disappointed (and shocked that this place has any flaws!!) I proceed to drink my drink to less standards than I'm used to. 

After an hour or so of chilling with my boys at the bar (and probably 3 drinks in now), the club has completely transformed before our very eyes. There's a different DJ taking the reins and pumping up the atmosphere with some Top 40 to get the audience more involved. The club is PACKED from left to right, and although the initial groups haven't ventured too far from their initial territory, they're more open to mingling at this point. In terms of population, it is almost entirely female. 

As the night progresses, the less unashamed people are with their behaviour. So a pricetag can't keep out all the riff-raff I'm learning, but it certainly does diminish underage behaviour. There isn't one fight breaking out over "which girl saw him first", or competitions on who can drink the most in a minute. I'm very impressed by how clean this place is. But before I can definitely make this statement, I need to go to the one place that will be the ultimate dealbreaker. The dimly lit narrow hallway of bathroom stalls, kept up from head to toe, are pretty spectacular. What puts the cherry on the cake is the television screens in each stall, the brilliantly shaped sinks and the fogged up doors, putting a bit of edge on the washroom experience. 

I make my way back out to the dancefloor once I'm done, where the party has reached its peak. Let's be honest, I came to dance. So dancing is what I'm going to do. We stick to ourselves, but it's all love on this floor. Everyone is having a good time to put it simply. I'm feeling the music. The only way that the night could be better would be if I was in a larger group. I find that works best in ALL club situations, but it would be really awesome here. To soak in the high life with all of your people. 

After about a good hour and a half of dancing (and like I said, the only thing that could make it better would be a bigger group), we decide to call it quits. Now I know I shouldn't do this, and I don't all the time, but let's face it, any avid clubber who has just sweated their ass off will be looking for some greasy food after their night out. You're in luck at Dolce! As you exit out onto the street, there are some pretty appealing golden arches calling your name.

Let's SCALE it:

Group of Friends: 5+ - Groups are encouraged.

Fanciness: 8.5/10 - YES you should definitely be dressing up.

Music Content: 8.5/10 - Something for everyone!

Location: 7/10 - It is very classy, but in terms of practicality, for those reading this who don't like this place after all, you really don't have anywhere close to clubhop to. BUT there are fast food options after for those who think it's worth their while.

First Impressions: 9/10 - WOW!

Last Impressions: 9/10 - WOW!

Cliques: Yes, don't be expecting to meet too many new people here.

Population: 85% Female, 15% Male

Summary: Dolce Social Ballroom is DEFINITELY on my radar!

647 King Street West


Toronto, ON M5V 1M5


(416) 361-9111


www.dolcesocial.com