We could all use a visit to a romantic Toronto restaurant right now. After multiple snow dumps and far too much time sequestered indoors, the city is more than ready to slip into something cute and head out for date night. Thankfully, many of Toronto’s best restaurants and the coolest bars in the city are also some of the most romantic destinations, primed for the moment, with cozy corners, moody lighting and shareable menus practically whispering “make a reservation.”
Maybe it’s the menu itself that does the seducing at these romantic Toronto restaurants — oysters on ice, champagne on chill, vibes fully set. Or perhaps it’s a cozy wine bar, a buzzy downtown dining room or the chequered tablecloths of Toronto’s best Italian spots that promise great food and an efficiently delivered bill. Whatever puts you in the mood, Toronto delivers when it comes to romantic restaurants.
We’ve cherry-picked the most romantic restaurants in the city to get hearts racing, sharing our personal highlights along the way — from swoon-worthy wine lists to playlists that hit just right. Ready, set, romance.
Romantic restaurants and bars in Toronto
1. Henry’s
920-922 Queen St. W.
As a lover of wine, elegance and slow-romance, Henry’s Restaurant and Wine Bar is my favourite date spot in the city. Whether I want to coo over a delicious meal and a glass of rare wine with a date or a close friend, this romantic Toronto restaurant is the place to do it.
The atmosphere is polished yet unpretentious, with modern, minimal décor that feels plush and comfortable. A palette of earthy green and warm cream is balanced with feminine touches like a rounded bar, which always make me feel at home as soon as I walk in. In warmer months, the back-garden patio is as charming and secluded as they come. Pleasant and attentive, the staff are happy to guide guests through the menu and wine list in a way that makes you feel like all of your questions are perfectly valid.
Then there’s the food. The inventive, seasonal menu is both familiar and exciting, with unexpected and delicious flavour combinations. Local ingredients mingle with global flavours, and there’s a glass or a bottle of wine to match with everything.
2. Short Turn
576 Queen St. W.
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I’m head over heels for 416 Snack Bar, a quintessential Toronto spot through and through, but its polished sister Short Turn is the more romantic restaurant. Reminiscent of a Toronto streetcar, if it were the setting of a romance novel and not a commuter's personal hell, the space is sleek and narrow with shiny chrome finishes, warm wood-panelled walls and soothing, glowing lights. Many of the tables for two are laid out so you snuggle in side-by-side with your date and can hold hands under the table. The best dishes from 416 are elevated at Short Turn, and unlike the OG, they have a cocktail menu to choose from.
3. The Chase
10 Temperance St. Fl 5
Bathed in the glow of opulent chandeliers and the encircling lights of skyscrapers, this cream-coated, rooftop reprieve is where I go for a classic, elegant romantic restaurant in Toronto. The service is excellent, the champagne is crisp and the seafood tower is divine. Brimming with oysters, giant prawns, lobster, crudo, ceviche and bluefin otoro tuna, it’s the easiest way to say, “I love you” and really mean it. But, if that’s too rich, the lobster spaghetti is a more wallet-friendly synonym — and one of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever laid my mouth upon.
Dinner at The Chase restaurant is a show-stopping seafood feast
Nestled on a rooftop in downtown Toronto, The Chase restaurant delivers unbelievably fresh seafood dishes, meaty mains and delicious cocktails in an opulent atmosphere fit for any special occasion.
Read more4. Bar Piquette
1084 Queen St. W.
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Sipping on unique glasses of wine and nibbling on snacks, like marinated olives, beet salad and burrata, in the cozy atmosphere of a cool, neighbourhood wine bar is a down-to-earth romantic restaurant experience that I absolutely adore. Bar Piquette's quaint bistro interior has a rustic charm with exposed brick and a light wood back bar that reminds me of an old bookshop, while the heated back patio follows the same thread with the addition of tumbling greenery and string lights. It's effortless, casual romance at its finest.
5. Hanmoto
2 Lakeview Ave.
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Stumbling into this grungy, walk-ins-only, hole-in-the-wall and being lucky enough to snag a table instantly makes you feel like the stars are aligning. Squished into the tiny restaurant, under the dim light and the red neon glow, a table for two is your own private world. There’s nothing flashy to distract or draw the eyes, so being with a date here is very intimate. Share oysters and Japanese-inspired snack plates with a bottle of Moonstone Asian Pear sake late into the night.
6. Melrose on Adelaide
270 Adelaide St. W. #300
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What this romantic restaurant lacks in service, it more than makes up for with dripping candles, twinkle lights and climbing vines. I would never go here in a time crunch, but if you’ve got all night to linger and wait for your drinks to arrive at the table, you get to bask in the charming atmosphere (and see how your date behaves when they’re served the wrong drink). The menu is conducive to date night, with four different kinds of charcuterie boards (even a vegan one!), shareable plates and a daily happy hour. The cocktails don’t impress me, but the cheap house wine certainly does.
7. The Rosebud
498 King St. E.
This Corktown gem is the definition of a romantic Toronto restaurant. Not only is The Rosebud candlelit and intimate, it has a stacked wine list and a menu filled with French-sounding dishes guaranteed to put you in the mood for l’amour. My favourite seat is in the window booth, where you can smooch and twirl your pasta in front of envious passersby. The Rosebud was recently taken over by chef Eric Valente and his partner Tam Phan, so it feels ripe for a revisit — and what better time to do so than on a special date?
The Rosebud
Closed for decades, this Corktown spot has been revitalized into The Rosebud by the team behind Mira Mira Diner with an eye-opening wine list and a menu that genuinely turns French fare on its head.
Read more8. Casa Paco
50c Clinton St.
Casa Paco might have been conceived as a love letter to Europe, but the romantic restaurant in Little Italy doubles as an air kiss to anyone you’re attempting to woo. Tucked away on Clinton Street, the Spanish- and Italian-inspired spot is filled with antique furniture and charming trinkets. Casa Paco is low on seating but big on charm, making it an intimate reservation for anyone who deserves to be spoiled.
My favourite kind of dinner is one where you order generously and spend the evening leaning across the table to grab “just one more bite” of a shared plate. Order tomato bread, squid ink rice and black truffle manchego alongside Old-World wines, and chat long into the night as attentive but unhurried servers sprinkle you with that magic hospitality that’s so rare — and all the more special when you find it.
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Read more9. Côte de Boeuf
130 Ossington Ave.
One of the city’s most iconic spots also happens to be one of Toronto's most romantic restaurants. Côte de Boeuf, on Ossington’s prime strip, manages to stand out among the flashy young upstarts by being delightfully old-school and unchanged in its decade-long tenure.
Part Parisian-style butcher shop, part wine bar, the cozy space feels like you’ve just stumbled upon a gem in a quiet backstreet of Paris. The fact that the restaurant is walk-in only merely adds to its allure — snagging a table feels like you’ve been anointed by the dining gods before you’ve even looked at the menu.
I look forward to my annual pilgrimage, where restraint is not an option, ordering escargot, charred radicchio and dry-aged ribeye with wild abandon from my perch at the wine barrel table. Though the bottle of wine is getting empty and the candlelight is making me woozy, I won’t be hurrying home anytime soon.
10. Batifole
744 Gerrard St E.
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This French bistro tucked away in Little India is quite the catch. I love how Batifole feels quietly undiscovered — an intimate, cosy spot that nails romance without making a fuss about it. Chef Pascal Geffroy brings classic French technique to the table, drawing on years spent cooking in the kitchens of Lyon and the Rhône. Think comforting cassoulet, rich duck leg confit, and perfectly pan-seared scallops, all paired with a thoughtfully curated French wine list. Even the name conjures romance — Batifole means “to frolic,” which feels exactly right for long, lingering dinners and date nights that stretch well into the evening.
11. Lucie
100 Yonge St.
It’s rare for a downtown restaurant to feel so full of heart and soul. Lucie — named after Yannick Bigourdan’s grandmother and inspired by the food memories of chef Arnauld Bloquel, who was born in the south of France and raised in the Caribbean — feels like a living, breathing presence.
The 70-seat, romantic restaurant on Bay Street begins seducing the moment you step inside, with burgundy tones and velvet drapes, an elegant bar and a champagne cart designed to tempt. The menu, though, is where Lucie really makes her move. Bloquel flexes his fine-dining muscles with dishes so precise and artistic, they look like they belong on a plinth rather than a dining table. From duck tartare and delicate canapés to a decadent cherry-and-Valrhona chocolate dessert, the progression is undeniably intoxicating, but will leave you food-coma free and sufficiently wooed.
12. Cocktail Bar
923 Dundas St. W.
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Even after all these years, there’s still an air of ‘if you know, you know’ at Jen Agg’s Cocktail Bar. Notoriously difficult to Google and easy to miss on Dundas West, Cocktail Bar feels more like a speakeasy than most Toronto speakeasies — but it’s undoubtedly one of the most romantic bars in Toronto. Dimly lit and moody, yet still approachable and unmistakably ‘chill,’ The cocktails are fun enough to break the ice, and I’d wager first dates will be impressed enough to score you a second. It’s walk-ins only, so if there’s a wait, head up Grace Street to Bar Pompette instead.
13. Library Bar
100 Front St. W.
Closer to a ‘splurge’ than other bars, Library Bar’s prestige, warmth and mixology mastery are worth every penny. Tucked away on the main floor of the Fairmont Royal York, this fabled haunt has been frequented by famous guests like Ella Fitzgerald and Tony Bennett. Still, it’s not all history — thanks to director of beverage James Grant, Library Bar stands toe-to-toe with Toronto’s newest cocktail bars. The Birdbath Martini is one of the most famous cocktails in the city — prepared tableside, it’ll add a bit of razzle-dazzle to your romantic date.
14. Neverland
371 Queen St. W.
If you’re comfortable with a communal table, this bookstore-coffee shop-wine bar is a super cute spot for a first date. Surrounded by low conversation, people poring over the curated hardbacks, tapping away on laptops or clinking wine glasses, any date here feels like a dreamy meet-cute. It’s walk-ins only, but there’s a variety of excellent bars nearby (Soluna, Mother, BarChef, Short Turn) if you need a plan B.
