TIFF is just around the corner, and plenty of Toronto businesses are offering special menu items to mark the occasion.
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) returns to the city from Sept. 4-14, bringing movie premieres, world-class parties, and more. If you’re planning to head downtown and enjoy the fanfare, you should know about the various places around the city offering special TIFF-themed bites and drinks.
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MINAMI TORONTO
Address: 225 King St. W.
If you’re looking to spot some celebs during the festival, you might want to check out Minami Toronto, the official hospitality partner of TIFF.
The bar and restaurant is offering a selection of special festival-themed menu options. This includes a cocktail, the Golden Anniversary Sour, priced at $25, and food offerings such as wagyu skewers with black garlic miso, sweet soy glaze, mini potatoes, brocolini and mini peppers ($49), and A5 wagyu tartare monaka with caviar, rakkyo, green onions, and yuzu kosho ($40).
LYLA
Address: 60 Sudbury St.
Craving a fancy pasta dish? Head to Lyla, located in Liberty Village, to check out a special lobster pasta dish.
The elaborate dish features pasta topped with 1.5lb of Atlantic Lobster, served with an Ontario grass-fed beurre blanc, osetra caviar, grana duro chittara, and a borage garnish. The dish is tossed in a sauce made from shells, butter, and Veuve Clicquot, then finished with caviar, gyosho, and fresh lemon.
The dish is priced at $159.
RADICI PROJECT
Address: 588 College St.
Radici Project is another Toronto eatery serving up delectable pasta for TIFF.
The downtown restaurant was founded by world-class chefs and husband-and-wife team Emiliano Del Frate and Kayo Ito. The duo created a new take on the classic pasta Cacio e Pepe, topping it with beef tataki and Canadian caviar. They say the dish was inspired by the Italian food film Il Pranzo di Ferragosto.
The pasta will be presented as the amuse-bouche on both the Essence and Immersive tasting menus at the restaurant. While the pasta won’t be offered on the à la carte menu, during the festival, all diners at Radici Project will be welcomed with a complimentary serving of the special cacio e pepe.
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DEAUVILLE CLUB RESTAURANT
Address: 92 Peter St.
Located on the second floor of Revery Toronto Downtown, Deauville Club is a restaurant combining French elegance and global culinary inspiration. The spot has crafted a cocktail especially for the festival.
It’s collaborating with guest bartender, Troy Gilchrist of No Vacancy, to bring Toronto Frankenfoam, a drink made with Hornitos Black Barrel Tequila and Mokable, a coffee confectionery created with microground coffee beans.
This cocktail is not on the menu and is only available for TIFF.
FICOA
Address: 585 College St.
Those looking for Mexican food should head to Ficoa for a menu curated for TIFF by Mexican chef Esau Garcia Ramos, inspired by the film Like Water for Chocolate.
The College St. restaurant is offering a special selection of à la carte menu items for the festival run, including the Pétalos de Rosa cocktail with gin, guava, strawberry, and rose water ($20), the Chiles en Nogada, a Picadillo stuffed poblano pepper with Nogada sauce and pomegranate ($35) and the Chabela’s cake, a chocolate dessert with Mokable ($10).
BAR XXX
Address: 102 Portland St.
Bar XXX is a small speakeasy-style bar located under Little Sister restaurant that is offering an exclusive cocktail for TIFF.
A cheeky nod to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, the bar is serving up the No. 42, an off-menu martini priced at $26.
ARIANNA AT HARBOUR SIXTY
Address: 60 Harbour St.
Arianna, a bar located in Toronto’s Harbour Sixty building, is debuting a new cocktail created just in time for TIFF by award-winning mixologist Tiffany Desbiens.
The “Her” cocktail is described as Hugo spritz meets lemon drop martini, garnished with bergamot perfume, mint and an edible flower and inspired by the allure of Old Hollywood and the cinematic elegance of the golden era’s leading women.
The drink is priced at $28, available off-menu and only through TIFF 2025.
THE CARBON BAR
Address: 99 Queen St. E.
The Carbon Bar is offering a three-course special for TIFF.
The first course features east coast oysters in a champagne mignonette, while the second course is The Pitmaster Platter, featuring ribs, brisket, lobster mac & cheese, grilled broccolini and more.
Then satisfy your sweet tooth with the third course, a decadent caramel popcorn sundae.
The offer runs from Sept. 4-14, and is priced at $89/person.
REIGN RESTAURANT
Address: 100 Front St. W.
Located in the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, Reign Restaurant is offering a special four-course tasting menu for TIFF. The various dishes included aim to take diners on a journey around the world through film festivals, with food crafted to pay homage to legendary cinematic destinations.
The menu features four courses that pair delectable bites like beef tenderloin Rossini, complete with seared foie gras and truffle jus, with cocktails like a smoky Martinez variation.
You can find the full menu of courses and cocktail pairings here.
The TIFF tasting menu is available from Sept. 4-14 and priced at $150/person.
Meanwhile, at the Library Bar, also located in the hotel, is serving up a cocktail inspired by The Godfather called Take the Cannoli.
This drink features Redbreast 12 Single Pot Still Irish Whisky, Albicocca Liqueur and Angostura Bitters served with a venison tartare, juniper, saskatoon berry, smoked maple pecans, and a cannoli shell.
