My friend and I were excited to finally get to check out Key Party.
So if you haven’t heard about this spot, the concept is pretty cool. We walked up to a store front window marked “Valentin Manheimer Accounting.” Inside it looks like a small office with a desk, office supplies, etc. However, there’s a door in the corner and what’s behind the door is the draw – a hidden bar.
For those who don’t know, it gets its name from the swingers parties from the 70s where men would drop their keys in a bowl and women would pick a set to see who they would partner with for the night. The bar sticks with its theme with cheeky drink names such as “Bee on your knees” or “Mile High Club” and “French Tickler”. The walls are covered in eccentric nude art. The decor is very 70s themed with red velvet and stain-glass candle holders. It’s very intimate and dimly lit.
Pros – the cool factor. Who doesn’t love a cool hidden spot that you have to be “in the know” to hit up. Drinks are good quality. Although we didn’t have any, they serve some snacks here too. It would be a great place for a late night drink.
Cons – besides the big reveal, I found it to be a bit underwhelming. The space is very small. There was a drink on the menu with the ingredient “sparkles”. Of course I ordered that! I was excited. When the bartender brought it out to me it didn’t particularly look like anything special. My friend and I lit our flashlights on our phone and both gave it an inspection searching for the sparkles. We didn’t see any. I asked the bartender about them she apologetically said that she did not have any. She explained that they are edible sparkles and pretty cool, but they were out. I was very disappointed. I feel she should have told me if I wasn’t going to be getting it as listed.
To be honest, I think this is a check out once kind of place. See the hidden part, get some cool pics for your instagram, etc. I don’t think I’ll be back a second time unfortunately.
https://narrowgroup.ca/project/key-party/
