Fuoco Mio — Restaurant in Toronto

I don’t normally leave bad reviews—especially for neighborhood spots that seem to have potential—but I felt like I had to say something after this experience. It was my wife’s birthday, and we were hoping for a relaxed, solid Italian meal close to home. Unfortunately, they really dropped the ball.

We called ahead at 8:15, knowing they closed at 9, and asked if it was okay to come in. The woman on the phone said it was totally fine—I even double-checked. We live right around the corner, and I made a point to mention that when we arrived, along with the fact that if the carbonara was good, I’d definitely come back to try the lasagna next time. So yeah, I was hoping this could become one of our go-to local spots.

We sat down and ordered quickly. But when our entrées arrived within five minutes, it immediately felt rushed. The food hit the table so fast, it made me uneasy. Even worse, I was told my appetizer—the mussels in red sauce—would be “right out,” which already didn’t make sense since it was supposed to come before my pasta, not after.

As someone who’s worked front-of-house in restaurants for almost 30 years, I know that mistakes happen. But I also know that service is where you turn those mistakes into memorable experiences. Our server had a real opportunity here—to bring out a side salad in place of the mussels, to offer a complimentary dessert, or at the very least, to be attentive. Instead, nothing.

When she came back to check on us a couple minutes later and asked how the food was, I still hadn’t touched my carbonara—I was still holding out hope that the mussels would show up. That’s when she awkwardly mumbled something about “a mishap in the kitchen” and offered me an extra antipasto instead. It was clearly a last-minute attempt to pass off a quick fix in place of the mussels, which obviously take more time. I declined. It just felt lazy.

I also asked for the side salad that came with my wife’s dish (she wasn’t going to eat it), and the server said “sure”—but that never came either. The water was never refilled. No dessert or coffee was offered. Just: “Do you guys want anything else or just the bill?” Not what you want to hear on a birthday dinner.

And again—I get that we came in near closing. But if you’re going to tell a local regular-to-be that it’s totally fine to come in, you can’t cut corners to rush food out, skip standard service steps, and not even attempt to make up for a pretty big misstep. We didn’t feel cared for—we felt shuffled out the door.

The penne carbonara was lukewarm and forgettable. My wife’s dish was fine, but overall, the night just fell flat. And it shouldn’t have.

This place does have promise. But if they want to survive—especially in a city like Toronto where competition is fierce—they really need to get their act together. Service matters. Execution matters. Hospitality matters. Right now, all of...

Went with another couple as we live in the neighborhood and were excited to try something new. Nice vibe but sorry to say we were quite disappointed.

1. We had booked online thru 'eat' but despite the restaurant having called to confirm and remind us of our booking, on our arrival they didn't have it. After being left in shock standing by the door and the host disappearing for a few minutes, it was determined they had 'lost' it but found it after all and we were seated at a nice table in the packed restaurant. Think it was a tech glitch with the booking system??
2. The server, unsolicited, questioned my choice of wine saying she preferred something drier. It was nice she let me have a tasting once she made me question my choice but it was what I had expected and I went with it regardless.
3. Two of us had mussels and although my friend enjoyed hers with the tomato broth, I thought mine with the white broth was overly sour and slightly unpleasant.
4. My husband had the penne bolognese; the pasta was overly al dente and the sauce was blah.
5. We'd arrived at 7 and were still there at 9pm on a Sat nite when the candles on the tables started being cleared and it became obvious they wanted us to leave. We hadn't realized they closed at 9pm so our bad but maybe they could more prominently mention that on their website, door, or booking confirmation as seems rather early despite it being a family neighborhood.

Sorry to be churlish, maybe we ordered the wrong things, but with prices so expensive these days for eating out, we had...

I am writing this review because I want this restaurant to be successful. I was watching its development and was excited when it opened. We really need this type of place on this street. I knew the restaurant from its start as a food truck and liked it.

The service was excellent and the waitress really sweet and attentive. They let us have our time and we were relaxed. It's a good menu with nice variety of smaller plates which I like. And the prices are fair.

I ordered the meatball sandwich and my friend had the chicken sandwich. The meatball sandwich was a disappointment although the meatballs were delicious. However I had to open the bun to make sure they didn't forget the tomato sauce- there was so little on there. Typically, I've seen this sandwich with mozzarella and it is served hot. Not in this case. So it was quite bare. The bread was average-something you'd get in the supermarket. My complaint is that for $14.95 I'd expect a little side salad. To have 3 meatballs on a white bun with next to no sauce- overpriced in my view.

So please amp it up a bit. At that price, a few greens shouldn't affect your bottom line. I wouldn't come back for this same lunch but I would if the food improved. This restaurant has great potential. You're halfway there.

No liquor license yet except Saturdays. They are...