462 Spadina Avenue 416-777-1777 [see on map] Official site

THE EL MOCAMBO is entrenched in music lore. The divey bar with the iconic neon palm sign deserves its huge reputation, and not just because in 1977 Maggie Trudeau partied with the Rolling Stones while they were recording Love You Live. It's where U2 performed its first Toronto show for about three people (3,000 claim to have attended). Not just the Stones, but Elvis Costello, Stevie Ray Vaughan, April Wine and the Zoobombs have made Live at the El Mo albums.

Like the black cat on the club scene, its two floors have had nine lives: from ballroom and burlesque in the 1960s, a haven for blues and rock in the era of punk, through a mash of styles including a cutting-edge music lair until 2001, when it was sold, closed down and threatened to turn into a dance school/studio until re-opening again. The live music - and the legends - continue there nightly.