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The Best New Year's Eve Dinners 2021 in Toronto

Christine Peddie

almost 2 years ago

The Best New Year's Eve Dinners 2021 in Toronto

The best New Year's Eve dinners in Toronto will help you embrace a season of freedom after the dismal debacle we saw last year. Are things back to normal? No. Can you still pull your spiffiest outfit from the closet, settle into your favourite restaurant and indulge in too much food, drink and merriment? Absolutely!

After the year that was, we all need a little fun. Whatever that looks like, chances are it includes a meal that's big on flavour and even bigger on sentiment, with courses that deliver everything from nostalgia to extravagance with more than a few stops in between. With a host of restaurants going all out for the big night, you have plenty of choices sure to wow come December 31st.

Seize the moment and kick 2021 to the curb in style. What will the new year bring? It's anyone's guess, but we can guarantee that it'll feel more manageable after a bottle of bubbly and a dinner of stunning dishes finessed by Toronto's top culinary pros. Reserve now and end 2021 on the highest note possible with one of the best New Year's Eve dinners the city has to offer.

Update: Due to new restrictions, several restaurants have opted for takeout/delivery only. Please check ahead with the restaurant.

90 Portland Street

VELA

If you truly want to stun on New Year's Eve, choose a room that matches your swanky mood. With a dedicated Champagne bar, Vela is also a safe bet for those who fear their bubbly will run dry. Choose between two seatings, and enjoy a parade of plates ranging from shrimp ceviche to braised short rib, with a host of spectacular nibbles at every turn.

1681 Lake Shore Blvd E

Toronto Beach Club

Channelling Old Hollywood, the Toronto Beach Club is promising a night of glamour served alongside a Mediterranean feast this New Year's Eve. Choose between the first and second seating, don your sharpest threads and settle into a night peppered with a surfeit of succulent dishes from beef carpaccio and burrata to branzino, celeriac and mushroom Wellington, pavlova, baklava and more.

290 Bremner Blvd

360 The Restaurant at the CN Tower

Toast the final sunset of 2021 with an epic meal at the CN Tower's 360 Restaurant. Only a meal this good, with four courses plus an amuse-bouche of foie gras torchon, could rival the spectacular, rotating view from the city's loftiest address.

1150 Queen St W

The Drake

Bid a stylish farewell to 2021, with a menu of festive favourites from chef Laura Maxwell. Each reservation at The Drake Hotel includes three courses, with a choice of appetizer, main and dessert including several vegan and gluten-free options, plus Parker House rolls with garlic and herb-whipped butter for the table.

77 Portland St

Shook

You'll have a few decisions to make from the options for each of the four courses on Shook's New Year's Eve dinner menu. Still, enjoy the kitchen's range of Middle Eastern, vegetarian dishes and we guarantee it'll have minimal impact on your end-of-year resolutions.

98 Portland St

SARA Restaurant

Reserve a coveted spot at Sara this New Year's Eve and let the team pamper you with a prix fixe menu brimming with culinary delights. There's something to be said about savouring shrimp bisque, Parisienne gnocchi, Alaskan King crab and more dressed to the nines in your New Year's finery.

196 Robert St

Rasa

Ring in the new year with a menu from Rasa guaranteed to surprise, delight and satisfy. With a tasting menu featuring nine courses, from the team's famed chopped salad to foie gras parfait, smoked brisket, and much more, this event showcases the best of the best from the Rasa team.

597 College St

Pompette

You'll find some of the city's finest French food, served with an adequate amount of flair, at College Street's Pompette. For New Year's Eve, the team is prepping a menu heavy on luxury, with treats ranging from Nova Scotia salmon with Madagascar vanilla aigre doux to Brie de Meaux with Périgord truffle.

480 King St W

Pink Sky

King West's newest seafood mecca offers up a four-course surf and turf feast fit for your first New Year's Eve out in two years. Opt for lobster bisque or burrata, shrimp cocktail or fried zucchini with eggplant, truffle lobster mac & cheese or mushroom Wellington knowing there are no wrong moves.

88 Harbord St

Piano Piano

Equal parts elegant and easygoing, Piano Piano provides the right amount of flavour and finesse for your New Year's Eve. Reserve one of three available seatings and enjoy your pick of appetizer, pasta, pizza or main, and dessert, accompanied by a requisite glass of bubbly.

478 King St W

Patria

Dine after 9 p.m. at Patria on New Year's Eve and enjoy live flamenco and music alongside a menu of Spanish delights. Eat earlier and dinner will still be splendid -- with a choice of appetizers followed by paella, branzino, beef fillet with sides, and churros, tarta de Santiago or Basque cheesecake for dessert.

794 Dundas St W

Patois

Friends don't let friends spend New Year's Eve without ample amounts of fried chicken, caviar and Champagne close by. Happily, the folks at Patois can provide some of the city's best fried poultry alongside everything else a proper NYE requires.

633 King St W

Oretta

Enjoy a five-course meal with a glass of Prosecco at either of Oretta's two New Year's Eve seatings. Each one includes appetizers, truffle lasagna, seared black cod or beef, plus ricotta and semolina cheesecake for a sweet finish.

522 King St W

Myth

Surround yourself with the King West glitterati at one of the area's brightest see-and-be-seen scenes. With a menu of Aegean-inspired delights, live performances and plenty of eye candy, "Midnight at Myth" promises you'll kiss 2021 goodbye in style.

265 Davenport Rd

MIMI Chinese

Sure to be a hot ticket this New Year's Eve, Mimi Chinese has a set menu featuring some of their favourite regional dishes available at three seatings on December 31st. From shrimp toast and scallion and ginger scallops to house char siu, stir-fried rice rolls, crispy chicken and more, anyone lucky enough to snag a reservation at Mimi is sure to enjoy a meal to remember come New Year's Eve.

488 Wellington St W

Marben

Located in the heart of King West, Marben matches style with substance thanks to chef Chris Locke's farm-to-table, seasonal approach to cooking. Join the team for a New Year's Eve feast featuring playful, delightful bites (we see you, baked oysters "poutine") on a menu of creative Locke-style dishes. A vegetarian menu is also available on request.

325 Bay St

Louix Louis

Trust a team that seems to shun minimalism to plan a New Year's Eve extravaganza guaranteed to wow. From oysters with cucumber mignonette to goat cheese risotto, duck with foie gras and individual croquembouche, you'll barely have time to come up for air between the luxurious dishes placed before you. Still, if you want to set the tone for the year ahead, add the optional King's Cake and summon your most regal self.

892 Queen St W

Le Swan

New Year's Eve at Le Swan is as inviting and warm as each of the restaurant's French-inspired dishes. Share platters of Parisian ham, shrimp cocktail and trout rillette, then move on to frisée salad and a choice of duck confit or braised beef short rib. Melt into chocolate terrine as you plan the blank slate that is the year ahead.

176 Yonge St.

Lena Restaurant

Whether you opt to dine-in or prefer to eat fabulously-well at-home, Leña has a South American feast for you. Reserve a table in the Art-Deco-inspired room and enjoy four courses with options including jamón Serrano, garlic shrimp, braised beef short rib and piri piri grilled octopus. Each take-home box for four, includes appetizers, roast beef tenderloin with sides, and flourless chocolate torte.

601 King St W

Lee

With a six-course menu that promises to be as over-the-top as New Year's Eve deserves, Lee Restaurant is where you'll want to be to ring in 2022. With a variety of deluxe ingredients, like lobster, caviar, foie gras, Périgord black truffles and more used throughout, this menu promises to wow.

642 King St W Suite 102

Lapinou

Along with plenty of exquisite French food, Lapinou presents a "Flappers and Fedoras" themed dinner for New Year's Eve. Book one of two seatings and revel in the light-hearted festivities, live jazz and three-course menu that includes bistro-inspired favourites from foie parfaits and branzino with bouillabaisse to rum baba and more.

1214 Dundas St W

Gia

Toronto's newest spot for meat-free dining is hosting a New Year's Eve dinner where the plant world takes centre stage. Through six courses, chef Matthew Ravenscroft and his team will treat diners to an eye-opening array of veg-forward dishes from beet tartare to wild mushroom and leek ravioli, and more.

295 Adelaide St W

Figo

Ponder your New Year's resolutions over Figo's multi-course NYE dinner. With two seatings on offer, an optional white Alba truffle tasting menu, and DJ from 9 p.m., an evening at Figo promises to be one to remember.

Manulife Centre

Eataly Toronto

Say "ciao" to 2021 in authentic, Italian style with a table at Eataly's La Piazza or Trattoria Milano. Each includes several top-notch courses, from white truffle deviled eggs topped with caviar to osso buco and Italian chocolate budino, along with optional wine pairings.

214 Ossington Ave

Crosley's

Join the Crosley's team for a first in-person New Year's Eve event. On the menu, you'll find East Coast oysters, leeks with Pedro Ximenez sherry, Peokean Farms beef striploin and Black Forest honey cake, all prepped in Crosley's impeccable, thoughtful, singular way.

161 Bay St

Chotto Matte

This New Year's Eve, embark into unknown territory at Chotto Matte's multisensory "Forest of Hikari" celebration. Opt for one of two seatings and prepare for hypnotizing performances, exclusive cocktails -- including the Fuji Blossom created in partnership with The House of Suntory -- and the best in Nikkei cuisine.

66 Wellington St W 54th floor

Canoe

Toast to your beloved country on New Year's Eve with a deeply Canadian feast at Canoe. Each seven-course meal, ranging from Parmesan custard with caramelized onion to Atlantic halibut with sea lettuce tartare, crispy cockles and onion rings, promises a wealth of surprises and a magical end to 2021.

60 Yorkville Ave

Cafe Boulud

Café Boulud offers everything you could ever want from a French-inspired New Year's Eve menu, including a sumptuous, adjoining hotel. Linger over five courses built on ingredients including oysters, lobster, duck and lamb, and see where the night leads.

11 Duncan St

Byblos

Both locations of Byblos are hosting New Year's Eve celebrations where good food promises to take centre stage. With a focus on shared platters, optional wine pairings and live music, Byblos promises everything you could possibly need to happily bid adieu to last year.

928 Dundas St W

Bar Vendetta

Settle into this cozy neighbourhood wine bar for a four-course NYE feast. With options ranging from beef carpaccio to scallop crudo, squash tortelli, lobster spaghetti and more, all available alongside Vendetta's intriguing list of wines, you'll want for nothing under restaurateur Jen Agg's meticulous watch.

1084 Queen St W

Bar Piquette

If you're thrilled by the thought of midnight mortadella, you'll want to secure a seat at Bar Piquette's NYE celebration. Guests will also enjoy assorted starters, oysters, crab legs, foie gras terrine, beef tartare and cheese served with jam and fruit, but we all know the midnight Champagne and morty's are the real selling point.

1194 Bloor St W

Alma

Chef Anna Chen's New Year's Eve dinner begins with sparkling wine, shrimp siu mai and persimmon and endive salad. A choice of mains and yuzu custard with sesame jian dui round out what promises to be a deeply flavourful, satisfying last meal of 2021.