Photo booths are a trendy new addition to the bar scene in Toronto.
If you’ve noticed more photo booths popping up around the city lately, you’re not imagining it. Within the last five years photo booths have slowly taken over the corners of our city. Toronto is deep in its analog era, and that means two things: both offline adventures and the pursuit of true vintage photo booths. In a world that celebrates perfectly curated Instagram dumps, Torontonians are rebelling with these imperfect, immediate, slightly grainy strips.
From vintage analog machines that hum to glossy digital booths inside the hottest nightlife spots, here’s where to find the best photo booths in Toronto right now.
Uncle Studios (46 Ossington Ave.)
Toronto only has a handful of true analog photo booths, three to be exact. This is the first on this list. Parked inside Uncle Studios on Ossington, the booth feels perfectly aligned with the brand’s mission: clothes for “being a human: messy, soft, wrinkled.” Founded in 2019 by local Toronto creator Allegra Shaw and her friend Shirin Soltani, the space blends minimalist fashion with true ’70s nostalgia. For $10, you’ll get a classic four-pose strip developed the old-school way, and while you wait for the dark room to do its magic, browse the racks. And yes they take card — both the cashier and the booth.
The Drake Hotel (1150 Queen St. W.)
An everlasting Toronto staple for a reason. The Drake’s photo booth sits just past the lobby toward the back staircase and doesn’t require a hotel stay to access. Unlike its analog sisters, this digital booth prints out the images in an instant landscape strip and offers the option to email yourself copies. It’s $5 for two strips, but insiders know to ask for tickets after dining on-site.
Waterworks Food Hall — Four Poses Photobooth (50 Brant St.)
One of the newest analog additions to the city, this booth lives inside the always-buzzing Waterworks Food Hall. Surrounded by local Toronto vendors, there are heavy hitters like Aburi Sushi, Musoshin Ramen and Harry’s Charbroiled. Parked next to the infamous burger chain, you can get yourself a real analog strip developed inside the Four Poses Photobooth for $10. The owner restores vintage machines by hand with sister booths in Hamilton and London.
Monography (Bloor + North York locations)
Monography is made for main characters. This photography studio wants to bring you the drama, and it’s a full playground for film lovers. While the studio offers the opportunity for a photoshoot, their Toronto location on Bloor also offers standard strips with a remote style shooting option. But the North York location ups the ante and takes photo booths to a whole new level, offering a booth with an overhead angle option and a giant photo strip that feels more like an editorial magazine cover than a mini nostalgic keepsake. Expect $10 standard strips and $20 oversized ones.
Cherry’s High Dive (488 Wellington St. W.)
Toronto’s chicest dive bar is known for their cheetah print pool table and razor-thin pepperoni pizza, but what most don’t know is that they’re hiding the most divalicious photo booth in the city. Cherry’s leans fully into the kitsch, including the cheetah print backdrop hanging in their photobooth. In the true spirit of the dive bar, this is one of the cheaper options in the city — this digital photo booth is only $5 per strip.
SPIN Toronto (461 King St. W.)
Hidden in the lower level of this 12,000-square-foot ping pong social club, SPIN’s photobooth is a sleeper hit. Expect three poses and two copies per session, ideal for slightly sweaty post-match chaos. It’s all about the memories here.
Penny Arcade Vintage (1177 Dundas St. W.)
A true analog relic, this Dundas West boutique hosts one of the city’s oldest working analog booths, maintained by Lucida Photobooths Ltd., a trio of self-taught restorers. The machine dates back to 1968, weighs around 700 pounds, and develops black-and-white strips inside the booth while you wait. In this city’s chase for nostalgia, this might be the most authentic version of it.
Vinny (480 King St. W.)
Part restaurant, part late-night vinyl bar, this recent addition to INK Entertainment’s monopoly on Toronto nightlife is the hottest spot to catch celebrities, enjoy the listening lounge, and grab yourself a digital photo strip to remember the night. Said to be the TIFF’s official afterparty location, hosting premier parties to the stars, this spot really knows how to make you feel like one. The photo booth matches the retro music-first vibe, offering three poses and multiple copies of each trip. Come for the martinis, stay for the sounds, and who knows? Maybe you’ll find yourself in the photobooth with Sydney Sweeney.
Sonic Boom (215 Spadina Ave.)
This longtime favourite, known to music lovers in the city, conceals a photo booth that feels like a time capsule. Bring cash — specifically two toonies — and a bit of patience. For just a few dollars you’ll get a no-frills four-pose strip that’ll make you feel like you could be someone’s silver spring.
Harriet’s Rooftop (1 Hotel Toronto, 550 Wellington St. W.)
If you want vintage without the analog wait time, Harriet’s has what you’re looking for. The booth is run by Retrospect Photobooth, a Toronto brand founded by Catherine Scuola — she previously owned Bare Minimale, the swimwear brand featured on Euphoria. Scuola has now switched gears to bring the girls a chance to make memories that’ll last. Expect polished digital strips with a retro feel, $9 for a session and skyline views included.
Coffee, Oysters, Champagne (214 King St. W.)
Also powered by Retrospect, this King West spot offers the same vintage-style digital experience in a more intimate setting. Think date-night photo strips with champagne lighting.