Layover in Toronto on New Year's Eve - need help please!

[Blind Mind]

Miami 'Hound here. I will be traveling thru Toronto on my way back from Hong Kong on New Year's Eve. I land at Pearson International at 630p and would like to have a nice meal at a fun location where I can blend in with a group of strangers for New Years Eve. I ultimately would like to dine at one of Susur Lee's restaurants but I know nothing about them as far as vibe is concerned and I don't want to be somewhere stuffy. Are any of his spots more upbeat?

To help, I will tell you that my favorite food genres are French and Asian and I am a serious bourbon drinker. I will also need a hotel to rest my head so if you could recommend a hotel near a good spot for what I'm looking for on NYE, I will be very grateful.

Thanks in advance for your assistance and if you are ever in Miami, please message me and I will be happy to make recommendations on where to get the best eats.

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Susur
601 King St W, Toronto, ON M5V1M5, CA

[c_snapper]

are you booked for the hilton already?

it may not be the best food, but you'll definitely have fun if you stay at the Drake Hotel.

or you can take a $10 cab ride to Enoteca Sociale for their New Years Eve Dinner, then party at your hotel.

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The Drake Hotel
1150 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6J, CA

Drake Hotel
1150 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON M6J 1J3, CA

Enoteca Sociale
1288 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6J, CA

[Blind Mind]

Ok, I think Im going to be staying at the Hilton in downtown Toronto (Richmond Street West). Is that a good area? Seems to have lots of bars/restaurants around.

[sumdumgoy]

On New Years Eve many restos will have a special menu and a late seating at 9 - 9:30.

This would give you a chance to check in at your hotel ( you will arrive there between 7:30 and 8 pm) after a long flight and brush the fur off your teeth etc. then walk or cab to resto of your choice.

The following morning go for Dim Sum at Lai Wah Heen - a short bourbon induced stumble from the Hilton.

This should guarantee a pleasant snooze on the last leg of your journey.

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Lai Wah Heen
108 Chestnut St, Toronto, ON M5G 1R3, CA

[ggom1]

You'll be walking distance from the 'Entertainment District' at the Hilton, but that isn't really where you'd want to be looking for good food. The Drake Hotel is a good suggestion, or the Gladstone maybe (they're very close to each other) - they're also closer to the airport.

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The Drake Hotel
1150 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6J, CA

[bytepusher]

The Hilton is fine, for a circumstance like this you don't need the boutique hotel experience (and frankly price) of the places others are advocating.

I've honestly no idea what to suggest as a place to go to party since we've gone to a house party with the same people for 20+ years.

Lots of good restaurants are putting on prix fixe dinner specials and there will be a party mood but they tend to be aimed at couples frankly. Parts and Labour may be fun (although it gets mixed reviews here, I've had the chef's cooking in other circumstances and it was excellent) as everyone is going to be seated at one big communal table. $125 for the late sitting including champagne http://www.partsandlabour.ca/parts-an... there's a rock club in the basement so it seems likely to be a party mood.

[1sweetpea]

My experience with The Thompson Toronto is that the walls are paper thin. People like to party hard on weekends and make lots of noise coming back to their rooms between 12:30 and about 4:00 am. At the end of the hall I could even hear the ding of the elevator as it arrived on my floor each time. I can't speak for any other boutique hotel, but I have heard that the Drake can be party central on weekends too. I would personally consider partying in the entertainment district but staying at a quiet B&B if you have any designs on sleeping that night. Just my 2 cents. Maybe it was just a function of it being the holiday season, but this past weekend my floor of the Thompson Hotel was more like a college dorm or a frat party. It's a funky hotel and has a fun vibe when you're not trying to sleep. Maybe you could attend the New Year's Eve party being held there, but promptly depart afterward.

[Blind Mind]

Thanks for the suggestions. I will be staying the night and flight isn't until 2p the next day. Sad to hear Lee is an hour away. Didnt seem that far when i mapped it. Is Sushi Kaji a hoppin' place? I'll be solo and looking to have fun with strangers. I usually eat at the bar when I dine alone for that reason. Any other suggestions?

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Sushi Kaji
860 The Queensway, Toronto, ON M8Z1N7, CA

[TorontoJo]

Sushi Kaji is not a hoppin' place. Lee is not an hour away. It is downtown and downtown is 40 minutes from the airport, at the most (unless you happen to hit rush hour). Since your flight is not until 2, you can easily go downtown, have a nice evening, crash in a hotel, sleep in late and still make your flight.

Given your goals, I really do think that the bar or restaurant in the Thompson Hotel is the way to go. I'm not sure whether Lee has a bar, but if it does, it probably has the vibe you're looking for.

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Sushi Kaji
860 The Queensway, Toronto, ON M8Z1N7, CA

[JennaBean]

Don't eat at the Thompson but do stay there. Nice space just not so great food anywhere to be found in the space.

[CocoTO]

Lee most definitely has a bar ...

[1sweetpea]

I'd argue that Lee is not an hour from the airport, especially if you are cabbing it. The Thompson Hotel is walking distance from the restaurant. I can't comment as to how hopping it will be, though I'd suspect most restaurants will have a friendly vibe on NYE. Call ASAP to see if reservations are available.

[ggom1]

Lee is 20 min from the airport if you're cabbing it, 1 hr if you're taking public transit and around 30 min or a bit more if you take the airport shuttle bus to the royal york and cab to a hotel. Thompson is a good hotel choice - it'll put you in the middle of a bunch of King West spots so even if you don't go anywhere, the area is still going to be lively and you have a lot of options both inside the hotel or within a 10 minute walk. If Buca is open (Italian), it might be a fun place for dinner, there's sort of a bar/counter area in the main dining room and it's just a few blocks from the Thompson. And the Thompson lobby bar serves part of the Scarpetta menu I think.

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Buca
604 King St. West, Toronto, ON M5V 1M6, CA

[syoung]

Ideally for a layover, you want to stay near the airport instead of far away downtown. Thus another suggestion is to stay at one of the airport hotels and then take a 15-20min taxi to Sushi Kaji, which has historically been one of Toronto best restaurants year over year.

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Sushi Kaji
860 The Queensway, Toronto, ON M8Z1N7, CA

[shekamoo]

this be a good idea too, but reserve ahead

[shekamoo]

or stay at the Metropolitan and have a rather expensive but well done dinner at their Lai Wah Heen

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Lai Wah Heen
108 Chestnut St, Toronto, ON M5G 1R3, CA

[TorontoJo]

You could kill two birds with one stone and stay at the new Thompson Hotel and eat at the newest outpost of Scarpetta. Makes it easy to get to bed afterwards. :)

http://www.thompsonhotels.com/hotels/...

[Herb]

Susur only has one restaurant at the moment: Lee. It's very casual so dining alone shouldn't be a problem tho you might want to check on a reservation. It is NYE, but since Lee has been around quite a while, it's not exactly the "hottest" restaurant in town. And a good hour from the airport.

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Lee
603 King St W, Toronto, ON M5V1M5, CA

[Mike from Hamilton]

How long is your layover? Are we talking an overnight stay? Pearson Airport (Toronto's international airport) is not exactly downtown...