- New research reveals that nearly half of Canadians (49 per cent) are planning to dine out this Valentine’s Day1
- 51 per cent of Canadians believe Valentine’s Day is becoming more about celebrating all relationships, rather than just romantic connections1
- More than half (53%) of single Canadians would go to a restaurant for a first date on Valentine’s Day1
TORONTO, Jan. 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Love is in the air as OpenTable has unveiled its list of Canada’s Top 100 Romantic Restaurants for 2026 ahead of Valentine’s Day. The list is compiled from analyzing over 900,000 diner reviews, along with diner ratings, reservation demand and percentage of reviews with the tag “romantic” among other factors. 2Nearly half (49 per cent) of Canadians plan to dine out at a restaurant this Valentine’s Day1, but securing the perfect table isn’t always easy. Forty per cent of Valentine’s Day diners say they find it difficult to find and book a restaurant for the occasion, spending an average of two hours and 14 minutes searching for the right spot. 1In addition to the Top 100 list serving as a helpful guide for discovering the top romantic restaurants in Canada, OpenTable is spotlighting cultural shifts in how Canadians are celebrating all kinds of love around the table, with trends that reflect changing traditions.
Not just a table for two. Group dining is on the rise for Valentine’s Day (February 14), with the occasion in 2025 showing a 65 per cent year-over-year increase in parties of four, and a 88 per cent increase in parties of six. 3 Galentine’s Day (February 13) showed traction too, with parties of four seeing a 41 per cent dining increase year-over-year and parties of six seeing a 40 per cent increase. 3 Reflecting this shift, 37 per cent of Canadians plan to celebrate Galentine’s or Palentine’s Day this year on February 13 or 14,, with 59 per cent planning to mark the occasion over a meal out. 1
“Valentine’s Day isn’t just about romance anymore and Canadians are embracing the cultural shift, with 51% saying it’s now about celebrating all kinds of relationships, not just romantic ones¹,” says Matt Davis, Senior Director at OpenTable Canada. “Gen Z is really driving this change, with 59% planning a Galentine’s or Palentine’s Day celebration, 22% above the national average, and 65% of them looking to mark the celebrations by dining out.¹ No matter the love story Canadians are celebrating, our Top 100 Romantic Restaurants list has a table to match, from intimate spots to group and private dining spaces.”
This year’s Top 100 List highlights standout restaurants offering private dining rooms, perfect for celebrating with friends, including Le Crocodile in Vancouver, Sabor in Edmonton and DaNico in Toronto.
Worth the bite. Canadians are willing to spend a little extra to show their love, with 33 per cent expecting to spend more at restaurants for Valentine’s Day this year compared to last year. 1 Last year, friends also showed up for each other in a big way, with Galentine’s Day (February 13) in 2025 seeing a 53 per cent year-over-year increase in dining at restaurants priced $51 and above. 3
Love calls for a reservation. In 2025, dining on Valentine's Day was up 46 per cent year-over-year, along with a 54 per cent increase in dining on Valentine’s Day weekend (Fri. Feb 14 - Sun. Feb. 16). 3 That momentum appears to continue into this year, particularly among singles, with more than half (53%) of single Canadians surveyed saying they would go to a restaurant for a first date on the occasion, rising to 65 per cent among Gen Z. 1 Date dos and don’ts. When it comes to date-night dining, Canadians shared their green and red flags when dining out on a date:
Top three green flags:
- Your date offers to cover the whole bill (67%)
- Your date goes out their way to compliment the restaurant service (65%)
- Your date leaves a generous tip (65%)
Top three red flags:
- Your date is rude to the restaurant staff (83%)
- Your date doesn’t have table manners (81%)
- Your date complains about the restaurant (67%)
Discover OpenTable's Top 100 Romantic Restaurants list that diners will fall in love with
Whoever you choose to spend this Valentine’s Day with, OpenTable’s Top 100 Romantic Restaurants list has the top selection to choose from for a special meal out, including 47 in Ontario, 18 in British Columbia, 20 in Alberta, 11 in Quebec, three in Nova Scotia and one in New Brunswick. New additions to the list from last year include Luca in Calgary, Jazz Bistro in Toronto and The Royal Hotel in Prince Edward Country.
The OpenTable Top 100 Romantic Restaurants in Canada for 2026 list, according to diner reviews and dining metrics, is listed by region below, in alphabetical order. The complete list can be viewed here.
Alberta
Italian Farmhouse Restaurant & Bar, Bragg Creek Amedeos, CalgaryAlvin's Jazz Club, Calgary The Lake House, Calgary Chairman’s Steakhouse, Calgary Bow Valley Ranche Restaurant, Calgary Bolero, Calgary Flores & Pine - Grill Room and Gatherings, Calgary MODERN STEAK - Southport Rd, Calgary River Café, Calgary Luca, Calgary Orchard, Calgary Vintage Chophouse & Tavern, Calgary MAJOR TOM, Calgary La Ronde - Chateau Lacombe, Edmonton Ruth's Chris Steak House, Edmonton Brew and Bloom – South, Edmonton Sabor Restaurant, Edmonton ORO, EdmontonAmedeos, Okotoks Heartland Cafe, Okotoks British Columbia
The Butchart Gardens - The Dining Room, Brentwood Bay Old Vines Restaurant at Quails’ Gate Winery, Kelowna Home Block at CedarCreek Estate Winery, Kelowna Gordon Ramsay Steak, Richmond ATLAS steak + fish Langley, VancouverTop of Vancouver Revolving Restaurant, Vancouver Le Crocodile, Vancouver Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar, Vancouver Gotham Steakhouse and Bar, Vancouver Hy's Steakhouse Vancouver, Vancouver Acquafarina, Vancouver Hawksworth Restaurant, Vancouver PeakFine at Sparkling Hill, Vernon Glo Restaurant + Lounge, Victoria Tea at The Empress, Victoria Finn's Seafood, Chops and Cocktails, Victoria Beach House, West Vancouver Rimrock Cafe, Whistler
New Brunswick Italian by Night, Saint John
Nova ScotiaCrème, Halifax Drift, Halifax The Five Fishermen, Halifax
OntarioAncaster Mill, Ancaster DiMario's Trattoria, Burlington Isabelle Restaurant + Lounge, Burlington Cambridge Mill, Cambridge Elora Mill, Elora Via Allegro Ristorante, Etobicoke Golf's Steak House & Seafood, Kitchener Charcoal Steak House, Kitchener Papi’s, London Watercolour, Markham MISHREE Cocktails & Cuisine, Mississauga Remingtons of Niagara, Niagara Falls Prime Steakhouse Niagara Falls, Niagara Falls Morton's Grille - Niagara Falls, STK - Niagara Falls, Niagara Falls Brasa Brazilian Steakhouse, Niagara Falls The Winery Restaurant at Peller Estates, Niagara-on-the-Lake Cannery Restaurant, Niagara-on-the-Lake Trius Winery Restaurant, Niagara-on-the-Lake Cucci Ristorante, Oakville Greystones, Orangeville Zoe's at Fairmont Chateau Laurier, Ottawa Riviera, Ottawa Crossroads Restaurant, Parry SoundStillwaters Plate and Pour, Paris The Royal Hotel, Prince Edward Valley Restaurant, St Catharines Auberge du Pommier, Toronto Jazz Bistro, Toronto BlueBlood Steakhouse, Toronto Old Mill Toronto, Toronto And/ore, Toronto Don Alfonso 1890, Toronto DaNico, Toronto Maison Selby, Toronto Scaramouche Restaurant, Toronto Canoe Restaurant and Bar, Toronto REIGN, Toronto La Plume, Toronto Piano Piano Colborne, Toronto Lake House Restaurant, Vineland Sole Restaurant, Waterloo Wildcraft, Waterloo Bella Notte Ristorante, Whitby Take Five Bistro, Windsor Neros Steakhouse – Caesars, Windsor The Keg Steakhouse + Bar, Windsor
Quebec
Arôme – Hilton Lac Leamy, GatineauHenri Brasserie Française, Montréal Bonaparte, Montréal Portus 360, Montréal Le 9e - Restaurant Ile de France, Montréal Gibbys - Old Montreal, Montréal Maison Boulud, Montréal Terrasse William Gray, Montréal Bar George, Montréal Le Champlain Restaurant - Fairmont Château Frontenac, Québec City Bistro le SAM - Fairmont Château Frontenac, Québec City
About OpenTableOpenTable, a global leader in restaurant tech and part of Booking Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG), helps more than 60,000 restaurants worldwide fill 1.9 billion seats a year. OpenTable’s world-class technology empowers restaurants to focus on what matters most – their team, their guests, and their bottom line – while enabling diners to discover and book the perfect restaurant for every occasion.
Notes to Editors
- Consumer Research Methodology: An online survey was conducted by Ripple Research among 1,506 Canadian consumers, with minimum quotas applied across major cities. Fieldwork was carried out between December 20, 2025, and January 2, 2026. All data was collected in accordance with MRS (Market Research Society) and ESOMAR guidelines, ensuring ethical standards and robust data quality. Canadians who dined out last year and expect to dine out this year = Valentine’s Day diners.
- The Top 100 Romantic Restaurants Methodology: OpenTable's Top 100 Romantic Restaurants in Canada for 2026 list is generated from over 900,000 reviews from verified OpenTable diners and dining metrics from December 1, 2024 to November 30, 2025. Restaurants with a minimum threshold of diner reviews were considered and evaluated by a compilation of unique data points, including diner ratings, the percentage of five star reviews, the number of alerts set, the percentage of reservations made in advance, percentage of capacity and direct searches. Metrics were weighted to comprise an overall score. The qualified restaurants were then ranked by the percentage of reviews with the tag “romantic.” The resulting list appears A-Z, not in ranked order.
- OpenTable Data: OpenTable looked at the number of seated diners, including per party size and spend, from online reservations for all active restaurants on the OpenTable platform in Canada on Valentine’s Day (February 14), Valentine’s Day weekend (February 14 - 16) and Galentine’s Day (February 13) in 2025, when noted, and compared it to the same date(s) in 2024. Price categories are determined by restaurants.
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