With planning for corporate and office holiday parties underway, these new and recently renovated Toronto venues provide suitable options for company celebrations. The venues, which include bars, lounges, nightclubs, restaurants, private rooms, cultural spaces, and hotels, can accommodate small and large groups for Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's Eve, or holiday parties of any type.
The 65-story condominium and hotel that was the Trump Hotel and Residences was acquired and re-invented in July under Marriott's high-end St. Regis brand. The Adelaide Hotel features 12,000 square feet of meeting and event space across three areas: the Grand Salon, the restaurant, and the Bay Street executive suite, each of which is suitable for holiday events. Located on the 10th floor, the Grand Ballroom offers over 3,744 square feet of space and holds 320 for cocktails, 200 seated, or 260 theater-style. The 31st floor restaurant, which offers views of the city, serves modern North American-style cuisine and offers seating for 110, or space for 150 for cocktail receptions. The Bay Street executive suite offers 1,850 square feet of space, which can be divided into three sections. It accommodates 65 for cocktail receptions, 42 in rounds, or 30 classroom-style. Full buyouts are available.
Slated to open for events in November, the Symes will take over part of an Art Deco-style heritage building in Toronto’s Junction Triangle neighborhood. Overseen by Jedd Jones Architect Ltd. and Barbara Nelson Interior Design, the Symes will comprise 9,700 square feet of space across two event venues. The largest of the rooms, the Grand Symes, has 5,800 square feet of space and accommodates 350 guests banquet-style with a dance floor and a stage, or 700 for cocktail reception. The second event space, the Scarlett Room, is on the second story and has 4,100 square feet of space. Similarly configured, it hosts 250 guests banquet-style with a dance floor and a stage, or 350 for cocktails. Each room is equipped with a fully licensed bar, staff and kitchen areas, private bridal suites, and accessible entrances and restrooms. Equipped to host holiday parties, corporate events, fund-raisers, and more, the Symes is available for full buyouts.
The Landing Group opened its latest restaurant, Kellys Landing, in the Financial District in August. Taking over the space of a Casey’s Restaurant chain location, the 8,300-square-foot venue features indoor and outdoor elements including a patio with a retractable roof designed by McMillan Design. The brew pub has 24 beers on tap and 30 wines on its list. The main dining room seats 200, while the North and South patio together seat 70, the solarium also seats 70, and the bar seats 33 guests. Kellys Landing offers buyouts.
Dundas West bake shop Le Dolci will premiere a new event space and cooking studio on October 1. Le Dolci Bake Shop & Culinary Classroom, which spans over 2,250 square feet, features a mix of raw industrial elements including polished concrete floors and soaring 20-foot ceilings, while maintaining a Parisian-chic style. The venue has been painted all white, and features a sleek, modern kitchen and large windows for natural lighting. With its open-concept feel, the space is well-suited for product launches, teambuilding events, cooking demonstrations and classes, private dinners, and meetings for 70 seated or 200 standing. There is no private room, but the Loft by Le Dolci offers full buyouts.
The Bisha Hotel & Residences, which opened in September in Toronto’s King West neighborhood, comes from Ink Entertainment owner Charles Khabouth. This time, he’s teamed up with Lifetime Developments for the hotel and condo hybrid designed by Studio Munge. The 96-room hotel has several event spaces, including the 1,100-square-foot lobby lounge and bar, which accommodates 200 for cocktails or 130 seated. On the 44th floor is the 7,000-square-foot Kōst, a rooftop restaurant and patio with an infinity pool that shows off a panoramic city view. The restaurant serves Baja-inspired cuisine and accommodates 250 for cocktails or 170 seated. It is available for full buyouts.
Located inside the Le Germain Hotel in Toronto’s entertainment district, Victor Restaurant reopened in August after an extensive makeover. Remodeled by DesignAgency, the new space offers a more classic, comfortable take on the North American-style brasserie, including a glass-walled dining room, soft leather banquettes, and antique bronze finishings. The 2,500-square-foot restaurant is divided into different sections. The Hatley room is the largest private event space, accommodating as many as 140 guests for a standing reception or 110 seated. The Dominion Room on the Mezzanine level accommodates as many as 60 for a standing function or 40 for a seated dinner. The venue also has a breakfast cafe available as a semiprivate event space for a 12-person seated dinner or a family-style standing reception for as many as 25 guests. The restaurant does not offer buyouts.
Noted Toronto restaurateur Grant van Gameren has taken over the former Mitzi Sister space in Parkdale. Open since June, Tennessee Tavern is an Eastern European-focused bar and eatery. Featuring 1,200 square feet of space, the 88-seat restaurant is decked out in an eclectic arrangement of antiques, vintage taxidermy, and custom neon signs. The raised dining room is made up of 100-year-old wooden tables that accommodate various groups; it holds 142 standing. Tucked away in the back is a small patio with 35 seats. The venue offers a full sound system with the capacity to host live bands. Although there is no formal private dining area, Tennessee Tavern is open to full buyouts and can hosts holiday parties and tastings, as well as other functions.
After experiencing booming popularity in the downtown core, Filipino restaurant Lamesa Filipino Kitchen opened an extension of its brand called Lasa by Lamesa on St. Clair West last summer, and began accepting bookings in September. The new location, which takes over 1,300 square feet of space, provides a more upscale and delicate touch than the original Queen West outpost. Designed by HGTV host Cheryl Torrenueva, the space features large windows, bright bold wallpaper, and access to audiovisual equipment including a screen projector and a record player. The space can hold 32 seated or 50 standing. There is no private room, but Lasa does offer full buyouts.
In Toronto’s Little Italy neighborhood, new Southeast Asian street-food-inspired eatery Shanee opened in August. A complete revamp of the former Soi Thai restaurant, the same owners provide 500 square feet of space inside, as well as a 100-square-foot back patio. Natalie Sloane from Sloane Interiors brightened up the place with large windows, white walls, and a garden-like interior. The restaurant is available for full buyouts, accommodating 50 standing or 40 seated.Â
