Toronto restaurants offering amazing Monday meal deals

The roller coaster of emotions between the Sunday scaries and the Monday blues isn’t something we’re keen to ride each and every week. Instead of nose-diving into five days of corporate anguish, start off strong with $35 steak frites or $10 martinis. Most restaurants take the night off on Mondays, but we rounded up a bunch that stay open and offer specials.

Related: Ten Italian restaurants in Toronto with the best aperitivo hours

Bar Piquette

1084 Queen St. W., barpiquette.com

This Queen West wine bar stocks an excellent selection of old- and new-world bottles, including classic Bordeaux-style blends and fresh and funky local rosés—and on Mondays, they’re 50 per cent off. Not sure what to get? Their in-house sommelier can help you decide which discounted bottle to buy. For nibbles, the Robinson sourdough bread, trout dip and marinated olives are all half off (but don’t let that stop you from trying their signature mortadella bun—it’s worth full price).

Gia

1214 Dundas St. W., giarestaurant.ca

This plant-forward restaurant in Little Portugal serves four delicious (and pretty healthy) courses for only $47. The Gia Sympatica menu starts with house-made red fife focaccia followed by a choice of appetizers including vegan brie and (not vegan) panko-crusted meatballs. For mains, choose between a few classic Italian plates like eggplant parmigiana, rigatoni bolognese, tortelli di zucca and risotto. To finish, there’s either gelato or olive oil cake.

Martine’s Wine Bar

293 Palmerston Ave., martineswinebar.com

Nestled on Palmerston and College sits Martine’s, the not-Spanish sister restaurant to Bar Raval and Bar Isabel. The refined menu of seasonal dishes and extensive wine selection pair perfectly with the Williamsburg-esque atmosphere and—the reason we’re here on a Monday—$10 martinis.

Wynona

819 Gerrard St. E., wynonatoronto.com

Wynona has cemented itself as a Leslieville staple with its coastal-inspired dishes. The daily prix-fixe menu ($75) includes five of chef Jeff Bovis’s most popular dishes. The deal is called “Trust Us,” and honestly, we have no reason not to.

The Comrade

758 Queen St. E., comradetoronto.com

Just south of its sibling restaurant, Wynona, the Comrade holds court as a long-standing Leslieville favourite for dinner, drinks and an excellent daily deal. From 5 to 7 p.m. every day, you can get one of their prime rib burgers, topped with cheddar cheese, caramelized onions and secret sauce, for just $16. Pair it with a $12 classic cocktail like an old fashioned or a negroni and that’s two hours (and $28) well spent.

Nobu

25 Mercer St., noburestaurants.com/toronto/nobu-toronto

The phrase “meal deal” isn’t exactly synonymous with Nobu, a brand popular with deep-pocketed celebs like Kim Kardashian. But, during its Tanoshi Hour, from 5 to 7 p.m. every day, Nobu Bar and Lounge offers deals on a few of its favourite drinks and bites, including the Black Cod Butter Lettuce, Spicy Rock Shrimp, Yellowtail Jalapeño and a selection of sushi. Bargains don’t come often at places like this, so take advantage while you can.

Related: Nobu Toronto is launching all-you-can-eat brunch

Contrada

537 College St., contradarestaurant.com

It’s hard to stand out as an Italian restaurant in Little Italy, but Contrada manages to do just that with its Monday-night special. The prix-fixe menu lets guests pick one appetizer (we recommend the lamb ribs if available), one main (hello, cavatelli) and a dessert for only $50. By Toronto standards, that’s a steal.

Convivium

83 Yonge St., myconvivium.com

Anyone living or working in the Financial District can and should take advantage of Convivium’s $40 three-course lunch (soup, choice of salad, choice of main), offered Monday to Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The osso bucco alone is a good excuse to escape the confines of your cubicle.

Grey Gardens

199 Augusta Ave., greygardens.ca

On the last Monday of every month, Jen Agg‘s Kensington Market gem hosts “Grey Monday,” a six-course shared menu ($95 per person). It’s different every month but typically includes a snack, a crudo, some carbs, a veggie, a protein and something sweet. It may be a bit pricier than some of the other weekly deals on this list, but it comes only once every 30 days and is worth every penny. Also worth it—if you don’t have an early Tuesday meeting—is splurging on wine pairings.

The Chase

10 Temperance St., thechasetoronto.com

From Monday to Friday, the Chase offers its business lunch menu for just $49. The midday special includes one appetizer, like the kale salad or shrimp cocktail, and one main dish, including grilled branzino or cacio e pepe. The menu was built for speed, so guests who need to get back to the office can enjoy their lunch and still make it to their 1 p.m. meeting.

The Drake Hotel

1150 Queen St. W., thedrake.ca

You know her, you love her. The Drake Hotel has been a Queen West weekend staple for 20-plus years—but now there’s a reason to go on Monday nights: $35 steak frites (cherry cheesecake included) and select bottles of wine for half price.

Related: Five Toronto restaurants bringing back the power lunch

Pennies

667 College St., pennies.bar

A penny for your thoughts? Or maybe a nickel short of 10 bucks? Pennies is a budget-friendly option every day of the week, but their Monday deal is the best: three sliders and original tater tots (Combo No. 5) for just $9.95, which is half off the usual (already affordable) price.

Gusto 501

501 King St. E., gusto501.com

This may be the happiest happy hour east of Yonge. From Monday to Friday, Gusto 501 offers an hour or two for guests to indulge at reduced prices: $6 bottles of beer, $10 glasses of red wine, $10 brussels sprouts and $14 margherita pizzas. (Monday to Wednesday, 5 to 6 p.m.; Thursday and Friday, 3 to 5 p.m.)