5 restaurants with cheap wine in Toronto
Cheap wine lists in Toronto are not something you'll find in abundance, but with a little digging there are deals to be had various restaurants around the city. Truth be told, if you're really looking to save on wine costs, it's best to take advantage of a free corkage deal — of which there are plenty to choose from. That said, sometimes one wants to choose from a restaurant's list, which often feature wines that aren't stocked by the LCBO. In such instances, the restaurants below are a good bet. While I'd say that only one has a truly cheap list altogether, the others offer weekly specials that are worth taking advantage of.
Le Paradis
It's a French-only thing, but Le Paradis' wine list is a rarity in Toronto: it's both cheap and full of excellent wines. Your best bets are wines from the Languedoc region (there's usually a decent bottle of Minervois to be found), but offerings from the Rhone are also worth a look. The "house wine" runs $6.50 for 5oz and ain't half bad.
Gusto 101
Gusto's wine list has plenty of bottles to choose from in the $40 range (which isn't too bad for Toronto), but it makes this list for it's wine on tap. At a buck an ounce, it's one of the best deals in town. If you like the sound of that, you can also find it at Rock Lobster Co.
Globe Bistro
Globe does wine well. Along with the fantastic selection of Ontario wines, the restaurant offers 50% off all of its general list bottles on Sundays. This is a great way to try to some hard to find wines at bargain bin prices (at least relatively speaking).
Gladstone Hotel
The Gladstone also offers half-priced wine, but on Tuesdays. And although it's not the longest list out there, you'll find plenty of worthwhile New World offerings. Quick math: the cheapest bottle on the list is $45, so you're drinking that for $22.50 on Tuesdays (I only did up until grade 10 math — be proud of me).
Czehoski
Czehoski gets in on the fun Wednesdays, with the much-loved 50% off special. It's an eclectic little list here that's worth trying. Come for the excellent steak frites, stay for the wine — or, really, vice versa.
BONUS
Enoteca Sociale
Enoteca often runs a 50% off deal on their Enomatic wine selection on slower days (Mondays), but it's unpredictable when this deal will be on, so let me tell you about another one. You'll have to arrive early, but between 5pm and 6pm, the restaurant offers $4 wine, beer and cocktails. Hmmm. Is it completely unreasonable to think that I could get 10 drinks for 40 bucks? That's six minutes a drink. Easy!
Know of a good deal on wine in Toronto? Let us know in the comments.
Photo by *Lemur* in the blogTO Flickr pool.
Thanks to the New Listerine UltraClean for sponsoring our wine-soaked adventures.
