Jolly Bar and Restaurant

What is Jolly Bar and Restaurant? Anchoring the Bloorcourt stretch at 844 Bloor Street West, Jolly Bar and Restaurant is an Ethiopian and Eritrean hub founded by Michael "Mike" Zewge. The room pays direct homage to the iconic Jolly Bar in Addis Ababa's Arat Kilo district, combining a casual community dining room with a lively late-night watering hole. Inside, low-key booth seating, communal tables, and a full-service bar counter provide a relaxed backdrop for everything from daytime meals to weekend sports viewing and late-night drinks.

Jolly Bar and Restaurant Menu & What to Order Expect fragrant stews and sizzling platters served over spongy sheets of teff injera. The signature Cha Cha delivers tender, deeply seasoned beef strips seared on a smoking skillet with sliced green peppers, while the Regular Kitfo offers raw or lightly warmed minced beef blended with spiced niter kibbeh and fiery mitmita. Vegetarians can feast on the expansive Vegetarian Platter, loaded with slow-simmered misir wot, gomen collards, and yellow split peas, all of which pair naturally with cold Ethiopian lagers or full-bodied red wines.

Know Before You Go Walk-ins are welcomed throughout the day, though groups coming for weekend sports or late-night gatherings should call ahead to reserve larger tables. The room is conveniently situated midway between Ossington and Christie subway stations along the Line 2 Bloor-Danforth corridor, with street parking along Bloor. The bar runs daily from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 a.m., with the kitchen taking dinner orders until 11:30 p.m.