The Best Summer Deals in Toronto

Have you demolished your way through Toronto’s restaurant scene, sampled every appealing menu item, and are now left unsure of where to go for your next date or friends’ night out because your bank account is hurting? Good news: Toronto’s restaurant scene is always evolving, and this summer many of our favourites have come out with new food and drink specials, giveaways, and contests to keep things interesting and affordable. Without further adieu, here’s the list of awesome restaurant deals that are sure to spice up your summer…

Earls King Street
Summer nights are for going out… even if it is on a school night. End the summer off with a bang with Earls’ #ItsASchoolNight promo which features a special $5 summer menu. With items like chicken tacos, nachos, and a few boozey favourites for $5, you really can’t go wrong. This menu’s available until mid-September, Sundays through Thursdays. Don’t forget to check out Earls’ promo page here and enter for a chance to win a gift card. Remember: Earls King Street is always a valid excuse for staying out late.

Lucky Gnocchi Day at Piola
Every 29th of the month you can treat yourself to all-you-can-eat homemade gnocchi served in a variety of sauces at Piola. Traditionally, eating gnocchi on this day is said to bring luck and prosperity, so maybe you can finally win the lottery! (Or, more realistically, you can finally get that perfect sun-kissed tan before summer ends…)

Wayne Gretzky’s
The place to be before or after a game is now also the place to be when you want to soak in the summer sun. Gretzky’s newly redesigned Oasis rooftop patio will have daily “Oasis Specials” including $6 Canadian tall tans, $6 Wayne’s Wine glasses, and $1.50 oysters. Also, every Sunday there’s a weekly sangria special. Cheers!

Oyster Fridays at Ki Modern Japanese + Bar
Ki’s modern design and elegantly prepared plates make it the place to be if you’re looking to spend a classy night out. But on Friday nights their new Oyster Fridays special allows you to take advantage of a great food and drink deal: between 4pm and 9pm enjoy oysters with a chili cucumber ponzu sauce for $2 each and either a $5 Sapporo or $8 Momokawa Organic Sake. Here’s to another reason to cheers to TGIF!

Firkin on Yonge and Firkin on Harbour
The Firkin Pubs have always been known for having a fun-loving and unpretentious atmosphere that really cater to their guests, and both Firkin on Yonge and Firkin on Harbour solidify this reputation! This summer, these two pubs have gone above and beyond by offering free pulled pork sliders when ordering a pitcher of Moosehead. Yes, we said free! Yet another reason to check them out…

Bite Bar
This event is perfect if you’re a biter. No, get your minds out of the gutter – not that kind of biter. Bite Bar is home to gourmet bite-sized desserts like cupcakes, cheesecakes, marshmallow bars, and all things you should technically avoid in large portions – except, since these ones are so tiny, you can enjoy all of the flavour and none of the guilt! From Thursdays to Saturdays from 7pm to 11pm you can get your hands on complimentary bites all evening, each at less than 40 calories and made in-house daily. Definitely try the triple chocolate C Cup and the Banana Splitz cupcakes, and pair them up with drinks like the Crème Brulee Martini, the Grown Up Creamsicle, or the Chocolate Malibu Float. Be sure to call them to book a table, you won’t regret it!

Habits Gastropub
Habits Gastropub continues to push boundaries (even if some raise an eyebrow)! One of the most long-standing commandments of the hospitality industry, “Thou shalt not discuss politics and/or religion with clientele,” has been shattered in the wake of their Rob Ford Off The Wagon 50/50 Draw. For $10 a play until June 30th, 2015, you can pick a calendar date that you think the media will report Rob Ford officially falling off the wagon. If the media reports the story on that day, you win 50 percent of the draw. The other 50 percent goes towards the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). If the media reports the story on a day no one has claimed, all proceeds will be donated to CAMH. Ah, nothing beats giving to a good cause while laughing at someone else’s expense…

Date Night at Hudson Kitchen
Every Tuesday this summer, Hudson Kitchen will be presenting a $30 shareable prix fixe Date Night menu made up of signature staples like their house-made brioche with lavash, devilled eggs with chicken cracklings, Filipino fried chicken on brioche, and glazed pork belly. New summer menu items like their Lake Erie silverbass and scallop crudo will also be featured.

Half Price Wine at L’Unita
This Italian osteria and wine bar is a favourite of ours, and for good reason. Their cannoli has got to be one of the most delicious in Toronto, and their entire menu  make us feel like we’re actually in Italy. But for an additional reason we love them, every Tuesday you can enjoy some of their handmade pastas and thin crust pizzas with half-priced vino, both by the glass and the bottle. Who doesn’t love wine at half price?

DOPO at Porzia 
Porzia has launched a new Sunday series from 3pm to 6pm that includes an Italian-inspired snack menu with items like lamb and beef heart spudini, artichoke fritti, salumi, spaghetti carbonara, muffaletta, and traditional brioche Sicilianna with house-made gelato, all floating within the $10 range. DOPO will also host Porzia’s guest bartender series, with cocktails from talented bartenders like Josh Lindley of Bar Isabel and Aja Sax of The Beverly Hotel. If you’re looking for a place to go after brunch, this is worth checking out! Not to mention they’ve got a ‘Cheap Date Wednesday’ promo, which features $10 plates all night long every Wednesday from 6pm to 10pm. Boom!

Table 17
Both a neighbourhood haunt and culinary destination, Table 17 is the place to be if you’re looking for an inspired meal in a casual and cozy setting. And not like you need another reason to check them out, but currently they are holding a social media contest with $50 weekly giveaways. Just go in, eat, and then check their Facebook page for a question they’ll ask about something that happened at the restaurant. Questions can range between what someone was wearing to what the cocktail du jour was, and if you answer correctly you may win $50!

Lobster Fest Sundays at The Drake Hotel
Nothing says fine dining quite like a lobster dinner. So if DOPO at Porzia isn’t enough to keep you satisfied on Sundays, there’s Lobster Fest at The Drake Hotel. Drop by their Sky Yard every week this summer for a hearty one-pound feast with all the fixings for only $36.95. Each lobster is paired with Mexican corn, smoked potato salad, coleslaw, jalapeño cheddar biscuit, and dessert.

Brunch With Bennyfits at Oliver & Bonacini Café Grill
Friends with benefits are honestly so overrated – everyone knows the key to true happiness is simply good food. The Oliver & Bonacini Café Grill will host a delicious brunch every weekend at their Yonge & Front location, with $3 Caesars and mimosas before 4pm. Now, it’s no secret that we’re huge fans of O&B as they use only the freshest ingredients, so you can really feel the love they put into each and every one of their dishes. And now, you can share that love because $1 from every Eggs Benedict will be donated to Fife House, so you can feel good about eating good!

Rally Sports Bar and Smokehouse
If you’re a carnivore and think salads are for the weak, then you need to hit up Rally for their $19 All You Can Eat Ribs every Monday or their 1/2 price wings (with a purchase of a beverage) every Thursday for the month of August. Mondays and Thursdays just got that much better thanks to Rally. You can thank us later… over a pound of wings. Also don’t forget to check out Rally’s BBQLICIOUS menu running until August 31st. They’re offering a meaty 3-course lunch for $15 and dinner for $25. You can expect dishes like pulled pork, fried chicken to seriously satisfy those carnivorous cravings. Bring on the meat sweats!

Will you be checking out these summer deals? Let us know which ones are your favourite in the comments below or tweet us @ViewTheVibe.