La Veranda Osteria — Restaurant in Toronto

Tale of two different experiences in the same seating.

We went for my mother’s birthday. Ordered 3 different appetizers. Bruschetta was decent, meat and cheese plate was okay but the meat, salami and prosciutto were cut thick. The cold fish salad was half okay minus the fact the mussels were expired. The grilled vegetable dish was good.

Service started off attentive but after we ordered our mains the server never came back to check up on us.

We ordered chicken Gorgonzola (which the chicken wasn’t seared nor had any colour. The chicken looked sick. With a gummy chewy texture) the pasta in the gorgonzola sauce that accompanied it was nice. My child ordered the gnocchi with cream sauce, it was middle of the road. Pro tip, don’t over work your flour/potato in prep because the gnocchi will become dense, which it was.

The grand finale was a “pizza” with arugula and prosciutto(same thick cut as the app) which I tell you should’ve been a crime to call it a pizza. More so a cracker. When we couldn’t find our server because I guess the step of service there isn’t 2 mins 2 bites, another server passed by. As I finally got the attention of another server a blonde hair tattooed woman and told her we didn’t like the dish I was told “You must’ve never had that pizza, that’s how it’s supposed to be served” and just walked away with a look on her face as if I bothering her.

I can assure you that a ritz cracker had more fluffiness than this “pizza”.

I think I’ve never left a tip so low in my entire existence in the restaurant industry. I even feel bad I left $10. Not only will I not return but I will make sure I will speak ill will of this establishment any chance I get for how little that server cared to try and make it up and lack of care she showed to try and...

I recently visited this Italian restaurant for the second time, and I’m sad to say my experience was far from pleasant. The first time I came, the food was decent, but the server was rude and seemed in a hurry. I decided to give it another shot, hoping for a better experience, but this visit was just as disappointing.

This time, the server was very nice and attentive, but unfortunately, the manager, Asaar, ruined the experience, spoke to us in a condescending tone and acted in a blatantly racist manner when we were speaking loudly with each other. It's worth noting that the people at nearby tables were also loud, but Asaar chose to single us out and made comments like, "Everyone can hear what you're talking about," despite no one else having issues.

When two of our friends decided to join us unexpectedly, Asaar approached them with an unwelcome attitude, almost like she was looking for a reason to cause trouble. We tried to brush it off because it was the holiday season, but this behavior became hard to ignore, especially given the clear racial undertones.

Later, another manager did attempt to address our concerns, but it was too little, too late. Based on the rude treatment and the numerous reviews I've seen about similar experiences, I can't recommend this restaurant to anyone. It’s clear that there are ongoing issues with customer service, particularly in terms of how certain staff members treat their guests. Save yourself the trouble and avoid this place unless you want to be mistreated or spoken to in a...

We had a lovely experience today. The staff is very attentive, but unobtrusive, and friendly. We had bruschetta, with added feta cheese, which isn't on the menu, which they were happy to prepare for us, and it was very good. Our mains were nice, nothing outrageously special, but good with a tasty rose sauce on the pasta, and certainty they were large portions. Pasta with shrimp was good - the shrimp were quite large and cooked just right. Perhaps, if there was one point of consideration, I might think that the decor has seen better days. Real candles, not silly plastic ones with batteries would help make a classier atmosphere, and the cardboard Easter bunny pictures from the dollar store on the walls, along with the plastic flowers stuck to the walls should probably be taken down. It's not cute, not kitschy, not funny, just tacky. Also, the menu is insane- way, WAY too big, way too complicated and busy. If they cut about 50%,or more, and concentrated on their very best dishes, redid the menu, it would definitely upgrade this establishment. I kept envisioning Gordon Ramsey coming in and having his way with it to update the menu and decor so that it lives up to its obvious potential. Overall, the food, the service was quite enjoyable,. the prices were slightly on the high side, but not too bad. Might try it again in the summer for the outdoor patio, but as it is now, with so many awesome restaurants around, I'm thinking this one time visit was probably enough to satisfy my curiosity....