Collision

A retro blue-and-white painted sign hanging from the façade at 573 College Street reads Ted’s Collision & Bodyrepair, but don’t let the name fool you. The business operating from this Little Italy address doesn’t fix fender benders; instead, since opening in 1995, it’s been providing customers with a very different kind of service. “We’re basically the only rock-‘n’-roll bar on the strip here on College,” says Jacques, one of Collision’s bartenders, on its unique status in the area.

Contrary to the deceptive signage found outside, once indoors, Collision’s musical leanings are obvious. The décor spells it out — literally: a neon R-O-C-K sign gives the old, raw plastered walls a reddish glow, and stickers for bands like the thrash-metal legend, Slayer, are pasted about. “There’s no bells and whistles, just straight-up good times,” says Jacques.

Describing the interior, Krista Tobias, who bought the bar in 2000 and now owns it with Gregory Bane, says, “The whole thing’s kind of dark and organic and cave-like.” This, she thinks, is one of the watering hole’s draws. “It’s just the right amount of sketchiness,” she says, quoting her favourite one-line review of the bar.