Guides / Dishes & Drinks

The Best Holiday Meals in Toronto

Christine Peddie

10 months ago

The best holiday meals in Toronto are for anyone who needs the joy of an exquisite feast to help them truly embrace the season. With options for dining out or at home, meals that lean into luxury alongside those that serve up a flurry of festive flavours without an ounce of pretense, you'll find a menu here to match your mood, and your every gustatory demand.

A year when we can celebrate how far we've come, this holiday season promises to be special. Reserve early, invite your loves ones and spend the rest of the month anticipating a singular holiday moment made possible by one of the city's talented, industrious restaurant teams. When the day finally arrives, settle in and enjoy every snippet of conversation, every riotous laugh, every long-winded story, and every smiling face as you savour each morsel of one of the best holiday meals in Toronto.

181 Wellington St W

TOCA

Join the party at TOCA's Cena di Natale, where the team invites diners to toast to the season with a three course, prix-fixe menu inspired by the bel paese. Enjoy soup or salad to begin, followed by turkey roulade or black cod with farro and Prosecco sauce. Panettone pudding with almond gelato may just have you wishing fellow diners a "Buon Natale!" with every bite.

181 Wellington St W

The Ritz-Carlton

When you order Christmas Turkey from the Ritz, you know it'll be a grand affair. This year, each Ontario, free-range bird is presented along with Jerusalem artichoke soup, two types of salad, gravy, cranberry orange sauce, sourdough stuffing, sides, and apple pie with bourbon whipped cream and caramel sauce. A dinner that leaves nothing to chance, you'll want to pick one up December 24th or 25th.

106 Broadview Ave

The Civic

With a focus on seasonal stars, dinner at The Civic is casual yet refined in a way that speaks to our need for authenticity with a side of glitz. On December 24th and 25th the team is offering a prix-fixe dinner boasting holiday essentials like house-cured gravlax, slow-roasted turkey, and sticky toffee pudding, sure to be enjoyed by young, and old.

325 Bay St.

St. Regis Toronto

If you think the team at the St. Regis has done all the work and, come Christmas, you can simply put your feet up and relax, listen up — the St. Regis Royal Holiday Menu is available for pickup, only. Still, once you have it in your possession, this feast requires little more than a warm oven, platters, some fine wine and candlelight to reach perfection. So yes, if effortless holiday feasting appeals, then the St. Regis is the place where your dreams will become reality.

90 Bloor St E

Skylight

You'll want to slip into something sexy before you head up to Skylight Rooftop Bar to bask in the beauty of the season. Celebrating its inaugural holiday season, Skylight has two festive feasts on offer throughout December for groups of four, or more. Served family-style, each includes assorted mezze, mains, and a dessert sampler. As you linger over stunning cocktails, and Mediterranean-inspired bites, watch the sun set and let the room work its seductive magic.

401 Bay St.

Sap Restaurant

Between December 10th and 31st, Sap Restaurant's Nutcracker Prix Fixe brings the magic of the season to your plate. Choose two or three courses and dig into seasonal favourites, including pork shoulder tourtière, roast turkey and French onion mac and cheese. Thanks to the Sugar Plum kid's menu, little ones will enjoy your quality family time as much as you.

100 Front St W

REIGN

Greet Christmas morning with a sumptuous Festive Sunday Brunch at Reign. Nibble on assorted pastries, seafood, cheese and charcuterie before tucking into your choice of main. With four variations of eggs Benedict, avocado toast, steak frites, a farmhouse breakfast and more to choose from, everyone will find a favourite. Amble over to the lavish dessert table and you'll feel as giddy as a kid, even if a tad slower.

Pusateri's Fine Foods

Whether you insist on supping on roast beef, or prefer to toast with turkey, Pusateri's Fine Foods has your ideal holiday meal. Order a Classic Holiday Beef Tenderloin Package and dine on baked fontina, salad and soup before digging into roast beef with traditional sides, then lemon squares. Other options include a Classic Turkey Package, Classic Spiral Ham Package, and enough tempting add-ons, desserts, and sides to ensure your feast is as festive as possible.

Phancy's Bodega

A go-to for party essentials — from cheese and charcuterie boards, to smoked fish platters, mezze platters, dips, and more — Phancy's is a great source for an abundance of nibbles, for yourself or a crowd. Have time for light assembly? Order a selection of elegant canapés to go with your cheese, and ensure your drink never feels lonely.

794 Dundas St W

Patois

When you order something called The Whole Shebang, you know you're in for a good time. Available for two to four diners, Patois' comprehensive meal kit contains enough delicious bites to fuel a nighttime of revelry — from Jamaican patties and Trini mac pie to jerk chicken, fried chicken, and more. Add appetizers, dessert, and cocktails to your order and salute the season with a slew of soul-food faves.

872 Queen St W

Oyster Boy

You may not generally celebrate Christmas Eve with the traditional feast of seven fishes but we're willing to bet you can see the appeal. Order a seafood tower or lobster boil from Oyster Boy, for pickup on December 24th, and cozy up to some of the ocean's finest catch. Heighten your order with caviar, additional chilled crustaceans, oysters, and wine, and you just might begin a new tradition of your own.

10 Bay St # 105

Miku Toronto

Instead of limiting your special outings to December's busiest days, enjoy a holiday feast at Miku, any night of the month. Available until the 30th for dinner service, Miku's limited Holiday Kaiseki tasting menu is a lavish parade of seasonal, Aburi-style dishes served on striking Aritayaki dinnerware. A meal that wows every sense as it celebrates the beauty of the moment, this is a truly joyous way to toast to the season.

4 Avenue Rd

Joni Restaurant

After the frantic fuss of the holiday season, there's nothing quite like dining in Joni's serene, elegant environs to soothe frazzled nerves. Settle in between December 24th and 26th, or on January 1st, for a four-course prix fixe that puts the kitchen team's substantial talents on full display. From starters like tuna carpaccio or mushroom risotto, to mains including roasted squash with stout reduction and grilled lobster with striploin, each masterful morsel will comfort and revive.

60 Yorkville Ave

Four Seasons Hotel Toronto

If you've invited a flock of rowdy revellers to your house, Four Seasons' Festive Turkey Feast To-Go is the secret weapon you'll want to have at the ready. Available for pick-up between December 24th and 28th, each dinner for five includes salad, roast turkey, four savoury sides, gravy, cranberry sauce, and your choice of yule log.

100 Front St W

Fairmont Royal York

Don ermine-trimmed robes and a tiara if you like but there are other ways to add a regal note to your holiday festivities. Overflowing with deluxe dishes, Fairmont Royal York's annual Festive To-Go packages are the banquet to match your splendid mood. Select ham or turkey, for four to eight people, and treat your entourage to the finest roast meats, butternut squash bisque, brioche popovers, maple-glazed sprouts, and other refined victuals.

181 Wellington St W

Epoch

This Christmas, make merry with a traditional prime rib dinner at Toronto's swankiest gastropub. Available on December 24th and 25th, Epoch's Very Merry Christmas dinner is a study in classic yuletide fare. Opt for prime rib, served with Yorkshire pudding and other essential sides, or roast Norfolk County turkey. Then, top things off with a slice of Black Forest gâteau, and linger in the joy of a tranquil holiday occasion.

23 St Thomas St

Enigma Fine Dining

A recent Michelin-star-recipient, Enigma's modern European flair and gorgeous room need little introduction. This Christmas Eve, join chef Quinton Bennett for a holiday dinner guaranteed to bear little resemblance to any you've ever had. With a focus on the seasons, and a magical dash of molecular technique, each dish promises to excite the senses in a thrilling new way.

304 Richmond St W

Drifter’s Solace

A holiday collaboration with Lot 25 Foods, chef David Salt's limited-edition menu is a celebration of showy ingredients tailor-made for memorable moments. With a few finishing flourishes, you and your plus-one can dine on smokey foie gras terrine, confit salmon, A5 Miyazaki Wagyu, yuzu curd and shortbread, with the option to add a 50g tin of Kristal caviar to your order.

161 Bay St

Chotto Matte

For a dinner that doubles as a splendid gift, treat your plus one to Chotto Matte's Chef Experience, a curated journey for two through some of the restaurant's most celebrated dishes. Meet the chef as you sample gems of Nikkei cuisine in the restaurant's vivacious surroundings.

Chefdrop

Make this your happiest Christmas yet by tucking into a holiday feast like the ones they enjoy on the other side of the pond. Made in traditional English fashion, Chefdrop's limited-edition Holiday Roasted Prime Rib kit includes a spectacular bone-in rib roast, silky mash, veg, jus, and Yorkshire pudding mix. With instructions to guide you through every step, you'll happily serve a feast fit for a king to five of your most regal friends without ever breaking a sweat.

60 Yorkville Ave

Cafe Boulud

Join the team at Café Boulud on December 24th or 25th for a festive prix-fixe dinner that boasts so many luxe ingredients, nobody will blame you for lingering as you decide what to order. Entertain the idea of oysters, or steak tartare. Mull over classic turkey roulade, Alberta lamb rack and wild mushroom gnocchi. Whichever you choose, just remember to leave room for pavlova wreath, chestnut and chocolate yule log or one of the team's other beautiful sweets.

4150 Yonge St

Auberge du Pommier

With three December weekends during which to enjoy Auberge's Holiday lunch, there's no excuse for missing out on executive chef Doug Penfold's dreamy takes on cold-weather favourites, such as foraged mushroom consommé and grilled Cornish hen. Plus, devote lunchtime to feasting and you'll have plenty of time for partying later on.

163 Spadina Ave

Alo

If you've ever thought that the only thing better than dining at Alo, would be dining at Alo in your comfy pants, you're officially on the "Nice" list. Available for delivery on December 23rd, Alo at Home's Holiday Meal is a Patrick Kriss-approved smorgasbord of the season's most fabulous flavours. Best of all? You can enjoy it wearing whatever you please. Imagine cheese and charcuterie, tiger prawns, baked rigatoni with Gruyère, beef shortrib with Périgord truffles, dark chocolate cheesecake, and more. Then snap back to reality, realize this isn't a mere dream, and place your order ASAP.

138 Avenue Rd

Adrak Yorkville

Anyone feeling particularly swish this holiday season will want to book Adrak's exclusive space, named Memsahibs, for a private dinner and chef-guided experience to remember. Select between a vegetarian and non-vegetarian set holiday menu, and you and your guests will revel in a multi-course parade of elevated, regional Indian dishes that will soothe body and soul.