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The Best Toronto Takeout for a Fancy Birthday Dinner

Robin Winship

2 years ago

The Best Toronto Takeout for a Fancy Birthday Dinner

Birthday celebrations are strange in quarantine. No large gatherings with friends, intimate dinners out or late nights spent sipping on cocktails. A lot has been lost this past year but one thing remains, the dedication from Toronto restaurants to continue to serve us decadent feasts in the comfort of our own homes. From omakase boxes, towering seafood platters, cowboy cut steaks and 7-course meals, there's no shortage of options when choosing the birthday meal of your dreams.

Below is a list of some of the best options for fancy takeout spreads to celebrate your birthday in style.

1471 Gerrard St E

Lake Inez

This eclectic and quirky wine bar and restaurant in Little India has been dishing out some seriously delicious looking featured meals (that sell out very fast). Their dinners typically follow a theme, with last week's being an ode to Tex-Mex, which came with 'Gussied Up' Nachos, Texas Caviar Wedge Salad, Cast Iron Fried Brisket Fritters, 2 a.m. Taco Truck Carnita and dessert. For $125, you get a 5-course meal for two, a bottle of natural wine, a love letter and seven years of good luck (or so the restaurant claims). Orders can be made through the link in bio on the restaurant's Instagram and vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options are also available.

592 Sherbourne St

Maison Selby

Housed in the historic C.H. Gooderham House, Maison Selby is dishing out French favourites like French onion soup, escargot, steak-frites, boeuf bourguignon and more! Available for pickup and delivery order from the à la carte menu or order one of their Chef Kits so that you can whip up coq au vin or truffle tagliatelle at home!

1198 Queen St W

Dandylion Restaurant

This unpretentious, no-fuss West Queen West restaurant creates inventive dishes with seasonal ingredients and has been recognized as one of Canada's best restaurants. The restaurant posts a weekly takeout menu on their Instagram, which is only available to order via email. This week's menu included bread and butter, roasted grouper with shrimp and brown butter vinaigrette, braised black kale, bibb lettuce with pear and walnut, cheese with brown rice and cracker with plum jam. Dinners come in at $45 per person and a selection of wine, cider and beer is available to add to your order.

66 Wellington St W 54th floor

Canoe

One of Toronto's most famous fine dining restaurants, Canoe offers an elegant multi-course menu for takeout and delivery. The menu changes often but find smoked oysters, scallop tartare, truffle mac and cheese, veal loin and cocoa and chaga cake on the menu this week.

12 Brant St

Jacobs & Co. Steakhouse

Toronto's premium steakhouse still offers a delicious selection of ready-to-cook steaks from their online butcher. If you're not up to cooking yourself, order delivery or pickup from their to-go menu. Find cocktail kits, Caesar salad for two, shrimp cocktail, a selection of steaks like wagyu tenderloin or their 40oz porterhouse, duck fat fries, cavatelli pasta and dessert.

1194 Bloor St W

Alma

This unique restaurant in Bloordale Village represents influences from several cuisines that chef and owner Anna Chen draws from in her cooking. Order takeout on their website's à la carte menu and choose from Wonton Soup, Half Fried BC Rockfish, Shrimp Fried Rice and more. Also, keep your eye out for their special featured dinners -- they are not to be missed. If you really want to bulk up your order, don't skimp on their selection of frozen dumplings; you'll thank yourself come Monday night.

1214 Dundas St W

Ufficio

This Dundas West Italian restaurant offers multi-course dinners or à la carte dishes for pickup and delivery on Tock. Most plates are available to order vegan. This week's featured dinner includes house-made focaccia and olives, burrata, leek and ricotta filled tortelli and tiramisu.

3328 Yonge St

Shoushin

This upscale sushi bar and omakase restaurant on Yonge Street is consistently regarded as one of the finest establishments for authentic and high-quality sushi in the city. The restaurant specializes in Edomae-style sushi, where the fish is marinated and preserved for a few days rather than served fresh but has adapted its offerings for takeout only. Available for pickup and delivery on Tock, order the Nama-Bara Chirashi, a preferred way of offering sushi to-go; the seafood comes served on sushi rice and uses over 15 ingredients, including fatty bluefin tuna, scallop sea bream and more.

503 College St

DaiLo

This experimental Cantonese restaurant in Little Italy consistently delivers exciting plates from its kitchen. Available for both pickup and delivery on Tock, chef Nick Liu features a rotating tasting menu consisting of thoughtful and bold pairings. Currently, on offer, DaiLo is showcasing a completely vegan multi-course menu comprised of Thai Herb Salad Betel Leaf, Fresh Watermelon Salad, General Tao Cauliflower, Burmese Tofu and Aloe Sorbet.

225 King St W Suite 100

Minami Toronto

The newest restaurant addition from the Aburi Restaurants group, this show-stopping restaurant on King Street specializes in Aburi-style sushi or torched pressed sushi. Order from their à la carte menu on Tock and choose from a selection of oshi and sushi rolls, bentos, bowls, small plates, desserts and cocktails or wine. They also offer a special feature, which includes Japanese appetizers and a cocktail kit for $62.

797 College St

Bar Isabel

A favourite for many Torontonians, this Little Italy haunt for Spanish tapas and large sharing plates offers a delicious spread of small bites, meat and fish mains and a wide selection of wines. Order delivery or pickup on Tock and find a selection of charcuterie and cheeses, boquerones, foie gras, olives, baked in-house sourdough, pan con tomato, patatas bravas, charred octopus and more! Or opt for the 'Tapas Box for Two!' or the 'Dinner for Two!' equipped with everything you'll need to set the mood for a celebratory evening in.

10 Temperance St Fl 5

The Chase

What was once the destination for Bay Street business types lunching on seafood platters, juicy steaks and whole fish has now pivoted to a takeout operation delivering some of the freshest seafood you can get your hands on in the city. Nothing screams celebrating a birthday in quarantine like a tower of oysters, clams, lobster and shrimp to pull you out of your lockdown funk. On the menu, order one of their more extensive offerings like a seafood platter, a sturgeon caviar platter, a prime rib steak dinner for two or a whole halibut dinner. Or opt for a range of their à la carte offerings like steak tartare, black truffle spaghettoni or crispy duck and, of course, finish it off with desserts such as their double chocolate cake or New York cheesecake.

597 College St

Pompette

As the literal translation of Pompette means to be in a blissful state, overwhelmed by the moment one feels when immersed in the pleasures of the senses, there is no more concise way to describe what a birthday celebration should entail. Opening only back in the fall of 2020, this French restaurant has adapted to these unrelenting times by offering a "Pompette At Home" meal consisting of a 4-course takeout experience for $65 per person. Menus change often but are released on Tock. Expect delicacies like spelt sourdough bread with whipped black truffled butter, salmon tartar, foie gras "pot au feu" and duck breast.

325 Bay St

Louix Louis

Nothing can compare to a birthday cake with layer upon layer of chocolate cake and ganache, flecked with real gold leaf. That's why The St. Regis' regal 31st-floor restaurant is an obvious choice for celebrating a birthday (albeit at home) in style. There's something for everyone on the menu, for mains order the Branzino, Wagyu Burger or Whole Organic Truffle Chicken.

156 Cumberland St

Chabrol

This gem of a restaurant offers diners romantic and refined French meals weekly on Fridays available for preorder on Tock. Find dishes like Vol au Vent of Shrimp, Seared Duck Breast, Artichoke Soup and Mango Gateau Basque.

1132 College St

Ten Restaurant

Helmed by chef Julian Bentivegna, this fine dining restaurant is known for producing artfully plated, veg-forward dishes in their tiny, minimal space. The restaurant's progressive ethos and its commitment to offering diners a memorable experience have ceased to wane in a takeout-only format. Order a prepaid package for two on Tock for $100. Menus change often but for February, the multi-course dinner features a green salad with lettuces, cucumbers and herbs grown in Toronto, house milk buns, roasted cauliflower with almonds and pesto, roasted sunchoke cassoulet with truffles and pecan butter tarts for dessert.

North of Here

We know the thought of cooking on a birthday isn't the most appealing, but if you have a caring loved one who can't seem to get out of the kitchen, this option is for you. This make-at-home meal delivery service brings the quality of Michelin Star food into your homes. Available for pre-order delivery on Thursdays, with deliveries being made every Saturday, you can get a luxurious meal kit just in time for a special birthday celebration. Each dish serves two people and comes with recipe cards, all the mise en place you will need and requires minimal cooking. Menus change frequently, but you will find appetizers such as the Baby Gem Salad, Beef Tartare and Seared BC Albacore Tuna on offer for February. For mains, choose between the Roasted Winter Root Vegetable (vegan), Baked Sea Bream or Glazed Lamb Shoulder. The chance to master the art of plating comes seamlessly with North of Here meals.

81 Harbord St

Yasu

One of Toronto's most lauded sushi bars offers a takeout experience only suited for the most special occasions. Available on Tock for prepaid pickup, order an Omakase Sushi Box ($86) with 13 pieces of sushi, toro and ikura chirashi; the most lavish Toro Roll you'll ever taste ($56) with akami, chu-toro and o-toro or the Uni Special Don ($95) with uni, toro, ikura, scallop and snow crab on a bed of sushi rice.

3953 Jordan Rd

The Restaurant at Pearl Morissette

Since opening, this Jordan, Ontario restaurant has garnered nationwide attention for its seasonal, nuanced and intricately prepared dishes. The Restaurant at Pearl Morissette sits on the same property you will find the winery, which has become respected and sought after in the wine world -- especially for those favouring unconventional, minimal-intervention wines. After careful thought and consideration of how to best operate in a takeout-only world, the restaurant launched an elaborate 'Discovery Experience' that brings the beauty of dining at Pearl Morissette into your home. Available on Tock, menus change frequently and yes, they do offer pickups in Toronto from Dundas West wine bar, Archive. The package includes a tasting menu for two, a rare bottle of Pearl Morissette wine and a special gift spotlighting a local ingredient or product.

1 Richmond St W

Richmond Station

This beloved Toronto restaurant took its time to open for takeout last spring, but the extra planning paid off. Having to pivot their menu slightly to offer dishes more conducive to takeout, Richmond Station is the ideal spot to order fancy yet still delicious fare that works when pickup and delivery are the sole options. Order their juicy Stn. Burger, a selection of charcuterie, duck liver pâté, black cod or pork and mushroom cavatelli. If you're so inclined for a DIY night-in, opt for their Stn. Burger Bundle meal kit and pair it with the Milk Punch cocktail to-go (you won't be sorry).

214 Ossington Ave

Crosley's

Ossington newcomer Crosley's welcomes guests in with open arms (even if dine-in isn't allowed, it is still an experience to order takeout from this new gem). The menu is eclectic and well-devised, hand-written each week by the owner's mother, which often showcases new dishes. Already a must-order is their crispy veal sandwich made on a homemade brioche bun. Weekly 4-course dinners are available Fridays to Sundays and the restaurant now houses a bottle shop, a perfect destination to get a personal recommendation for a wine pairing.

227 Ossington Ave

La Banane

After months of shuttered doors, this Ossington spot for French food with heavy seafood influences has finally reopened its yellow doors once again for takeout. Available on Tock, order their famed trout-en-croûte with yuzu beurre blanc, along with chilled lobster, brioche, a little gem salad and an opera cake for dessert.

190 University Ave

Momofuku Noodle Bar

David Chang's Toronto outpost isn't just a destination to find ramen. Housed in the same show-stopping complex, order from either Momofuku Noodle Bar's 'Feasts at Home' menu or Kojin's 'Weekly Feast' menu. From Noodle Bar, order a lavish family-style meal like Momofuku's famed Bo Ssäm or opt for a Fried Chicken Feast with caviar, pork buns and a citrus pie for dessert. For Kojin, the menu changes frequently but this week, order the Kojin Stuffed Calzones. Their iconic ramen is still available as an add-on, as well as other menu staples and a selection of wine and beer.

130 Ossington Ave

Cote De Boeuf

This cozy restaurant and butcher on Ossington offers everything from a diverse takeout menu to a shop selling pantry staples, prime-cut beef, charcuterie, cheese and more. Order a carefully selected charcuterie board brimming with cheese, terrines and pâté to start and finish off your meal with a perfectly seared côte de boeuf, duck confit or steak-frites, (and of course, add on a juicy Bordeaux to round out your meal).

163 Spadina Ave

Alo

Regarded as Canada's best restaurant, takeout couldn't get any more high class than an elegant and refined spread from this modern restaurant with French influences. Available for pickup and delivery on Tock, find new menus released weekly featuring dishes like hamachi sashimi, grilled prawns, roasted chicken and a warm spiced apple cake. Ranging from $65 per head and up, dinners come with anywhere between 5 to 7 courses and optional wine pairings and cocktails to go are available to add on.

379 Harbord St

Skippa

A Harbord Village staple for upscale sushi, known for its creative take on traditional Japanese dishes and its tendency to opt for lesser-known fish varieties, distinguishes Skippa from other sushi bars in the city. The restaurant offers a weekly 'Skippa at Home' menu, featuring the 'Trust Skippa' starting at $140 with optional add-ons and sake and wine pairings. Comprised of their signature sourdough made with seaweed and whipped butter, a featured dish like udon with aged duck or wagyu beef in broth, sashimi, a delicate Sakana Box with rotating nigiri and maki and house-made ice cream.

169 Niagara St

Edulis

This quaint restaurant on Niagara Street has been offering 'Edulis at Home' for pick up since the onset of the pandemic. Recognized as one of Canada's best restaurants on Canada's 100 Best Restaurants, it is no surprise that the restaurant's takeout offerings do not fall short. Menus change frequently but expect refined, elegant dishes with thoughtful pairings and in-season produce. Order their weekly menu via Tock; this week's dishes include duck consommé, cod with in-house tomato preserves and a salted honey tart.