With the holiday season coming up, these new and recently renovated venues are suitable go-to options for company festivities. The spaces, which include bars, lounges, nightclubs, restaurants, private rooms, and raw spaces, in Toronto can accommodate groups small and large for corporate holiday parties of every type.
Opened in October, the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto features 259 guest rooms throughout its 55 stories, as well as a sophisticated, state-of-the-art spa and a restaurant by world-renowned chef Daniel Boulud. With more than 14,300 square feet of meeting space, the hotel includes 12 event areas and five overflow spaces and can accommodate as many as 400 guests for a banquet event.
This summer, Claudio Aprile expanded his restaurant group Orderfire yet again with the addition of Origin Liberty in Liberty Village. Like the flagship Origin on King Street, Origin Liberty serves international cuisine; however, this location showcases more Latin-American influences. With 5,400 square feet of space, the restaurant is available for buyout and can hold 70 seated or 165 for a reception. Origin Liberty also offers team-building cocktail classes and a raw workshop tutorial for groups with as many as 14.Â
Owners Michelle Belisle and Johnny Lucien opened the doors at Sauce on the Danforth this past August. Described as “Victorian goth chic,” the lounge emulates a 1920s speakeasy, complete with vintage furniture and photographs, a Prohibition-inspired cocktail menu, and a piano with players available for hire. Sauce on the Danforth can currently hold 30 holiday party guests but also plans to open a year-round heated patio and outdoor bar in spring 2013.
Located in Toronto’s Parkdale neighborhood, Chantecler is the modern interpretation of a classic bistro envisioned by co-owners Jacob Wharton-Shukster and chef Jonathan Poon. From the restaurant’s industrial exposed brick to its antique electric stoves, Chantecler combines vintage atmosphere with progressive cuisine. The 11-item menu is intricately crafted from local ingredients and dotted with global influences. For private events, the intimate dining room space can host 24 seated or 40 standing.
AAA Bar opened its doors to the public at the end of September. The Texas-inspired restaurant and bar serves simple, smoked barbeque in historic Old Town Toronto. The approximately 1,000-square-foot space can hold 75 for a holiday gathering.
Formerly called the Regent Park Arts & Cultural Center, the newly opened Daniels Spectrum is suited for artistic and corporate events alike. Designed by Diamond & Schmitt Architects, the 60,000-square-foot center includes Ada Slaight Hall for 500, MDC Partners Courtyard for 400, Artscape Lounge for 175, and South Lobby for 175.
Wicked Club Toronto recently finished its first-floor renovations and unveiled a new nightclub, Play on Queen. Occupying Toronto’s Queen West strip, the club, which can hold 350, is decorated with Victorian furniture and features a full stage and runway, VIP booths, and an outdoor patio.
In June, The Doctor’s House completed a renovation that expanded three of its 11 rooms. Its enlarged bi-level rooftop patio is now 1,400 square feet and can accommodate 90. The Doctor’s House is offering a festive new menu for the holiday season, featuring a Christmas salad and hot apple-cinnamon cider.
The Prague on Queen West recently reopened as Prague European Kitchen following four months of renovations under new owner Dejan Lazic. While the original Prague occupied Queen West for more than 40 years, the new restaurant features a broader menu with influences from the Balkans, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Slovakia. The restaurant can accommodate 50 for a sit-down dinner or 75 for a reception-style affair.
