Here's a look at the best new Toronto restaurants, hotels, party rooms, corporate event venues, conference centers, and private rooms to open this winter. These new and renovated Toronto venues can accommodate groups large or small for private and corporate events, meetings, business dinners, cocktail parties, conferences, weddings, and more.
Located between the Air Canada Centre and the Rogers Centre, the 46-story, 567-room Delta Toronto is the new flagship property for Delta Hotels. Opening in late November, the hotel will have 17,000 square feet of meeting space spread over 12 venues with floor-to-ceiling windows and built-in audiovisual equipment. Its largest space, the SoCo Ballroom, is 6,528 square feet and holds 700 theater-style. It also has a 4,000-square-foot terrace with city views that holds 300 for receptions.
This fall, the International Centre completed the first phase of a major renovation, which includes a remade main entrance to Hall 1 that can be used for events, and a 9,740-square-foot "connector building" between Hall 4 and Hall 5 that holds 812 people and can be used for registration, receptions, booths and displays, and lounge areas for food and beverage. Arch-Tech Design Group designed the new spaces.
Rasa is one of two new restaurants from the Food Dudes, a Toronto food truck company. Opened in July, the 1,900-square-foot eatery mixes raw materials with modern finishes through hand-built wooden tables, rugged plank-board walls, surround sound, and an open kitchen. It seats 50 indoors or holds 100 for receptions; a 40-seat patio will open next summer.
With Picasso providing inspiration, the design team of Tongtong made the Spanish tapas restaurant Barsa Taberna into a living art space. The eatery, which opened in May, restored the original stone brickwork and heavy wooden beams in the grotto-style dining room, located in a 170-year-old heritage building in the St. Lawrence Market. But the standout is the mosaic wall, which contains 1,400 variously tinted wine bottles. The restaurant seats 84 indoors and 64 outdoors on a patio.
Located in the up-and-coming creative hub in the Bloordale/Junction Triangle area on a quiet industrial street of historic factories, Propeller Coffee opened in May. The airy 2,600-square-foot venue has dual roles as a fully operational coffee roaster and an event space and has high ceilings and massive west-facing windows. The venue seats 100 guests or holds 200 for receptions and offers a clear view of the glassed-in roasting room. Its audiovisual equipment includes a drop-down 12-foot film screen and a HD projector.
The Trump International Hotel & Tower Toronto replaced its Stock restaurant with a new concept, America Restaurant. Located on the 31st floor, the restaurant comes from the established hospitality firms Ink Entertainment and Oliver & Bonacini Restaurants. The space has sophisticated design and serves upscale takes on regional American fare. It seats 110 or holds 150 for receptions and has an outdoor patio and a 40-seat private dining room. The hotel also replaced its bar Suits with the Calvin Bar. They opened in October.
Thoroughbred Food & Drink opened in September in Richmond Street West with three floors of eclectic culinary experiences including some with kitchen interaction. The 3,200-square-foot space is located in a restored Victorian house across from the Scotiabank Theatre. The main floor seats 55 and has its own DJ booth. On the second floor, which seats 35, wood paneling, brick, and industrial lighting set the tone. A private chef’s table seats 10.
The French bistro La Société finished a renovation and introduced new food and cocktail menus for its third anniversary in June. Featuring an open concept bar and two private dining rooms, the space, designed by Munge Leung, hints at Parisian luxury. The private dining rooms seat 18 each or can be combined to seat 36. The lounge area holds 50 for private receptions or 100 for semiprivate events.
A neighborhood staple on the Davisville strip, Quince Bistro renovated its lower-level private dining room, the Amsterdam Room, in October. The space, which seats 40 or holds 50 for cocktail receptions, has audiovisual equipment including a presentation screen and can come with a bar.
