Chill Ice House

When planning a recent vacation to Toronto, my friend (Daphne A.) said one of the things on her «to do» list was to visit Chill. I mean, we are already going to Canada… Why not make it even colder?! (Thankfully, it was June and the weather was overall nice!!)
First of all, I suggest following Chill on Facebook for promotions. We found out about a craft beer night ($ 2 off and beer samples on specific craft beer being promoted that night) and the cover being buy one, get one free (This day was actually chilly outside, so I’m not surprised.).
We went fairly early – before dinner. We paid, we got our parkas, gloves, and the low down, and we went in. Welp, we were the only ones there. Yep. Just us. The space isn’t very big, so we played the huge Connect 4, took lots of pics, and just enjoyed the jams.
There’s a warm bar in the back, and I needed to spend a little time there, as I was in sandals. (The ice is not on the floor, but I packed for vacation, not an igloo.) It’s all a little overpriced it seems, but I think that’s the novelty of it all. I would totally go back for a bachelorette party or special occasion (LIKE VACATION!), but it definitely has a tourist appeal – and you can’t blame it. It has it’s niche!
Anyway, the best part of the night was when one of the women in the back asked, «Are you in a comedy troupe?» She didn’t realize there was an ice bar and that’s why we were in parkas in June! The live music was also a highlight.
All in all, it was a fun experience. If you’re looking for a crowd, I’d assume a late night on the weekend would be best. Enjoy!

Fun place to go on the weekend. They have a chill and warm lounge. Warm lounge had live music on Saturday night.
Drink prices tend to change depending on the bartender.

Came here last night to check out the Ice Bar. It is a very cool concept. I did expect the place to be a bit bigger but it was pretty small and it wasn’t too busy for a Saturday evening. They have 2 rooms — one cold and one warm. The cold was small but it was cool at first to check the ice sculptures. It was cold (obviously) so you do need your jacket and gloves (they will provide those to you).
The warm side was okay, very chill. Had a bar there and they have a guy who plays the piano and sings. He was fantastic. Really liked the vibe listening to the music and having a drink. But like other reviews have said, not sure if this place is trying to be more bar type, or like a club atmosphere. It was very casual. There is a cover but can’t remember what it was lol.
Staff who work there and owner were super friendly as well. Probably better to go here in the summer when it’s hot outside and not already cold winter in Toronto lol.

So… I thought this was a really cool place, however I don’t understand why they charge a steep fee to enter?
When you walk in through the front, you pay to enter the Ice Lounge. From the Ice Lounge, you can hang out and have drinks, and you also have an option to go into their wooden-​lodge for drinks/​games/​couches/​fireplace.
While we were in the Wooden-​Lodge, we noticed random people entering from the Alleyway door. Smokers go out that door to smoke, but then new people came in and they didn’t pay the Ice Lounge fee that we did earlier. Guests of Chill Ice House are free to drift between the bars at their will.
I felt we were ripped off.
Secondly, our evening was RUINED when a bunch of guys started a fist fight with my friend. It was a full-​on brawl just because he accidentally picked up the wrong cell-​phone from the table that we had been using earlier. It was an honest mistake and my friend apologized but they guys didn’t take any of it. A scary intense fight started and I was so scared I started convulsing and crying. I didn’t feel safe.
Chill Ice House does NOT have boucers or any form of security — the owner /​manager of the place had to calm/​separate the fight and they took us to a safer area of the venue so we could leave (as we were trying to, before the brawl happened).
The people that attend CHILL ICE HOUSE are definitely NOT chill.
We won’t be returning and I am not digging the whole «novelty» of the place.
I’d rather make my own igloo and drink my own vodka than get into more drama like what occurred on a random Thursday night.

Going to preface my review by making it clear that a) I used a Groupon for this place that came with chocolate fondue to make s’mores and b) I went on a Wednesday around 7pm, and the place was pretty much dead. The latter especially may have contributed to a negative experience.
The venue has two «lounges», one warm and one cold. The cold one is chilly, obviously, like around –5C, so kind of a nice cold if you’re used to living in Canada and/​or you enjoy winter. I’d recommend wearing a coat and gloves in the chill room, and both are offered at the front area. Anyway, I wasn’t too impressed by this place, but I recognize the effort and creativity that goes into maintaining the venue and sculptures.
Pros: Very friendly staff, great service, cute concept. The ice sculptures I saw were mostly Game of Thrones themed today, and they were pretty cool– they had the iron throne (great photo-​op if you’re into that sort of thing), and two little lounge areas made of ice, one with a large TV and another with an oversized Jenga game. There was also an oversized Connect 4 game to play. The «warm» lounge was a cute bar with a fireplace and a few TVs showing sport channels. I ordered an alcoholic candy cane hot chocolate there and it was delicious.
Cons: The ice lounge is tiny. Honestly way smaller than I expected, and smaller than the photos make it seem. My friends and I spent about 10 minutes in the ice area until we exhausted what it had to offer, and then spent an hour in the warm area until we decided we got our money’s worth. The admission fee was also kind of steep for an underwhelmingly small ice lounge. The sculptures were cool and all, but there is only so much you can do in that room. Again, we went on a Wednesday so maybe this place is more fun when it has a «club”-like atmosphere, but when we went today it was just awkward. Something I found uncomfortable about the ambiance was that the venue couldn’t choose between wanting to be an adult/​sophisticated lounge, or a family oriented indoor play-​place. I think if this place specifically gave off a vodka bar vibe it could be a lot better, but judging by my personal experience, I can’t rate this place higher than a 3.
I do think this place has loads of potential though, just needs to figure out its target demographic and stick to creating an adult and loungey feel if they want to be able to justify their entry fee and bar
prices.

This is a hidden gem. By far one of the «coolest» places I’ve been too. They have two bars in there. One made of ice and one to warm up in. They provide jackets and gloves and all their cups are made of ice!!! Basically every sculpture is a luge! Would be a great party with a group of friends.

Fun place to visit if you’re in the area. They have a chill area as well as a warm lounge. Went in for the chill bar ended up in the warm lounge the entire night. Service is GREAT.
Met the owner and you can tell he genuinely cares about customers and has a passion for what he does. Friendly Canadians I tell ya :)
¹⁰⁄₁₀ would recommend giving this place a shot. Different, but a good different.

Really cool place and worth seeing if your not from Toronto and not that many places have a ice bar. Take a shot through a glass tube. A 3 because the drink prices were equivalent to that of alcohol or drink quality in general. Wasn’t employees fault the owners need to do something about that. They do have great staff and the place is with stopping by.

Amazing experience! I bought a group in fir 6 people and 6 ice shots for a very reasonable price. The location has the ice bar in the front fur which they give you capes & gloves. They also have a very nice chalet style bar in the back that is kept at a warm temperature. The ice bar is truly something worth seeing! They have two booths where you can either sit & watch TV or play large jenga. They also have a large connect 4. Would rwcimmwnd going in a big group & probably during an off day like Sunday because it is a pretty small location & I imagine it gets a little too crowded on busy days. Do bring your own jackets because the capes dint have sleeves.

Very nice idea and staff was very friendly. The drinks were not as expensive and they have great shots. The s’mores were a nice touch and very tasty!
Overall a great experience and I would recommend the place.
My only suggestions would to be get a pool table and maybe some music in the bar in the back.

I really enjoyed this place, as it was a very great experience. If you live in canada you probably won’t find it to cold I think they only keep it at –4, (if that’s to cold for you good luck in the winter with the wind).
It’s a great place to go in and take a few pictures and hang out for a bit but it is a place most people would only stay for a shorter amount of time.
We went to the warm area for a little bit where they had a great pianist playing great songs. It was my ideal vibe since I recently for out of the loud clubbing crazy time stage of my life.
Overall I would come back most likely to show people this place because it really is a great experience and maybe if they offered food in the other room I would love to eat there as well.
Worth the trip and I think EVERYONE should experience this at least once.

«Sometimes in the dead of summer, I just miss the frigid cold winters so much that I need a reminder» — said no Toronto resident ever.
But yet here I was, standing in the middle of an ice room, shivering through my parka, wishing I hadn’t worn open toed shoes at the Chill Ice House.
Purely novelty and fun for a few moments at a time. I spent more time in the «lodge» drinking expensive pints ($ 9) to warm up.
Might be a fun place to bring friends or relatives that don’t have winter back home but us residents know that the cold and snow will be upon us again in no time.

Really enjoyed this place — brought a small group here and the bachelor from out of town was in shock that a place like this existed. I’m a big fan of the cold and enjoyed sitting in the bar — I imagine it would be even more fun if it was packed on a Friday or Saturday night. The back bar part (which is free to get in) looked great, and absolutely the type of place I’d go to watch a leafs game or hang out in after some wings at The Wheat Sheaf. They also had a big life sized connect 4 game that the girls enjoyed playing.
There is apparently a patio coming up on the side which will be cool, and the owner, bartender, and greeter couldn’t have been nicer. Really great experience and excited to go back — both as a couple & with friends from out of town. Has to be one of the most unique bars in the city!

I’d heard about the CHILL Ice Lounge. It opened last year and I’ve been wanting to check it out … so Gord and I did this evening.
Admission is $ 20 (less if you are a senior or a kid). A year’s membership is $ 50.
The temperature in the lounge is –5C/​23 °F so you are given a parka and gloves.
Yes, it was cold and the parkas were needed! There are a couple ice rooms in the lounge. Right now they have a Game of Thrones theme. Needless to say, our rum ‘n Cokes were always cold!
There is a warm lounge in the back (the speakeasy) where you can warm up (you can bypass the ice lounge and go down the alley directly to the speakeasy). We had another couple of rum ‘n Cokes and watched some of the ball game. They have a piano player on the weekends who entertains.
Gresham, the owner, was tending bar. He was friendly and we had a great chat with him.
It’s a fun thing to check out!

Neat concept for a place, with friendly staff.
The ice room is 2 comprised of 2 ice booths for people so chill in, the ice bar (complete with penis shaped ice luge for shots), a Game of Thrones ice throne, and an ice sculpture dj booth, with a decent space between it all for socializing or dancing. I was there for a special event so they actually had dj’s there which is the only reason I stayed the night there. Without live dj’s I could definitely understand the reviews below saying how after about 15 minutes the concept is boring.
The ice room is quite cold (understandably given its made of ice), and the back «lodge» room was surprisingly hot. Not sure if it was just because of the temperature changes from room to room or they do it intentionally so you actually do move from room to room instead of staying stationary. Or maybe it was all the fireplaces on the tv’s creating the illusion of warmth? I’m not sure. But what I can confirm is that pints of Sleeman distributed beer run for $ 8.

The staff was great, the drinks were delicious and the ice sculptures were nice. It was relaxed, they didn’t force you out and you were able to take your own pictures. Check it out.

Have you ever been to the CNE more than a couple times in the same year? Probably not. Same could be said for Chill Ice House.
The concept is definitely one-​of-​a-​kind and novel in Toronto, indoor ice sculptures and drinks/​dancing in –5C igloo setting. The tickets are $ 18 after tax for students and a few dollars more for adults. Before going into the Ice House, you get a winter poncho (blue or red) and a pair of gloves to wear on top of your coat.
So, you go in. And you think to yourself, this place is pretty small. The icicle deco’s and Olaf ice sculpture caught my eye. for the first 5min. And then another 10 for picture-​taking. The seats are carved of ice and with furry mats for any freezing bums to sit on. The ice bar was pretty cool to look at with a friendly bartender.
That’s about it… once you’re done freezing your butt off, you can go to the backroom — which is simple and small bar like any other. I guess this is where you go after the 15min of novelty wears off and you’re done with the self-​inflicted hypothermia. (Okay fine it wasn’t that cold.)
So I’d recommend coming here once just to experience it, but nothing for me to look back on twice.

Cool idea. But like the other Unilocaler said. It’s all cool and fun in the first 15 minutes. Cause EVERYTHINGS MADE OF ICE!!!
But it gets boring after the ‘oooo ahhh’ is over. The actual ice part of the lounge isn’t that big. And you can’t stay in that part for too long because it gets cold… obviously LOL.
There’s two ice booths which you can ‘chill’ at. Har har. And lots of ice sculptures (fifa cup, olaf from frozen, etc) that you can pose and take pictutes with. They serve drinks in the ice lounge as well.
If you get too cold, you can head over to the normal lounge area (decorated very nicely imo) with sofas, a fake fireplace, foosball table, and another bar.
I’d recommend going just once to check it out (bring your tourist friends!). I wouldn’t go a second time just because the novelty aspect has worn out for me and not worth another $ 18 bucks again.

You know what, I would probably say this place is worth checking out once… it is a pretty interesting concept, and there are some pretty cool things to see in there. However, go in there with realistic expectations and realize what you are paying $ 18 for. Like another reviewer said, it is essentially like a giant walk-​in freezer — the area isn’t really that big. They have some pretty cool ice sculptures in there (i.e. FIFA world cup, CN tower, Olaf from Frozen), a kind of seating area/​booth thing made of ice (there are furry covers you can sit on so your butt doesn’t freeze), and a TV which unfortunately wasn’t working when I went. I feel like they try to create kind of a club/​bar vibe with the music they play, but honestly, people just go there to take pictures so no one really dances or anything.
Be warned that drinks in here are your typical expensive Toronto prices, i.e. $ 11 for a mixed drink… and you have to pay an extra $ 2 if you want it in an ice glass, otherwise it just comes in a regular glass.
After you’re done chilling (no pun intended LOL) in the ice room, you can go over to the connected «warm» room, which has couches, a foosball table, and an actual fireplace. You can also order warm drinks from the bar. This room has a pretty cozy feel, and I liked the décor, which featured lots of deer antlers. Kind of a rustic/​hipster/​living room kind of vibe.
Big ups to the staff here though. Everyone was very chill (LOL I will stop now, sorry), super nice, and super friendly. They were all very accommodating and willing to help us take group pictures and chat with us. :)
Verdict: come and check this place out if you’re curious, since it’s kind of an interesting experience. It’s not the kind of place you can go to more than once though, and honestly the novelty wears off pretty fast. It might be more worth your while to go in the summer rather than the winter??? Just because then you can warm up quickly afterwards. It does get quite cold in there, even though they give you a cape thing you can wear over your coat, and also gloves. Even if you come in the summer, I would recommend dressing appropriately, because it really does get cold (i.e. at least wear leggings or something) — my toes were freezing after an hour!

It was «cool» when you first go in. The ice sculptures and the ice bar were quite neat. However, the coolness ceases as soon as you realize that the small area is all that is there. It’s basically a very large walk-​in freezer. The bar selection was very small. For non-​alcoholic drinks, it’s even worse (the iced tea is just powered Nestea). At least it was served in a glass made of ice. The ice cream dessert is basically cheap ice cheap in a small glass with a bit of syrup and some topping (peanut butter topping = Reese’s Peanut Butter cups).
There was only two small sitting areas (each for maybe 4 – 6 people max) in the cool room, so the rest of the patrons have to stand. Granted, you have to know the others because it’s too close for strangers to sit together.
There’s no DJ either.
The «warmer» room is a very tacky room that looks worse than a college student lounge.
Simply, be warned of the marketing language used to hype up this place. It’s a major disappointment.