Five top Toronto restaurants, whether or not you’re at the World Cup

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For the World Cup, special menus are planned for the Canadian and Mexican games as well as special events for France games (the owners’ home team). In a city where bookings are increasingly important, no reservations Bar Allegro offers the luxury of walking in and seeing where the night takes you. 597 College St.

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Directly across from popular concert venue Roy Thomson Hall, Riley’s Fish & Steak is a well-placed retreat in the midst of the city’s bustling Financial District with a wide-ranging fan base that includes Drake. For World Cup watchers, it’s only a 20 minute walk away from the FIFA Fan Festival at Fort York.

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The place is inspired by midcentury grand hotel bars, with an upscale, unfancy vibe and plush comfortable chairs and banquettes spread out across the dining rooms. The menu is an amalgamation of straightforward and reimagined classics. To start, salmon and bagels ($24) pairs house-cured fish with dill cream cheese and delightfully crunchy crisps. There’s also a roasted seafood tower, stacked with grilled salmon and branzino, baked oysters and a bonanza of sauces and flavoured butter ($190) alongside the obligatory chilled one ($110).The star of the show, however, is prime rib carved tableside. Get the king’s cut ($92): It’s 16 ounces of supremely tender beef, with appropriately rich sides like creamed kale and the pommes puree. If you’re staying in the over-the-top zone, the bruleed banana tart ($20) is a luxurious construction of caramelized banana custard on brown butter graham crust with creme fraiche. Riley’s also makes tableside martinis, starting at $21. For the mocktail crowd, the Reveried ($15) is a whimsical drink with pineapple bubbles and zero-proof gin that tastes like the bartender tricked you. 155 Wellington St. W.

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Seoul Shakers fits the mood of its eclectic Bloordale Village, where every corner offers a different culinary adventure, from Caribbean comfort food to Tibetan momos and South Indian dosas. The lively spot has fun with Korean staples in a room that feels equal parts retro tiki bar and late-night hangout. Once the sun sets, the mood is lively and kind of kitschy, with hanging plants, neon accents and a turquoise-blue jukebox in the corner. The soundtrack leans heavily toward hip-hop and upbeat party music, and the room is buzzing; it’s a great big energy spot for post-game celebrations.

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Chef Leemo Han likes to mash up Korean flavors with Central and South American influences. Kalbi empanadas ($13.95) are a signature, with sweet-and-savoury marinated short ribs wrapped inside a crisp pastry shell. One of the most popular orders is roast kimchi chop cheese ($11.95) — an Asian riff on the New York bodega classic — which layers richly seasoned meat, melted cheese and roasted kimchi in a deeply comforting sandwich. Be prepared to get messy.

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Equally over the top are the phat fries ($13.95), loaded with tomato sauce, garlic mayo and roasted kimchi, as well as the chorizo quesadilla ($15.95) with smoky sausage and gooey cheese for a crowd-pleasing late-night snack. Drinks are just as playful. Along with tweaked classics like a mescal Negroni, the Pear Force One is a refreshing concoction of Espolon Blanco, Korean pear, yuzu, lemon, honey and sherry ($17). And there are also bottles of soju that suit the mood of the walk-in-only, instant-party place. 1241 Bloor St. W.

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At Chinatown’s Juicy Dumplings, diners follow a straightforward pattern: Order on a screen or at the counter, then grab one of the seats at the back. Retrieve your food and chopsticks, then bite into the contents of the bright red takeout box and nod approvingly. You might be in and out of the no-frills storefront in less than 20 minutes, which makes it a great place to fuel up before running to watch a game.

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But you will be highly satisfied. Shrimp wontons with spicy sauce are a standout: The plump parcels, with an excellent ratio of sweet shrimp to wrapper, get slicked in the restaurant’s fragrant chili oil ($11). The steamed mini pork soup dumplings ($5) arrive in the to-go container as a group of six, their delicate skins holding pockets of savoury broth and richly seasoned pork despite their modest size.