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The Eye Reviews — Cabin Five

By Leah Hansen

Walking down a back alley, up some industrial metal stairs and into the very skeleton of the building at 225 Richmond Street will get you into Cabin Five, a unique club that emphasizes fun as opposed to the typical club experience. The entrance alone takes care of that, but once you walk through that door, you’ll start to understand what Cabin Five has to offer. The Canadiana log-cabin decor — complete with hides on the walls, wood everywhere, a couple of canoe paddles and an abundance of antlers — makes this place feel cozy and warm. The Hudson’s Bay Company blankets draped over the padded bar stools are the icing on the cake. In a lot of other clubs, you see a line of LED screens playing the latest music videos — at Cabin Five, there is a grand total of one screen and on Friday night, it was playing an old western movie, subtitles and all. As inexplicable as it was quirky, it provided a whimsical visual element to the whole atmosphere.

The booze in another thing to be happy about — on Friday night, beer and mixed drinks were $3.50, and for the more carefree, there were $4.00 tequila shots. While the beer choice is a little limited (they’ve got Heineken, Corona, Canadian or Coors Light), they have a full range of hard liquor to make up for it.

Things don’t pick up until after 11pm. However, things were going strong by 11:30 (partially, I suspect, due to the hike in the $10 cover after that time). While the place isn’t big (the dance floor could use some extra square footage), the size gives it a very intimate, laid-back feel. The crowd is super chill as well. The “dress to impress” dress code isn’t enforced — there were very few short dresses and high heels. Flannel, jeans and t-shirts seemed to be the winning choice of attire. Instead of the focus being on showing the most skin and finding someone to leave with, people seemed more interested in dancing with their friends and genuinely unwinding.

If you’re looking for a down-to-earth night out, Cabin Five may be the place for you. On the other hand, if you’re looking for scantily clad bodies reaching near-fornication on the dance floor, move along.

Verdict: Four and a half cedar-shakes out of five. 

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