Top 5 special menus in Toronto restaurants in celebration of TIFF
Published September 2, 2025 at 2:12 pm
Restaurants in Toronto are rolling out the red carpet in celebration of TIFF.
The city earns its nickname of ‘Hollywood North’ this week, as the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) — running from Sept. 4 to 14 —is anticipated to bring a parade of movie stars, and the city’s finest restaurants are vying to provide that same glamour.
Royal York Hotel
The Royal York Hotel is a celebrated fixture for high-class living and some of the best food in the city.
For this list, we are starting with Reign, one of the hotel’s most coveted dining locations, where they are offering a TIFF tasting menu that includes hamachi caviar, seared seabass, and a beef tenderloin — all paired with perfectly crafted cocktails to complement each dish.
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Amano Trattoria
Staying downtown, we have Amano Trattoria, a must-see location for some of the most expertly crafted pasta dishes in the entire GTA.
To celebrate TIFF, resident chef Michael Angeloni has taken cues from the big screen and has turned seven famous films into pasta dishes inspired by the themes of each film.
There’s the Titanic, an oyster tagliolini, Lady and the Tramp, a gourmet take on the classic spaghetti and meatballs, and the Inglorious Basterds, a sweet take on pasta strudel.
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Ayla
This celebrated Asian fusion restaurant is paying homage to one of the greats with its nod to director Wong Kar-wai’s cult classic, Chungking Express.
To those who know the film, the char siu rice, pineapple, and prawn, served in the film’s most iconic piece of imagery — a sliced pineapple can — is a lovely and flavorful nod to an iconic piece of cinema.
For those who don’t know the film, this dish is still a knockout that will likely have you streaming it when you get back home.
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The Carbon Bar
This Texas-style barbecue spot downtown aims to showcase a secret menu in the form of their ‘Director’s Cut Experience.’
Champagne mignonette oysters, a full barbecue platter, alongside a heavenly lobster mac and cheese, and grilled broccolini, round out this bold and dynamic carousel of flavours.
Top it off with a caramel popcorn sundae, and you have a selection worthy of an A-lister.
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Pukka
To wrap it up, this popular Indian spot just off Dupont is offering an incredibly flavourful tasting menu in celebration of TIFF.
Whether you are coming out of a movie with a date or a big group of friends, Pukka is aiming to innovate alongside this year’s movie premieres by providing a premium kebab dressed with turmeric sauce, pan-seared scallops, and a New York striploin paired with pumpkin curry, basmati rice, and naan.
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