In Markham, Ontario, about 20 miles north of Toronto, you could book a table for lobster risotto at a modern Italian restaurant or for a marbled ribeye at a classic steakhouse. Or, you could reserve a seat inside the warm, welcoming home of a local family.
It’s the premise of OpenHome, a new initiative from Destination Canada and OpenTable that lets American travelers book dinners inside real Canadian homes. The limited-time series, launched Nov 12 and running through February 2026, spans the country—from Vancouver and Montréal to Halifax and beyond.
Each complimentary experience offers a curated menu and, more importantly, the chance to share a meal and stories with Canadians around their own dinner tables. Guests can browse listings and sample menus on OpenTable and reserve a night just as they would a restaurant.
“OpenHome really grew out of two things: the way travelers are feeling right now, and who we are as Canadians,” Gloria Loree, senior vice-president, marketing strategy & CMO, Destination Canada, told Travel + Leisure. “We’re living in a world that has us moving faster, scrolling longer, and often feeling a bit isolated, and we kept hearing that people weren’t just looking for a beautiful place to visit, they were looking for a place to feel welcome. As Canadians, there’s always room for one more at our tables.”
Just after Toronto’s first snowfall of the season, I drove 45 minutes from downtown to join Sharon Lui, her husband Tim, and their kids for dinner in their lovely suburban home in Markham, which calls itself “Canada’s most diverse community.”
“When we were selected for the OpenTable experience, I really wanted to showcase that Toronto isn’t only Toronto—there are a lot of suburbs around the city, and Markham is one of them,” Sharon said while she set the table. “What Markham is really known for is the food.”
The table in their bright dining room overflowed with dishes that reflected the city’s diversity. We started with a mountain of crispy samosas and tangy red tamarind sauce, followed by a joyful spread of Shanghainese noodles, stir-fried rice, Peking duck wrapped in thin pancakes with chives and hoisin sauce, Chinese broccoli, General Tso’s chicken, and lobster.
“I’m being biased here, but it’s probably one of the best places in the world if you want to stay within your city but experience the world,” Tim said of the Greater Toronto Area, where roughly half the population was born outside of Canada. “That’s what it is here—incredible first- and second-generation immigrants bringing their cooking.”
To finish, Sharon’s daughter presented a box of trompe-l’œil pastries from a local Asian-inspired patisserie, including one that looked like a soft orange mango but contained coconut-mango mousse with sticky rice. The meal felt less like a dinner reservation and more like being invited into a friend’s home, complete with laughter, conversations about parenting and K-pop, and second helpings.
To experience OpenHome, guests go to OpenTable to peruse the hosts and sample menus, and reserve a night just like a normal restaurant. The setting is homey—literally someone’s home—and each dinner varies depending on the host and region. Some meals are home cooked, others are catered by their favorite neighborhood restaurants. Details about dietary accommodations and group size are listed online.
Like a restaurant, guests are served multiple courses and drinks are on offer. But unlike a restaurant, the evening comes with stories about the neighborhood, family traditions, or the inspiration behind each dish. And there’s no rush to turn the table.
“The meal is really just the beginning. OpenHome is about creating the space for genuine human exchange,” Loree said, “slowing down for an evening, sharing time, and seeing Canada through the lives of the people who live here.”
The roster of OpenHome hosts mirrors Canada’s breadth. In Montréal, mother-and-son duo Louis Octeau-Piché and his mom Marie—recent contestants on The Amazing Race Canada—welcome diners into their kitchen. In Toronto, chef and food writer Amy Rosen brings her storytelling flair to the table. In Tors Cove, Newfoundland & Labrador, culinary director Alex Blagdon cooks alongside her mother and grandmother for a multigenerational feast featuring wild game. Farther north, near Whitehorse, Yukon, three innkeepers host lakeside dinners that highlight the warmth of northern hospitality. “Each host brings their own flavor of Canadian hospitality, but what they all share is a real curiosity about the people who sit at their table,” Loree said.
Beyond being a new way to experience a destination, OpenHome offers travelers something increasingly rare in travel: genuine connection. A meal becomes a window into local life, shaped by the people who live there and the food they love.
“When you live in the middle of the U.S., your image of Canadians might be Tim Hortons, poutine, and Royal Mounties,” Sharon told T+L. “We want to show that Canada is much more than those stereotypes. I want people to understand the diversity here — the idea that we’re a mosaic, not a melting pot. We each keep elements of our own culture, and that’s what makes this region so rich.”
As we said goodbye, Sharon handed me a bag full of Lay’s potato chips in classic local flavors: Ketchup and Turkey Dinner, an ode to Thanksgiving. It was a small gesture, but it captured the spirit of the evening—generous, and distinctly Canadian.
To book an OpenHome experience, visit opentable.com/openhome.
