SARA Reopens in Toronto With The Journey, a Seven-Course Tasting Menu
Toronto restaurant SARA has reopened with a new dining format focused entirely on its tasting menu.
The King West restaurant now centres its service around The Journey, a seven-course menu priced at $115 per guest. The shift moves SARA away from à la carte ordering and gives guests a guided meal from start to finish.
Located at 98 Portland St., SARA first opened in 2018 and has earned repeated recognition from the MICHELIN Guide. The restaurant is known for global flavours, shared dining, and a room designed around conversation.
The Journey Becomes the Main Focus
SARA’s new format builds around one full menu instead of multiple ordering paths.
The Journey begins with small bites before moving into savoury courses with layered flavours and unexpected pairings. Dishes will change during the year as the kitchen works with new ingredients and brings back select SARA favourites.
Owner Adrian Niman conceptualized the menu, while Executive Chef Lia Caufin developed the dishes.
Together, the team draws from Toronto’s multicultural food scene, using the tasting menu to move through different flavours, techniques, and influences in one sitting.
A Tasting Menu Built Around Shared Dining
The new format reflects how many guests already approached SARA.
Instead of choosing individual dishes from an à la carte menu, diners now follow a planned seven-course progression. As a result, the table moves through the same meal together.
This structure supports SARA’s focus on shared dining and lets the kitchen guide the pace of the evening.
According to Adrian Niman, Founder of SARA and The Food Dudes, the tasting menu has always sat at the centre of the restaurant’s identity.
“By focusing entirely on that format, we can shape the experience around our guests, creating something that feels thoughtful, unpretentious, and rooted in the flavours of Toronto,” said Niman.
Wine Pairings From Small Producers
Guests can also add a wine pairing for $60 per person.
The pairing comes from SARA Wine Director Merrin McHugh and focuses on sustainable, low-intervention wines from small producers.
Rather than making the pairing feel formal or rigid, the program aims to match the rhythm of the menu while giving guests new bottles and styles to try.
A Dining Room Designed for Conversation
SARA’s room remains a key part of the restaurant’s identity.
Designed by Odami studio, the 50-seat restaurant sits inside a converted Victorian building. The dining room spans two levels and uses curved walls, textured surfaces, and soft lighting to guide movement through the space.
Upstairs, a vaulted ceiling and curved banquette create a setting suited to group dining and longer meals.
The design supports the restaurant’s larger goal: slowing down the meal and placing more attention on the table.
Details:
- Address: 98 Portland St., Toronto
- Courses: Seven
- Price: $115 per guest
- Wine Pairing: $60 per guest
- Website: https://www.sara.restaurant/
About SARA
SARA is a Toronto restaurant in the King West neighbourhood.
Opened in 2018, the restaurant focuses on global flavours, shared dining, and hospitality shaped around the guest. Its menu changes throughout the year and reflects the cultural mix that defines Toronto’s food scene.
Led by Executive Chef Lia Caufin, SARA now enters its next stage with The Journey, a seven-course tasting menu built around flavour, pacing, and connection at the table.
