15 of our favourite restaurants and bars perfect for last-minute Valentine’s Day dates
This one goes out to all the lovers who have left everything very last-minute, yet again. You know who you are. Here, 15 of our favourite restaurants and bars that take walk-ins—perfect for people who didn’t plan ahead.
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Alobar Yorkville
57A-162 Cumberland St., 416-961-1222, alobaryorkville.com
What: Alo’s more casual (but still fancy AF) standalone lounge in Yorkville.
Seating situation: Bar seats are saved for walk-ins.
Perfect for: People who would like to be dining at Alo but couldn’t get a reservation there. Join the club.
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Apres Wine Bar
1166 Queen St W., 647-292-3317, apreswinebar.ca
What: Canis Restaurant’s sister spot devoted to low-intervention wines from small-lot producers.
Seating situation: Divided between four-tops and more communal tables.
Perfect for: Oenophile couples to nerd out over esoteric bottles of skin-contact wine while making sly innuendoes.
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Bar Buca
#5-101 Eglinton Ave. E., 416-599-2822, buca.ca/bareglinton
What: Rob Gentile’s second location of the all-day café and bar at Yonge and Eg.
Seating situation: A mix of four-tops and bar seating.
Perfect for: Early (love)birds to take advantage of Bar Buca’s after-work aperitivo program. From 4 to 6 p.m. guests enjoy complimentary cicchetti and antipasti, with the purchase of a cocktail.
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Bar Raval
505 College St., no phone, thisisbarraval.com
What: Grant van Gameren and Robin Goodfellow’s sexy tapas bar on College.
Seating situation: Standing, actually.
Perfect for: Plates of pinchos and boozy cocktails. (Or non-alcoholic ones that are just as tasty as the real thing.)
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Birreria Volo
612 College St., no phone, birreriavolo.com
What: Bar Volo’s (RIP) reincarnation in Little Italy.
Seating situation: Mostly communal, but a few barrel tables for-two.
Perfect for: Sour beers to complement the Hallmark holiday’s sappiness. And fried chicken from neighbouring P.G. Clucks, of course.
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Bodega Henriette
1801 Gerrard St. E., 416-546-6261, bodegahenriette.com
What: A cute-as-a-button bar and restaurant on a quiet residential stretch of Upper Gerrard.
Seating situation: It’s mostly two- and four-tops.
Perfect for: A Valentine’s Day dinner with the whole fam—and for picking up all the essentials (milk, freshly baked bread, house-made doughnut holes, coffee) for breakfast in bed in the next day.
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Cote de Boeuf
130 Ossington Ave., 416-532-2333, cotedeboeuf.ca
What: Union’s sister wine bar and butcher shop.
Seating situation: Wine-barrel tables and a few two-tops.
Perfect for: Pretending you’re in Paris.
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Donna’s
827 Lansdowne Ave., 416-536-1414, donnas.ca
What: An adorable new all-day-into-the-night spot from a couple of Momofuku alumni.
Seating situation: Two- and four-tops.
Perfect for: Two words: ham plate. Get the ham plate.
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Grey Gardens
199 Augusta Ave., 647-351-1552, greygardens.ca
What: Jen Agg’s wine bar in Kensington Market.
Seating situation: Bar seats and one communal table are saved for walk-ins.
Perfect for: Shared bottles of wine and small plates (and taking selfies in the stylishly wallpapered washrooms).
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Imanishi
1330 Dundas St. W., 416-706-4225, imanishi.ca
What: An izakaya that’s not like the other izakayas.
Seating situation: Lots of two tops and bar seats.
Perfect for: Sushi and sake.
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Lake Inez
1471 Gerrard St. E., 416-792-1590, lakeinezto.com
What: The Wren’s sister restaurant on Gerrard East.
Seating situation: Bar seats are saved for walk-ins.
Perfect for: Chef Jay Moore’s Asian-influenced menu of street- and comfort-food snacks, alongside a great selection of wine and craft beer.
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Mattachioni
1617 Dupont St., 416-519-1010, mattachioni.com
What: Terroni alum David Mattachioni’s Junction Triangle kitchen.
Seating situation: Two-tops and some bar seating.
Perfect for: Pizza (and for picking up some excellent house-made sourdough to-go).
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Paradise Grapevine
841 Bloor St. W., 416-536-7178, paradisegrapevine.com
What: Bloorcourt’s newest and coolest wine bar.
Seating situation: Two-tops, four-tops, communal—you name it.
Perfect for: Glasses of wine (or local craft beer) and jamon-flavoured chips on the heated backyard patio.
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Pinkerton Snack Bar
1026 Gerrard St. E., 416-855-1460, @pinkertonsnackbar/em>
What: The eldest of the east-end trinity that also includes Poor Romeo and The Vatican Gift Shop.
Seating situation: Two-tops and bar seating.
Perfect for: Cocktails, craft beer and Asian-influenced small plates.
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Sugo
1281 Bloor St. W., 416-535-1717, sugotoronto.com
What: The Emerson’s red-sauce joint next door.
Seating situation: Four-tops decked out in checkered tablecloths, and a few bar stools.
Perfect for: Pulling off that spaghetti scene from Lady and the Tramp.
 on Jan 31, 2019 at 4:11am PST
Alobar Yorkville
57A-162 Cumberland St., 416-961-1222, alobaryorkville.com
What: Alo’s more casual (but still fancy AF) standalone lounge in Yorkville.
Seating situation: Bar seats are saved for walk-ins.
Perfect for: People who would like to be dining at Alo but couldn't get a reservation there. Join the club.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by APRÈS (@apreswinebar) on Feb 7, 2019 at 10:44am PST
Apres Wine Bar
1166 Queen St W., 647-292-3317, apreswinebar.ca
What: Canis Restaurant's sister spot devoted to low-intervention wines from small-lot producers.
Seating situation: Divided between four-tops and more communal tables.
Perfect for: Oenophile couples to nerd out over esoteric bottles of skin-contact wine while making sly innuendoes.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Bar Buca (@barbuca) on Jan 2, 2019 at 8:43am PST
Bar Buca
#5-101 Eglinton Ave. E., 416-599-2822, buca.ca/bareglinton
What: Rob Gentile's second location of the all-day café and bar at Yonge and Eg.
Seating situation: A mix of four-tops and bar seating.
Perfect for: Early (love)birds to take advantage of Bar Buca's after-work aperitivo program. From 4 to 6 p.m. guests enjoy complimentary cicchetti and antipasti, with the purchase of a cocktail.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Bar Raval (@bar_raval) on Jan 25, 2019 at 3:27pm PST
Bar Raval
505 College St., no phone, thisisbarraval.com
What: Grant van Gameren and Robin Goodfellow's sexy tapas bar on College.
Seating situation: Standing, actually.
Perfect for: Plates of pinchos and boozy cocktails. (Or non-alcoholic ones that are just as tasty as the real thing.)
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Birreria Volo (@bar_volo) on Dec 22, 2018 at 10:06am PST
Birreria Volo
612 College St., no phone, birreriavolo.com
What: Bar Volo's (RIP) reincarnation in Little Italy.
Seating situation: Mostly communal, but a few barrel tables for-two.
Perfect for: Sour beers to complement the Hallmark holiday's sappiness. And fried chicken from neighbouring P.G. Clucks, of course.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by @foodcrushto on Feb 4, 2018 at 7:14am PST
Bodega Henriette
1801 Gerrard St. E., 416-546-6261, bodegahenriette.com
What: A cute-as-a-button bar and restaurant on a quiet residential stretch of Upper Gerrard.
Seating situation: It's mostly two- and four-tops.
Perfect for: A Valentine's Day dinner with the whole fam—and for picking up all the essentials (milk, freshly baked bread, house-made doughnut holes, coffee) for breakfast in bed in the next day.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Côte de Bœuf (@cotedeboeufossington) on Jan 15, 2019 at 1:14pm PST
Cote de Boeuf
130 Ossington Ave., 416-532-2333, cotedeboeuf.ca
What: Union's sister wine bar and butcher shop.
Seating situation: Wine-barrel tables and a few two-tops.
Perfect for: Pretending you're in Paris.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Donna’s (@donnas.to) on Nov 13, 2018 at 7:04am PST
Donna's
827 Lansdowne Ave., 416-536-1414, donnas.ca
What: An adorable new all-day-into-the-night spot from a couple of Momofuku alumni.
Seating situation: Two- and four-tops.
Perfect for: Two words: ham plate. Get the ham plate.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Couzins (@greygardens199) on Mar 1, 2018 at 6:29am PST
Grey Gardens
199 Augusta Ave., 647-351-1552, greygardens.ca
What: Jen Agg's wine bar in Kensington Market.
Seating situation: Bar seats and one communal table are saved for walk-ins.
Perfect for: Shared bottles of wine and small plates (and taking selfies in the stylishly wallpapered washrooms).
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by iMANiSHi JAPANESE KiTCHEN (@imanishijapanesekitchen) on Jul 28, 2018 at 2:00pm PDT
Imanishi
1330 Dundas St. W., 416-706-4225, imanishi.ca
What: An izakaya that's not like the other izakayas.
Seating situation: Lots of two tops and bar seats.
Perfect for: Sushi and sake.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Lake Inez (@lakeinez) on Dec 29, 2018 at 2:16pm PST
Lake Inez
1471 Gerrard St. E., 416-792-1590, lakeinezto.com
What: The Wren's sister restaurant on Gerrard East.
Seating situation: Bar seats are saved for walk-ins.
Perfect for: Chef Jay Moore's Asian-influenced menu of street- and comfort-food snacks, alongside a great selection of wine and craft beer.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Whitman Emorson (@whitmanemorson) on Apr 4, 2018 at 11:59am PDT
Mattachioni
1617 Dupont St., 416-519-1010, mattachioni.com
What: Terroni alum David Mattachioni's Junction Triangle kitchen.
Seating situation: Two-tops and some bar seating.
Perfect for: Pizza (and for picking up some excellent house-made sourdough to-go).
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Paradise Grapevine (@paradisegrapevine) on Nov 29, 2018 at 2:57pm PST
Paradise Grapevine
841 Bloor St. W., 416-536-7178, paradisegrapevine.com
What: Bloorcourt's newest and coolest wine bar.
Seating situation: Two-tops, four-tops, communal—you name it.
Perfect for: Glasses of wine (or local craft beer) and jamon-flavoured chips on the heated backyard patio.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Farah Altoumah (@farahaltdesign) on Jan 9, 2019 at 5:29pm PST
Pinkerton Snack Bar
1026 Gerrard St. E., 416-855-1460, @pinkertonsnackbar/em>
What: The eldest of the east-end trinity that also includes Poor Romeo and The Vatican Gift Shop.
Seating situation: Two-tops and bar seating.
Perfect for: Cocktails, craft beer and Asian-influenced small plates.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Sugo (@sugotoronto) on Feb 2, 2019 at 8:32am PST
Sugo
1281 Bloor St. W., 416-535-1717, sugotoronto.com
What: The Emerson’s red-sauce joint next door.
Seating situation: Four-tops decked out in checkered tablecloths, and a few bar stools.
Perfect for: Pulling off that spaghetti scene from Lady and the Tramp.){kind=link}