This year, Valentine’s Day dinner in Toronto is going to look a little different.
Instead of scrambling to make a reservation at the most romantic locale with mouthwatering food and appropriately dim lighting, we get to stay in…our sweatpants. Home is where the heart is but it’s also where we can overeat while wearing elasticized pants without judgement (from onlookers at least).
Sounds like a sweet deal to someone like me who hasn’t worn anything that can be remotely classified as pants for the past year.
Upon reviewing all the drool-worthy multi-course feasts that restaurants in Toronto are offering for Valentine’s Day dinner this year, I couldn’t help but feel a little discriminated against for my solo status.
Heeellloooooo, I would like to partake in these fancy-schmancy Valentine’s Day menus but they’re all meant for two!
It’s single person discrimination.
In keeping with the glass-half-full mentality, I donned my rose-coloured spectacles and realized that being minus a plus one meant that I didn’t have to share! Delicious leftovers are something to celebrate in my books.
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Whether you’re in a relationship or not, the menus from the following restaurants (in no particular order) are ideal for two…or a really hungry one (see:🙋🏻♀️).
Where to Order Valentine’s Day Dinner in Toronto
Now that I’ve swayed you to the pros of eating IN for Valentine’s day, let’s talk about some of the best Toronto take OUT for a feast of epic proportions. Here are 8 of the best restaurants to order Valentine’s Day dinner in Toronto:
Edulis
COVID or no, if I had to pick the ideal spot for a Valentine’s Day dinner in Toronto, it’d be this local bistro. Not only does the intimate vibe at Edulis make it feel like dining at a friend’s home, but instead of rushing diners in and out, you’re encouraged to put your phone away and linger over several courses.
It’s tricky to snag a reservation at this neighbourhood favourite in best of times so you’ll be lucky if you can get your gluttonous hands on their Special Edition ‘Edulis At Home’ for Valentine’s Day menu.
The 5-course heat-at-home meal (that “may or may not include black truffle”) is guaranteed to thrill your tastebuds with seafood and vegetable-inspired dishes composed of seasonal ingredients.
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Guaranteed to sell out almost immediately, the Valentine’s Day dinner menu will be available for pre-order Wednesday February 3 (tonight!) at 6pm. Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favour!
Edulis Toronto | 169 Niagara St. | Available for pick-up
tala toronto
If the only plans you have for Valentine’s Day is to stay in bed….you go girl/ guy 😜! But a girl’s gotta eat at some point and what’s more typical rom-com fodder than breakfast in bed?
Obviously that’s a rhetorical question but I have an answer anyways: Asian Bae (from Insecure) serving you breakfast in bed, clad in only an apron 😏 At least that’s my fantasy…
Order a traditional silog, short for sinangag at itlog (garlic fried rice and egg), from Tala, a Filipino restaurant in Toronto that’s tucked away on the corner of Dundas and McCaul.
The Supersilog is an epic morning feast that lets you try a little bit of everything — garlic rice topped with eggs, spring rolls, mango carrot salad, and your choice of 3 proteins from their list, including longanisa (a spiced pork sausage), lechon kawali (crispy pork belly), beef skewers and more.
For some extra indulgence (because you’re worth it), order the Ube Burnt Basque Cheesecake and savour forkfuls of the rich, vibrantly purple dessert. What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day in Toronto than by letting them eat cake!
Tala Toronto | 294 Dundas St. West | Available for pick-up or delivery
Shook
You may not be able to plan a romantic night out on the town to one of the fancy restaurants in King West, but you can still have it delivered!
Inspired by the lively open-air markets in Israel, Shook in Toronto serves up a Middle Eastern menu of vibrant vegetarian dishes bursting with flavour and spices.
(Photo Credit: Shook Kitchen)
Indulge in a 5-course Valentine’s Day dinner for two and choose from a selection of menu items, from inventive mezze (small dishes served as appetizers) such as mushroom kibbeh to dense dips served with pita. Nosh on the fresh AF salad fig salad with orange blossom vinaigrette before moving on a hearty truffle celeriac risotto or a fluffy swiss chard pastilla. For dessert, choose between a luscious tahini chocolate mousse or a refreshing rhubarb and rose malabi (like a milk pudding).
Is a meal even romantic without wine? Treat yourself by adding a Wine Lovers Two Pack to your order. For maximum romance points, you can also get a fragrant, hand-tied bouquet designed by Botany Floral Studio.
Shook | 77 Portland St. | Available for pick-up or food delivery
Taverne Bernhardt’s
For a warm and comforting Valentine’s Day dinner that is sure to make you more inclined to cuddle post-meal, order take out from Taverne Bernhardt’s.
Bring some of the twinkly light magic of the illuminated patio of this rustic French bistro to your home with classic and simple menu staples that will soothe your pandemic-weary soul.
Last meal on the patio at Bernhardt’s before lockdown in November: 1/2 chicken, mashed potatoes w/ gravy, knish, cabbage rolls, mac n’ cheese, roasted winter veggies
Depending on how much your stomach is rumbling you are, snag a half or whole rotisserie chicken that’s been locally sourced in Ontario. The plump and juicy bird is served with your choice of garlic potatoes or fries, crunchy pickles, bakery-fresh buns and gravy.
Don’t sleep on their seasonal veggies and salads! Dig into mushrooms that have been marinated in duck fat (!) and sherry vinaigrette atop wilted greens or go for the hearty roasted winter vegetables with garlicky lentils. They even have matzo ball soup to warm yourself from the inside-out.
Bernhardt’s | 202 Dovercourt Rd. | Available for pick-up or food delivery
Bar Isabel
If we were not in the midst of a lockdown and I were compiling a list of Valentine’s Day restaurants in Toronto that have appropriately amorous ambiances (see: dim lighting), this Spanish-influenced spot on College Street would be at the top.
Bar Isabel is my absolute favourite venue in Grant Van Gameren’s expansive restaurant empire.
(Photo Credit: Bar Isabel)
Treat yourself (and your s/o) to Bar Isabel’s Dinner for Two, a prix fixe featuring their menu’s greatest hits.
Start off with a mouthful of pan con tomate, juicy beefsteak tomatoes atop a perfectly grilled slice of sourdough. Dine your way through roasted shishito peppers and tangy sea bream ceviche before feasting on heartier dishes of grilled octopus and chicken and chorizo rice.
Save room for their better-than-sex dessert — a heat-at-home basque cake drenched in a sumptuous pool of warm sherry cream. This dessert has starred in many a dream of mine.
Bar Isabel Toronto | 797 College St. | Available for pick-up or food delivery
Toro Toro
Forget giving your loved one a bouquet of blooms that start wilting the day you bring them home. Instead, celebrate Valentine’s Day in Toronto with the Suki and Daisuki limited edition sushi boxes from Toro Toro that are almost too pretty to eat…almost 😜
Each box is brimming with 50 pieces of masterfully hand-crafted premium quality sushi, from luscious sashimi slices of Norwegian salmon and Japanese hamachi artistically arranged into the shape of a roses, to seared scallop nigiri from Hokkaido.
You’ll also find house specialties topped with 24k gold flakes (!) and maki like The Empress with lobster, shrimp, tropical fruit and a dollop of spicy kewpie mayo. There are even delicate edible flowers artfully interspersed throughout for a truly stunning feast for the eyes (and stomach).
Look at this gorgeous branding + packaging by juan little potato, Nhi Tran!
There are only 50 sets available from February 12 – 14 so order immediately!
Toro Toro Sushi + Poke | 3175 Rutherford Rd. | Available for pick-up or food delivery
Pompette
If you’re basing where to order Valentine’s Day dinner in Toronto on semantics alone, Pompette is a clear frontrunner.
According to BlogTO, pompette is “a French term that loosely translates to the blissful state one is overwhelmed by when immersed in sensory pleasure,” which is a roundabout euphemism for someone who’s a wee bit tipsy (like me when I did a bike tour around Prince Edward County).
(Photo Credit: Pompette)
From February 12 – 14, they’re serving a multi-course meal that balances the classic and contemporary traditions of French cuisine in a menu that showcases local and season ingredients.
Smear a slice of sourdough bread with a luxe black truffle butter before digging into a salmon tartar drizzled in a tangy ginger and honey vinaigrette. Dig into a rich oxtail foie gras au feu (essentially a stew).
And for dessert, nothing says true love like forfeiting your share of the chocolate and passionfruit tart that’s meant for two.
Sugo
While they may serve up some of the best pasta in Toronto, Sugo is not exactly the most conventional option for a romantic dinner.
Personally, if a guy ordered take out from Sugo for me, it’d be the only sign I’d need to know it was true love. No joke. Pasta is my love language so there’s nothing (inanimate) that I adore or want more than a massive platter of pasta. NOTHING.
Located at Lansdowne and Bloor, this classic Italian-American restaurant serves up huge portions of hearty fare like massive meatballs, bowls piled high with spaghetti in marinara sauce and dusted with parmesan cheese, and verdant pesto pasta topped with creamy burrata and chilli flakes.
Need more proof that sharing pasta for Valentine’s Day is the pinnacle of romance? Case and point: the iconic Lady and the Tramp moment. I rest my case *mic drop*
Is it sad that I base my whole concept of romance around cartoon canines?
Sugo Toronto | 1281 Bloor St W. | Available for pick-up
Whether you’re celebrating with a significant other, a roommate, a friend…or are just a really hungry, gluttonous individual who likes ordering enough take out to have leftovers, there are plenty of restaurants in Toronto offering drool-worthy menus for Valentine’s Day.
These would be some my top choice even if we weren’t in lockdown so kill two birds with one stone by showing some love to these local Toronto restaurants while showing love to your, well, loved one.
On the hunt for more of the best takeout in Toronto? Feast your eyes on these delicious sandwiches.
Keep your stalking game strong and follow me @teriaki if you aren’t already!
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