Boccaccio - Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Toronto

A little gem of a spot inside the Colombus Centre! Who would've thought? I worked here for over 6 years and didn't know this place existed next door!

Came here with 60 people to celebrate the retirement of 2 special colleagues. It was the perfect venue. The experience from booking and negotiating terms for the party, to the moment we left the restaurant on the evening of the event, was seamless. Giovanni made everything as easy as possible and helped us create an evening that suited everyone's taste and budget.

Everyone at the party mentioned how lovely the event space was and noted it was a perfect spot for an intimate gathering. The Orechiette was the biggest hit. I didn't personally see the chicken dish but heard it was good. We omitted the potatoes purposely and just had the chicken with the broccolini in order to keep the cost down for guests. We figured since bread was included there would be enough starch :). The gnocchi was soft and pillowy. Could've added more sauce b/c it dried out a bit with the oven baking process but I still finished every bite! We heard the tiramisu was delicious but we brought our own cake and sweets to celebrate. This also helped to keep it budget friendly. The head chef came out and served the cake for us without extra charge.

The staff, though a couple were fairly new to the space, was eager to help and made us feel welcome, even though we overstayed our welcome at least an hour after their closing hours.

We were able to play our own music through the night, and they had a wireless mic for us to use during speeches that wasn't always necessary if you had a loud voice. Their speakers aren't loud enough for dancing, so if you plan to do that, bring your own... we had a small portable JBL and it worked perfectly.

This restaurant is accessible!!! This was a huge plus as we had members of our group who could not do stairs. Bathrooms and restaurant were easy to access.

It was a wonderful way to celebrate the careers of these two lovely people and I thought it was perfect. Thank you Giovanni, Luciano and...

The dining experience was disappointing overall. The antipasto was particularly subpar, with old, mushy seafood, salad, and salami. Additionally, the food was overly salty and drenched in butter, though the chicken and salmon were decent. Despite being presented with a wine menu, our order was never taken, leaving us to settle for room temperature water. Service was abysmal, as we had to request water three times.

In regards to my daughter's severe allergy, despite reaching out in advance, the restaurant couldn't assure us of nut-free options. Consequently, she opted not to eat. Additionally, the desserts all contained nuts. The owner's handling of the situation was extremely disappointing, refusing to reimburse her plate and causing a scene to avoid a $45 charge.

Based on this experience, I wouldn't recommend returning to this restaurant due to its poor service and food quality.

Update - your disrespectful, malicious and inaccurate response further solidifies my review. Reservation was for three adults and two children of which only one child did not eat and we requested not to be charged for. You did not suggest any special provisions for my child and instead did make recommendations for things “may” eat. My son, in fact, enjoyed his meal.

Additionally for your information I made the reservation for Mother’s Day for my mother. You are misinformed, sir, of this as well.

It is unfortunate to see you grasping here, sir I requesting that we do not attend your restaurant again. Please be rest assured that my family, our friends, and anyone else that cares to listen of this interaction will refrain from visiting your establishment in the future.

All...

My husband and I had not been to this restaurant for many years, and the homemade pasta and gnocci we had for dinner were excellent, plus the prices/ portions were very good.

The restaurant is elegant, but it was lacking in some service/ ambiance. Our water glasses were filled once, and not refilled during dinner. The waiter brought me pepper when I requested it, but took it away before asking my husband if he would like any as well. My husband prefers butter over olive oil for his bread, and the butter came on a little plate, in tiny plastic tubs on a plate on top of a doily. Good bread should be served in an upscale restaurant with good quality butter, not cheap little tubs, Swiss Chalet style, with a doily. The coffee cream/ milk, also was not served in porcelain servers, but little cheap tiny plastic tubs too, like you would get at a gas station. The menus were a little stained, and there was no background music on either. The lights could have been dimmed, and there were no candles. While we were eating, the waiter was busy taking table cloths off of tables, and resetting them, he was the only waiter there, he should have been paying more attention, he was a little preoccupied. Because of the holidays, they were low on dessert items. We had our coffees, and thought some biscotti might have been nice...

The restaurant is very nicely decorated, and the food/ prices are very good. I would have liked to give this restaurant more stars, but a night out should be more then just about the food, and serving it, it should be memorable...