The St. Patrick’s Day Parade might be cancelled in Toronto (again), but organizers have suggested another way to celebrate Irish culture: show your love for Irish bars and restaurants that would normally experience an influx of customers on and around March 17.
Of course, celebrating St. Patrick’s Day is a city-wide moment, so an array of restaurants, bars and bakeries are offering pick-up and delivery specials, many of them booze-infused, that you can consume in the safety of your own home whilst clad – partially or exclusively – in green. To wit:
The George Street Diner
One of our favourite east-side diners also happens to be Irish – and they also happen to be going all out for St. Paddy’s Day with two specials and a gift basket. If you’ve been missing the George Street Diner’s famous Irish soda bread, order the Irish Paddy’s Plate (available until March 22), which also includes Irish rashers, Irish link sausages, black and white pudding, baked beans and more (see the photo above).
For the big day on March 17, the restaurant is doing a special three-course dinner that starts off with soda bread, continues with an Irish lamb shank dinner and ends with Irish taffy pudding. Order via the diner’s website or at thegeorgestreetdiner[at]gmail.com. George Street Diner is also on DoorDash, Ritual and UberEats.
129 George, thegeorgestreetdiner.com
Queen and Beaver Public House
Soda bread is also on the menu at the downtown British gastro pub, which is taking pre-orders (until March 13 at 5 pm) for its booze-infused St. Patrick’s Day specials. The starter is tea and whisky-cured salmon, the main is an Irish cottage pie (with spare rib) and the finisher is flourless stout chocolate torte.
35 Elm, queenandbeaverpub.ca
Brazen Head / Murphy’s Law
Liberty Village’s Brazen Head and Murphy’s Law in the Beaches – both owned by Fab Restaurants – have an array of St. Patrick’s Day options, from a dinner to a feast to cocktail kits and Irish stew pies. The dinners come with Colcannon mash (Irish mashed potatoes) and braised beef and shortbread with Baileys-infused caramel sauce. Pre-order before March 15 at 8 pm for pick-up on March 17 between 2 pm and 9 pm.
165 East Liberty / 1702 Queen East, fabrestaurants.ca
Parka
If the above dinner specials seem a bit meat-oriented, plant-based Queen West spot Parka is getting into the spirit by turning its menu of plant-based comfort foods green. (Think “spinach.”) The restaurant’s “shamrock” specials include spinach-infused mac n’ cashew cheese, a broccoli tofu mac n’ cheese and cauliflower fritters with spinach-infused garlic aioli. Available to March 21.
424 Queen West, parkafoodco.com
Bloomer’s
If you don’t need the full Irish, vegan bakery Bloomer’s has a cute thematic dark chocolate donut shaped like a shamrock (obviously). Inside is homemade Baileys-infused cream and on top is green sprinkles. Get it at Bloomer’s Queen, Bloor and Bayview locations or via DoorDash.
Various locations, bloomersto.com
