Celebrate in style with a birthday feast at one of the city’s top red meat Meccas.
When it comes to indulging in a decadent birthday dinner, nothing quite compares to the satisfaction of biting into a succulent steak that’s been grilled or pan-seared to perfection. A good steak is, after all, at the apex of most meat lovers’ most-wanted lists.
(Not for you? Don’t worry, we’re one of the best cities for vegan restaurants, too!)
Read on for 10 of Toronto’s best steakhouses for your big-splurge birthday dinner.
Hy’s Steakhouse
Blowout birthday dinners at the Financial District’s Hy’s Steakhouse are defined by their traditional elegance, classic cocktails and a mouth-watering selection of superbly prepared beef.
Rich, dark mahogany interiors and intimate lighting set the mood for nightly musical performances that amplify the venue’s upscale feel.
Menu highlights: thick-cut 24 oz. dry-aged bone-in rib steak or savoury 22 oz. porterhouse served with your choice of fresh-cut fries, creamy mashed potatoes or herb-infused baked potato.
Harbour 60
The steaks at Harbour 60 are famously indulgent. As one of the best steakhouses in Toronto, the South Core restaurant boasts an eclectic menu of flawlessly seasoned prime-grade steaks and a classic interior with two private dining rooms that serve as the perfect backdrop to your birthday celebrations.
Menu highlights: delectably charred yet tender tomahawk steak, exquisite A5 Japanese Wagyu and outstanding tenderloin topped with duck egg and black truffles.
Prime Seafood Palace
This trendy Queen Street West restaurant from Canadian chef/restaurateur Matty Matheson pairs Ontario beef with Atlantic seafood in a carefully curated menu that balances the best of land and sea.
Set within a cool contemporary space inspired by Japanese and Scandinavian architecture, Prime Seafood Palace is as much of an aesthetic experience as it is a culinary affair.
Menu highlights: black pepper crust filet mignon or côte du boeuf paired with a dauphine potato and short rib pie.
Black + Blue
This Financial District mainstay proudly displays its marbled slabs of big-money beef in an exquisite glass showcase at the centre of its dining room. All of the restaurant’s beef is dry-aged to perfection and infused with the rich flavour of Himalayan salt.
Black + Blue dinner guests are invited to join the in-house butcher for an interactive experience that acquaints them with the restaurant’s unique aging process.
Menu highlights: 20 oz. Canadian prime cowboy rib-eye steak and umami-rich Japanese Kobe beef.
Also see: Cinq à Sept in the Financial District
Blueblood
If you’re looking for a restaurant that juxtaposes classic heritage architecture and contemporary cool, dinner at Blueblood is an unforgettable atmospheric dining experience.
Found within the gothic revival-style castle walls of Casa Loma and featuring artworks by the likes of Andy Warhol and Salvador Dali, Blueblood serves up stellar beef and seafood alongside an extensive list of international wines and spirits.
Menu highlights: tender 16 oz. castle dry-aged centre-cut striploin with lobster tail, crab legs and scallops for an OTT surf and turf experience.
The Butcher Chef
This upscale South Core steakhouse is all about lavish and carnivorous indulgence. Butcher Chef features one of the city’s most extensive steak menus. The butcher charcuterie and Wagyu carpaccio are savoury preludes to the decadence of their pricey steaks and cuts.
Menu highlights: 24 oz. dry aged northern gold steak and the $1,120 16 oz. Japanese Kobe striploin, accompanied by hearty sides of roasted squash, sautéed mushrooms, shishito and shrimp.
The Shore Club
Located in the heart of Toronto’s vibrant Entertainment District, The Shore Club is one of the city’s best dining venues for your birthday weekend getaway.
This elegant steakhouse/seafood eatery epitomizes the contemporary surf and turf experience and makes a great start to an evening out in the city.
Menu highlights: succulent 8 oz. sirloin steak or 12 oz. filet mignon paired with Atlantic lobster tail.
Also see: 48 Hours in Toronto’s Entertainment District
Jacobs & Co. Steakhouse
A birthday dinner at Jacobs & Co. Steakhouse is a sumptuous affair that is equal parts extravagant, mouth-watering and self-indulgent.
Found in the heart of the city’s Fashion District, this must-visit steakhouse takes a contemporary approach to the traditional steakhouse dining experience with a comprehensive (and covetable) steak menu plus celebratory sides like a seafood tower and duck-fat fries.
Menu highlights: the chef’s tasting menu, a selection of 4 oz. Angus and Wagyu steaks from four different continents.
J’s Steak Frites
Taking a more minimalist approach to steakhouse fare, J’s Steak Frites by husband-and-wife duo Jad Sfeir and Tara Tang is an ode to Parisian dining that proves that simplicity can be best. This Queen West favourite serves a prix fixe menu featuring an order of the steak of the day accompanied by endless fries and a leafy green salad.
That’s it: there are no other options. Its location in one of the city’s most eclectic neighbourhoods makes this resto a great beginning or cap to an evening out.
Menu highlights: a sophisticated cocktail such as the Ori + Gin (gin, pastis, lemon and pomegranate) or Paper Plane (amaro, Aperol, bourbon and lemon juice) to precede your prix fixe feast.
Barberian’s Steakhouse
If you’re looking for a restaurant that boasts an old-school steakhouse atmosphere, you can’t go wrong with Barberian’s Steakhouse in the heart of downtown Yonge Street.
It is a must-visit for anyone looking for a true taste of Canadian beef. Barberian’s has been satisfying the appetites of Toronto carnivores since 1959, making them old pros at fulfilling birthday blowout dinner desires.
It’s home to one of Canada’s largest wine cellars, with over 30,000 bottles, that doubles as a spectacular private dining venue. But be sure to make your reservation well in advance, as the cellar is booked every night!
Menu highlights: 32 oz. porterhouse with retro appetizers like escargot, jumbo shrimp cocktail and wedge salad.
