Great Restaurants in Downtown (Toronto)

Jersey Giant

Located near the St Lawrence Market, this is a basic British-style pub complete with a dartboard and pool table. The bar attracts plenty of corporates but the atmosphere is relaxed and calm. The dark wooden ceiling beams, pictures of Queen Victoria and Churchill and Victorian-style lanterns invite you to settle on a bar stool or at a table. The standard British menu, like shepherd's pie, fish and chips, and liver and onions is what you get here. You can also choose from burgers, all-day breakfast, steak and seafood.

Victoria's at Le Meridien King Edward

Located in Le Meridien King Edward, Victoria's is well known for its power and leisure breakfasts, afternoon tea, and pre-theater meals. With an elegant setting of fine artwork, this restaurant has a contemporary atmosphere. Catering to the business crowd during the mornings and at lunch, and to the usual crowd during the entire day, this ritzy spot is popular with all. Executive Chef Daniel Schick is known for serving delicious and consistently inventive gastronomy to all his visitors since past 12 years. Victoria's is also known for its sunday brunch.

Acqua Ristorante

Situated on Toronto's first intersection front and Yonge, this upscale restaurant shares a city block with the Sony Centre, the Hockey Hall of Fame and BCE Place. Lunch packs in the business partners and their clients while dinner is mostly pre-theater or after-work supping. Chef and co-owner Robert Buchanan works an assortment of steak (grilled Black Angus ribeye), seafood (seared Georgian Bay whitefish), chicken and lamb into a Cal-Ital fusion cuisine. Lunch features options like butternut squash risotto with duck.

Panorama Lounge & Restaurant

As its name suggests, this restaurant is known for its incredible city view. Located on the 51st floor of the Manulife Centre, this exclusive dining spot caters to the business and hotel crowd who don't mind paying extra for the experience. Two patios on both sides of the restaurant provide one with a seat above the hustle of Bloor and Bay Streets. The menu is a pricey selection of high-scale appetizers, including standard offerings as Spring Rolls to the more bizarre Ostrich Fillet with Kiwi Chutney.

Baton Rouge Restaurant & Bar

The first Toronto sighting of a five-restaurant chain out of Montreal, this self-styled "upscale bar and grill" features some of the best Baby Back Ribs with French Fries in the city; not to mention the juicy steaks for those with larger appetites. Located in the Eaton Centre with an entrance on Yonge,Baton Rouge Restaurant & Bar caters to the passing crowd and to those looking for a special place to spend an evening. Aside from the Baby Back Ribs, the menu includes Canadian Prime Beef, and appetizers such as Louisiana Spinach Dip.

Spirits Bar & Grill

A visit to Spirits Bar & Grill is sure to be the cure-all for your weekly woes. A longtime favorite in Toronto, Spirits combines an extensive menu, an amicable staff, and a laid-back atmosphere. Here you can try creative menu items such as pesto pizza or choose from more traditional pub fare. For detailed information on menu items and prices, visit their website.

Crush Wine Bar

Crush offers conventional French cuisine complemented with an exquisite selection of wines. For those really finicky about the food they eat, there is an open kitchen. The ambiance is effervescent and the red-bricked walls are adorned with vintage paintings. Start your meal with appetizers, such as Pâté de Campagne, which is an amalgamation of walnut puree and apricots or the Seared Quebec Foie Gras. For the main course, there's delights, such as Chicken Sûpreme and Duck Confit. And for desert, sink your teeth into some Tahitian Vanilla Crème Brûlée.

Senator Restaurant

Redesigned in the mid 1940s, this diner, part of the complex including the Savoy Lounge, has been serving generation after generation of dedicated customers. While pouring maple syrup on a pile of pancakes hot off the griddle or sipping a thick-beyond-belief chocolate milkshake, you will realize that this classic spot, close to the Eaton Centre, Canon Theater and City Hall, has become a Toronto landmark. They have separate timings for their lunch & dinner services, also they have a take away facility.

Thai Princess

Located in the Entertainment District, this jewel is set in an old brick house. The squared away décor with spacious linen-covered tables and uniformed staff is enhanced by knowledgeable and friendly service. In a flurry of coriander, ginger and sweet garlic, Chef Meng Heng creates Thai delicacies with crisp vegetables, tender chicken, baby beef and an assortment of ripe fruits. The results vary from Basil Chicken to stir-fry Shark with Eggplant and Peppers. Arrays of exotic appetizers include Fish Cakes, or a Squid Salad in an orange marinade.

Barberian's Steak House

Set in a historic 1860 house, this classy yet casual steakhouse serves as an eclectic dining spot for families, sports fans, athletes and CEOs. The decor matches the ambiance with a wood bar and paneling and dark-wine coloured accents, topped off by impeccable service. Specialties of the house include Rib and Salmon Steaks. A late-night menu features delicacies such as Cheese Fondue, Baked Alaska, Grand Marnier Soufflé and Crepes Suzette. Wine lovers have a choice of more than 800 wines.

Lai Wah Heen Restaurant

Lai Wah Heen means 'luxurious meeting place' and this elegant restaurant lives up to its name. Situated in the Metropolitan Hotel, near Chinatown, the restaurant features upscale Cantonese cuisine with an emphasis on fresh ingredients and beautiful presentation. Dishes include Lustrous Peacock, a Salad of Melon, Chicken, Duck, Jellyfish, Thousand Year Eggs and Walnuts with a Peanut dressing. The decor is strikingly modern and formal, with elegant Chinese calligraphy gracing the walls. Two rooms are available for private dinner parties.

Tokyo Grill

This restaurant is a proof that not all good things come in pretty packages. Squeezed amidst Yonge's not-so-inviting storefronts, this Japanese grill has a reputation for making some of the best sushi and soba in the city. It's also a good spot to place your party tray order or for some catering action, when friends drop by unexpectedly. It is a designated non-smoking restaurant by the City of Toronto.