A dozen of Toronto’s best lunch deals

The lunch deal is back, and it’s a big upgrade from the old soup-and-sandwich special. Across Toronto, restaurants are making the midday meal feel less like an afterthought, offering a cheaper way into higher-end dining rooms or a more satisfying alternative to the usual grab and go—we’re talking panino-and-vino deals and multi-course menus. Here, a dozen lunches worth leaving your desk for.

Related: Five Toronto restaurants bringing back the power lunch

Linny’s Luncheonette

This sister delicatessen to the steakhouse next door specializes in deli-style sandwiches, led by a hulking $16 pastrami on rye with mustard. The concise menu also includes smoked fish, smoked turkey, and potato-and-pickle sandwiches, along with classic sides like knishes and potato salad. 174 Ossington Ave, linnysluncheonette.com

Simpl Things

From Wednesday to Sunday, the $20 panino-and-vino lunch special at this day-to-night bar in Parkdale pairs a sandwich with a five-ounce glass of house red, white or sparkling wine. The panini come on house-made focaccia, with a choice of chicken parm with sugo or eggplant parm with basil pesto. There’s also a $25 deal that swaps out the panini for rotating pasta dishes. 269 Dunn Ave., simplthings.ca

Sunnyside Provisions

At this Roncesvalles everything shop (it’s a grocery store, a bottle shop and a takeaway counter in one), it’s easy to walk in for lunch and leave with dinner, wine or dessert for later. The daytime menu is full of budget-friendly options, including $12 fish and chips, $10 poutine, $11 sloppy joes and the long-running favourite: Dave’s Salad Fries, a $10 pile of fries, greens, tomatoes, pickled onions and crispy onions. 287 Roncesvalles Ave., sunnysideprovisions.ca

Black and Blue

For diners who are curious about this swanky steakhouse but not ready to splurge, there’s the Lunch 45, a more approachable introduction. For $25, midday diners get a different featured dish each day, like a prime rib steak sandwich or rigatoni bolognese. The “45” is the promised 45-minute turnaround time—just long enough to take in the room (note the 24-karat-gold ceiling), eat well and get back to the grind. 130 King St. W., blackandbluesteakhouse.ca

Midori Ramen

This ramen shop has several locations across the GTA, but the North York outpost is the one with the deals. Until 5 p.m., it runs rotating weekday promos, including BOGO ramen bowls on select days and free gyoza or takoyaki with a main on Wednesdays. Their specialty is tori paitan, a creamy chicken broth that can be paired with thin, thick or kale noodles, plus chicken or pork chashu. 5313 Yonge St., midoriramen.com

Deauville Club

Located upstairs at the Revery Hotel, Deauville Club trades the Entertainment District’s street-level rush for blush tones, romantic lighting and a dining room designed to feel calm without slowing lunch down. The $29 weekday lunch is paced for a 45-minute turnaround, with a rotating menu that changes by the day: salads with salmon or grilled chicken on Monday, tacos on Tuesday, build-your-own burgers on Wednesday, truffle pastas on Thursday, and smoked salmon or prosciutto frittatas on Friday. 92 Peter St., deauvilleclubrestaurant.com

Related: Cheap Date: 10 restaurants with prix-fixe menus for $60 or less

Aroi Thai

At this Leslieville Thai kitchen, $16 goes a little further than during the typical takeout run. The lunch specials here cover familiar Thai favourites, with choices including pad Thai, pad see ew, drunken noodles, yellow or green curries, and stir-fries. The dining room, with its arched mirrors and subtle gold accents, makes the meal feel a notch more refined than the price suggests. 1216 Queen St. E., aroithai.ca

Café Boulud

Café Boulud brings Yorkville polish to the power lunch, with two courses for $50, served in 50 minutes. Set inside the swanky Four Seasons, it makes an otherwise-rushed lunch feel relaxed. The menu draws on chef Daniel Boulud’s Lyonnaise roots for seasonal bistro dishes, including apps like chicken liver terrine or chilled asparagus soup and mains that include moules frites or a brie de Meaux omelette. 60 Yorkville Ave., cafebouludtoronto.com

Café Zuzu Pizzeria

The big lunch draw at this all-day Italian hangout is the $16 panuozzo, a round of fresh pizza dough that’s baked until blistered, split open and stuffed while hot. It has the chew of a great crust and the portability of a sandwich, with fillings including mortadella, soppressata and provolone (the Giacomo); spicy eggplant with marinara (the Bianca); and crispy chicken with vodka sauce (the Isabella). 555 Dundas St. E., cafezuzu.com

Piano Piano

The $39 lunch special here gives the restaurant’s pizza-and-pasta playbook the prix-fixe treatment. Served daily from noon to 4 p.m. at all locations, the lunch special includes a half portion appetizer (burrata, calamari and caesar salad, to name a few), any pizza or pasta and dessert (hello, Nutella tiramisu). Multiple locations, pianopianotherestaurant.com

Bridgette Bar

Tuesday to Friday, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., diners get one starter and one main at this Calgary export in the Well for just $28. The menu is Mediterranean-ish and comfort-driven, with options including hummus chips or spiced beet salad to start, followed by ricotta dumplings, truffled mushroom rigatoni or fennel salami pizza. 423 Wellington St. W., bridgettebar.com

Amber Kitchen

The daytime menu at this Riverside kitchen leans hard into budget-friendliness, with most of its offerings ringing in under $20. Options include a smoked salmon sandwich on a potato baguette with whipped labneh; a cheese boureka with eggplant; or a marinated chicken sandwich with preserved lemon, roasted eggplant and pomegranate molasses. 4 Boulton Ave., amberkitchen.ca