Zipperz / Cellblock

About this place Zipperz / Cellblock

Zipperz and Cellblock share a building on Carlton Street at the edge of the Church-Wellesley Village, operating as two distinct but connected venues across two floors. Zipperz is the upstairs bar — brighter, more social, a mainstream gay bar format with DJ nights and a crowd that spans ages and types. Cellblock is the basement operation, darker and more fetish-adjacent, with a character that reflects the leather and kink community that has always been part of Toronto's LGBTQ+ scene. The two-level format means that Zipperz/Cellblock serves a wider range of the community than most single-format bars — you can have a casual drink upstairs and then explore the more intense atmosphere below. The Carlton Street location puts it slightly away from the main Church Street strip, which gives it a neighbourhood-bar quality that the higher-traffic venues on Church itself sometimes lack. The venue has been running for decades and has accumulated a loyal regular clientele.