Restaurant for small cocktail party?

[hellohellokitty]

I'm looking to host a party - cocktail reception for approximately 25 guests in late April/early May. I would love for my guests to be able to mix and mingle as well as have appetizers and finger foods laid out on a table. Any cuisine is fine.

I'm looking for a nice, ttc accessible restaurant/venue in the downtown area that would be able to provide good appetizers at a reasonable price. I'd also like to bring in a cake. Any recommedations?

[danionavenue]

Mirage Cafe at Yonge and Eglington would be nice. They have a catering menu and I remember them having $25 bottles of wine and $4.50 beers. I am sure you could call them and work out appetizers and drinks with gratuity for $500. It is really inside. The lounge downstairs is gorgeous but it was not busy the fri. nigh I went.

[justpete]

What about SideCar? Relatively small, well known for their cocktails and snacks. Perfect for what you're describing.

http://www.sidecarrestaurant.ca/

[hellohellokitty]

Thank you so much for your recommendations! I will definitely check these out!

[LemonLauren]

i sound liek a broken records, but i love beerbistro's private room - we did our egnagement party there and served cocktail apps for 60 people for four hours for about a grand - but we served a lot of food - enough for a dinner. mini burgers, sushi, veggies, fries, flatbreads. amazing,

http://www.beerbistro.com/private_roo...

[torontofoodiegirl]

I too will sound like a broken record when I suggest Quince. They have a nice private area downstairs. Don't know about their hors d'oeuvre pricing but their meal pricing is reasonable. $20pp seems do-able, but not if it's meant to include drinks (I'm assuming OP is talking about a cash bar).

Also, not sure if this is a figment of my imagination, but I think Coquine may have a private room. Don't quote me on that though.

Neither place is downtown (at Yonge and Eg) but they're certainly central and TTC-accessible.

[evanna]

Hi lemonlauren. it has been some time I know, but when I look on the beer bistro website it says that the private room only holds 48. Was their enough room for the 60 of you and did they make an exception for your group?

[JennaBean]

just one point to note with BeerBistro, I believe the min spend for that room is upwards of $6,000 IRCC. I haven't looked into the room in a while but I know it was rather a high spend for a small space.

[lsk]

My information may be dated, as the event I threw at the private room at beerbistro was back in May 2010, but I'm fairly sure that the minimum spend isn't $6000. In fact, I chose beerbistro because there was no minimum spend unlike other places like Nota Bene.

This policy may have changed in the mean time, but the Event Contract on their site also makes no mention of a minimum spend.

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Nota Bene
180 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON M5V 2A1, CA

[JamieK]

Not downtown per se but give Globe Bistro a call, they may be able to accommodate you. Just about next door to a subway station and Green P parking. Food good, service good. They have space for private parties/
http://www.globebistro.com/party/Priv...

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Globe
124 Danforth Avenue, Toronto, ON M4K1N1, CA

[dickiegreenleaf]

sister restaurant, Coca on Queen west may work as well.

[JamieK]

Can you give a range of what you consider to be a reasonable price per person?

Carens Wine & Cheese Bar has an upstairs area suitable for cocktail parties. Here's the catering menu -
http://www.carenswineandcheese.com/ca...

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Carens
158 Cumberland St, Toronto, ON M5R1A8, CA

[hellohellokitty]

I was hoping to keep it under $500.00?

[canadianbeaver]

That place looks really delicious, but it gives no pricing (not for catering, but for the actual restaurant). What's their wine and cheese pricing like, do you know?

[JamieK]

Yes, I've always found it frustrating that there are no prices on the online menu.
From what I remember, it was about $35 for a platter of different cheeses (maybe about five different chunks? I think), plus extra for things like nuts or fruit or cured meats. I've usually been there with two other cheesehound friends and the size of the platter suited us fine, but yeah, not cheap. But it's a nice atmosphere with good cheeses and good service.

Anyway, this will totally not work for OP at the required budget. For about 25 people at about $500 total, we're looking at $20pp. I don't know if that's possible downtown.

[OnDaGo]

What is the age range and occasion?

[hellohellokitty]

It's for my birthday and the age ranges are late 20s-early 30s.