Be the First to Know - Sign Up Now!
Why wait? Sign up to our newsletter today and get the latest news and updates delivered directly to your inbox.
"*" indicates required fields
Alo Restaurant
Alo is an upscale, French-inspired restaurant located in the heart of downtown Toronto. Known for its refined tasting menus, Alo offers an elegant yet intimate dining experience with exceptional service. The menu is crafted by Chef Patrick Kriss and changes seasonally, showcasing the finest local ingredients with an artistic presentation. The modern space and attentive staff make it a top destination for special occasions or those seeking a high-end culinary experience.
Bar Isabel
Bar Isabel, located on College Street, is a Spanish-inspired tapas bar that has become a beloved spot in the city. The rustic-chic ambiance, combined with dishes like grilled octopus, whole roasted chicken, and cured meats, highlights the bold flavors of Spanish cuisine. With a dynamic cocktail list and an impressive wine selection, Bar Isabel offers an excellent blend of creativity and tradition in a cozy yet lively setting.
Canoe Restaurant and Bar
Canoe has the best view in Toronto: CN Tower standing to one side, planes landing at City Airport to another, and Toronto’s glittering skyline sprawling beyond the horizon. And yes, the food here is just as good as the real estate. The menu at Canoe is an adventurous, surprising, and just-plain-delicious celebration of flavors and ingredients from across Canada. You’ll find foie gras from Quebec, the flakiest fresh Pacific fish, and fine Ontario produce and dairy. Start with either the Ontario burrata with birch-pickled cucumbers and prairie seeds or the Quebec foie gras with rhubarb, pink peppercorn, and sumac meringue. The tea-smoked duck breast, which is served with duck-liver mousse, parsnip, and poached Niagara pear, is sublime. Service feels just as top-notch—glasses are filled, tables are de-crumbed, and cutlery is replaced so fast you’ll hardly even notice.
Sotto Sotto
People come for the food but can’t ignore the cachet; after all, famous past patrons include Justin Bieber, Jon Hamm, Blake Lively, and Drake. Sotto Sotto’s Italian cooking is flavorful and filling, but it may not impress food-lovers accustomed to more inventive menus—in some ways being at this restaurant is more important than eating at this restaurant. That said, the seafood risotto (which takes about 40 minutes to prepare) is incredible. And the wine list, dominated by super Tuscans along with a couple of frizzy Franciacortas has a lot of quality, if pricey offerings. Sotto Sotto is a see-and-be-seen spot that will impress anyone you’re with, and if you show up during the Toronto International Film Festival you could very well be seated next to an A-lister.
Quetzal
When you’re tired of the same old, same old, head to Quetzal—a sleek, contemporary space offering up sleek, contemporary Mexican. Quetzal is known for its excellent, high-quality fare that offers an authentic, modern take on Mexican cuisine. This is a crowd that appreciates details, such as house made salsas and perfectly-seasoned, slow-cooked lamb barbacoa. A stunning 24-foot open flame grill anchors the open kitchen, as well as a large, traditional comal oven for handmade, fresh tortillas. Seafoods are especially good here, such as the Bone Marrow & Wild Argentinian Shrimp drizzled in Padilla and Ontario wild flower honey glaze, or the Octopus glazed with corn miso—perfectly charred, delicate, and seasoned just right. The drinks list of Mexican-inflected cocktails and hard-to-find Mexican beers makes a beautiful complement to the menu’s bombastic flavors. Come here if you’re looking to indulge in the best Mexican flavors you’ll find in The Six.
Bar Raval
Toronto’s in-the-know food obsessives clamor for tables at Bar Raval, a warm and bustling joint known for its stellar tapas and pintxos. If the dining room feels like something out of Barcelona, owners Grant van Gameren and Robin Goodfellow has done their jobs; after all, they used Raval, a neighborhood in the Spanish city, as inspiration for the sexy vibe and colorful decor. This is a tapas and pintxos menu, so be prepared to order lots of stuff and share it. The house-smoked mussels with chili and fennel are an addictive must-try, as is the pancetta with rhubarb. There are also straightforward, classic dishes such as plates of excellent manchego and Serrano ham. The cocktail list is also good, with creative concoctions paired with clever menu descriptions. Into The Sun—”This tangy gin cocktail will undoubtedly, absolutely, unequivocally stop you from getting burned by the sun”—combines Beefeater, lemon, honey, sherry, housemade aquavit, apricot, and celery.
Grey gardens
Grey Gardens lives up to its bohemian-luxe address in Kensington Market; it’s just vintage enough without feeling dowdy. Part wine bar and part restaurant, Grey Gardens has small snacks, medium, and full-sized plates. There’s an emphasis on seafood here, with standouts including sweet shrimp with compressed watermelon radishes. But don’t leave without trying the dry-aged Peking-style duck breast, which is served on homemade sauerkraut and duck fried rice. The real joy here is the wine list, which is stocked with everything from hard-to-find and private-order bottles to biodynamic selections, organic Burgundies, and orange wines. Luckily for neophytes, the menu offers easy-to-understand tasting notes. Pop in for a glass of rare Sauternes and a snack after work (no reservations required), or come with a friend to linger over dinner in the back dining room.
Laylak
This haute Lebanese spot offers a refreshing take on the classic power lunch. Toronto’s Financial District isn’t necessarily known as a bustling hot spot for anything other than over-priced restaurants catering to the expense-account set, but this elegant dining room offers up fresh, flavorful, and refined Mediterranean fare. The mohamarah (a stunning dip of fire-roasted red peppers, Aleppo pepper, and walnut) comes with a warm, pillowy pile of house made pita; robust mains are no less impressive, including the aromatic and hugely flavorful tenderloin of beef served with hummus and a succulent pomegranate glaze. There are also some great vegetarian options on offer, like warm halloumi cheese rolls and a stunning cauliflower tajin. The cherry on top? A wine list that emphasizes Lebanese varietals—solidifying this spot as a compelling reason to venture downtown for something new.
Gusto 101
The most striking thing about Gusto 101 isn’t the fact that it’s located in a former auto body shop—it’s that the space actually feels cozy and convivial. The restaurant delivers crowd pleasing Southern Italian classics, including a near-perfect rendition of cacio e pepe. Grilled entrees are also exceptional, especially the branzino, which is served with escarole, cannellini beans, and a lemony, garlicky salmoriglio sauce. Daily specials are also worth checking out; the Saturday Cumbria Cowboy steak for two and the Sunday lasagna (with fennel sausage ragu) have both achieved cult-classic status in the neighborhood. And you won’t need happy hour here thanks to the six ounce house wine for $3 special—a real bargain in this area. The list is heavy on good Italian bottles. A small cocktail menu consists of Italian-inspired drinks such as the Cialda, a potent mix of bourbon, spiced pear, Frangelico, walnut syrup, and lemon.
Dreyfus
Toronto’s foodies clamber over each other for a reservation at Dreyfus, which is nestled into a Victorian townhouse on Harbord Street. The 30-seat restaurant provides a transportive experience that feels part French bistro and part Montreal house party. As soon as you take your seat, order a few of the small plates to share as you contemplate your mains. The croque cubano, which mixes rye, béchamel, and a generous sliced pickle with confit pork shoulder, is a sassy update to the classic French croque monsieur. Crispy, deep-fried dauphine potatoes come filled with a crème fraîche mixed with trout roe. For mains, people rave about the buttery tagliatelle served with British Columbia mushrooms and shavings of mimolette, a traditional French hard cheese. The vibe is right, the crowd is cool, the food is French without the fuss, and it’s hard to think of a better date night spot in Toronto right now.
