La Pizza & La Pasta — Restaurant in Toronto

After recommendations from friends I finally ate at Eataly’s La Pizza & La Pasta at Bloor Bay location and the food was absolutely fantastic! The recommended pizza was delicious, flavourful and light. I definitely had a foodgasm!

I ordered the MARGHERITA "A RUOTA DI CARRO" which was the large MARGHERITA version and I loved this thin crust so much. I kept thinking this is what authentic Neapolitan pizza must taste like in Italy.

The meats & cheese platter we shared was delicious and looked beautiful. The focaccia bread was so fresh, hot and fluffy!

I also loved the delicious housemade Pappardelle pasta with mushrooms which we shared. I wished I had my own order! For dessert I had the Dark Chocolate Budino, Crumbled Cake which was very delicious but confusing. It was served in a drinking glass so it looked like I received wrong order.

The ambiance was really warm and we had a fantastic booth and a bright view outside through the ceiling high windows. It was crowded at Eataly on this Monday lunch time but thankfully we had a reservation. But wow it’s a long maze to get to the restaurant.

And big thanks to our awesome server Christina who was friendly and pronounced the Italian dishes so well!

My only criticism is the menu was difficult to read with font sizes so small and mostly in Italian. So we’re glad our server was patient with all my questions. But I loved the little historical description for the MARGHERITA "A RUOTA DI CARRO" which inspired me to choose that pizza! See it below.

Here’s examples of what we ordered as it looks on the menu…

SALUMI E FORMAGGI Chef's Selection of Italian Cured Meats and Artisanal Cheeses

FOCACCIA BIANCA 90 Focaccia, Rosemary, Olitalia Extra Virgin Olive Oil

PAPPARDELLE AL RAGÙ DI FUNGHI Housemade Pappardelle, Mushroom Ragu, Agriform Grana Padano DOP, Parsley

MARGHERITA "A RUOTA DI CARRO" This extra-wide pizza dates back to the late 1500s, when Neapolitan poet Velardiniello described it like "the wheel of a cart" — hence the name! San Marzano Tomato Sauce, Fresh Mozzarella, Basil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil

BUDINO AL CIOCCOLATO Dark Chocolate Budino, Crumbled Cake, Chocolate Glaze, Whipped Cream, Chocolate Grunch

Great pizza info from their website:

Eataly has teamed up with the experts at Rossopomodoro, a Napoli-based pizza company, to bring you Neapolitan pizza made according to generations-old techniques. Creamy mozzarella, charred yet elastic crust, sweet San Marzano tomatoes, and fresh seasonal toppings make for a pizza so delicious you will be singing along with our vibrant...

I recently dined at a restaurant with a group of friends, and I must admit that the overall experience left much to be desired. From the moment we arrived, the atmosphere was tainted by an encounter with the lady responsible for checking our reservation. Her rude demeanor was quite off-putting and set an unfortunate tone for the evening.

We commenced our meal with an order of antipasti, which included a bruschetta and a meat and cheese board meant for sharing. Regrettably, the bruschetta, priced at approximately $20, arrived as a singular piece, leaving us baffled by its lackluster presentation. The meat and cheese board, priced at $36, was disappointingly meager, arriving unaccompanied by any bread. When I requested bread to accompany it, the slices provided were unusually thick, clearly not fresh, and insufficient for our party of five.

The most disheartening aspect of our experience, however, was undoubtedly the main courses. One of my friends ordered ravioli with tomato sauce, only to be served a portion that seemed more suitable for a five-year-old child. Similarly, another friend's pappardelle was excessively thick, making it a challenge to enjoy. While the pizzas were passable, it was disheartening to pay $25 for a frozen-dough pizza when the expectation was for freshly made crust.

On a more positive note, the desserts managed to salvage some semblance of satisfaction. Although they were indeed freshly prepared, the flavor fell disappointingly short of even a modest standard. For instance, the tiramisu lacked the anticipated coffee essence, leaving it rather one-dimensional with only a cacao flavor.

The service throughout the meal was sorely lacking. Basic communication seemed to be a struggle, as evidenced by the fact that, despite three of us ordering bruschetta to share, we were not informed that only one piece would be provided. Similarly, when a board of salami and cheese was served, the absence of bread was a glaring oversight.

In terms of cost, our average expenditure per person was approximately $50, excluding tips. It pains me to conclude that this establishment, bearing the name of Italian cuisine, failed to deliver an authentic or satisfying experience. It is my hope that this review serves as constructive feedback, urging the restaurant to reevaluate its offerings and service standards in order to meet the expectations of...

I made a reservation the day before for 5 people. This was my 2nd time eating at La Pizza e La Pasta but have been multiple times to La Piazza. I don't know if the staff work among both restaurants or are restricted to one but both times at P&P specifically, the service has been sub-par and this most recent visit, the service was virtually non-existant.

Our server did greet us warmly and took our drink and food orders at the same time but after that, he ghosted us.

-Pizza arrived before our cocktails. -Although I asked for balsamic vinegar to come with the complimentary bread, no bread ever came (yet the surrounding tables all had bread). -Our server... and in fact, NO server at all came to do a quality check at any point during our meal. We could not ask for bread as no one came back to see how we were doing. -Since our server never returned, nor could we could order more drinks or water. -The next time a staff member arrived at our table was to clear our plates and ask about gelato as one of our guests ordered from the Summerlicious menu. -I ordered the beet salad and a gnocchi dish with cheeses (including gorgonzola) and walnuts. Both were meh and the gnocchi were rather dense. I have made better at home for myself. -My friends seemed to enjoy their ravioli and pizza. -I asked the server who came to collect payment about dessert and she said that they don't serve dessert - yet I DISTINCTLY remember having dessert (cream puffs in a chocolate sauce) there the last time.

Finally, the portions are small and quite pricey. For the overall price, the service did not deliver. Things like a quality check and removing the wine glasses from the table when no wine is ordered should be standard practice.

I'm not sure why we were so neglected. Our original server was on the floor when we left but was allergic to out table, I guess. We were not rude or demanding and I don't think we smelled. I'm puzzled.

Based on this experience, I would not return to P&P.

Pizza that was ordered arrived...