How late can you get alcohol delivered in Ontario? The honest answer is 11:00 PM — that's the legal cutoff for delivering beer, wine, and spirits anywhere in the province, and no licensed service can push past it. The good news: 11 PM is a lot later than most people think, it's well after the LCBO has locked its doors, and there are smart ways to make the most of every minute up to it — plus a few things you can still get delivered after last call. Here's exactly how it works.
The short answer: 9 AM to 11 PM, everywhere in Ontario
Ontario sets two different clocks for alcohol, and it helps to know both:
- Retail sale of alcohol is permitted from 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM, seven days a week. That's the window in which any store — the LCBO, a grocery store, a convenience store — is allowed to sell you a bottle.
- Delivery of alcohol is permitted from 9:00 AM to 11:00 PM, seven days a week. That's the window in which a delivery service is allowed to bring it to your door.
Those hours come straight from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), the regulator that licenses every legal alcohol seller and delivery service in the province. Eleven PM is the hard ceiling — the latest a bottle can legally land on your doorstep. Anything you're told about "round-the-clock" alcohol delivery runs straight into that wall, and we'll get to why in a minute.
Why "24/7 alcohol delivery" claims don't add up
You'll see services advertise "24/7 alcohol delivery" all over Ontario. It's worth understanding why that claim doesn't hold up — because it's your order (and sometimes your night) on the line, not theirs.
The AGCO rule isn't just "the driver has to arrive by 11." It's stricter than that: every part of the transaction — including accepting the order — has to happen inside the permitted hours. Place an order at 11:30 PM and there is no legal way for a licensed service to fulfil it, no matter how fast the driver is.
A common workaround you'll hear is the "agent" model — the idea that the service isn't selling you alcohol, it's just acting as your agent to go buy it for you. That part is real: a licensed liquor delivery service genuinely can act as an agent for a customer who's legally entitled to buy. But being your agent changes who counts as the buyer — it does not change the clock. The 9 AM–11 PM delivery window applies either way.
So when a service promises alcohol at your door at 2 AM, one of two things is true: they don't actually deliver alcohol that late, or they're operating outside the rules. Neither is what you want when you've already handed over your money. A service cutting that corner is also the one likeliest to skip the ID check, leave a bag with the wrong person, or simply not show. The honest operators tell you the real cutoff — and then get you as close to it as the roads allow.
How late each option actually goes
"11 PM" is the legal maximum, but every seller sets its own hours inside that window. Here's how the real options stack up when the evening's getting on:
- The LCBO closes earlier than most people expect. Individual stores set their own hours, but the majority shut between 6 PM and 9 PM, with only a handful of larger urban locations running to 10 or 11. On statutory holidays they close even earlier — or don't open at all. (We break down the full schedule, including Sundays and holidays, in our guide to LCBO & Beer Store hours in Ontario.)
- The Beer Store is similar — most locations are done by 9 to 11 PM, and earlier on Sundays and holidays.
- Grocery and convenience stores have sold alcohol since late 2024, and many stay open late — but two catches matter. They can only sell beer, wine, cider, and coolers, never spirits, and they can only sell up to the same 11 PM cap even if the store itself is open 24 hours. (Full details in can you buy alcohol at convenience stores in Ontario.)
- Licensed delivery is the one that actually runs to the wire: 9 AM to 11 PM, and it comes to you. When the LCBO closed hours ago and you don't feel like a convenience-store run for whatever's on the shelf, this is the option still standing.
That last line is the whole point. The latest legal way to get a proper selection — including spirits — is delivery, right up to 11 PM.
The smart way to beat the cutoff
Knowing the cutoff is one thing; using it well is another. A few habits make the 11 PM wall a non-issue:
- Order before 11, not at 11:00 sharp. Because the order has to be placed inside the window, give yourself a cushion. Getting your order in by 10:30 leaves the driver room to reach you comfortably before last call.
- Pre-order ahead for the morning. Delivery opens back up at 9 AM. Planning a brunch, a long-weekend cottage run, or a party the next day? Line it up the night before.
- Stock the essentials. If you host even occasionally, keeping a couple of backups on hand means the cutoff never decides your night for you.
- Remember what isn't capped: everything non-alcoholic. Mixers, tonic, soft drinks, snacks — none of that is governed by the liquor-delivery hours. That's why our non-alcohol delivery runs 24/7 even though alcohol stops at 11. Run out of tonic at 1 AM? That, we can still fix.
After Dark Quick: the latest legal delivery in Niagara & Hamilton
We built After Dark Quick around exactly this window. While the big delivery apps clock out early and the LCBO's been closed since dinner, we run right up to the legal cutoff across the western Golden Horseshoe — Niagara Falls, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Burlington, and the surrounding towns. Most GTA services never come this far west; this is our home turf.
Every order runs the way the AGCO expects a serious operator to run it:
- Smart Serve certified drivers — the same certification bartenders carry.
- ID checked at the door, every single time. Ontario is 19+, and the check happens whether or not you're a regular.
- Nothing left unattended. The bottle goes to the person who ordered it, not a porch, a roommate, or a neighbour.
- The price you're quoted is the price at the door. No surprise "late-night surcharge," no fees added in the lobby.
- Pay on delivery — cash, debit, credit, or e-transfer. We don't take payment online or store card details.
What to expect when you order
Ordering is a phone call, not an app maze. Tell us what you want from the full menu — beer, wine, spirits, mixers, snacks — and where you are. You'll get an honest ETA against a real driver's location (typically under 60 minutes across our core Niagara zone, a bit longer for the Hamilton–Burlington edge), a total quoted up front, and a Smart Serve driver at the door who checks ID and hands the order to you. For the deeper walkthrough of how the service runs, see how after-hours alcohol delivery works in Ontario.
FAQ
How late can you get alcohol delivered in Ontario? Up to 11:00 PM. That's the province-wide legal cutoff for delivering beer, wine, and spirits, set by the AGCO. Delivery is permitted from 9:00 AM to 11:00 PM, seven days a week.
Can you get alcohol delivered after 11 PM in Ontario? No — not legally. The rules require the entire transaction, including placing the order, to happen within the 9 AM–11 PM window. Any service advertising alcohol delivery past 11 PM is either not actually delivering that late or operating outside the law. Non-alcoholic items (mixers, soft drinks, snacks) have no such cutoff and can be delivered any time.
Is 24/7 alcohol delivery legal in Ontario? No. There is no licence or "agent" arrangement that legally permits 24/7 alcohol delivery in Ontario. The 11 PM delivery cap applies to every licensed service, however they're structured.
How late does the LCBO stay open? It varies by store, but most LCBO locations close between 6 PM and 9 PM, with only a few larger urban stores open later — and shorter hours or full closures on statutory holidays. See our LCBO & Beer Store hours guide for the full breakdown.
Can I still get mixers or snacks delivered after 11? Yes. Non-alcoholic items aren't governed by the liquor-delivery hours, so our non-alcohol delivery runs 24/7. The 11 PM cutoff only applies to beer, wine, cider, and spirits.
Do you check ID? Every order, no exceptions. Ontario is a 19+ province, and if the recipient can't produce valid ID the driver leaves with the order. It's an AGCO requirement and it protects everyone.
Beat the cutoff — order before 11
The LCBO closes early. Eleven PM doesn't have to sneak up on you. If it's still before last call and you're in Niagara, Hamilton, Burlington, or anywhere in between, get your order in and we'll have it at your door — properly, legally, and usually in under an hour. After 11, we've still got the mixers and snacks covered.
See our full coverage map or call 416-627-7846. Alcohol to 11 PM, everything else around the clock.
