How to get a table at a busy Toronto restaurant

Toronto is one of the most competitive restaurant cities in Canada, and its most talked-about rooms can be booked out weeks ahead. Others take no reservations at all and have lines out the door. Getting a table is less about luck than knowing how restaurants manage their bookings. Here is how to improve your chances.

How far ahead should you book in Toronto?

Situation	How far ahead
A weeknight at a neighbourhood restaurant	A day or two, often same day
A Friday or Saturday at a popular spot	One to two weeks
The most sought-after restaurants	As soon as tables are released, sometimes a month or more ahead
Groups of six or more	Two to four weeks
December, Valentine's Day, TIFF week	Several weeks
Summerlicious and Winterlicious	Soon after bookings open

Many restaurants release tables on a rolling basis at a set time each day. If a place is always full, find out when it releases tables and book then.

What if a restaurant is fully booked?

1. Join the waitlist. Many booking systems notify you of cancellations.
2. Call. Some restaurants hold a few tables back or know about cancellations first.
3. Try the bar. Many keep bar seats for walk-ins.
4. Arrive at opening. The first hour is the easiest time to walk in.
5. Book a weeknight or a late table. Tuesday at 9 p.m. is often wide open.
6. Check the day before, when last-minute cancellations appear.

How do no-reservation restaurants work?

Some popular Toronto spots, especially brunch places, ramen shops and casual restaurants, take walk-ins only. You put your name down and wait nearby; many text you when your table is ready. Arrive before opening or at off-peak times, and come in small groups, which are seated faster.

Do Toronto restaurants charge no-show fees?

Some do. Restaurants increasingly take a credit card to hold a booking, especially for tasting menus, large groups and busy dates, and may charge a fee for late cancellations or no-shows. Read the policy when you book, and cancel as early as possible if plans change. Small restaurants can lose a whole night's profit to a few empty tables.

How do you book during Summerlicious and Winterlicious?

Toronto's two prix fixe festivals, Summerlicious in July and Winterlicious in late January and February, offer set menus at many restaurants. Bookings open shortly before each festival and popular restaurants fill quickly. Book early, consider lunch, which is easier and cheaper, and check each restaurant's own booking system.

How do you get a table for a big group?

Most restaurants have only a few large tables. Book early, be flexible on day and time, and ask about set menus, deposits and private rooms. Chinese banquet restaurants, Korean barbecue, Greek tavernas and large pubs are easiest for groups.

How do you get a table during TIFF?

During the Toronto International Film Festival in September, restaurants around King Street West and Yorkville are booked with festival-goers, industry events and private parties, and some streets close. Book as early as possible, eat earlier or later than the peak, or head to a neighbourhood away from the festival, such as Leslieville, Roncesvalles or the Danforth, where tables are much easier to find.

Is it rude to make backup bookings?

It is if you do not cancel the ones you will not use. Holding several bookings and not showing up costs restaurants money and takes tables from other diners. If you book a backup, cancel promptly.

What should you mention when you book?

An occasion, dietary needs or allergies, a high chair, accessibility needs, or a request for a quiet table, booth or bar seats. Restaurants cannot always say yes, but they can only try if they know.

What is the easiest time to get a table in Toronto?

Flexibility does most of the work. From easiest to hardest:

1. Weekday lunch, at places that serve it.
2. Sunday to Wednesday dinner.
3. An early sitting, around 5 to 5:30 p.m., on any night.
4. A late sitting, after about 8:30 p.m.
5. Friday and Saturday at 7 to 8 p.m., the hardest slot in the city.

January and February outside Winterlicious, and the quieter summer weeks when many residents leave town, can be easier than the fall, TIFF and December. If a place you want is always full, try it at 5:30 p.m. on a Tuesday before giving up.

Are there good restaurants that are easier to book?

Plenty. Many excellent neighbourhood restaurants are busy with regulars but rarely booked out weeks ahead, and Toronto's suburbs, from Scarborough to Markham, have outstanding restaurants that are far easier to get into than the downtown names. On Mosey, you can see where people actually ate and what they ordered, follow friends whose taste you trust and keep a list of great places that are easy to book on a Friday. Mosey Gold marks places diners rate highly, and it cannot be bought.

More guides to read next:

• Mississauga and Brampton food guide: Punjabi, Pakistani and Caribbean food in Peel Region
• How to rate a restaurant in Toronto, and what Mosey Gold means
• How to spot a good restaurant in Toronto before you sit down

More in the Canadian food guides and the ranked lists of places.