Pad Thai, Persian feasts and more are on the menu at Toronto supper club
Published November 4, 2026 at 3:36 pm
Toronto’s definitive boutique test kitchen is going all in on comfort food for the public ahead of winter.
As the city shakes off daylight saving time — and we contend with the sun setting before our evening commutes — one of Toronto’s most cherished communal dining spaces is rolling out a comprehensive menu to help fight the cold.
The Depanneur (named for Québécois corner stores) has been rocking its new location on the south end of Chinatown for almost two years, and has seen massive success operating as a test kitchen, seminar space, and communal dining hall.
Now, with winter right around the corner, founder Len Senater gave us an exclusive look at their November calendar, so those who crave new cozy recipes know where to go.
“The Depanneur offers you a space that goes beyond what you can get at a restaurant, and what we do is something in between performance and art,” Senater told yourcitywithIN.
The Depanneur’s (or The Dep’s) public calendar has already seen some knockout hits this month, including an entire seminar on Day of the Dead for traditional tamales and a crash course on cuisine for this upcoming Diwali.
“The whole point was an interfaith Diwali dinner, where Hindu, Sikh, and Jain communities can come together and celebrate. The Depanneur is always in a unique position to use food as a bridge to community building,” says Senater.
Programming at The Dep is staggered via traditional cooking classes, where guests get a more hands-on experience, and the supper club series. This month, each event on the calendar has been tailor-made to double down on more hearty international cuisine.
Some heavy hitters include crash courses in Thai food, teaching guests how to make the perfect Pad Thai and mango sticky rice; seminars on gnocchi from scratch (which we’ve visited in the past); and ‘Sweater Weather,’ a family-style dinner built on fall harvest ingredients.
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“Everything is typically served more family-style, rather than the individual plating most people are used to at restaurants — it helps differentiate us,” says Senater.
As The Dep moves into more cozy programming, it is also taking full advantage of its new space.
When the location started back in 2011, they were relegated to a tiny corner spot on College Street, but now it sits in a new loft space off Queen, packed with stovetops, ovens, and plenty of other kitchen appliances and seating.
According to Senater, this is now giving him even more confidence to think outside the box in terms of programming — especially for the fall season.
“We have Beverly Crandon, one of the few Black certified sommeliers in Toronto, who is building from the ground up a program on cuisines that are overlooked when it comes to wine pairings. So, think Caribbean foods, Vietnamese foods, and other Asian cuisines; things that still warm you up, but haven’t been given the same attention when it comes to how they pair with a bottle,” says Senater.
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Other notable events at The Dep in the coming weeks include Qailula, a staggering five-course dinner inspired by Persian and South Asian flavours, Jamaican Patty classes, and a deep dive into holiday-inspired whiskies, because naturally, November marks the start of many people’s shopping lists.
“People reach out to us, often wanting to do something that they want to make happen for a particular time of year. What we do is go over their vision and see how we can fit that into our calendar,” says Senater. “Some of it emerges very organically; others, you have to be a bit strategic about.”
As for what next month holds, Senater was quick to note that while there will be events, November is still prime time at The Dep, as December is usually a time when people take advantage of their own living rooms as much as possible.
That being said, considering not every Toronto dwelling comes with a fireplace and dining hall, Senater indicates that once next month rolls around, those who need a space for a party that can’t fit in their condo can always rely on The Dep.
“I’m currently designing a calendar that can leave the space open for people who need us.”
The full slate of The Depannuer’s fall programming is available on their website, with December’s well on the way.