Amano Trattoria — Restaurant in Toronto

I recently hosted a birthday event for 12 guests at Amano Trattoria, a restaurant I've enjoyed in the past. My expectations were high, given my previous positive experience, but this visit was a mixed bag.

The booking process was smooth, with clear communication and flexibility in making adjustments to the pre-selected menu. The restaurant allowed us to arrive 15 minutes early to set up, accommodating our decorations around the table, which was appreciated.

We had a pre-ordered four-course menu featuring an Appetizer, Pasta, Mains, and Dessert. The evening started on a promising note with the service being prompt initially. However, as the restaurant became busier, the service noticeably declined, leaving our large group feeling overlooked. The manager also got very passive with our table, near the end of our service - as if to rush us! I just finished eating a four course menu, let me digest the food!! The server we started off with was kind and engaging, afterwards we were just thrown plates at us and couldn't get a waiter to grab our plates or attend to us when we needed them! We felt so out of place - even though my party was paying a lot to be dining with them. The disrespect was unreal!

Appetizers: The charred octopus, a dish many of us opted for, was unfortunately overcooked and excessively chewy, with a portion size that felt underwhelming for the price. In contrast, the beef carpaccio was a standout, beautifully plated with flavors that were well-balanced and enhanced by the pickled mushrooms.

Pasta: The Rigatoni was decent but lacked any distinctiveness that would set it apart from more casual dining options. It didn’t live up to the standard I had experienced during my previous visit.

Mains: The Slow Roasted Porchetta was satisfactory, though the chicharron didn’t complement the pork belly as well as it could have. However, the rapini provided a good contrast, adding a layer of complexity to the dish. The Grilled Branzino was the highlight of the meal, offering a generous portion with a beautifully balanced flavor profile. The olive sauce set it apart, and the contrast of vegetables used was very well-thought-out, making it a fine dining dish. Unfortunately, the lamb dish was a major disappointment. It consisted of shaved lamb shoulder served on a plate with nero purée and sumac yogurt, which complemented each other well, but there was no cohesiveness to the dish when combined. The presentation was unappealing, with the lamb resembling a pile of shaved pieces that looked like someone had vomited on the plate.

Desserts: By the time dessert arrived, we were too full to fully enjoy it, which affected our experience. The Tiramisu met expectations, but the torte and financier cake were underwhelming. In hindsight, a three-course menu might have been a better choice.

Overall, the quality of the food has clearly declined since my last visit. Below are pictures comparing my previous dining experience with the most recent one before the polaroid, and the ones during my previous dining experience after. As you can see, the differences are stark!

While there were some positive aspects, the evening was marred by slow service and the impression that our party was deprioritized compared to another group dining in a private room. Despite arriving earlier and ordering in advance, we experienced long delays, which dampened the celebratory atmosphere. To say I was disappointed on my special day is an understatement.

In conclusion, Amano Trattoria may excel in smaller, more intimate dining experiences, but it is neither prepared nor skilled to host large groups effectively. For those planning a significant event, I would strongly recommend choosing...

Edit: After visiting Amano more than a year ago, I've been visiting it for more than 5 times. It's been consistently good for all those times. However, in my most recent visit this month when I ordered my favorite, the Hanger Steak, it was quite disappointing. The meat was tough (meat was very dense) and super chewy, over seasoned and over seared on the outside (outside dry). It went from amazing steak to really below average out there. Recalling how tender and juicy the meat was before I suspect either the restaurant has decided to use a different meat cut, or that it's not prepared well (we guess they used to sous vide the meat before searing it).

To be fair, this is not to say the restaurant is no longer worth going. All the other items we love are still super good (including cocktail drinks and the Funghi Pizza, which is now called the Summer Funguy Pizza, were still amazing), and the service and atmosphere are still good. This comment is intended to calls to attention to the restaurant in terms of keeping consistency of their dishes.

Original review in 2022: We came to this restaurant partly because of the good online rating as well as noticing the nice interior when passing by it in the past. After trying it for the first time, we were truly impressed. We like to try different restaurants, and rarely we discover a gem that we want to keep going back to, and we know this is going to be one for us, especially for nice date nights.

The ambiance was warm and beautiful with plenty of candle light. The restaurant is big enough so that even when filled with patrons, it did not get overwhelmingly noisy for good conversation.

Of course, the main thing was the food. We had arancini, the funghi pizza, hanger steak, and Nonna's ragu. Like many photos already shared, the funghi pizza was generously loaded with various types of mushrooms, and the natural flavor blended well with the potato base and cheese. With every juicy bite, you get a great umami and creamy flavor. Nonna's ragu was also amazing. Because tomato sauce based dish is common, it is difficult to go above expectation, but they did it with this dish. The Hanger steak was our favorite, it was perfectly cooked, served with cream and mint sauce, roasted vegetables, which included amazing lightly charred hen of the woods mushrooms. We also liked the beautiful cocktails we got.

The attention to detail in this place was not only just for the food, but also the service. Overall, our server was attentive and helpful with suggestions. Although we had no special request, we observed such ones were accommodated in neighboring tables. Towards the end, we had no room in our stomach for big dessert items, and they kindly gave us 2 small lemon meringue tarts on the house. The bill also came with a beautiful post card.

If you are looking for a nice restaurant, try Amano Trattoria. We found the value well worth the price, with great food (with good portion), service,...

If you are looking for a delicious culinary experience with friendly service in Toronto, this is the place for you.

Tucked in a cozy brick building, Amano Trattoria offers a delicious Italian experience in the heart of downtown Toronto.

To start, we were welcomed by our knowledgeable server, Gladys. She brought exciting energy to our dining experience, providing enthousiastic suggestions and recommendations. She answered all of our questions and was happy to share the restaurant's story and culinary background with us.

My partner and I ordered the 4-course menu, valued at $65 per person, no other notice or reservation was required for this experience. As there were two choices per course, we chose both to maximize our experience at this restaurant and have both options.

Drinks: Two Espresso Martinis While I am not an espresso martini connoisseur, I have had my fair share. Often, it is too sweet or too alcohol forward. The Amano Trattoria's espresso martini was clearly the best espresso martini we have ever had - so good that we asked Gladys and the mixologist how it was made. The espresso infused vodka was remarkable and made a clear difference in the cocktail's flavour profile.

First course: Beef Carpaccio & Truffle Salad While the salad was well-made and we had no complaints, the beef carpaccio was delicicious. The nuts paired very well with the carpaccio and the sauce completed the dish perfectly.

Second course: Rigatoni di Bolognase & Spaghetti al pesto The rigatoni was flavourful without concern for the greasiness. The pesto spaghetti was fine.

Third course: Grilled Branzino & Slow Roasted Porchetta The branzino was soft to chew and easy to eat but the flavours could be strenghtened. As someone who doesn't like fish too much, the dish was still fine. The porchetta was greasy, however, the potatoes and the raponi paired very well, and made it one of the highlights of the meal.

Final course: Tiramisu & Panna Cotta The panna cotta was new, fresh, and proved as a nice finish to the meal. For the tiramisu, while it is easy to make it, it is hard to find the right balance of making it not too wet and still flavourful of the espresso base. The Amano Trattoria's tiramisu easily found that delicate balance and even with the panna cotta, was able to stand out on its own.

I will definitely be returning to Amano Trattoria the next time I am in Toronto. While some dishes lacked strength in flavour, the espresso martini and the remarkable service by Gladys, the mixologist, and the team certainly makes the trip...