The Smiling Buddha is a divey little no frills venue on College Street that I've come to for a few random shows over the years. Literally you might find everything from punk rock or hardcore bands, to dj nights including the bass music focused Spectrum events that brought me in this weekend.
The past shows I've been here for have left me less impressed on the venue, but shout out to the Spectrum crew as they brought in an additional sound system via the 40hz Soundsystem that really made the place sound much better and fuller. Unfortunately without the added sound brought in by those promoters, this venue is what I would simply summarize as "mediocre but adequate".
Although I will say that I was impressed with their craft tallboy selections on this last visit, and the round of shots I bought for our group seemed surprisingly low cost, so I have no complaints for my drinking needs.
Other noteworthy amenities include a second room downstairs on the way to the admittedly grimey bathroom, so there is the potential for 2 room events which can be hard pressed to find in Toronto's smaller venue options.
Bank machine on site as well, with $2.50 service fee.