sub division toronto

Toronto is getting a club where phones aren't allowed

A hot new club is hitting Toronto, but if you go it might be tougher than usual to share the experience on social media, because phones aren't allowed.

That's right, no selfies, no stories, no TikToks, no snaps or (maybe this one's a good thing) no drunk texts or drunk dials.

Sub Division is not only forbidding phones, they're also not going to be doing bottle service and they won't have any VIP areas. Instead of bottle service, they should have a wide variety of beverages on tap.

"Leave your pretensions behind, forget bottle service, forget your phone, interact with humans," reads the Sub Division website.

"Photography and video are not permitted inside — nothing spoils the dancefloor like a bright screen and camera flashes. So instead, respect others and limit your phone use to the lobby."

Sub Division is supposed to be inspired not simply by nightclubs, but by cafes, restaurants and more intimate spaces around the world, billed as a listening lounge and "urban terrarium" where you can expect to hear genres like techno.

There should be nightly DJs, and there's already a stacked calendar lined up for March.

They'll be serving an izakaya-inspired menu of curated small plates meant to be shared, with Japanese-influenced flavours throughout the food and beverage program.

The club is also 21-plus ("for adults," reads the site). For people hoping to escape crowds of 20-year-olds glued to their phones at clubs, this new spot might be a godsend. Sub Division is also setting itself apart by not having a dress code.

Their website isn't messing around when it comes to their policy on drugs, either: "Anyone caught dealing drugs will be asked to leave the venue and not be permitted to return," reads the Sub Division site.

The club comes to us from entertainment collective Distrikt 461, the same people behind restaurant Rabbit! Rabbit! Rabbit! and table tennis bar SPiN, and is located at the same address.

Sub Division has an opening date of Mar. 11 with hours from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Thursday, and 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Lead photo by

Sub Division


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