Sure, TIFF is about the films, the premieres, and the chance to catch a celebrity spotting at a midnight screening. But let’s be real: the food deserves its own close-up. Across Toronto, restaurants are rolling out festival-inspired menus that sound delicious and sometimes over-the-top in the best way.
EPOCH Bar & Kitchen Terrace
EPOCH is celebrating the festival season with DJ sets every Thursday to Saturday across both weekends. Guests can drop in for a playful Afternoon Tea service with a TIFF twist, or simply take advantage of the restaurant’s extended hours, open until 2 a.m. on weekends and 1 a.m. on weekdays, making it a perfect late-night stop after a premiere.
Featured TIFF dishes:
- Tuna Crudo with truffle ponzu, black truffle, crispy garlic, EVOO, and cilantro ($34)
- Braised Beef Cheek Bao with black truffle aioli (2pc) ($14)
- Uni on Sushi Rice Crisp (2pc) ($28)
- Lobster Pizza on a charcoal base with dill cream sauce, trout roe, and dill ($38)
- Duck Confit Poutine ($34)
- Sturgeon Caviar (40g) with blinis, egg, crème fraiche, shallots, and chives ($120)
- Mussel Pot with grilled sourdough ($28)
- Coco Shrimp with sambal and lemongrass coconut dressing ($30)
- Seafood Towers
- Medium ($125): ½ lobster, oysters, shrimp cocktail, snow crab, tuna tartare, and more
- Large ($250): whole lobster, 12 oysters, shrimp, and 16 snow crab claws
TOCA
TOCA is embracing TIFF season with extended hours, lunch served until 4 p.m, and dinner until 10 p.m. During festival mornings, have a champagne breakfast, while evenings offer a TIFF Wine Pairing Menu or a seven-course Chef’s Table tasting menu with curated pours. Exclusive high-end wines by the glass are available for the experience.
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Featured TIFF dishes:
- Pasta Chitarra Spaghetti with truffle and porcini mushrooms ($45)
- Turban of Swordfish with sea urchin sauce ($55)
- Rabbit Porchetta with lima beans and Swiss chard ($60)
LANO
LANO’s TIFF menu is all about local, sustainable seafood with European flair. Pair it with live music on Friday and Saturday nights, and you’ve basically got yourself a soundtrack and dinner scene rolled into one.
Bar XXX
Find this Toronto speakeasy beneath Little Sister. They’re rolling out a TIFF-only martini: TIFF No. 42 ($26), a nod to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Off-menu, mysterious, and available only during the festival, it’s the kind of drink that deserves its own Easter egg hunt.
Arianna at Harbour Sixty
At Arianna, it’s all about glamour. Their TIFF exclusive is “Her” ($28), a cocktail inspired by Old Hollywood’s leading ladies. Think Hugo Spritz meets lemon drop martini, finished with bergamot perfume, mint, and an edible flower.
Ficoa
Chef Esau Garcia Ramos takes cues from Like Water for Chocolate for a TIFF-only a la carte “Director’s Cut.”
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- Cocktail: Pétalos de Rosa ($20) — gin, guava, strawberry, rose water
- Dish: Chiles en Nogada ($35) — picadillo-stuffed poblano, Nogada sauce, pomegranate
- Dessert: Chabela’s Cake ($10) — chocolate cake featuring Mokable
- This one’s basically edible magical realism.
Minami Toronto
As an official TIFF partner, Minami is bound to be a hotspot. Their exclusives?
- Cocktail: The Golden Anniversary Sour ($25)
- Dishes: Wagyu Skewers on a Hot Stone Plate ($49/4oz), featuring black garlic miso and sweet soy glaze, and A5 Wagyu Tartare Monaka with Volzhenka Osciètre Caviar ($40/2pc), accompanied by yuzu kosho and green onion.
Radici Project
For TIFF, the Radici Project is serving a Cacio e Pepe finished with beef tataki and Canadian caviar, a playful spin on the Roman classic that nods to Italy’s Ferragosto barbecue season. The inspiration comes from Il Pranzo di Ferragosto, an Italian film that lingers on themes of tradition, care, and the kind of meals that bring people together.
The dish makes a brief appearance as the amuse-bouche on both tasting menus, the smaller Essence Menu and the more elaborate Immersive Menu. Even à la carte diners will be greeted with a little taste of it, offered quietly off-menu as a welcome bite.
Lyla
Lyla, located in Liberty Village, is serving Lobster Caviar Pasta ($159) — a 1.5lb Atlantic lobster with osetra caviar, champagne dashi, beurre blanc, and a pasta garnish fit for a standing ovation.
Deauville Club x Mokable
On the second floor of Revery Toronto Downtown, Deauville Club is serving up a TIFF-only cocktail that plays with unexpected contrasts. The drink, called Frankenfoam, blends Hornitos Black Barrel Tequila with Mokable, a Japanese coffee confectionery made by microgrinding whole beans to capture their full depth.
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For the festival run, guest bartender Troy Gilchrist (No Vacancy) will be behind the bar, shaping the collaboration into something both experimental and cinematic, a fitting nod to TIFF’s spirit.
From truffle-dusted pasta to lobster topped with caviar, TIFF dining this year leans into spectacle. Whether it’s a cocktail with a backstory, a towering spread of seafood, or a dish drawn from Like Water for Chocolate, Toronto’s restaurants are matching the festival’s energy with plates that feel just as dramatic as the films.
