When it’s time to close the deal, choosing the right spot is key. We asked brokers at Colliers, Marcus & Millichap, Ashlar Urban Realty, JLL and Regent Street to name some of their favourite downtown power-lunching locations.
1. Jump
Address: 18 Wellington St W | Commerce Court East
Cuisine: Modern Canadian
Lunch possibilities: Blackened organic catfish; chitarra puttanesca pasta; new school Caesar salad.
Known for: Handmade pastas, locally sourced meat and seafood, and seasonal vegetables. Jump also offers 60 types of whisky, bourbon and scotch, and 10 whisky and bourbon-infused cocktails.
2. Drake One Fifty
Address: 150 York St (at Richmond)
Cuisine: Modern Canadian
Lunch possibilities: Stone-baked pizzas made with house-made sourdough; One Fifty Burger; Nonna’s Meatballs.
Known for: Being the first restaurant outpost for the Drake Hotel on West Queen West. It has a 60-foot oval marble bar, curtain wall of warehouse-inspired, steel-framed windows, and handmade geometric Moroccan tiles. Also, curated art collections, with installations by Douglas Coupland and Micah Lexier.
3. Modus
Address: 145 King St W
Cuisine: Upscale Italian
Lunch possibilities: Pan-seared maple-mustard glazed scallops; tagliatelle and lobster; spaghettini with mozzarella-stuffed prime beef meatballs.
Known for: The Globe and Mail liked Modus for its “grand and spacious room, with big tables, high ceilings and huge slate floor tiles”; as well as its “fabulous, huge lampshade chandeliers and tall white orchids outside the open kitchen.”
4. Ki Modern Japanese + Bar
Address: 181 Bay St (Bay Wellington Tower, Brookfield Place)
Cuisine: Modern Japanese
Lunch possiblities: Japanese-style ceviche with sake; pork ribs with barbeque sauce; Kiwi tuna roll with mango, cucumber, spicy tomato salsa and kyoto miso.
Known for: Having a dual personality. Ki's downstairs has a cocktail bar and patio; the upper level has a dining room with sake sommelier, one of only a handful in Canada.
5. The Chase Fish and Oyster
Address: 10 Temperance St
Cuisine: Seafood
Lunch possibilities: Bay Platter (oysters, clams, tuna, crab, shrimp, scallops, lobster); oyster po’boy sliders; big eye tuna nachos.
Known for: Named one of Canada’s top new restaurants in 2014 by enRoute magazine; during TIFF, The Chase attracted Hollywood A-listers Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Chastain.
Which restaurants are we missing? Let us know your go-to spots: ryan.starr@bisnow.com
