Festive dinner. But make it cozy. Done and done at these inviting restaurants that are just about perfect for a relaxed and intimate holiday vibe.
Take a breather from the holiday parties and celebrate casually with a relaxed dinner with your SO or closest friends and fam. Breaking bread with your favourite people will be a welcome change of pace from the party circuit or larger celebrations at glitzier restaurants. These few hours of self-care will fill your cup—and your belly.
Best for modern Chinese: Alma
The understated but welcoming dining room at Alma lets the food steal the spotlight. With a menu featuring fare that appeals to both people who are creatures of habit and adventurous foodies, everyone in your crew will have the happiest bellies.
Case in point: dishes such as pork wonton and noodles will be comfortingly familiar, while roasted cod with ajo blanco, artichoke and wood ear mushroom and chili chicken wings with cilantro will wake up those taste buds. Either way, you’ll be clamouring to make another reservation pronto at this Bloordale Village gem.
Best for gastropub comfort food: House on Parliament
House on Parliament is the pub you wish you had in your neighbourhood. This Cabbagetown favourite features exposed brick walls and dark wood accents that make it feel homey, but it’s the gastropub fare that’s earned it a legion of loyal customers.
You’ll find elevated classics, including fancy bangers and mash and Wellington County dry-aged brisket and chuck burgers, alongside fun cuisine mashups like the falafel naan-wich and tempura battered cheese curds.
Best for dim sum: Kwan at York Mills
Going for dim sum and sharing bamboo steamer baskets filled with har gow and siu mai is an essential best-friends ritual. Kwan at York Mills serves up an elevated dim sum menu all day long in a quietly modern space uptown.
Dim sum here is an upscale experience (translation: it may cost a tiny bit more than other dim sum restos), but the handmade rice flour rolls cooked to order and super-fresh, piping hot xiao long bao make it a worthy investment.
Best for Spanish tapas: Madrina Bar y Tapas
Dinner with your nearest and dearest at Madrina Bar y Tapas in the Distillery Historic District is the next best thing to reliving your gang’s trip to Barcelona from the past.
With modern takes on Catalan tapas on the menu—think shrimp croquetas served with nori seaweed powder and kimchi, for example—and refreshing pitchers of sangria made with red or white, you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to a chic little tapas hotspot in Spain.
Best for Italian-American: Sugo
The warm fuzzies you’ll feel at Sugo may be thanks to laughs shared with loved ones—or they may be from devouring this Bloordale hotspot’s delicious Italian comfort food. Favourites include chicken/veal/eggplant parm, spaghetti with veal, beef and pork ragu, and rigatoni in a creamy (and very habit-forming) rosé sauce.
With its red-and-white checkered tablecloths and hip-hop soundtrack, Sugo’s casual vibe calls for denim, not party attire… although stretchy pants might serve you well for this pasta feast.
Best for roast chicken: Taverne Bernhardt’s
From its amiable staff to the star of its menu—golden rotisserie chicken—Taverne Bernhardt’s is the epitome of coziness.
Even its charming digs in Westside’s Little Portugal, alongside modest homes on a tree-lined street, makes it feel like you’re dining at a friend’s place… that friend being one who happens to be a fantastic chef.
Their menu of sharing plates changes regularly, but you can count on inventive, flavourful dishes such as gai lan with walnut vinaigrette and Quebec tomme cheese, or addictive polenta with morels and peas.
Best for fusion comfort food: The Wren
An array of local craft beers and a sensational menu of hearty dishes has made The Wren the cozy neighbourhood pub that east-enders want to keep to themselves. The room’s warm wood tones complement the restaurant’s elevated comfort food menu, which features daily specials.
Take their Fire in My Seoul Chicken Sandwich: sure, it riffs on a classic, but Buldak sauce, gochujang aioli, and marinated cucumbers, pickles, onions and chilis kick it up a notch. Eat here and you’ll want it to be your own secret spot, too!
Best for modern Levantine: Arbequina
The dishes at this Roncesvalles Village gem are of fine dining quality but served in a comfortable, unfussy dining space you’ll feel right at home in.
Arbequina is zero-proof, but you won’t even miss booze when your palate is busy discovering the flavour and textures of the Levant region.
Worthy revelations include manti with orfa chili, jameed yogurt and pine nuts—ingredients you may not be familiar with, but in the hands of Chef Moeen Abuzaid, they will quickly become favourites.
Be sure to save room for the baklava mousse with booza and pistachio: you’ll never want baklava any other way after trying this dessert.
Best for Mediterranean sharing plates: Alder
In the warm and inviting lower level of the Ace Hotel Toronto, you’ll find Alder, Chef Patrick Kriss’s restaurant where the menu features many dishes that are wood-fired. Kriss’s cuisine here moves away from the French fare he’s renowned for at Alo and takes a cue from the Mediterranean coast.
The beef tartare with foie gras is decadently rich and you may need to fight your dining partners for another serving of the refreshing burrata and pear that’s garnished with walnut, mint and pesto.
From the mains, the crispy Iberico pork secreto with romesco sauce is a stick-to-your-bones kind of dish that you’ll be reminiscing about for weeks.
Best for Indian with a twist: Curryish Tavern
Located right on always buzzy Queen West, Curryish Tavern is where your crew can satisfy that craving for Indian food. But expect more than the classic dishes here—Chef Miheer Shete transforms dishes and flavours from his Indian heritage.
Think: cheese curds samosa turnovers with aloo masala and moong dal, and the lamb and upside-down pineapple biryani served with rhubarb raita (it’s unlike any biryani you’ve ever had!). Prepare to have your mind blown and taste buds satisfied.
