The Best Restaurants Open On Thanksgiving In Toronto

Thanksgiving is the holiday where we all have a chance to give thanks – by cooking, eating, and drinking surrounded by all the favourite people in our lives. That said, it’s a whole lotta work, and some of us would prefer not to cook the bird and have leftovers that will add 10 pounds to our waistlines. So for that, we look outside of the home cooked feast and at the restaurants that are kind enough to open on Thanksgiving Sunday and Monday to present us with portion-controlled (in some cases) fabulous feasts. Here are our top picks for this Thanksgiving season…

Café Boulud
Never one to say no to the fantabulous chef Daniel Boulud, the team at Café Boulud takes Thanksgiving to another level by creating a top of the line meal for everyone celebrating this notable holiday. No, it’s not cheap… but damn, it’s good. A three-course meal including items like seared foie gras, lobster salad, venison and turbot served with bone marrow will not disappoint. And don’t worry, they also go traditional by serving a heritage turkey with a chipolata and bourbon stuffing. Looking to impress the fam? Hit up Café Boulud and blow them away – they are open for Thanksgiving feasting Sunday evening and Monday as of noon.

Destingo
Italian lover? This gem on Queen West serves some delicious pizza, pasta, and unique takes on Italian comfort food. Never disappointing, this is the spot to hit if you’re just looking for a casual Thanksgiving brunch. Open on Thanksgiving Monday as of noon, you can enjoy a three-course turkey meal for only $29 or indulge in their famous pastas while also enjoying some – dare we say it – patio time! Yes, we believe the warm weather ain’t goin’ anywhere just yet.

The Good Son
A View the Vibe favourite, we hit the roof with joy when we discovered Chef Vittorio decided to cook on Thanksgiving Sunday! If you haven’t seen or tasted this Top Chef Season Four alum’s food, you are missing out. Handsome and talented, a dinner out at The Good Son is never disappointing. With a specially designed menu for the festive holiday, you can give thanks to us too for letting you know about this Toronto gem.

Habits Gastropub
This College Street gem never sits still and will be serving up a festive turkey dinner on Thanksgiving Monday for all of us who are not into cooking the bird ourselves. The family owned restaurant serves up some of the best comfort food in Toronto so you can expect some seriously good eats. Last year they sold out so reservations are highly recommended – dinner starts at 5pm! Note: They will be closed on Sunday.

Montecito
New in Toronto, this downtown destination is the product of Ivan Reitman (producer and director of Ghostbusters) as well as the ever-talented celebrity chef Jonathan Waxman. This year, they celebrate their first Canadian Thanksgiving by opening their doors for both brunch and dinner on both Sunday and Monday. If you’re not feeling turkey, Chef Waxman’s famous chicken is a substitute like no other. Seriously though, Google it; that chicken made the man famous (though we think there’s a couple other dishes that got him there, too).

Edward Lesvesque’s Kitchen
Never one to disappoint, you can always count on Ed to produce a fantastic dinner, and, most of all, a festive feast. For yet another year, if you don’t want to cook head east to Ed Levesque’s and enjoy a three-course Thanksgiving feast for $38. The menu includes sage and aged cheddar biscuits with apple butter, chicken liver mousse, and the traditional turkey dinner with gravy – you seriously cannot go wrong. Best of all? You can start Thanksgiving early with this special menu running Saturday through Monday of the October long weekend.

Victor Restaurant
Chef David Chrystian never disappoints, especially on Thanksgiving. Opened Sunday and Monday from 5pm to 10pm, Chef David is serving a three-course menu including an organic turkey dinner with all the fixins, and his famous confit leg stuffing. Drooling yet? Add the beet root salad to start and pecan pie, pumpkin mousse and apple crumble to finish and your Thanksgiving is called perfection. PS – if you don’t want to sit in the beautiful dining room at the entrance of HOTEL Le Germain, you can call ahead for a pick up. Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone if you take credit for it…

Colette
Now serving brunch on Sundays, the new French restaurant makng waves in the King West district will be serving a special Harvest brunch buffet on the Thanksgiving Sunday. Starting at 10am we can imagine Executive Chef Michael Steh will be putting together a feast to remember.

Dog & Bear
Feeling like a chill Thanksgiving vibe with friends? The famous English pub on Queen West is offering up a proper turkey dinner created by well-known “party like a rockstar” Chef/Owner, Matty Matheson. Known for his epic burger, his culinary genius will surely shine through in the $19/person menu that includes either the turkey breast or confit leg served with smashed sweet potatoes, cream corn, brussel sprouts, roasted beets, classic stuffing with sage and roasted turkey gravy. Just like home (but probably better)!

Soho House
Yes, we know… it’s members only. But if you are a member that may not want to cook on Thanksgiving Sunday, Soho House is giving you an all you can eat menu for just $35 – as much as your body can take in turkey, stuffing, gravy, roasted leg of lamb, cranberries, sweet potatoes, garlic mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts, a variety of salads, and an assortment of desserts including pumpkin pie. Did you catch all that? Yeah, you may be rolling home that night… thank God you have Monday to recover!

Where will you be heading for Thanksgiving dinner this year? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @ViewTheVibe.