Seven stellar ways to celebrate New Year’s Eve 2020
A karaoke bash at Dasha
1 Dasha’s “Decades” party fuses a fancy Chinese dinner with a playful karaoke night. Guests can book a swanky booth under the room’s cherry blossom tree, and treat themselves to indulgent dishes by Michelin-starred chef Akira Back. The signature black truffle duck and black cod with caviar are particularly NYE-appropriate. Once everyone’s consumed enough Halo Halo Mei Ren cocktails to sufficiently lower their inhibitions, the karaoke bar will open so guests can belt out their favourite hits from the past decade. 620 King West, 416-601-0662, dashatoronto.com
A canapé crawl at Assembly Chef’s Hall
2 The 18,000-square-foot food emporium is hosting a two-part New Year’s Eve bash this year. Part one kicks off at 7 p.m. with a free glass of bubbly and unlimited canapés from almost all of the hall’s vendors. Guests can expect things like smoked meats from Cherry Street Bar-B-Que and healthy fancy toast from Nutbar. At about 10 p.m., the party will shift gears with two stages featuring live acts and multiple bars serving partiers throughout the space. Tickets are $130 each for the whole evening, and there will be an extended last-call for anyone who’s truly lamenting the end of 2019 (…anyone?). 111 Richmond St. W., 647-557-5993, assemblychefshall.com
A Spanish feast at Labora
3 At Labora, chef Rob Bragagnolo serves modern Spanish dishes and all sorts of exceptional seafood—and this New Year’s Eve is no exception. To ring in the noche vieja, the restaurant is bringing in chefs Tobey Nemeth and Michael Caballo, the husband-and-wife team behind Edulis, one of the most coveted restaurant reservations in town. They’ll be dreaming up a mouth-watering five-course tasting menu, with a complimentary glass of cava. The first seating is $90, the second seating is $125 and regional Spanish attire is encouraged. 433 King Street W., 416-260-9993, labora.to
A family-style tasting menu at Kōjin
4 Momofuku’s third-floor steakhouse is throwing an extra-special bash for New Year’s Eve. For the late evening seating ($115 per person), the kitchen will be cooking up a fancy four-course feast packed with all the special-occasion ingredients you could hope for: caviar and brioche, Newfoundland snow crab, prime rib, black truffle gouda mash, whole branzino and a rocky road chocolate cake. A sparkling toast is included, and guests can groove to the DJ who will be spinning from 9 p.m. onward. 190 University Ave, 647-253-8000, kojin.momofuku.com
Half-priced champagne at Montecito
5 For those looking for a sophisticated soirée, Montecito is hosting a bash in its Palm Lounge, with half-priced bubbly all night long. Guests can order signature California-inspired plates like Ontario lamb ribs, Panzanella salad and a cheese and charcuterie board while listening to Larenne Vine, a pianist and singer whose poppy-soul vibe is akin to Alicia Keys. 299 Adelaide St. W., 416-599-0299, montecitorestaurant.ca
A futuristic party at The Gladstone
6 A team of artists is turning the entire hotel into an ode to space, with all guests encouraged to dress in their best future-glam finery. To start, chef Akshay Shastry will serve a three-course meal consisting of winter squash crostini, smoked turbot and ricotta-stuffed chicken supreme, followed by green tea crème brulee. After dinner, the place will turn up with space-age-inspired DJ sets plus performances from future-funk band Tush and burlesque troupe Les Femmes Fatales. The whole package is $150. For those who want to turn the night into a mini staycation, renting a room comes with free party access, a midnight toast and $40 off dinner. 1214 Queen St. W., 416-531-4635, gladstonehotel.com
A masquerade ball at Oretta
7 Oretta’s stunning Art Deco–inspired space will channel Carnevale di Venezia this New Year’s Eve, with twinkling lights, performing dancers and sultry tunes spun by their resident DJ all night long. The second dinner seating ($95) includes a champagne toast and four-course meal with tuna tartare, truffle ricotta ravioli, braised beef short rib and seared Mediterranean sea bass. The Venice Carnival is famous for its elaborate masks, and the restaurant will be doling them out to every guest upon entrance, for a seductive Eyes Wide Shut vibe. 633 King St. W., 416-944-1932, oretta.com
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/life/seven-stellar-ways-to-celebrate-new-years-eve-2020/&title=Seven stellar ways to celebrate New Year’s Eve 2020&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Family-Shot-2000x1600.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_512186" align="aligncenter" width="2000"] Dasha's family-style menu. Photo by Abhishek Dekate[/caption]
A karaoke bash at Dasha
1 Dasha’s “Decades” party fuses a fancy Chinese dinner with a playful karaoke night. Guests can book a swanky booth under the room's cherry blossom tree, and treat themselves to indulgent dishes by Michelin-starred chef Akira Back. The signature black truffle duck and black cod with caviar are particularly NYE-appropriate. Once everyone’s consumed enough Halo Halo Mei Ren cocktails to sufficiently lower their inhibitions, the karaoke bar will open so guests can belt out their favourite hits from the past decade. 620 King West, 416-601-0662, dashatoronto.com
A canapé crawl at Assembly Chef’s Hall
2 The 18,000-square-foot food emporium is hosting a two-part New Year’s Eve bash this year. Part one kicks off at 7 p.m. with a free glass of bubbly and unlimited canapés from almost all of the hall's vendors. Guests can expect things like smoked meats from Cherry Street Bar-B-Que and healthy fancy toast from Nutbar. At about 10 p.m., the party will shift gears with two stages featuring live acts and multiple bars serving partiers throughout the space. Tickets are $130 each for the whole evening, and there will be an extended last-call for anyone who's truly lamenting the end of 2019 (...anyone?). 111 Richmond St. W., 647-557-5993, assemblychefshall.com
A Spanish feast at Labora
3 At Labora, chef Rob Bragagnolo serves modern Spanish dishes and all sorts of exceptional seafood—and this New Year’s Eve is no exception. To ring in the noche vieja, the restaurant is bringing in chefs Tobey Nemeth and Michael Caballo, the husband-and-wife team behind Edulis, one of the most coveted restaurant reservations in town. They'll be dreaming up a mouth-watering five-course tasting menu, with a complimentary glass of cava. The first seating is $90, the second seating is $125 and regional Spanish attire is encouraged. 433 King Street W., 416-260-9993, labora.to
A family-style tasting menu at Kōjin
4 Momofuku’s third-floor steakhouse is throwing an extra-special bash for New Year’s Eve. For the late evening seating ($115 per person), the kitchen will be cooking up a fancy four-course feast packed with all the special-occasion ingredients you could hope for: caviar and brioche, Newfoundland snow crab, prime rib, black truffle gouda mash, whole branzino and a rocky road chocolate cake. A sparkling toast is included, and guests can groove to the DJ who will be spinning from 9 p.m. onward. 190 University Ave, 647-253-8000, kojin.momofuku.com
Half-priced champagne at Montecito
5 For those looking for a sophisticated soirée, Montecito is hosting a bash in its Palm Lounge, with half-priced bubbly all night long. Guests can order signature California-inspired plates like Ontario lamb ribs, Panzanella salad and a cheese and charcuterie board while listening to Larenne Vine, a pianist and singer whose poppy-soul vibe is akin to Alicia Keys. 299 Adelaide St. W., 416-599-0299, montecitorestaurant.ca
A futuristic party at The Gladstone
6 A team of artists is turning the entire hotel into an ode to space, with all guests encouraged to dress in their best future-glam finery. To start, chef Akshay Shastry will serve a three-course meal consisting of winter squash crostini, smoked turbot and ricotta-stuffed chicken supreme, followed by green tea crème brulee. After dinner, the place will turn up with space-age-inspired DJ sets plus performances from future-funk band Tush and burlesque troupe Les Femmes Fatales. The whole package is $150. For those who want to turn the night into a mini staycation, renting a room comes with free party access, a midnight toast and $40 off dinner. 1214 Queen St. W., 416-531-4635, gladstonehotel.com
A masquerade ball at Oretta
7 Oretta's stunning Art Deco–inspired space will channel Carnevale di Venezia this New Year's Eve, with twinkling lights, performing dancers and sultry tunes spun by their resident DJ all night long. The second dinner seating ($95) includes a champagne toast and four-course meal with tuna tartare, truffle ricotta ravioli, braised beef short rib and seared Mediterranean sea bass. The Venice Carnival is famous for its elaborate masks, and the restaurant will be doling them out to every guest upon entrance, for a seductive Eyes Wide Shut vibe. 633 King St. W., 416-944-1932, oretta.com){kind=link}