Nodo Hillcrest — Restaurant in Toronto

I have never in my life been so displeased by a restaurant with such acceptable reviews.

I do not frequently write bad reviews such as these due to the fact that I expect some decency from places rated like Nodo Hillcrest. Quite clearly though, that was not the case here.

One member of my party of eight had called the restaurant beforehand to make a reservation like we usually do, upon doing so we were told that it was first come, first serve. Of course, this was fine, but that was only because when searched on google, Nodo’s maximum waiting time on a Saturday is 15 minutes, not 2 hours.

We arrived at the restaurant at 7:30 PM, and naturally didn’t expect to be seated immediately. We asked how long we would have to wait and were met with an answer of 45 minutes to 1 hour. This again, was not much of problem, perhaps just a mild setback, and so in the cramped waiting area, two out of eight of us were able to sit and wait, while the remaining members of my party were left standing, for not 45 minutes, but 2 HOURS. In those 2 hours, about 4 parties of either 4 or more had entered Nodo after us and STILL had been seated before us. Obviously, I’m sure that’s not following the term, ‘first come, first serve.’

During the wait, the host, Tony, had demanded in quite a rude tone that all of us who were waiting, should get into a straight line for no reason whatsoever, not only for a host is that extremely uncalled for but for a partner of Nodo to do such a thing is quite shocking.

After some time we were growing impatient and restless which was no surprise after waiting for 2 long hours, so we asked how much longer the wait was, the response we received? Well, Tony had said that he didn’t know, only because he couldn’t tell when people would leave. If that was the case, why give us a time at all in the first place? Not only that, but upon hearing our distinct complaints about the waiting time, HE had asked us whether we would have preferred if he told us that the wait would be 2 hours, and quite frankly, I have never heard such an imprudent question with such an obvious answer. Yes! We would have preferred to have been told that the wait would be 2 hours so we wouldn’t have been wasting time here!

It does not end there though, while we still waited, Tony claimed he would bring us pizza— to eat by the door, and I’m sure it does not take a genius to understand that in a way, compensation like that is not appreciated. When being offered the pizza, we all declined, though my father, had perhaps not done it as softly as Tony may have preferred, he proceeded to say something along the lines of, “If you’re going to talk to me like that, maybe you should leave.” He was clearly provoking my father, and so he went on to explain how this, in any way was not fair, which would lead to another unprofessional response, “You should leave, you’re not welcome here anymore, I’ll show you to the door.”

Such a reaction for declining a pizza that nobody had asked for was not necessary and extremely childish.

Though what does this mean exactly? Well, it’s quite apparent that Nodo’s customer service, as it’s name states, is all...

I’ll start with the positive—the food was great. However, the one-star rating is well deserved, and here’s why.

Service was painfully slow, and our server suggested adding appetizers to our dinner without informing us of the 90-minute table limit. By 7:10, our meals finally arrived, and we still had half a bottle of wine left. The server kept checking in, asking how the first few bites were before I had even taken one—the food was still too hot to eat. By 7:15, while we were still eating, he asked if he could wrap up our meals. That was frustrating enough, but then at 7:25, he returned to tell us, word for word, that our time was up and we had to leave the table immediately.

I asked what we were supposed to do with the half-full bottle of wine, as we were walking home and didn’t feel comfortable taking it with us. After five minutes, the server returned and simply handed me a bottle cork, saying, “Here is the solution.” I found this ridiculous and asked to be moved to another table or even a waiting area so we could finish our wine and my friend could complete her meal. He refused, saying the next available table wouldn’t be until 7:40-7:50.

At that point, I asked if they could at least comp the wine, considering how rushed and uncomfortable the experience had been. He said he’d speak to his manager, and they ended up taking $30 off our bill. But when he returned, he loudly announced, “Here ma’am, you saved quite a bit of money.” This was never about money—it was about having a relaxed evening with my friend. I felt absolutely SICK to my stomach and I said excuse me? I saved quite a bit of money how dare you?

I gave the bottle to the patrons next to us, who were just as shocked by the level of service. I don't know if this was the servers first time in the industry but he needs to be trained immiedately on how to talk to guests or maybe this isn't the right industry for him.

I will NEVER return to any Nodo location and will be sure to share this experience with others in the neighbourhood.

Good luck—times are tough, and I won’t be spending my money...

Came here with a friend for a girls night dinner. This is the second time coming to this location. I have been to Nodo (different locations) many times, and Nodo has always been amazing, however this location is exceptional.

We were served by Katherine. She is honestly terrific and has tons of energy. We started with the Arancini Siciliani balls. Honestly, it was so good. The crispy rice balls just melt in your mouth and has tons of flavours with the ragu and peas. For our mains, I got the Rigatoni /// Trinacria (Garlic-Blitzed Cherry Tomato and Zucchini, Basil, Smoked Mozzarella, finished with fresh arugula, shaved ricotta salata) and my friend got the Gnocchi (New School) /// Crema Tartufata Funghi E Mais (Homemade pan-seared potato gnocchi, wild mushroom, corn, truffle-garlic ‘crema’, padano, diced tri-colour peppers). I’ve always gotten the Pappardelle Ai Funghi (Rich Wild Mushroom Raghu, Parmigiano) usually, however I thought I would try something new and I decided on the Rigatoni /// Trinacria. Katherine said the rigatoni was one of her favourites as it was very flavourful but also very light. I was truly satisfied with my decision as the pasta was not too heavy and had fresh flavours from the arugula, tomatoes, and grilled zucchini. The gnocchi was delicious as well. The corn adds a hint of sweetness to it!

After that, we had some tea and my friend and I talked for an hour or so. Katherine consistently came to check on us. She helped pour water to top up our cups as well. We did not realize what the time was and we forgot they close at 10pm, however we did not feel rushed. Eventually at 9:50pm Katherine came to ask if we needed anything else and said she was not rushing us at all, but we felt bad that we stayed for so long. She was happy to split our bills in half. Katherine was wonderful and super patient. She made the experience at Nodo so much better and we really enjoyed her service. Thank you again, Katherine! We will...