Love at first bite: OpenTable Reveals Valentine's Day Dining Trends and Canada's Top 100 Romantic Restaurants for 2026
- 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. 2
Nearly 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. 1
In 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, Calgary
Alvin'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, Edmonton
Amedeos, 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, Vancouver
Top 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 Scotia
Crème, Halifax
Drift, Halifax
The Five Fishermen, Halifax
Ontario
Ancaster 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 Sound
Stillwaters 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, Gatineau
Henri 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 OpenTable
OpenTable, 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.
For further media information please contact:
Hannah Jones
416-509-0763
