Restaurants providing wine tasting and cheese trays in Toronto neighborhoods are popular places for gathering after work, chatting with friends or having a date with your special someone. We are not the first to discover how tastier wine becomes with cheese. The pairing up together of wine and cheese goes way back in history. Certain cheeses, like all food, pair better with certain wines. Generally, a mild cheese compliments a lighter wine, while a stronger tasting cheese partners best with a full bodied wine. There is a wide variety of both wines and cheeses in Toronto restaurants to experiment with. Servers like to share their knowledge and will advise on what matches will make your taste buds happy.
Downtown
Reds Bistro and Wine Bar, located at 77 Adelaide Street West, offers a casual wine bar in a modern setting on the main floor. More than 80 wines are offered by the glass, including ice wine. Cheeses from around the world are available from the cheese menu. Reds also has a wide selection of lunch, dinner and dessert items available.
Parkdale
Cafe Taste fashioned after a European Cafe is located at 1330 Queen Street West in the historic Parkdale neighbourhood. Environmentally friendly, Cafe Taste features a menu focused on wine and cheese, with produce from local areas. A selection of premium Ontario wine is available by taste, glass or bottle. A variety of cheese trays, desserts and other dishes are available in a relaxed, casual atmosphere. The environmentally garden patio is made from reclaimed material.
Riverdale
PicNic Wine Bar, located at 747 Queen Street East offers a wide selection of wines by the sample, glass or bottle in a casual setting. Besides a full menu, Picnic Wine Bar offers a chalkboard menu, offering a variety of cheeses, meats and garnishes, from which you may select and create your own tray or the knowledgeable staff are on hand to make one for you. With the use of local and fresh produce, menus change by the season.
West End
Enoteca Sociale, in Toronto's West End is located at 1288 Dundas Street West. The casual neighbourhood wine bar has a cheese cave that houses a selection of Ontario and Italian varieties. Wines from all over Italy and Ontario may be sampled inside Enoteca Social and outside on the summer patio. A varied cheese menu is offered, plus a full dinner menu. Reservations may be made online.
Yorkville
Carens Wine and Cheese Bar, located at 158 Cumberland Street in the fashionable Yorkville area, offers a wide selection of wine and cheese to sample, plus a full lunch and dinner menu in a relaxing elegant setting. Food may be enjoyed inside or on the two outside patios. Knowledgeable staff are available to help with wine and cheese pairing.
Jean Padgett - Family, writing and travel are high on Jean's list of priorities. Having raised five children and provided a home to many foster children, ...
