Dining Know-How

Dining Know-How

Dress

Dress in Toronto restaurants is casual but neat. In the fashionable spots downtown, especially Yorkville, Queen Street, and Little Italy, diners always look pulled together in trendy and classic attire. In the more elegant and expensive restaurants, men are likely to feel more comfortable wearing a jacket. Aggressive air-conditioning in summer makes many women bring a light sweater or shawl with them. We mention dress only when men are required to wear a jacket or a jacket and tie.

Reservations

Reservations are always a good idea; we mention them only when they're essential or not accepted. Book as far ahead as you can. (Large parties should always call to check the reservations policy.)

Smoking

Toronto restaurants prohibit smoking. Some let diners get away with smoking in outdoor dining areas.

Mealtimes

Lunch typically starts at 11:30 or noon and dinner service begins around 5:30 or 6. Many restaurants close between lunch and dinner (roughly the hours of 2:30 to 5:30). On weekdays, kitchens usually close around 10:30 PM. Chinatown, Yorkville and the area around Yorkville, and Danforth have a few late-night spots. There are few all-night restaurants in the city. Unless otherwise noted, the restaurants listed in this guide are open daily for lunch and dinner.

For six weeks during January and February, more than 100 of the city's best restaurants offer the Winterlicious Program, where a fixed-price, three-course lunch is C$15 to C$20, and dinner is C$20 to C$30, along with their regular menu.

Drinking

The Liquor Control Board of Ontario issued an edict in 2005 that allows diners to bring their own wine to restaurants that have signed up for the BYOW program. This means you can bring your own wine to a restaurant and pay a corkage fee ranging from C$15 to C$30. Your waiter will uncork the wine and pour it for you. Anything remaining in the bottle on your departure will be poured down the sink or recorked with a special machine—if the restaurant has purchased one. It is illegal to keep an opened bottle of wine or alcohol in your car. If this interests you, check when making your reservation.