Where Frankie Tomatto’s once drew massive buffet crowds in Markham, Luna Private Banquets has quietly opened something that’s almost the opposite: a restaurant made almost entirely of walls.
There’s no main dining room or bustling common area. Instead, the floor is a maze of 26 private rooms and high-walled booths, echoing the private banquet culture of Shanghai and Guangzhou, where meals are staged for both discretion and ceremony — spaces for family celebrations, business deals, or social networking — as much about privacy and presentation as the food itself.
Arrive for dim sum, and you’re seated in a semi-private booth that feels more like a wood-panelled executive office than a busy eatery. The esthetic is “neo-Chinese”: hostesses in Tang-style silk and endless plates on delicate bone china.
The menu follows suit. Familiar dishes are present, but the kitchen enjoys subtle flights of fancy — sweet and sour pork wrapped in bacon or steamed beef stuffed with cheese and morels. The food is at its best when the kitchen takes advantage of high heat and big flavours. The room may be polished, but the plates aren’t fussy — think generous portions of slow-cooked meats and stir-fries with plenty of char and punchy aromatics. A smart use of fruit in savoury beef dishes shows the chefs are willing to take risks without straying too far from tradition.
Luna is a restaurant built for groups. Dinner comes with minimum spends that start in the high hundreds and climb past two thousand for the VIP suites, which include private bathrooms and sofas. Solo diners are rare here. You’ll find plenty of quiet, but tucked behind a door or partition, you may wait longer than expected for the cheque to arrive.
It’s an ambitious, elegant space, swapping the energy of a crowded dining room for total seclusion. But despite the gated feel, the hospitality is surprisingly approachable. The staff maintains a friendly, unpretentious energy that keeps the “clubhouse” layout from feeling too cold or distant.
Luna Private Banquets is located at 7225 Woodbine Ave., Markham.
