Restaurant in Toronto, Canada
Serious cooking, easy to get into.

An OAD-ranked New Asian room on College Street that's far more serious than its easy-to-book status suggests. Chef Nick Liu's sharing-plate format — think whole fried trout and Hainanese chicken with black truffle — delivers celebration-dinner quality without tasting-menu ceremony. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 5 pm, with late-night service to 2 am on Fridays and Saturdays.
The common assumption about Dailo is that it's a casual College Street hangout that happens to do interesting Asian food. That undersells it. Chef Nick Liu's 503 College St restaurant has ranked on Opinionated About Dining's Casual North America list three years running — #316 in 2025, after hitting #126 in 2023 — and the OAD notes describe dishes that are bountiful and generously seasoned, built for sharing, with cocktails and wine selections that would hold up in far more formal rooms. If you're planning a special occasion dinner and writing Dailo off as too low-key, reconsider.
The room is contemporary-meets-vintage chinoiserie , think considered visual references to Chinese aesthetic tradition, reframed in a modern College Street setting. It's the kind of space where the decor reinforces the menu rather than competing with it. The menu is assertively modern and seasonally attuned, which in winter means Liu is pulling from cold-weather produce and pantry depth rather than the lighter preparations that define the warmer months. Come in spring and the menu will read differently, so what you order in February is not what you'd order in May. That seasonal responsiveness is part of what keeps Dailo on the OAD list year after year.
Dishes are built for sharing. OAD specifically calls out the whole fried trout and Hainanese chicken with black truffle under the skin as representative of Liu's leading work , generous, well-seasoned, technically grounded without being fussy. For a date or a small group celebration, that sharing format works in your favour: more plates on the table means a broader read of what the kitchen can do.
Dailo's food does not position itself as a delivery-first operation, and the sharing-plate format , particularly whole proteins and composed dishes with textural contrast , is the kind of cooking that loses something in transit. The fried elements that OAD highlights (whole fried trout, for instance) are designed to be eaten immediately, when the crust is intact and the temperature differential between exterior and interior is still working. If your situation calls for off-premise dining, the food will survive better than most, but you'd be missing the point of Liu's kitchen. This is a room-and-table experience. Book the table.
Dailo is closed Mondays. Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday the kitchen runs 5 to 11 pm. Friday and Saturday service extends to 2 am, which makes it one of the more practical late-night options in the College Street corridor for a dinner that stretches long or a post-theatre second sitting. For a special occasion, Friday or Saturday gives you the most flexibility on pacing , you won't feel rushed toward an 11 pm close.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy. Dailo does not require the three-to-four-week advance planning that Toronto's tasting-menu rooms demand. That accessibility is part of its value proposition: OAD-ranked quality without the reservation anxiety of Alo or Sushi Masaki Saito. For weekend evenings, a week or two of lead time is sensible, but you're not competing for one of twelve counter seats.
| Detail | Dailo | Alo | Aburi Hana |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cuisine | New Asian | Contemporary | Kaiseki, Japanese |
| Price range | Not listed | $$$$ | $$$$ |
| Booking difficulty | Easy | Hard | Hard |
| Late-night option | Yes (Fri/Sat to 2 am) | No | No |
| OAD ranked | Yes (#316, 2025) | Yes | Not listed |
| Format | Sharing plates | Tasting menu | Tasting menu |
See the comparison section below.
For a full picture of where to eat, stay, and drink in Toronto: Toronto restaurants, Toronto hotels, Toronto bars, Toronto wineries, and Toronto experiences.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dailo | New Asian | Opinionated About Dining Casual in North America Ranked #316 (2025); The best of chef Nick Liu’s dishes are bountiful, generously seasoned and best shared, like whole fried trout or Hainanese chicken with black truffle under the skin. The space is contemporary-meets-vintage chinoiserie, and the menu is assertively modern and seasonally attuned. Excellent cocktails and well-chosen wines complete a delicious experience.; Opinionated About Dining Casual in North America Ranked #340 (2024); Opinionated About Dining Gourmet Casual Dining in North America Ranked #144 (2023); Opinionated About Dining Casual in North America Ranked #126 (2023) | Easy | — |
| Alo | Contemporary | Michelin 1 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Sushi Masaki Saito | Sushi, Japanese | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| Aburi Hana | Kaiseki, Japanese | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Don Alfonso 1890 | Contemporary Italian, Italian | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Edulis | Canadian, Mediterranean Cuisine | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
A few days to a week is usually enough. Dailo's booking difficulty is rated Easy, which puts it in a different category from Toronto's tasting-menu rooms like Alo that require weeks of planning. Friday and Saturday run until 2 am, so if you want a specific prime-time slot on a weekend, book a few days out rather than the night before.
Yes, particularly if your group wants a proper meal without the formality of a tasting-menu format. Chef Nick Liu's dishes — including preparations like whole fried trout and Hainanese chicken with black truffle under the skin — read as celebratory without requiring a tasting-menu commitment. Opinionated About Dining ranked Dailo among its top casual North American restaurants in 2023, 2024, and 2025, which backs up the occasion case. For a seated tasting menu as the main event, Alo is the Toronto call instead.
Dinner is the only option. Dailo opens at 5 pm Tuesday through Sunday and is closed Mondays, so there is no lunch service to compare against. Friday and Saturday service runs to 2 am, making those nights the most useful for late bookings.
The format is sharing plates, so come with at least two or three people to get across the menu. The room runs contemporary-meets-vintage chinoiserie in aesthetic and the menu is assertively modern, so don't expect a traditional Chinese restaurant experience. Opinionated About Dining has ranked Dailo consistently from 2023 to 2025, which signals it punches above its accessible booking difficulty. Cocktails and wine are considered strong enough to be part of the meal, not just an add-on.
The venue data does not include a documented dietary policy. Given that the menu features whole proteins and composed sharing dishes as signature items, it is worth calling ahead or noting restrictions at booking rather than assuming flexibility. The kitchen's approach is seasonally driven, so what's available will vary.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.