Whether you and your significant other (SO) made it through a year of quarantine together happily intact(!), or things are picking up steam with your new passionate pandemic partner, Valentine’s Day is this weekend. And – at a time with few reasons to celebrate or splurge – it doesn’t hurt to acknowledge the day of love (what else are you going to do?). This year, celebrating Valentine’s Day with a quality dinner from an amazing Toronto restaurant eliminates the pre-pandemic reality of a packed venue, strict dining timeslots, and a potential run-in with the ex from the equation. So, bust out the good plates and silverware (even if you stay in sweats), and enjoy a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner at home from one of these 11 Toronto restaurants.
See also: The Official WanderEater Valentine’s Day Gift Guide
Chotto Matte
Vibrant Japanese-Peruvian spot Chotto Matte offers up a unique and interactive experience this Valentine’s Day with its Love Down Kit. Taking it beyond the typical takeout, the kit features a tabletop Hibachi grill, along with premium tuna, salmon, beef, and vegetables – all accompanied by Chotto Matte’s famous sauces – for a complete in-home Japanese BBQ experience. The package also includes a cocktail kit, so diners can try their hand at mixology and complement their memorable meal with “The Love Down” cocktail. Finally, delectable Peruvian chocolate and strawberry crema ensure it all ends on a sweet note. Orders must be placed by midday on February 10.
Marben Restaurant
If you and your SO love a good theme – one that goes beyond the obvious hearts and love – rock your best ’80s gear and opt for a quality meal from Marben that takes you back in time. This Valentine’s Day, head chef Chris Locke is dishing up a four-course, 80s-inspired menu. Blast-from-the-past menu items include chicken roulade cordon bleu, pizza rolls, and a “Sixteen Candles Layer Cake.” Movie snacks and a nostalgic playlist complete the experience. To take the at-home throwback party up a notch, bottles of wine and shots are available as add-ons. The meal is available for pick-up at the restaurant or can be delivered within a five-kilometre radius of Marben. A 72-hour pre-order is required.
Aloette Restaurant
It’s easier to enjoy the goodness of Aloette – the more casual sister restaurant to hotspotAlo– from home than it would be to score a Valentine’s Day reservation or walk-in table at the upscale downtown diner in better times (i.e. pre-COVID). Aloette’s eight-course Valentine’s Day menu ($60 per person) includes things like the spot’s famous wedge salad, king crab, scallop crudo, and a braised beef cheek. This well-rounded menu is also available for brunch ($60 per person) – the 14th falls on a Sunday this year, after all.
Café Boulud
Beloved special occasion spot Café Boulud– housed in the pristine Four Season’s Hotel – is offering its five-star dining experience at home this year for Valentine’s Day. The dinner ($80 per person) includes tuna chaud-froid, veal cheek à la bourguignon or whole rotisserie duck, and a jasmine-raspberry St. Honoré cake. Vegetarian/vegan options include butternut squash lasagne, vegetable byaldi, roasted pepper coulis, and a funghi trifolati. If afternoon tea ($55 per person) is more your vibe (and budget), guests can enjoy nine different dainty sweet and savoury items, from lobster club sandwiches to cherry cheesecake. Those who want to go all out can add wine pairings, cheese platters, caviar, and a macaron tower.
Maison Selby
For a quality, cozy, and interactive dinner for two, opt for Maison Selby’s Valentine’s Day meal. The French bistro’s four-course menu includes dishes like beet carpaccio, scallop mousseline, daube de boeuf au chocolat, plus more. Top your meal off with a fondue set for two, complete with ready-to-heat dark chocolate fondue, with assorted fruit brochettes, sablé cookie fingers, housemade elderflower marshmallows, and orange cake pops. The restaurant is also offering at-home cocktail kits and cheese and charcuterie options.
TOCA
Celebrate the season of love with a well-worth-it splurge from TOCA at the Ritz-Carlton Toronto. This Valentine’s Day, the restaurant – a bustling favourite in pre-COVID times – is offering a six-course meal ($95 per person) that features sunchoke soup, nori-wrapped salmon, beef short ribs or spinach and mushroom cannelloni (vegetarian), a white chocolate and yogurt soup, and chocolate-covered strawberries. Order before noon on Feb. 9 for pickup on Feb. 14 (2 p.m. and 5 p.m.)
Labora Restaurant
If you can’t jet off to Spain for a romantic jaunt, you can bring the Barcelona or Valencia vibes to your living room. King West Spanish fare staple Lobora Restaurant serves up weekly meals by Chef Rob Bragagnolo – and Valentine’s Day weekend is no exception. This week’s meal for two ($137) features scallops, acorn squash soup, and charred green beans to start, followed by the star of the show; a choice of gourmet paella (P.E.I. lobster, wild mushroom, or grilled lamb). This is rounded out with a dark chocolate and strawberry tart for dessert. Vegetarian and vegan meals are also available.
Ufficio
Few things are more comforting on a dead-of-winter night in than fresh pasta, warm bread, and dreamy cheese. This Valentine’s Day, beloved Dundas West spotUfficiois offering a menu ($150) that includes a choice of leek and ricotta tortellini or gnocchi, burrata and fresh-baked focaccia bread, and satisfying sides (and the option to add on more sides, like rapini and cauliflower). A vegan meal is also available ($140) and includes a salad and a risotto. The meals are available February 12-14 for curbside pickup or delivery, or online from Door Dash, Skip the Dishes, or UberEats.
Minami
New King West Japanese spot Minami – which managed to open its doors mid-pandemic – has the sushi-loving couples covered this Valentine’s Day. Minami is offering Lunar New Years and Valentine’s Day meal packages for two ($130), that include a chef’s appetizer selection (Aka Miso Duck Breast (red cabbage, citrus soy glaze), Pork Tenderloin Katsu (carrot kinpira), Salmon Mushiyaki (spicy miso), Daigaku Imo (Japanese sweet potato), a 28-piece sushi platter, and a three-layer tempered valrhona triple chocolate cake. The restaurant also offers cocktail kits. Pre-order for pickup February 11-14.
Reyna On King
This Valentine’s Day, Bar Reyna features a Mediterranean-inspired feast for two that’s fit for local royalty. The meal ($120) includes a choice of two famous Bar Reyna cocktails (Mezcal Smokeshow, The Fresh Prince, or The Queen Likes it Hot) or prosecco, followed by some of the King East spot’s signature crowd-pleasing dishes. This includes salmon gravlax, lamb baklava, a whole grilled octopus, and the big green salad, with ricotta fritters with chocolate sauce for dessert. Preorder for pickup 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. on February 14.
Brickworks Ciderhouse
Couples with a soft spot for cider and brunch may opt to swap Valentine’s Day dinner for a food-filled celebration earlier in the day with Brickwork Ciderhouse’s ‘Apple of My Eye’ brunch kit. More than a meal, it’s an entire experience. The kit includes a DIY brunch menu for two, cider and orange juice for mimosas, a bouquet of flowers, Brickworks toques, a hand-poured Lohn candle, and 50 thought-provoking questions about each other to spark sweet memories and lively conversation. A limited run of brunch kits ($109.99) will be available for purchase between Feb. 1-10th for pickup at Brickworks Ciderhouse.
Feature Image: Photo: Sash Doerksen
