This may or may not be the most objective review since I am currently three sheets to the wind.
The Paddock is about what you'd expect from a tiny, not quite hole in the wall spot that used to be owned by Jeff Healey. It's next door to the Basement which you would know if you were a 90s raver in Toronto. Neither of those things are positives but for some reason the Paddock kinda pulls it off.
It's small, the bathrooms are ridiculously small to the point of people peeing on each other just to get at a urinal and the drink service is hit or miss depending on what 80s hooker hold over you've managed to flag down acknowledges you. Through all of that, somehow, it sort of pulls off an unpretentious cool vibe and I don't understand how.
If you're looking for a standard "get it in ya and get drunk" bar, then this isn't a bad place. The drinks are reasonably priced and it can be just as much a dance party as it can a small quiet place to have a pint. It really seems to depend entirely on who shows up at the time.
I'll hit it up again to see how it is on a night that a birthday party and "retro-90s" dance party aren't happening and let you know how it goes.