Group dinner in downtown Toronto
September 9, 2019 10:27 AM Subscribe
Looking for recommendations for a group dinner with six people on a Sunday evening in November in Downtown Toronto near or easy to get to from the Westin Harbour Castle. No major dietary restrictions, although a place with a variety of options would be best. Preferably not loud/touristy. Budget is max $75/person (CAD) although it really doesn't need to be fancy.
Pearl Harbourfront is about 8 minutes walk from Westin Harbourfront. I don't know how your group feels about dim sum, but I went a few years ago and thought it was one of the nicer, more elegant places I'd been in the city - and very well-made dim sum.
If you're looking for very close, I would check out the restaurants in and around Queen's Quay (a small mall on the same road as Westin Harbourfront).
If you're looking to go north of the railway line, up to Front Street or King Street, there will be more options. I particularly like Aroma Fine Indian on King Street, across from the TIFF lightbox. It's on the second floor and quieter than a lot of other places downtown. (NB: It's more in the $20-30 / person range; you could definitely spend more elsewhere, but it's some of the nicest north Indian food I've had in Toronto, and handles large groups well).
posted by jb at 11:00 AM on September 9, 2019
If you're looking for very close, I would check out the restaurants in and around Queen's Quay (a small mall on the same road as Westin Harbourfront).
If you're looking to go north of the railway line, up to Front Street or King Street, there will be more options. I particularly like Aroma Fine Indian on King Street, across from the TIFF lightbox. It's on the second floor and quieter than a lot of other places downtown. (NB: It's more in the $20-30 / person range; you could definitely spend more elsewhere, but it's some of the nicest north Indian food I've had in Toronto, and handles large groups well).
posted by jb at 11:00 AM on September 9, 2019
Pai serves exceptional northern Thai food. Never done a group dinner but theyre offered starting at $50/person which would leave you room for some drinks.
Not the closest to your hotel, but i think thats going to be the case with a lot of downtown, with its location on the other side of the freeway.
We just had a perfectly fine if kinda corporate/non-descript dinner at Moxies Cafe which was sort of like an (slightly) upscale bar oriented type spot.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 11:01 AM on September 9, 2019
Not the closest to your hotel, but i think thats going to be the case with a lot of downtown, with its location on the other side of the freeway.
We just had a perfectly fine if kinda corporate/non-descript dinner at Moxies Cafe which was sort of like an (slightly) upscale bar oriented type spot.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 11:01 AM on September 9, 2019
A couple of options from the Oliver&Bonacini empire in that area: Cafe & Grill (less fancy, less expensive) or Biff's Bistro. O&B restaurants are unlikely to set your soul on fire, but they serve beautifully prepared food backed up with really good service. These are your conventional choices in case 'a variety of options' means that someone in the group is really going to be unhappy if they're forced to eat at an "ethnic" restaurant.
posted by jacquilynne at 11:52 AM on September 9, 2019
posted by jacquilynne at 11:52 AM on September 9, 2019
Pearl Harbourfront
I've had the non-dim-sum Chinese there, too, and it was very good. It's a little pricier than most chinese food, but will be well within your budget and is yummy.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 12:28 PM on September 9, 2019
I've had the non-dim-sum Chinese there, too, and it was very good. It's a little pricier than most chinese food, but will be well within your budget and is yummy.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 12:28 PM on September 9, 2019
I like Pai as well; however why not the 360 at the CN tower? The food is pretty good for the price (although it is a not a huge menu) and you can’t beat the view - so pretty at night with all the lights. If you can convince them to meet up earlier (4.30ish) you can see the spectacular sunset too. It is not loud, and is not really touristy. The 2 course prix fixe is $65, 3 course $79.
posted by saucysault at 2:56 PM on September 9, 2019
posted by saucysault at 2:56 PM on September 9, 2019
I absolutely love Richmond Station. You'll get a very thoughtful, very delicious meal using local products. It's a place where chefs go to eat out. I was quite unimpressed with the Momofuku restaurants in Toronto. They are quite hit or miss. You can have a great night or a pretty bad one and I just won't risk it anymore when there are so many fantastic restaurants around.
PAI is also great, but has more of a nightlife vibe and can be a bit loud. The food is fantastic as are the drinks.
posted by quince at 5:06 PM on September 9, 2019
PAI is also great, but has more of a nightlife vibe and can be a bit loud. The food is fantastic as are the drinks.
posted by quince at 5:06 PM on September 9, 2019
The food at the CN Tower can also be a bit uneven, but the view cannot be beaten. I definitely would recommend an early dinner (eg starting 4pm) to enjoy the view. That said, I have wondered whether non-Torontonians would like the view as much, given how much time our group spent spotting places we know well.
posted by jb at 5:17 AM on September 10, 2019
posted by jb at 5:17 AM on September 10, 2019
Response by poster: Thanks everyone. I'll assemble these suggestions and send them out to our team to see if we can come to a consensus.
posted by Ufez Jones at 10:46 AM on September 10, 2019
posted by Ufez Jones at 10:46 AM on September 10, 2019
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posted by caveatz at 10:49 AM on September 9, 2019