Best Places to Celebrate the Holidays in Toronto (2025 Guide)

"Chefs Ricky Casipe and Olivia Simpson’s second annual holiday lounge brings “A Filipino Christmas” to Queen Street East, an intimate pop-up nestled between the front-of-house bottle shop and the open kitchen and dining room and decorated with festive finds from Casipe’s parents’ home, from traditional star-shaped parol lanterns to Pinoy music CDs covering the walls. Themed cocktails blend Filipino and holiday flavors with local spirits—the Halaya Sour (Niagara white rum, house-made falernum, sweet potato syrup and citrus) and the Leche Flan Nog, which purées baked Filipino leche flan into a rich base with Elora Distillery spiced rum—plus party shots like the Gin Bulag (named after the Tagalog term for a blindingly strong gin) with apple pie moonshine and cranberry. Guests can pair drinks with favorites from the Bib Gourmand restaurant’s regular menu, like the carrot and ice cream (roasted carrots, fried chickpeas, bay leaf ice cream and melted brie), tartares and burgers, or drop in for seasonal Meet Your Makers tastings with Ontario producers in the bottle shop; the lounge is open until New Year’s Eve, except December 21 to 25 when the restaurant is closed." - Julia Eskins