Best Toronto Restaurant Valentine’s Day Menus 2021
Look, if I’m being honest, I’ve never been a fan of Valentine’s Day. I dislike roses and the colour red. I prefer my chocolate year round and believe that love should be celebrated always, not reserved for one day of the year. Securing a table is a nightmare as reservations need to be made weeks in advance. For those lucky enough to get a reservation, your table will likely be packed in too tight and you’ll probably have a restricted time slot to ‘enjoy’ your meal. Tension, not love, always seems to hang in the air…
Frankly, my boyfriend and I have been together for over 10 years, and there’s nothing I love more than spending the evening enjoying dinner at home. Skip the flowers and open a full bodied red instead, with a side of Craig’s Cookies. I’m all for a low key, low pressure evening, where we can spend some quality time just the two of us. Much like any other night of the week.
While I do deeply miss dining out (outside of Valentine’s Day, of course), we are lucky to have many incredible restaurants offering at-home Valentine’s Day menus. Thanks to restaurants doing everything to pivot during the pandemic, you can now indulge in a gourmet meal at home. Yes, the menus will still sell out early (so book now!), but at least you don’t have to spend your evening cringing over your table neighbours’ arguments.
Below are my ten favourite menus. You’ll find plenty of inventive menus of delicious eats, and on top of that, there are even offerings for those with kids, those that prefer cocktails over wine (or vice versa!), those that want to indulge on brunch versus dinner, options to cook at home (there’s even a hamachi grill included in one kit!), and packages with locally grown flowers, and so much more. And in case you missed it, be sure to check out the Week Five post, featuring chefs that pivoted from working at restaurants to setting up businesses out of their homes during the onset of the pandemic. Their Valentine’s Day offers are sure to be heavy hitters as well.
Dates Available (until sold out): February 12 / 13 / 14 (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
Price: $250
Menu includes:
- Burrata Pugliese: hand pulled Italian mozzarella, blood orange, hazelnuts, mint & black pepper
- Ravioli al Tartufo Nero: ricotta, wild mushrooms, butter, parmigiano & Umbrian black truffles
- Halibut al Cartoccio: Pacific halibut cooked ‘al cartoccio’, tomatoes, fennel, capers, wild oregano & olio nuovo
- Budino al Cioccolato: dark chocolate cream, sea salt & candied walnuts
- SOMA Truffle Box
- Chardonnay, Tawse Winery (375ml) Niagara, 2017 Valpolicella Ripasso, La Casetta (375ml) Veneto
Menu Includes:
- Scallop crudo with lemongrass, lime, and cold pressed sunflower oil
- Incredibly rich duck confit white bean cassoulet with black truffle
- House made sourdough milk buns
- Triple chocolate custard with toasted pralines
Additional Information:
- Vegetarian option available – they sub out carrot crudo instead of scallops and roasted sunchokes in the cassoulet
- Items will be refrigerated and include instructions on how to reheat at home.
Dates Available: February 11 – 14
Price: $150 per package (serves 2)
Menu Includes:
- House-made focaccia & olives
- Burrata: arugula pesto, pine nut butter, roasted beets with candied orange vinaigrette *contains nuts
- Pasta for 2 – choice of
- Leek & Ricotta Filled Tortelli with spicy prawn bisque, sautéed shrimp
- or Potato Gnocchi with rapini pesto, crispy eggplant, Tuscan pecorino
- Tiramisu for 2: the classic finished with Amaretti almond cookies *contains nuts
Additional Information:
- Sides are available for an extra charge
Dates Available: February 11 – 14
Price: $150 per package (serves 2)
Menu Includes:
- Starters:
- Sashimi Duo: chûtoro, hamachi
- Prawn Cocktail
- Aka Miso Marinated Duck Breast
- Eggplant Dengaku, Bamboo Shoots, Dashimaki
- Kitchen:
- Lobster Tempura: aosa nori, two pieces
- Tenderloin Steak: roasted vegetables
- Kanpachi Yuan Yaki: yuzu soy marinated, sugiitayaki style
- Sushi (two pieces each):
- Wagyu Temari: uni sauce, truffle paste, gold flake
- Tai Temari: shiso, ume
- Tamago Soboro Temari: shibazuke rice
- Zuke Akami Nigiri: soy-arinated lean bluefin tuna
- Hotate Nigiri: scallop
- Sake Nigiri: Atlantic salmon
- Unakyu Hand Roll: unagi, cucumber, shiso
- Dessert:
- Earl Grey Tea Mousse: strawberry chocolate cream, yuzu curd, earl grey tea sponge cake
Additional Information:
- Optional wine pairing available for an additional $28
Dates Available: February 12 – 14
Price: $150 per package (serves 2)
Menu Includes:
- Sea bream crudo with meyer lemon and pistachio
- Beef carpaccio with horseradish and parmesan
- Beet, red cabbage and watercress salad
- Baked monkfish with clams, tomato and potatoes
- Chocolate cake with maraschino cream
Additional Information:
- Order includes, in their words: “a QR code to one of our finest lovemaking playlists”
- For $15 extra, you can order your kids a special treat: broccoli mac and cheese with garlic bread or chicken fingers with fries, a chocolate chip cookie and a Donna’s colouring sheet
- Add $50 for “a bottle of something nice”
Dates Available: February 12 – 13
Price: $250 per package (serves 2)
Menu Includes:
- Drinks:
- Bombay Bramble, Belsazar Rosé Vermouth, Aperol and Luxardo Maraschino (2 serves)
- Dinner:
- Proteins: Angus Beef Fillet, Salmon, Yellowtail, Yellowfin Tuna
- Vegetables: Oyster & Chestnut Mushrooms, Corn On The Cob, Sugar Snap Peas
- Dipping & Marinade Sauces: Den Miso, Red Anticucho, Yellow Anticucho, Yuzu Truffle Soy, Anticucho Yellow Miso, Red Pepper Ponzu, Yuzu Juice, Wasabi, Shichimi Togarashi
- Nikkei Gyoza: Chicken and Vegetable dumplings, yuzu sweet potato purée, red pepper ponzu
- Peruvian Chocolate & Strawberry Crema
Additional Information:
- Their Love-Down Kit features a tabletop Hibachi grill, bringing you an interactive experience, as you try to perfect the Japanese BBQ technique at home!
Dates Available: February 12 – 14
Price: $130 per person
Menu Includes:
- 1/2 Dozen East Coast Oysters with apple mignonette
- Hamachi Sashimi with avocado & yuzu
- Burrata with cara cara orange & pistachio
- Lobster Cavatelli
- Green Beans with lemon & parmigiano-reggiano
- Braised Short Rib with truffle mashed potato
- Bread & Butter
- Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
Additional Information:
- Additional savory items are available as added supplements
Dates Available: February 12 – 14
Price: $75 per person
Menu Includes:
- Heirloom Beet Salad, soft goat cheese, kale, honey crisp apple, toasted pecan
- Yellowfin Tuna Tartare, jalapeno aguachile, cilantro, cucumber, pimenton corn chip
- Seafood Risotto, prawns, octopus, scallop, fennel, tomato, lobster cream
- AAA Ontario Beef Striploin, Yukon gold mashed potato, caramelized onions, Madeira jus
- Dark Chocolate Terrine, almond, sea salt, sponge toffee, olive oil
Additional Information:
- One of the few restaurants offering the ability to order for one – so if you are celebrating solo, they’ve got you covered!
Dates Available: February 13-15
Price: $149.99 per package (serves two) **note: some of the menu items cost additional
Menu Includes:
- Choice of Pasta:
- Lobster bucatini pasta kit
- or Ricotta gnocchi kit with Stefano’s tomato basil pasta sauce, fresh basil, parmesan wedge & dollop of spinach lemon ricotta
- or Stefano’s beef & pork meat pasta sauce with fresh bucatini pasta, fresh basil, parmesan wedge & dollop of spinach lemon ricotta
- Choice of Focaccia
- Tomato & olive
- or Potato & parmesan
- 2 Mini bottles of County Crush all-natural rosé wine
- Choice of gift
- Red leather tortellini-shaped key chain
- or Red bubble-cube soy candle
- Omakase Confection’s hazelnut & passion fruit chocolate-filled heart (serves 2)
- Mini dried flower bouquet from Euclid Farms
Additional Information:
- The Valentine’s Kits include dinner, drinks, gifts, flowers & chocolate – all sourced from local companies they’ve partnered with
- The pasta dishes are meant to be cooked at home (they do not come pre-prepared)
Dates Available: February 12 – 14
Price: $55 per package (serves two) **note: some of the menu items cost additional
Menu Includes:
- Cured Salmon Smorrebrod: house-cured salmon, whipped cream cheese, pumpernickel, capers, chives
- Mini Lobster Roll: BC lobster, milk bun, sour cream, slaw
- Pain Perdu: croissant bread pudding, chocolate, fresh berries
Additional Information:
- You can add on a bottle of bubbly
- North of Here is also offering a dinner menu
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