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

Staring down a $200-plus bill after what was supposed to be a casual dinner for two is, unfortunately, commonplace these days. With the cost of literally everything rising, Toronto can be a punishing city both for chefs trying to run a restaurant and for diners trying to eat at one. Thankfully, a handful of kitchens are reading the room and offering specially priced prix-fixe menus. We rounded up 10 spots worth checking out that are serving multi-course meals for $60 (or less!) per person.

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Flame Sushi

204 Queen St. W., flamesushi.com

Flame’s five-course choose-your-own-sushi adventure may be the deal of the century. The menu is a mix of miso soup; beef, hamachi or salmon tataki; creative hand rolls; fish-forward mains and a rotating dessert. But the star of this show is the theatrical cocktail that comes with the deal. Some arrive in flames (intentionally, that is) while others are crowned with a smoke-filled bubble that pops on the first sip. $50 per person. Available all day, every day.

Le Baratin

1600 Dundas St. W., lebaratin.ca

This laid-back French bistro on Dundas West is well known for its daily specials. And on Wednesday nights, that means soup or salad, juicy steak paired with golden-brown shoestring frites, and a glass of wine for just $48 per person. (For anyone following a plant-based diet, there’s also a $58 three-course vegetarian option.) Available Wednesday evenings.

Bar Isabel

797 College St., barisabel.com

Do these dreary winter days have you hibernating as soon as the sun sets? Bar Isabel has you covered with its Saturday matinée menu for two, which features five Spanish tapas classics that have made this menjador such an institution. Think hot-or-not shishito peppers, pan con tomate (bruschetta’s sexier Spanish cousin) and the restaurant’s iconic grilled octopus. It finishes with a personal-sized Basque cheesecake drowning in rich sherry cream, which feels even more luxurious midday. Plus, there are three day-drinking-approved, low-proof cocktails at the fire sale price of just $7.50 each. $69 for two. Available Saturdays starting at noon.

Wynona

819 Gerrard St. E., wynonatoronto.com

Bright and delicate tuna crudo. Warm cheese puffs served with chicken liver mousse. Pork tenderloin with tonnato. Duck ragù with marsala and ricotta on handmade pasta. These are just a few examples from the new prix-fixe lunch menu at Wynona, available one Saturday afternoon each month for $48 per person. (The rest of the time, Wynona offers a five-course “trust us” meal for $75.)

Parquet

97 Harbord St., restaurantparquet.com

Harbord Village’s dark-velvet brasserie Parquet has one possible cure for the winter doldrums: a three-course crowd-pleaser for two. It starts with buttery house-baked milk bread, which is followed by a kale salad and a whole roast Cornish hen. For $14 more, you can finish with a tangy lemon tart that even the Frenchest of grand-mères would approve of. $75 for two. Available Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings.

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Som Tum Jinda

76 Gerrard St. E., somtumjinda.ca

Over the past few years, Toronto’s Michelin awards have shot many sleeper hits into the limelight, including Som Tum Jinda, a teeny-tiny Thai place near Allan Gardens. The cozy spot offers a killer three-course menu to satisfy one very hungry person, who will likely still leave with leftovers. It starts with a herbaceous fried papaya salad, followed by garlicky chicken, a soft-fried egg on rice and a side of grilled pork jowl. $45 per person (large groups can also check out the party set of eight courses for $125). Available all day, every day.

Minami

225 King St. W., unit 100, minamitoronto.com

This chic and modern sushi fixture on King West is a prime spot to grab dinner before catching a show or game—especially if it happens to be Monday or Sunday. For its four-course prix-fixe menu, Minami elegantly plates up a shrimp skewer, a five-piece sushi mix and some delicate sablefish floating in black garlic sauce. To finish: a scoop of seasonal ice cream. $60 per person (wine pairings available for an extra $25 per person). Available Sundays and Mondays.

The Dorset

457 Wellington St. W., thedorsetwellington.com

The jury is still out on English culinary classics like jellied eel and spotted dick, but let’s agree that the Brits nailed it with the tradition of Sunday roast. O&B’s upscale British pub at the Well plates up a proper spread with all the trimmings and then some. A choice of starter is followed by just about any protein (leg of lamb, rump of beef, chicken supreme) sided with roasted veggies, Yorkshire pudding and pan drippings. And while there’s a choice of four desserts, the sticky toffee pudding is the real belter. $60 per person. Available on Sundays.

Gia

1214 Dundas St. W., giarestaurant.ca

For a plant-based prix-fixe menu (though there are some options for meat eaters), head to Gia for its healthy and affordable four-course dinner that could include vegan brie followed by eggplant parm (or tortelli di zucca or risotto) with gelato or olive oil cake to finish. $47 per person. Available all day, every day.

Mineral

1027 Yonge St., mineralto.com

While Mineral’s tasting menu didn’t fit our sub-$60 mandate, we couldn’t not include it. For $79, diners can rock up to the chef’s counter and get a full tour of the kitchen’s fine-dining Filipino flavours, which currently includes dishes like citrusy marinated yellowfin tuna, fluffy brioche with hojicha honey and duck prosciutto, and scallop inari, which is a fancy take on traditional lumpia. $79 per person. Available on Tuesdays.