Twelve Toronto restaurants cooking up special TIFF-inspired menus

TIFF isn’t just about celebrating what’s on screen—a whole bunch of Toronto’s restaurants are also getting ready for their close-ups. From multi-course menus to chef collaborations, kitchens across the city are rolling out limited-time offerings that capture the spirit of TIFF’s golden jubilee. Here, 12 spots serving up special film-festival-inspired feasts.

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Alo

Chef Patrick Kriss is planning a four-course tasting menu that will probably earn a standing ovation or two. It begins with canapés made of bluefin tuna, foie gras, amaebi and hamachi. Next is a koshihikari rice dish layered with wild mushrooms and truffles. The lead role is played by New Zealand lamb with chanterelles, and for dessert, Ontario strawberries meet sabayon. Pairings are available and include a selection of Redbreast Irish Whiskey, the world’s most-awarded single-pot still whiskey (and the official whiskey of TIFF). 163 Spadina Ave., alorestaurant.com

Amano Trattoria

Pasta is the star of the show at Amano. Chef Michael Angeloni’s “All Pasta Tasting Menu: Director’s Cut” is a seven-course experience built around cinema’s most iconic noodle moments. Think The Godfather’s Sunday sugo reimagined as double-stuffed ravioli, a Japanese-style carbonara inspired by Tampopo, and an oyster tagliolini dish from Titanic’s first-class menu. There’s even spaghetti and lamb meatballs—a wink to Lady and the Tramp—and for dessert, a strudel-like bucatini pastry with apples and whipped cream in homage to Inglourious Basterds. It’s comfort food with a cinematic twist. 9 Church St., amanotrattoria.ca

Ayla

This Hong Kong–inspired kitchen and cocktail bar tips its hat to director Wong Kar-wai’s cult classic Chungking Express. The Hong Kong filmmaker, known for his dreamy visuals and emotionally charged storytelling, is the muse behind a dish inspired by one of the film’s most iconic symbols: the pineapple can. In a playful nod to one character’s canned-fruit obsession, chefs Kevin Shawcross and Danvee Kwok will serve up char siu (Cantonese-style barbecue pork), crispy rice and sweet pineapple right in the tin. 794 Dundas St. W., 2nd floor, aylaupstairs.com

Fairmont Royal York

Reign, the restaurant inside Toronto’s landmark hotel, will present a four-course experience titled “A Journey Through Cinema’s Greatest Stages.” The menu pays tribute to iconic film settings and festival traditions. Courses include citrus-marinated hamachi crudo, seared seabass, beef tenderloin Rossini and a strawberry soufflé, each paired with a themed cocktail, like a clarified milk punch called the Red Carpet. For something lighter, Clockwork, the hotel’s champagne-and-cocktail lobby lounge, is serving the Ocean Jewel: tuna tartare with Hokkaido uni, osetra caviar and delicate dashi gelée. 100 Front St. W., thefairmontroyalyork.com

Lyla

Chef Michael Medeiros is cooking up a show-stopping lobster caviar pasta dish. A whole one-and-a-half-pound Atlantic lobster is par-cooked and broken down into claw, knuckle and tail meat. The shells are transformed into a rich lobster dashi, then finished with Ontario grass-fed butter to create a beurre blanc. The onions and garlic for the sauce are sweated down and deglazed with nothing other than Veuve Clicquot, naturally. A heaping spoonful of osetra caviar is folded in, adding briny luxury. 60 Sudbury St., lylatoronto.com

Mimi Chinese

The first course at this Michelin-recommended destination for elevated Chinese cuisine features a richly spiced curry beef tart paired with delicately stuffed lotus root. It’s followed by a plate of lobster e-fu noodles with pickled cucumber, fu pi (bean curd skin) and tomato. The main course is made of tender chu hou–braised beef short ribs, stir-fried pork with peppers, seasonal vegetables and fragrant Wuchang rice. The dessert is a plot twist, as it will change daily. 265 Davenport Rd., mimichinese.com

Minami

This Japanese kitchen from Aburi Restaurants features the highly prized A5 Miyazaki Wagyu two ways. First, skewers of the succulent beef are served on a hot stone plate, glazed with black garlic miso and paired with potatoes, peppers and broccolini. Its second act is a Wagyu tartare monaka topped with Volzhenka V20 osetra caviar. For the full experience, tack on the Golden Anniversary Sour cocktail. 225 King St. W., minamitoronto.com

Shangri-La

Frequently cited as one of the city’s top afternoon tea experiences, the hotel’s lobby lounge is marking five decades of iconic films with a cinema-themed menu. Savoury highlights include a devilled egg (The Last Emperor), a focacce di famiglia sandwich (Life Is Beautiful) and trout gravlax (La La Land). On the sweeter side, there’s Black Forest cake (Kings of the Road), saffron mousse with mango–passion fruit gelée (Slumdog Millionaire) and blueberry haskap pie (My American Cousin). The selection will also include signature scones, a glass of sparkling wine or a mocktail, and of course, a curated selection of teas. 188 University Ave., shangri-la.com/toronto

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Sotto Sotto

In the heart of Yorkville, this legendary Italian fine-dining restaurant (made even more famous by Drake) will deliver a refined experience beginning with an octopus carpaccio and tobiko caviar. For the pasta course, a duo of linguine dishes shares centre stage: the classic linguine alla Nerano and a rich variation with zucchini flowers, provolone del Monaco and a blessing of caviar. The main event is a show-stopping 60-ounce grilled porterhouse paired with crisp fiori di zucca and roasted fingerling potatoes. And right before the closing credits, a citrus-infused crème caramel. 120 Avenue Rd., sottosotto.ca

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Broadview Hotel

The starring dish at this east-end gem is the Deep Cut Tartare, raw tenderloin with blood orange reduction, pickled shallots and a gooey egg yolk, served with toasted sourdough. It’s available across three distinct spaces within the hotel: the lobby bistro and bar, the rooftop with sweeping skyline views, and the main dining room. Named after The Cut, a festival premiere about a retired fighter hungry for redemption, the dish channels the film’s raw intensity—bloody, bruised and hungry for more. 106 Broadview Ave., thebroadviewhotel.ca

The Carbon Bar

The tasting experience from this Texas-style barbecue spot is designed as three parts, with courses cheekily titled Scene I, Scene II and Scene III. It opens with East Coast oysters topped with apple-cucumber champagne mignonette. The main act is a pitmaster platter stacked with brisket, St. Louis–style ribs, buttermilk fried chicken, cheddar jalapeño sausage and smoky pulled pork, all served alongside creamy lobster mac and cheese and grilled broccolini. And before the curtains close: a caramel popcorn ice cream sundae with whiskey caramel, chocolate sauce and toasted almond brittle. 99 Queen St. E., thecarbonbar.ca

St. Regis Toronto

Louix Louis’s golden carving experience spotlights a 50-ounce Australian Wagyu tomahawk steak, gold-plated for the occasion and flambéed tableside with Macallan 12-year double-cask single malt. The opulence continues with a caviar-and-cocktail dish: an osetra caviar bump topped with gold flakes and paired with the Macallan rare-cask Roy cocktail. For dessert, a 50-layer King’s Cake—a bold reinterpretation of the hotel’s 13-layer signature cake, which looks modest in comparison—pays homage to five decades of cinema.

Meanwhile, over at the main-floor Astor Lounge, guests can enjoy the Golden Premiere Afternoon Tea. Savoury bites include osetra caviar with yuzu mousse, truffle-honey burrata, squid-ink crêpes and Black Angus sliders. Sweet treats bring gold-dusted black sesame opera cake and popcorn panna cotta, served alongside premium blends from Canadian tea purveyor Sloane. 325 Bay St., marriott.com