Escape from winter hibernation with a meal at some of Toronto’s finest restaurants for a fraction of the cost.
Winterlicious is back for another year and giving us all a reason to get out from under our warm blankets this winter. Now boasting over 230 participating restaurants, including dozens of newcomers, the list is truly exciting.
From January 31 to February 13, 3-course lunch menus are available for as little as $20 to $55 and dinner menus are available for as little as $25 up to $75.
So, run to make those reservations and get ready to cross some local restaurants off your list.
Here are my top 40 picks for Winterlicious 2025, listed by neighbourhood.
JUMP TO NEIGHBOURHOODS:
Entertainment District/King West/The Well
La Plume ($41 lunch/$55 dinner)
2024 saw a wave of restaurants open at The Well, making it one of the city’s newest hot spots for dining.
La Plume is Oliver & Bonacini Hospitality’s chic French brasserie, marked by 14-foot ceilings, a bar with gold bird cages, and a wall mural with custom mouldings and impressive French fare to match. The lunch menu provides great value.
LuLu Bar ($34 lunch/$45 dinner)
Calgary’s well-known Concorde Entertainment Group arrived in Toronto with the opening of LuLu Bar at The Well last year. Paying homage to the Pacific Ocean, with influences from Asia, Hawaii, California and British Columbia, Winterlicious is the perfect excuse to try their famous crispy duck.
Aera ($55 lunch/$75 dinner)
Rising high above the city on the 38th floor of The Well, reserve an east-side window seat at Aera for impeccable views of the CN Tower, or pull up a chair at the elegant bar or open-concept sushi bar.
Known for their sushi and steaks, you’ll have plenty to choose from on their lunch or dinner menu.
Bridgette Bar ($34 lunch/$45 dinner)
Going viral for their banana pie, LuLu Bar’s sister, Bridgette Bar, opened to much acclaim in Toronto last year. Sadly, you can’t get the popular banana pie for Winterlicious (maybe you can ask nicely?), but you get a good sampling of their indulgent offerings.
Lapinou ($65 dinner)
You’ll want to go down the rabbit hole at this MICHELIN-recommended French neo-bistro and wine bar. Lapinou’s stunning, moody interior is matched by its impeccable cuisine.
I’m drooling over the mushroom cavatelli, beef short rib bourguignon, and brown butter tart with banana anglaise.
Minami ($48 lunch/$65 dinner)
The Aburi Group (which includes Minami and Miku) dishes up some of the most premium sushi in Toronto. Their famous aburi oshi sushi is available on both Minami’s lunch and dinner menu for Winterlicious.
Lee ($75 dinner)
An old fave for Winterlicious, Lee briefly closed its doors before reopening in the summer of 2024 inside the restored Waterworks complex at Richmond & Portland. You can expect nothing short of perfectly executed plates at Chef Susur Lee’s flagship restaurant.
Miss Likklemore’s ($65 dinner)
I love this restaurant in the heart of King West which gracefully uplifts Caribbean cuisine. Miss Likklemore’s Chef Lonie Murdock tantalizes the taste buds with menu items, like the likkle patties, fried snapper in Guyanese curry, and Miss Paula’s carrot cake.
Chubby’s Jamaican ($34 lunch/$45 dinner)
This 3x MICHELIN-recommended restaurant has become a mainstay on Portland Ave. since opening in 2017, serving up some of the city’s best Jamaican-inspired dishes. The ackee & saltfish bites at Chubby’s Jamaican are a must, as is the jerk chicken.
ALSO SEE: 20 Hotspots for Afro-Caribbean Eats in Toronto
SARA ($75 dinner)
This MICHELIN-recommended restaurant by Food Dudes serves globally-inspired fare. Expect interesting, fusion-y type mashups on the SARA menu, like a Wagyu Reuben, Argentinian shrimp with tandoori carrot, and their mouth-watering fried chicken with harissa hot sauce.
ALSO SEE: 6 Fusion Restaurants That Serve The Ultimate Mash-Up
Le Select ($48 lunch/$65 dinner)
One of a handful of places in Toronto where you can get quality French food, Le Select is a popular choice for Winterlicious and Summerlicious each year. Expect classics like escargots, steak frites, burgers, and profiteroles executed well.
Bloor-Yorkville & Harbord Village
Amal ($48 lunch/$65 dinner)
Modern Lebanese and Middle Eastern food served in a stunning atmosphere, Amal never disappoints. The Winterlicious menus offer a chance to try a variety of dishes that are perfect for sharing, like traditional dips and salads and platters of tawoks and kebabs.
Bar Avelo ($35 dinner)
Whether you’re a vegan or a flexitarian, you’ll appreciate an opportunity to dive into Bar Avelo’s gourmet plant-based dinner menu—for only $35! The jackfruit empanada, fried pulled oyster mushrooms, and king oyster skewer in aji panca adobe with chimichurri sound delicious.

Piano Piano ($34 lunch/$45 dinner)
If there’s one thing Chef Victor Barry does impeccably well, it’s pizza. The Harbord location of his wildly successful Piano Piano offers both lunch and dinner menus for Winterlicious, with scrumptious offerings like burrata with roasted grapes, mushroom cavatelli, and canestri alla vodka.
Kasa Moto ($75 dinner)
Kasa Moto is a contemporary Japanese restaurant with staying power in Yorkville. Its Winterlicious dinner menu features elevated raw dishes, like Wagyu carpaccio and Hokkaido scallop crudo, and cooked dishes, like skirt steak cooked yakiniku style and miso-marinated black cod.
Trattoria Nervosa ($34 lunch/$45 dinner)
Trattoria Nervosa is an OG still going strong, like its sister restos, Gusto 101 & 501. If you’ve not yet tried one of the best pasta dishes in Toronto—Mafalde ai Funghi—book yourself a dinner reservation here and thank us later!
Financial District
The Joneses ($41 lunch/$55 dinner)
A newcomer to the Financial District, The Joneses serves a variety of American classics. Have you been keeping up? They’re offering a version of their popular Big M tartare in empanada form on the Winterlicious dinner menu, a must-order.
Edna + Vita ($41 lunch/$55 dinner)
Opened in 2024 in the space in the Financial District that was home to Reds Tavern, Edna + Vita is a spacious, two-storey Italian restaurant serving authentic Italian food. The wild mushroom lasagna and slow-braised beef ragu with polenta are the perfect comfort dishes to warm you up this winter.
Frenchy ($34 lunch/$45 dinner)
Along with Hilton Toronto’s fresh, new renovations came Frenchy, a beautiful French brasserie and bar with all the Parisian charm. The French onion soup and steak frites will satisfy all your winter cravings.
Bosk ($48 lunch/$65 dinner)
Upon entering the Shangri-La Toronto, the aromas of black tea, bergamot, vanilla and sandalwood please the nose. At Bosk, try Chef de Cuisine Troy Cabarios’s interpretation of Northern Italian food, like cod Milanese, orecchiette with eggplant, and cacciucco, a Tuscan fish stew.
ALSO SEE: Toronto’s Most Intriguing Hotel Bars
Black+Blue Restaurant ($48 lunch/$65 dinner)
This modern steakhouse in the heart of the FiDi boasts some of the world’s rarest cuts, presented tableside before being served. The prix fixe menus offer a lot of value at Black+Blue Restaurant. If you’re lucky, you might even get to check out the salt cave at the back.
ALSO SEE: 10 Best Steakhouses in Toronto for a Blowout Birthday Dinner
Miku ($55 lunch/$75 dinner)
Originating in Vancouver, Miku Toronto is Aburi Group’s first East Coast location. Choose from premium nigiri, including Wagyu, sushi and sashimi, and cooked dishes like Saikyo miso marinated sablefish and braised pork belly with chestnut puree on their dinner menu.
Old Town & The Distillery
The Berczy Tavern ($55 dinner)
The Berczy Tavern is a welcome addition to Toronto’s Old Town neighbourhood from the same team behind Amano Trattoria. A restaurant and piano bar, go for hearty dishes like hanger steak with triple-cooked fries and seabream in a tomato truffle butter sauce.
GEORGE ($75 dinner)
Winterlicious affords an excellent opportunity to sample the globally inspired fine dining fare on GEORGE’s tasting menu at a fraction of the cost. The dishes feature high-quality, seasonal ingredients sourced as locally as possible.
The Carbon Bar ($55 dinner)
Barbecue aficionados know this Texas-style BBQ joint is one of the most underrated spots in the city. A local stalwart for the past 10 years, The Carbon Bar does large portions very well. Try the pork belly burnt ends and the BBQ plate (duh!), and you can’t go wrong with any of their desserts.
Also see: Where to Find Toronto’s Best BBQ
St. James Town
Maison Selby ($48 lunch/$65 dinner)
This French bistro and cocktail bar by O&B Restaurant Group is inside the historic C.H. Gooderham House, once home to a hotel of the same name. Go for the French classics at Maison Selby. And after dinner, make time to check out their underground speakeasy, Sous Sol.
Midtown & Uptown
Ultra ($65 dinner)
INK Entertainment has resurrected Ultra, and I’m here for it. Now in Midtown, the newly revamped restaurant features an opulent gold room and a dimly lit onyx room with Alexander McQueen-inspired decor throughout. The food is pan-Asian and very satisfying.
Auberge du Pommier ($55 lunch/$75 dinner)
Expect nothing short of consistently good French cuisine with impeccable service at Auberge du Pommier, which is why it’s maintained its reputation for over two decades. The lunch and dinner menus offer a variety of satisfying options.
Byblos Uptown ($65 dinner)
Byblos Uptown is an inviting place in Midtown highlighting Eastern Mediterranean cuisine with an emphasis on coastal flavours. Branzino is topped with chermoula, roasted chicken served with jewelled rice, and the menu teems with ingredients like harissa, sumac, zaatar, cumin, saffron, and chilis.
Pai Uptown ($34/$45)
Chef Nuit is beloved by so many in Toronto because her authentic Thai cooking is beyond compare. For only $34 for lunch or $45 for dinner (prices hard to come by in Toronto), you can enjoy some of Pai’s classic dishes, like Chef Nuit’s famous pad thai, khao soi, grabong, curries, and pad gra prow.
ALSO SEE: An Insider’s Toronto: Chef Nuit and Jeff Regular
Capocaccia ($34 lunch/$45 dinner)
Those who don’t venture north of Bloor may not know about this gem in Summerhill, but it’s worth the commute. With a stunning interior matched by beautifully plated dishes, Capocaccia has impressed locals with its refined Italian food for over two decades.
Little Italy & Trinity-Bellwoods
DaiLo ($75 dinner)
I’ve eaten at DaiLo countless times, and after over a decade of serving modern Asian cuisine, it remains one of my favourites in Toronto. Bestsellers, like the hakka brown wontons, Hainanese chicken, and smoked trout betel leaf, are available on the Winterlicious menu.
Chiado ($55 lunch/$75 dinner)
I am salivating over the offerings on the lunch and dinner Winterlicious menus at Chiado, a well-loved restaurant that has been serving modern Portuguese food in Toronto for over two decades. Be sure to pair your meal with a Portuguese wine from their extensive list.
La Palma ($55 dinner)
Serving up Italian flavours with a SoCal vibe, La Palma is consistently good and one of my faves. The $55 dinner menu will surely satisfy with baked rigatoni alla vodka, meatballs with creamy polenta, and branzino.
Curryish Tavern ($34 lunch/$45 dinner)
Chef Miheer Shete reimagines Indian food at Curryish Tavern with inventive and playful dishes using Canadian seasonal ingredients. Plates reflect his unique style and represent a modern take on Indian classics.
Fonda Lola ($34 lunch/$45 dinner)
A solid spot for authentic Mexican food in the west end. It feels like you’ve journeyed to Mexico when you step foot inside Fonda Lola, with its cantina style and brightly coloured decor and plates. The Winterlicious menus are a steal.
Parkdale/Roncesvalles Area
Nuna Kitchen & Bar ($41 lunch/$55 dinner)
If Peru is on your bucket list but not your 2025 bingo card, Nuna Kitchen & Bar will be the next best thing. I enjoyed trying Chef Sergio Nazario’s food and found it as authentic as it was delicious. The menu features authentic dishes reflecting the diversity of Peru’s culinary tapestry, ranging from causa to chaufa.
The Drake Hotel ($41 lunch/$55 dinner)
Still a buzzy spot for drinks and bites, The Drake Hotel’s Winterlicious menus offer eclectic dishes, ranging from Cubanos and eggplant parms to bitterballen and merguez sausage.
St. Clair West
Savor Thai ($65 dinner)
Savor Thai offers some of the most creative Thai dishes prepared with the utmost attention to detail, whimsy, and molecular gastronomy techniques. Plates like “Gang Keaw Wan” Green Curry and Pad Ga Praw are flavoured with aromatic herbs and spices.
The Junction Triangle
Lucia ($55 dinner)
Grab a chair at one of the roughly 30 seats in this Junction spot, where you’ll rub elbows with the locals. Italian is on offer at Lucia. Think: pastas like agnolotti and rigatoni, bistecca, and tiramisu.
Want to see the full list of restaurants? Check out all 232 Winterlicious menus on the City of Toronto website.