LaVinia Restaurant — Restaurant in Toronto

We had high hopes for this restaurant given the reviews and recommendations but left disappointed.

So let’s start with the good… the service was great, and the staff were really attentive. I also didn’t mind the presentation of the meals. The restaurant was small and intimate, but the sound didn’t carry which allowed for my partner and I to have conversations without yelling.

The not so good was the actual food. For the price you pay, we expected more (not in terms of quantity, but the quality)…

The order: Pulpo a la Gallega - Octopus was overcooked and rubbery. We enjoy octopus at other restaurants and even when we travel so it was a bit disappointing. Croquetas de Cangrejo - these could have been a bit more crunchy on the outside but I didn't mind the flavour, though my partner didn’t like the taste, he thought the crab wasn’t fresh. Paella de Marisco - incredibly salty and lacked any other flavour. The seafood also tasted stale/frozen. Also it did not have a burnt bottom, so it was more like a risotto. Didn’t finish this due to the salt.

The chef came out and tried to explain why the meal was salty, but an explanation really doesn’t justify the amount in the meal. It also didn’t help there was no other flavour present. If you’re using seafood (which can be naturally salty), then reduce the additional salt? He offered us free dessert, but honestly we were kind of turned off by the previous courses.

Maybe it was an off day, but I would not recommend based on the food we had. Potentially the non-seafood dishes are better, but this ain’t it. Overall food lacked flavour, and seafood wasn’t cooked correctly or...

(2017) Went here for my mother's birthday. Had 4 Tapas: Spanish Ham, Spanish Meatballs, Braised Octopus & Steamed muscles. Followed by a Seafood Paella as a main dish Also had a complimentary Cheese Cake and Tartufo for dessert. Perfect amount of food for 4 people without feeling too full.

Enjoyed the nice variety of Spanish food, cozy atmosphere, professional and caring staff. Even the head chef came out to greet customers.

It was pretty busy, but we had a 7pm reservation to beat the dinner rush.

I consider this place a high end Spanish cuisine experience as the prices are up there, but makes for an unforgettable meal. I will likely return for another visit to sample more items.

Update (2019): Revisited for my parents 45th Anniversary + relatives visiting. From out of town. We visited on Boxing Day and had a 6:30 reservation and we were the first to be served. We had the Spanish Meatballs, Spanish Ham and Grilled Scallops to start with the Penne Pasta, Chicken & Seafood Paella and Squid Ink Risotto. Everything was absolutely delicious! Not spicy or weird, just flavor and comfort. This place deserves it's place in the TOP 10 Tapas Restaurants in Toronto according to tripadvisor. Its reputation shows through from the professional service, delicious foods and sweet and passionate head chef who visits every table after service to ensure his guests are happy.

Update 2021: Returning in stage 3 of the pandemic lockdown. This time for my father's birthday. Restaurant is still going strong. Food is top notch. Service is friendly and professional. Great to see things going...

We had a group of five people so we took full advantage of that and split the following dishes: Appetizers: poached octopus, grilled calamari, crab croquettes, chicken croquettes, Spanish meatballs, fresh white anchovies, garlic soup, avocado salad, gazpacho (daily soup) Main: Spanish saffron rice with grilled Calamari, scallops, shrimp, and fish Dessert: mango cheese cake, chocolate tartufo, fried milk, and sorbet There was not one dish that we did not like, and my husband was about to lick the plate that had the meatballs. The avocado salad was probably the only thing that wasn't super special. Then again, it's a salad. I could've skipped the chicken croquettes as well. One person got the garlic soup with bread and one without. I recommend getting this dish without the bread, as the bread takes away the balance of the soup a bit. All the seafood in the saffron rice was nicely charred and mixed in. I cannot criticize the desserts as they were all delicious. Everything had the right amount of sweetness. My husband thought the desserts were not as good as the rest of the courses, but I cannot agree with him. Last but not least, the sangria! I would skip the wine list and go straight to their sangria. We tried the white and red, and hands down the red sangria. The white sangria was a bit too sweet...